About the lunch pop-up
Did you know that this is the most delicious time in Rotterdam’s history to be alive? From dumplings to spicy pastechi, the famous Dynamite sandwich, and Fernandes ice cream, Rotterdam has it all.
The city has never tasted so indulgent and diverse. At the Mooncake Lunch Pop-up at Plein, we celebrate just that. Every eight weeks, a different food culture from the city takes centre stage. Sometimes it’s a cuisine you simply can’t overlook in Rotterdam, like Chinese or Caribbean, and other times it’s rare flavours, such as Kazakh. Each chef brings a story, memories, and pride to your plate.
Napata’s Sudanese street food
This autumn, Abdel and Ranya are cooking Sudanese food at the Mooncake Lunch Pop-up. The menu includes agashi with chicken and peanuts, crispy falafel with tahini, ful with cumin and sesame oil, and salat aswad with soft aubergine. To drink, try bright red karkadeh with cinnamon or a creamy baobab drink.
The first Sudanese restaurant in the Netherlands
A few years ago, Abdel and Ranya opened the first Sudanese restaurant in the Netherlands: Napata in Utrecht. The name refers to an important city in the ancient Nubian Kingdom of Kush, in what is now Sudan. For Ranya, the restaurant had to be much more than a place to eat: a place where food culture, art, music and people come together. A small piece of Sudan in the Netherlands.
With Napata, Abdel and Ranya brought a cuisine that was rarely seen in Dutch restaurants to a wider audience. They are now looking towards a new location in Hilversum, while this autumn you can taste their food at the Mooncake Lunch Pop-up at Fenix.
Abdel and Ranya. Photos: Renée de Laat
From Sudan to Driebergen
In Sudan, Abdel worked as a journalist and campaigned for press freedom with Free Press Unlimited. His work brought him into conflict with the Sudanese authorities, and he was arrested with several colleagues. After his release, he left for the Netherlands.
Ranya initially stayed behind in Sudan with their three young children, as the situation became increasingly unsafe. Eventually, she and the children were able to travel to the Netherlands, and the family was reunited. They ended up in Driebergen.
From journalist and artist to restaurateurs
Ranya studied art in Khartoum, specialising in textiles. She explored batik, dyeing and different weaving techniques, and also painting. Abdel continued his studies in the Netherlands, worked for Radio Darfur and completed a master’s degree in social development policy. He found it difficult, however, to find paid work at his level.
Together, Abdel and Ranya eventually started a catering business serving Sudanese food. When the pandemic brought this to a standstill, they looked for a new direction. In 2022, they opened Napata.
A senyia with different vegetarian dishes.
Food is meant to be shared
Sharing food plays an important role in Sudanese food culture. Dishes are placed on the table to share, with people eating together from a large platter called a senyia. You can see this tradition in the Platter of the Nile that Abdel and Ranya serve at the Mooncake Lunch Pop-up, with a variety of different dishes.
Agashi, ful and salat aswad
Sudanese cuisine makes extensive use of pulses, okra, aubergine, grains and aromatic spices. Sudan is also a major producer of both sesame and peanuts, so these ingredients feature frequently in its cuisine. At Abdel and Ranya’s, you’ll find sesame oil in their ful, and peanuts in agashi and salad dawa, an iconic salad with peanut dressing.
Expect rich, savoury flavours, plenty of comfort and dishes that are often made for sharing. Much of the menu is plant-based.
Until 22 November
About Mooncake
Mooncake.nl is the platform of food journalist and writer Jonneke de Zeeuw. She celebrates the flavours of the street, the city and the world – and shines a light on food cultures and the stories behind them through videos, TV segments, books, essays and articles. Her work reveals just how rich, surprising and super-diverse the culinary landscape of the Netherlands has become.
Jonneke de Zeeuw. photo: Sophie van Hasselt
Previous editions
Every eight weeks, a Rotterdam-based chef brings a different culinary tradition to Plein. Explore the chefs Mooncake previously invited for the Lunch Pop-up:
- Until 27 September 2026 | Irving | Dominican
- Until 7 June 2026 | Tessa | Vietnamese
- Until 12 April 2026 | Sabina | Slavic, Tatar and Ashkenazi
- Until 15 February 2026 | Yannic | Moluccan
- Until 4 January 2026 | Amel & Anwar | Ethiopian and Eritrean
- Until 23 November 2025 | Aleyna & Zhanna | Kazakh
- Until 4 October 2025 | Zuzuca Tavares | Cape Verdean
- Until 24 August 2025 | Maher Al Sabbagh | Syrian
- Until 13 July 2025 | Tim Kan | Aiyo Chinese
