Darren Lovell is passionate about Middle Eastern food, as he proves at his restaurant, Souk Kitchen. Now he wants to pass on his enthusiasm to diners with a series of food journeys, as MARK TAYLOR explains.

Bristol chef Darren Lovell might not have been to Iran, but he has perfected many of the country's dishes and now wants to take his customers on a culinary tour of the Middle East.

Darren and his wife, Ella, run Souk Kitchen, a restaurant in Southville specialising in Middle Eastern cuisine.

North Street may seem an unlikely place to find authentic street food from Iran, Turkey and Morocco, but since it opened last year it has become one of Bristol's most talked about new restaurants.

Situated opposite the Tobacco Factory, Souk Kitchen was inspired by the markets and street food found in the commercial quarters of Arab and Berber cities.

Dishes such as chicken, preserved lemon, olive and fennel tagine, and Southern Persian fish curry with coriander, fenugreek and tamarind, capture the flavours and smells of food found on the streets of Marrakech, Cairo and Damascus.

And now Souk Kitchen is launching a series of special evenings showcasing the cuisines of specific countries and regions, kicking off with Iran, Turkey and Lebanon.

Although Darren hasn't visited Iran, Ella is half-Iranian and the couple have learned many of the dishes from her father and uncles.

"I have grown up around Iranian food and been cooking it for 20 years," says Darren. "Ella and I even had an Iranian feast for our wedding.

"Although I have yet to visit Iran, I wanted to evoke what Iranian food means to me – images of caravan trains, spice routes and empires lost and won.

"With the Middle Eastern Culinary Tour, I want to introduce people to great flavours and unusual ingredients.

"We are still working on the menus but they will also be inspired by my travels. Ella and I have travelled extensively and I have a little black book I always take away with me for recipes – I'm like a food sponge, soaking up all the ideas from my travels.

"I have also talked to Ella's family because all the men are keen cooks and love sharing their favourite recipes.

"In the Middle East, it's all about hospitality and the men love cooking. My uncle and father-in-law are both very good cooks.

"These special evenings will enable me to focus on a specific cuisine for one night rather than our more general Middle Eastern menu.

"I want to take our customers on a journey."

One of the reasons Souk Kitchen has been such a success since it opened last year is that it offers a fresh approach to Middle Eastern restaurants.

The colourful decor is matched by vibrant food created from a number of authentic ingredients and it is unlike traditional high street Turkish and Moroccan restaurants.

Darren says he and Ella wanted to offer people a modern version of Middle Eastern food and introduce them to new flavours and dishes.

"I always thought there was a gap in the market to bring Middle Eastern food up-to-date, because there is a lot more to the food than grilled meat on sticks with rice.

"Whenever I eat in Middle Eastern restaurants, the food always looks very brown and boring but when you go to Turkey and Morocco you realise that all the food is really bright and colourful.

"You also realise that it's not all based around cumin. The spice mixes are quite complex but they always seem to dumb it down in Middle Eastern restaurants in this country and make it Anglicised, like they have with most Indian restaurants.

"Hopefully, the food shows that we have put a bit of our character into it as we have travelled a fair bit and we wanted to educate people by introducing them to ingredients they may not have come across before.

"Persian food is all about dried limes, rosewater, orange-flower water, pomegranate molasses, sour cherries and pickled turnips.

"People can also buy these ingredients from the small shop area in the restaurant and we supply recipes of our dishes so they can try them at home."

Darren and Ella's hard work has paid off and the restaurant is getting busier all the time, with people travelling across Bristol to eat there.

"It's hard work and we are certainly putting in the hours, but we're busy, which is good, especially in the current financial climate.

"We're getting a lot of repeat customers and now people are travelling a fair distance from all over the city to eat here, not just locally. We see new faces every day.

"We always wanted it to be affordable and not a restaurant people only booked for a special occasion." The first of the monthly culinary evenings start on February 23 with Iran and will be followed by Turkey and Lebanon. They will cost £24 per person for four courses.

"We want to send the customers on a mini-Persian feast," says Darren, who is also planning a quick trip to Turkey in the meantime for some last-minute inspiration.

"I need to do some more research on Turkish street food," he smiles. "That's my excuse anyway.

"I'm also planning a trip to Beirut to get a better feel for its street food.

"Middle Eastern food has been much maligned in the past, so I just want to bring a bit more life and colour to it."

Souk Kitchen, 277 North Street, Southville, Bristol, BS3 1JP. Tel: 0117 9666880 or email soukkitchenbriz@gmail.com.