NOVA ESEA

Your guide to the UK's best ESEA (East & Southeast Asian) music, arts, culture & more

FEATURE

Cernamic: Clay, Community and a Small Oasis in London

If you walk into Cernamic on a busy evening, London suddenly feels quieter. Wheels are spinning, hands are deep in clay, and there is that soft concentration that happens when everyone is making something together. It feels less like a strict class and more like a shared studio, a small oasis tucked between train lines and traffic. Cernamic is a pottery studio with three spaces in Stoke Newington, Deptford and Dalston, founded by ceramic artist Nam Tran with co-director Susi

The Happy Pot: Malaysian Rendang With Nigerian Soul in London

Walk past The Happy Pot at a London market, and you often smell it before you see the stall. Slow-cooked beef rendang, coconut rice, bright pickles and golden fried chicken. It is the kind of food that makes people describe it as “comfort in a bowl” and come back day after day. Behind it all is Yvette , a Nigerian-born, London-based cook who swapped a career in international development for a life serving Malaysian-inspired comfort food. From climate grants to comfort food B

Monica Hsueh on Resilience, Migration and Stand-Up in London

Taiwanese comedian Monica Hsueh went from lockdown banter to a full live hour with How to Be a Strong Woman in One Hour in London, her funny and honest show about resilience, migration and messy life moments.

Asian Food in London | Where to Eat ESEA Cuisine: Markets, Supperclubs & Pop-Ups

From Filipino pancit to Japanese karaage, this is your ultimate guide to Asian food in London. We spotlight ESEA-owned stalls, restaurants, supperclubs, and hidden gems with interviews, maps, and monthly updates.

My Kids Are Hungry Asian Food Stall at Southbank Centre Market

My Kids Are Hungry: Vietnamese comfort, made for Southbank weekends

Born in lockdown and run by Vivien, a London mum-of-three, My Kids Are Hungry serves home-cooked Vietnamese comfort food with an easygoing “family kitchen” vibe. The stall grew from sharing recipes online to a full-time spot at Southbank Centre Food Market, and yes, the kids helped choose the menu. What to eat? Two signatures stand out: chicken & prawn bao — pan-fried, juicy, sesame-topped dumplings — and a crunchy, classic bánh mì. Everything at the stall is nut-free, wh

East and South East Asian Events in London February 2026 - What’s On Guide by NOVA ESEA

Updated 02/02/2026 Looking for East and Southeast Asian events in London this month? This is your hub for ESEA gigs, food markets, supperclubs, exhibitions and theatre across the city. We spotlight everything from underground nights to big festival moments, with new listings added throughout the month. You will also find the occasional ESEA highlight from other UK cities when something special is happening. Bookmark this page or sign up for our newsletter for updates! Featur

Sen Noods 仙麵: Best Dan Dan & Vegan Ramen in London

East Asian noodles, made for London streets. Sen Noods began as a lockdown idea between two friends, Godfrey and Johnny. They were living together, both out of work, and kept joking about “one day” running a food truck. In late 2021 they bought a van and actually did it. Their first bestseller was a soy-milk ramen inspired by an episode of Food Wars, created to give the menu a strong vegan option. Today, it is one of their most ordered bowls. From kitchen mates to a noodle

Meet Cantoast: Hong Kong Style French Toast

At Victoria Park Market each weekend, Cantoast keeps things simple: thick-cut milk bread, dipped and fried, topped with butter, golden syrup and condensed milk. It looks classic because that is the point. The founder wants the toast to feel familiar to people from Hong Kong and easy to try for first-timers. (updated: Cantoast no longer in Victoria Park, you can find them at Shōtengai Market at King's Cross) The key is the bread. They bake their own Shokupan (milk bread) s

Wheelcake Island: Taiwanese‑Japanese Pancakes Winning Londoners One Flip at a Time

When JC and Yin set up a modest griddle stall in an Oxford market back in 2017, the goal was simple: pay rent and cure homesickness with the sweet, round pancakes they grew up eating. Six years and thousands of wheel‑shaped cakes later, Wheelcake Island has become a fixture at Old Spitalfields Market, luring queues with the hiss of batter and the scent of custard and azuki bean. A “fun‑to‑watch” dessert that caught London’s eye "People were intrigued by the cooking process

ABOUT

NOVA ESEA is dedicated to curating and spotlighting the most vibrant East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) cultural experiences, creating a central hub that makes it effortlessly simple for both enthusiasts and newcomers to discover and engage with music, arts, and cultural showcases. Our aim is to become the definitive online platform, where the richness of ESEA culture is celebrated, shared, and explored, bridging communities and fostering connections through the universal language of art and heritage.