Written as the Master's final project in June 2025 I love to fill every second, and a May bank holiday’s Sunday is not an exception. I plan to spend one hour interviewing the owners of Gegend, a Chinese tearoom in Shoreditch, and go to Paddington afterwards. I finish my breakfast as I walk to Gegend – perfect, every second is well-spent. Opened last November, Gegend serves traditional Chinese tea like ‘Silver Needle’ and ‘Long Jing’. Although they sound unfamiliar to most Bri

Written as the Master's final project in June 2025 (Noodle Inn in London with a huge queue outside) “I don’t know what kind of Chinese noodles it is…we just saw it on Instagram. I like Chinese food - wonton noodles, prawn noodles – I like noodles.” Lisa, a 20-year-old from Birmingham, said while queuing for Noodle Inn, one of the most viral Chinese restaurants in London. With a massive queue occupying the whole street, Noodle Inn does not sell the Cantonese noodles that Lisa

Originally published in The Slice Tower Hamlets on 20 October 2025 Limborough Food Hub has allowed 18 Bangladeshi women to create and share recipes passed down through centuries, using garden-grown ingredients. Tucked in a residential estate in Poplar, Limborough Food Hub warms the neighbourhood with turmeric and fried onion. It is a garden run by 18 Bangladeshi women volunteers. As a community cooking space, immigrants and asylum seekers can cook their home food here on a M

Originally published in Hackney Gazette on 5 August 2025 A new tucked away cafe is serving up delicious gluten-free baked treats to East Londoners. Rice to Meet You shares space with two delivery shops in Kingsland Road and brings the East Asian skill of rice baking to the capital. The one-woman business is run by Bliss and started as a delivery-only bakery in April, with the bricks and mortar cafe opening in late July. All her dishes are made with flour made from finely mil

Originally published in The Indiependent on 4 July 2025 On a rainy night last year, Harriet Armstrong aka Jing Soeng took the bus in Leyton. She saw a Chinese takeaway shop outside, where hungry customers huddled waiting for their food. Suddenly, she had flashbacks of her childhood – working with parents straight after school, packing prawn crackers, and cleaning the kitchen. “I just thought…wow, that’s beautiful. It is all lit up.”  She photographed the takeaway shop the ne

Original published in MyLondon on 21 April 2025 From classic cinnamon buns to French choux, London’s bakery scene is vibrant. Nagare Coffee, which already has two sites in Spitalfields and Carnaby, attempts to make it more diverse by introducing East Asian baked goods in its new site in Bankside. It features not only ‘typical’ East Asian flavours like matcha , but also the distinct texture of East Asian baked goods – chewiness, fluffiness and a mix of both. Located behind Ta

While it is still cold, Spring is firmly here. Some local food businesses are using produce at its peak season to pack in flavour and...