Immigrant restaurant owners in London are determined to continue sharing their cuisine and culture despite recent far-right protests and political tensions across the UK. At Tower Bridge Collective, a new riverside food hall near Tower Bridge, traders from around the world serve dishes rooted in family history, migration stories, and childhood memories. The venue brings together 13 independent kitchens offering Vietnamese, Thai, Ethiopian, Palestinian, and Indian cuisine under one roof.
Vietnamese Kitchen +84: A Call Home Through Food
Among the traders is Vietnamese kitchen +84, founded by Gray after he moved from Ho Chi Minh City in 2018. The name references Vietnam's country code, created as a way of 'calling home through food,' with recipes inspired by his parents and Vietnamese street stalls. Gray told MyLondon he feels proud to share Vietnamese culture in London despite growing anti-immigration sentiment. 'I feel really proud of being Vietnamese, and I feel really happy when I can share our cuisine, our culture,' he said.
Gray described culture as 'a language for people to connect to each other,' adding that food often breaks barriers more easily than conversation. 'You don't need to understand all the languages to understand the culture, but you need culture to connect to each other,' he explained. While acknowledging that protests and political tensions affect businesses in a major city like London, Gray noted that customer response has remained overwhelmingly positive. 'They still come and they still enjoy it, even introducing +84 to all of their colleagues and friends,' he added.
Mae Thai: A Love Letter to Generations
Next door, Mae Thai founder Eaint Thiri told MyLondon her business was built around sharing the food she grew up with in Thailand. The family-run kitchen describes itself as a 'love letter' to recipes passed down through generations, with dishes inspired by Eaint's mother and grandmother. Eaint moved to London at 30 to pursue her dream of opening a restaurant in the capital. 'The best way to share between people is via food. Food is the biggest inspiration in my life,' she said.
She added, 'I came to London to share the experience of what we have and what we eat at home.' Eaint emphasized that everything at Mae Thai is made fresh and without shortcuts, staying as authentic as possible to the flavours she grew up with. 'I was inspired to cook by my grandmother and my mother since I was really young, so everything we do here is homemade, with fresh ingredients,' she said. Despite the pressures of running a business in London, she praised the city's multicultural identity. 'London itself is still a multicultural place, and I really love it!' she said.
Food as a Bridge in Turbulent Times
Far-right protests have sparked tension across parts of the UK in recent months, with immigrant communities often at the centre of political debate. But for many restaurant owners in London, sharing food remains one of the most powerful ways to connect with people beyond headlines and protests. Tower Bridge Collective itself was designed around the idea of cultural connection through food, featuring traders serving Korean, Palestinian, Mexican-American fusion, Ethiopian, Italian, and Greek food alongside regular live events and community activities.
Sampling the food myself, it was easy to understand why both stalls have built loyal followings. The crispy tofu bánh mì from +84 was enormous, packed with flavour and loaded with sriracha mayo, while Mae Thai's spicy noodles were genuinely some of the best noodles I've had in London, balancing comforting flavours with a deceptively mild heat.
