A few years ago I was in London and ventured to East London, specifically to Brick Lane, a road/area famous for their many Indian and Lebanese restaurants, and places to drink a lot of beer. This was once upon a time the place that UK rockers would seek out in the 60's. It was amazing simply because you could barter for awesome Indian food, drink cheap beer, and find Lebanese street food that is better than most in restaurants. However I got on the Tube back to central London and felt like I was in Riyadh.
Shortly after my visit, the East London Muslims staged a protest against the sale of booze and this was the result:
It was probably because of your visit.