I am sure I have mentioned it somewhere in the blog before, but it bears repeating: London immigrant food scene is fantastic. I have written about Nigerian Tapas, Caribbean, Indonesian and Parsi cuisine, also traditional Indian and Japanese breakfast. Here is some more London immigrant food we ate and loved while there.
Some of The Best London Immigrant Food
Srilankan Cuisine ━ Hoppers London
After an unsatisfactory bushmeat dinner on my birthday eve, Fafa suggested a not-so-typical London immigrant food – Srilankan cuisine on my birthday, which was also our last meal in London. The Soho branch of Hoppers London was still empty when we reached, which was just nice since we didn’t make a prior booking.
I was so excited to see Bone Marrow Varuval on the menu. Bone Marrow Soup was a dish that my late Atta used to make for all her twenty grandkids during the school holiday.
Along with the bone marrow, we ordered Prawn + Green Mango Kari, Kale Mallung and Seni Sambol. We also got a cocktail each- Arrack Attack for me and Old Fort for Fafa.
All the dishes were good, though not as spicy as I’d wanted them to be, even after we specifically requested them to be spicier. My favourite was, of course, the Bone Marrow Varuval. The meat fell off the bone and was so flavourful (still not as good as my Atta’s).
Chongqing Cuisine ━ Chinatown London
I can’t remember how we ended up going into this restaurant or the place’s name. All I remember is Fafa’s excitement about eating Chongqing-styled grilled fish in Chinatown London, which was amusing because grilled fish is my thing.
Alas, the grilled fish, accompanied by a bowl of rice, was a perfect meal for a rainy afternoon in London. The service was good, and the price was pretty reasonable too. I will need to dig through my iPhone pics to find out the name of the place because we are coming back the next time we are on a hunt for London immigrant food.
Jewish Bagel ━ Beigel Bake Brick Lane Bakery
Brick Lane is the hub of London immigrant food, from the curry houses to the world-famous Jewish Bagel.
The bagel from Beigel Bake was one of Fafa’s favourite snacks in London. Personally, I can’t attest to it, as I have yet to appreciate a non-plain bagel. But looking for the constant queue outside, I’d recommend you to check it out if you are a Bagel-eating individual.
FYI, Beigel Bake is open 24 hours, which would be a good option for post-pub hopping pre-crashing on the bed snack. One more thing, There is a competitor bagel shop called Beigel Shop, just a couple of stores away from Beigel Bake, but the locals have spoken, and it’s Beigel Bake FTW.
Thai Cuisine ━ Rosa’s Thai Cafe
Our first London immigrant food, coincidently first lunch in London, was spicy drunken noodles in Rosa’s Thai Cafe near Carnaby Junction. I opted for the tofu version while Fafa had the beef meat – we both ordered the “Thai Spicy” level. The noodle was delicious and satisfying that we ordered the same food in another branch for lunch on another day.
Taiwanese Cuisine ━ Din Tai Fung
While looking for a restroom in the Springfields Shopping Centre, we spotted Din Tai Fung and decided to treat ourselves. Though I wouldn’t call it one of our go-to restaurants, we had fond memories of it while living in Singapore. And I wanted to know whether the menu would maintain a similar taste of the place all the way in London.
Fafa had hot and spicy soup, while I opted for chicken soup. We also shared prawn dim sum, xialongbao, a plate of stir-fried green beans and mango sago. The dishes were as delicious as we remembered them from years ago so was the impeccable service. I definitely recommend going here if you crave upper-class London immigrant food.
Middle Eastern Cuisine ━ Ottolenghi
I have been fond of Ottolenghi ever since Liz gifted me his recipe book for my birthday in 2020. And it’s one of my regrets about the London trip that I didn’t go to the restaurant while there. So I am putting it here so that you can check it out.
Not a London Immigrant Food ━ The Flat Iron
Okay, firstly, I just now found out that Flat Iron is not an immigrant restaurant (I thought it was a South American). The founder is a Brit, so I guess it falls under British food?
Still, I want to include it on this list because it was that good.
The gravy was a perfect companion for the tender and juicy steak. Combined with the mac and cheese side, it was one of the best (and pretty affordable) meals I had in London. And the best hospitality I experienced in London.
Lastly, you will get a miniature cleaver after you pay your bill, which can be exchanged for free homemade ice cream. I kept mine as a travel memento, stuck between pages 10 and 11 in my traveller’s notebook.
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