Whenever I go to Westfield Stratford, I can’t resist grabbing a bite at one of its tempting eateries.
I’ve worked my way through many of the shopping centre’s cafes and restaurants, but am always lured to the Great Eastern Market that offers a tasty selection of artisan bread, authentic Italian arancini, sushi and Indian sweets.
L’Orchidée Patisserie
This is where you’ll find L’Orchidée, a petite patisserie and cafe with a colourful macaron counter. At the helm is Chef Daniel Garcia, who has trained at Le Cordon Bleu and worked at The Langham London and Firmdale Hotels.
As part of Westfield Stratford’s Engage the Senses foodie events, Chef Daniel Garcia demonstrated in the cooking theatre how to make L’Orchidée’s signature macarons in front on a sweet-toothed crowd. I’ve eaten plenty of macarons in my lifetime, but haven’t given much thought as to how they were made, so this was a learning experience for me.
Chef Daniel showed us how to lightly whip up meringue using a KitchenAid and fold it with finely ground almonds and sugar to create the delicate macaron shell. He then filled a piping bag with the mixture and carefully piped it out in small discs on a baking sheet, ready to bake on a low heat in the oven.
L’Orchidée macarons are filled with a generous layer of buttercream (or sometimes a fruit jelly) and Chef Daniel demonstrated how to get a perfectly smooth and velvety buttercream. He took a tray of macaron biscuits that were baked earlier and once again used a piping bag to add the filling and sandwich the two pieces together.
Of course, the moment everyone was waiting for was getting to sample some of Chef Daniel’s creations. Needless to say they were devoured rather swiftly but I managed to try a few flavours – Kir Royale, blackcurrant and violet and my favourite milk chocolate and orange.
Brunch at Balans
Before the macaron demonstration, I arrived early to start my day at Westfield Stratford with a delicious brunch at Balans. The modern brasserie is a London institution with restaurants in Soho, Kensington, Westfield Shepherds Bush and even Miami.
I was tempted by the Maryland Crab Cakes and Eggs Benedict but finally settled on Banana Pancakes with toasted broken pecans and warm maple butter. The giant pancakes were light and fluffy with a generous amount of sliced banana and the toasted pecans made them even more decadent.
I washed them down with a pot of loose-leaf Earl Grey tea and caught up on some reading – a perfect way to spend a lazy Saturday. The staff were ever so friendly and efficient and I liked the relaxed atmosphere. It’s definitely the kind of place to sit and collect your thoughts in peace before making a big purchase.
New Hair at Toni & Guy
On a sugar high from the macarons, I headed to Toni & Guy Westfield Stratford for a spot of hair pampering. My locks were in desperate need of a colour injection and I’d wanted to try the salon for quite some time.
Some of the stylists were over at Somerset House doing hair for the London Fashion Week shows, but luckily I was still able to squeeze in an appointment. I was booked in for a colour regrowth and refresh with the lovely Pavlos Rafail Kyriakidis, an experienced Technician at Toni & Guy.
We decided on a warm, natural colour that would blend in well with the lengths and complement my skin tone. While the dye was applied, we chatted about living in east London and Pavlos gave me tips on where to holiday in his native Greece (I can never turn off from thoughts of travel).
Assistant Philip Rothery (also a performing arts student) washed my hair and gave me a fantastic shiatsu head massage before finishing with a quick blow-dry.
I’m so pleased with the colour and enjoyed the laid-back, friendly salon experience. It’s worth noting that it’s one of the most affordable Toni & Guy salons in London for colour, so I can see myself returning regularly for a root touch-up.
Shopping Around Westfield
To finish off a splendid day, I did a spot of shopping in lifestyle store Tiger and had a look around Zara Home, The Kooples, Reiss and the new T.K Maxx store (hello Stella McCartney, Marc Jacobs and Miu Miu handbags). I also couldn’t help but get excited that Shake Shack is on its way to Westfield Stratford, opening mid-2015 – as if I need an excuse to come back!
My day at Westfield Stratford was lots of fun and there are so many great foodie events to get involved in. Keep an eye out for what’s going on!
Chérie City received a gift voucher towards a day out at Westfield Stratford
Images by Chérie City, Balans, Toni & Guy and Westfield Stratford
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