ARTICLE

Robert Ngo spent ten years as an architectural designer before £5,000 and a market stall turned into Eat Lah, two sites that failed, and finally a Malaysian kopitiam of his own in Canary Wharf. The green tiles, the music and the coffee all came back from Malaysia with him. His mum wraps the wontons.

Mid-Autumn Festival 2026 falls on Friday 25 September. What the festival means across Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese traditions, what’s on in London, and where to buy mooncakes before they sell out.

The full ESEA Heritage Month 2026 London calendar, from celebrASIA at Battersea to Margins United and four Chinatown walking tours. Plus the Evolving Threads theme and besea.n's grants.

Three years ago Angie and Irene got lost looking for the venue, then worried nobody would come to their first market. Fifty-odd markets later, Urban Garden Fair brings Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and Korea into car parks and courtyards across London. We asked them why an East Asian market rather than a Hong Kong one, and what a message from a stranger in Malaysia changed.

Every Japanese market in London with 2026 dates — Shōtengai at King’s Cross, Nishi Market in Shepherd’s Bush, Yokimono pop-ups, Japan Matsuri at Trafalgar Square, plus where to shop Japanese year-round. Updated monthly.

Joe spent thirteen years in banking before he left to cook. It was Christine, his wife and co-founder, who told him to go, and her father who settled it with one sentence about happiness. Now they run SHOKUDŌ, a Japanese comfort food business built on a deliberately small menu, an ox tongue from a Hong Kong restaurant that no longer exists, and a rule about wasting nothing.

Chef Yu spent nine years perfecting a beef noodle recipe that fuses French red wine braising with Taiwanese technique. Now he's in Paddington, filling a gap he spotted in London's Taiwanese food scene.

The UK's biggest Japanese culture festival is back at Olympia London from 24 to 26 July 2026. Over 530 exhibitors, headliners QUEEN BEE and avantgardey, Japanese street food from wagyu skewers to mochi, cosplay, workshops, and a brand-new indie gaming zone. Here's everything you need to know.

Masami came to London at 23 and never left. Thirteen years later, she's at Shepherd's Bush Market making onigiri with the precision of someone who believes one dish, done well, is enough. We visited Sosaku Onigiri to hear about the stall, the flavours, and the philosophy behind the name.

Sonoe Sugawara came to London for three months in 2001. She never left. Over two decades later, she runs a vintage kimono shop in Dalston and organises Yokimono Japanese Market — an independent gathering of Japanese food makers, artists, and craftspeople that was only ever supposed to happen once.

Bánh mì is one of those sandwiches that shouldn't work on paper — French baguette, Vietnamese pickles, pâté, coriander, chilli — and yet it's one of the most satisfying things you can eat. London's Vietnamese food scene has grown quietly and steadily over the past decade, and the bánh mì options have grown with it. From Hackney to Southbank, here are the spots we think are doing it well. Pho Street Eats ⭐ Our Pick This mother-daughter duo has been at Old Spitalfields Market s

The Stall Named After Her Mum's Hometown Chau's parents were among the Vietnamese boat people who fled the country after the war. They made it to Hong Kong, met there, and that's where Chau was born. She came to the UK at one year old. The journey that brought her family here was dangerous; everything left behind is the quiet foundation beneath every dish she sells. Her mum's family is from Nha Trang. The stall carries that name. Which means every bánh mì sold at Berwick Stre

What does it feel like to walk into Zao An According to co-founder Rihlan, it's like going to someone's house and having their parents cook for you. Part café, part canteen, part community hub. Zao An is an ESEA diaspora workers' collective built on the belief that the best hospitality happens when everyone has a real stake in it. We sat down with Irene and Rihlan to hear the story behind it all.

At Tabard Street Market, Pinoy Eat is serving Filipino food that feels simple, satisfying, and full of heart. Run by Nino, alongside his wife Helen and their son Paul, the stall brings together family, flavour and everyday comfort in a way that feels deeply personal. Pinoy Eat began after Nino left his long career as a chef in hotels and restaurants to build something of his own. For the family, it was not just a business decision but a lifestyle change too. Running their own

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 Bef

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.

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, which m

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 va

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 is no longer at Victoria Park, new Cantoast Bakery is at Marble Arch) The key is the bread. They bake their own Shokupan (milk bread) so they can contro

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,"