Traders at Tower Bridge Collective say food continues to bring people together in one of London’s most international dining spaces
Far-right protests have sparked tension across parts of the UK in recent months, with immigrant communities often finding themselves 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.
At Tower Bridge Collective , a new riverside food hall near Tower Bridge, traders from across the world are serving dishes rooted in family history, migration stories and childhood memories. The venue brings together 13 independent kitchens spanning Thai, Ethiopian, Palestinian, and Indian cuisine under one roof.
Among them is Vietnamese kitchen +84 , founded by Gray after moving from Ho Chi Minh City in 2018. The trader’s name references Vietnam’s country code and was created as a way of ‘calling home through food,’ with recipes inspired by his parents and Vietnamese street stalls.
Gray told MyLondon he still feels proud to share Vietnamese culture in London despite growing anti-immigration sentiment. He said: “I feel really proud of being Vietnamese, and I feel really happy when I can share our cuisine, our culture.”
He described culture as ‘a language for people to connect to each other,’ adding that food often breaks barriers more easily than conversation. Gray said: “You don’t need to understand all the languages to understand the culture, but you need culture to connect to each other.”
Gray acknowledged that protests and political tensions inevitably affect businesses operating in a major city like London. However, he said the response from customers has continued to be overwhelmingly positive towards Vietnamese food and culture.
He added: “They [British people] still come and they still enjoy it, even introducing +84 to all of their colleagues and friends.”
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-years-old to pursue her dream of opening a restaurant in the capital. She said: “The best way to share between people is via food. Food is the biggest inspiration in my life.”
She added: “I came to London to share the experience of what we have and what we eat at home.”
Eaint said everything at Mae Thai is made fresh and without shortcuts, staying as authentic as possible to the flavours she grew up with. She said: “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.”
Despite the pressures of running a business in London, she said the city’s multicultural identity is still what makes it special. Eaint said: “London itself is still a multicultural place, and I really love it!”
Trying the food myself, it was easy to understand why both stalls have already built loyal followings inside the food hall. 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.
Tower Bridge Collective itself was designed around the idea of cultural connection through food. The food hall includes traders serving Korean, Palestinian, Mexican-American fusion, Ethiopian, Italian and Greek food alongside regular live events and community activities.
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