The Story of Anh Dao in East London

Over 30 years ago in 1979, a teenage Vietnamese girl called Tram Dao fled the post-war Communist regime in Vietnam with her sister.

They arrived in England as 'boat people', as the Press dubbed the thousands of Vietnamese refugees who left their homeland in small boats and endured perilous journeys. The UN estimates that one third of the refugees died at sea.

Tram's first weeks in England were spent at Thorney Island refugee camp in West Sussex, where she met her future husband Peter Rimmer, then a senior field officer at the camp.  They married in 1984 and now have five children.

From those early years, Tram always wanted to open a restaurant and now that the children are either grown up or nearly so, Tram has now fulfilled her dream.  

The couple opened the Anh Dao restaurant, which is Vietnamese for peach blossom in December 2010.  They have transformed a derelict snooker hall in Kingsland Road in the area of Hackney widely known as 'Little Saigon' or 'Little Vietnam', housing some 20-plus restaurants.

Peter said: “This was our first opportunity to fulfil Tram’s dream, with finance and the building. All furniture and decor has been shipped from Vietnam and our aim is for authenticity.”

Even more authentic is the food, all cooked by popular chef and seafood expert Thanh Tran who comes from a fishing village in Ha Long Bay in North Vietnam. Thanh has more than 30 years experience as a chef and also came to the UK in 1979.

You'll find a warm welcome at Anh Dao, with Tram running 'front of house'.  The restaurant is now fully licenced and can cater for large groups in a plush but friendly atmosphere. The emphasis here is on fine food, lots of authentic sea food dishes and a first-class service.