Westfield Stratford food court

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

Westfield Stratford City has quickly become my go to place for shopping and a fun weekend day out. It’s conveniently close to where I live (just three Overground stops away) and I appreciate having access to an excellent selection of shops, restaurants and entertainment without having to deal with central London traffic or battle the Oxford Street crowds on a busy weekend.

Many times have I hopped over there to pick up last-minute travel essentials and stay for a quick bite at Bumpkin, Ping Pong, Comptoir Libanais or L’Orchidee.

Lunch at Tossed

Steven and I recently spent a lazy Sunday at Westfield Stratford City for a spot of shopping, eating, bowling and a movie. We arrived hungry and fuelled up for hitting the shops with a delicious Chicken, Bacon and Avocado Salad at Tossed in Westfield Stratford’s World Food Court.

At Tossed, you can create your own salad, but my choice of ingredients usually lead to some odd combinations, so I went with one of the suggested salads, which was freshly mixed in front of me.

Served in an enormous bowl, the salad was packed full of high quality grilled chicken breast, tasty sweetcure bacon, lots of soft avocado, halved new potatoes, pine nuts, crisp salad leaves and a tangy French dressing. I accompanied the salad with a refreshing Belvoir Lemonade Pressé. The salads at Tossed can be at the higher price range, but the portion size is very generous and the salads are filling and really fresh.

Shopping

After lunch, we spent a few hours shopping at some of my favourite stores. I couldn’t resist spritzing and testing away in the beauty hall at John Lewis and then admiring jewellery at Cadenzza and COS, covetable bags at Mulberry, stylish homeware at The White Store, kitchen gadgets at Lakeland and gorgeous candles at Jo Malone.

I picked up a brand new pair of Converse All Stars for pounding the pavement in Paris, a new tube of my favourite M.A.C Studio Sculpt foundation and some quirky pineapple glasses from Zara Home.

Bubble Tea at Bubbleology

To perk us up after shopping, we tried a bubble tea from Bubbleology for the first time. I went for a Lychee tea and Steven tried a Ginger tea – both served chilled and filled with chewy tapioca pearls. I’d always wondered why the queue for bubble tea was often so big, but now know that it’s because each drink is freshly prepared and shaken like a cocktail by ‘bubbleologists’ in lab coats.

The texture of the bubbles was unusual yet pleasant and they made a interesting addition to the refreshing, ice-cold tea.

Burgers and Cocktails at All Star Lanes

Our next stop was All Star Lanes for a bit of retro bowling, cocktails and dinner. We exchanged our shoes for some super comfy bowling shoes and were led to our bowling lane, complete with its own leather booth.

Drinks

A perk of bowling as an adult is that cocktails are involved and we had them brought right to the lane. I loved my fruity, refreshing Kentucky Swizzle – Four Roses Yellow Label, crème de apricot, raspberry purée, lemon juice and mint mixed over crushed ice and served long. Steven tried an expertly-mixed, classic Moscow Mule – Finlandia, home-made ginger syrup, lime juice and ginger beer.

We played one game of bowling and had a blast trying to outdo each other, although neither of us scored a strike. I blame the cocktails! After Steven won (only just), we were shown to our table in the restaurant.

We tried the All Star Lanes’ special Eat Drink Bowl deal, offering a two-course meal, cocktail and a game of bowling for just £29 per person (Sunday-Wednesday). The set menu includes a big selection of the restaurant’s most tempting dishes and six cocktails to choose from.

The Food

BBQ Chicken Wings with blue cheese sauce were deliciously tender, covered in a sticky, sweet and spicy sauce. The portion size was generous and they were ideal for sharing. I also loved the rich yet subtle blue cheese sauce, which cooled and complemented the spiciness of the chicken wings.

Mac and Cheese Croquettes were just as indulgent as they sound. Creamy, gooey mac and cheese was enrobed in fine, golden breadcrumbs and served with a tangy tomato and chili dipping sauce.

My medium-cooked, flame-grilled Hamburger was juicy and substantial, smothered in melted American cheese and filled with tasty sweetcure bacon, lettuce, fresh tomato and pickles, inside a glossy toasted brioche bun.

The offer also includes one side, so we ordered Sweet Potato Fries and Onion Rings to share. The Sweet Potato Fries were excellent with a soft centre and a golden crunch, while the large Onion Rings were covered in a crisp, tasty beer batter, served with a pot of BBQ dipping sauce.

Steven’s Basket of Southern Fried Chicken was filled with pieces of succulent, tender chicken breast coated in crunchy, well-seasoned breadcrumbs. The portion size was similarly large and we struggled to finish our main dishes, as delicious as they were.

The Wolf of Wall Street at Vue Cinema

To round off a fun day at Westfield Stratford City, we went to see The Wolf of Wall Street at Vue Cinema. Based on the real-life story of wealthy stockbroker Jordan Belfort, Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street chronicles the corruption and debauchery of a thriving financial company and its charismatic ringleader.

Leonardo DiCaprio plays the part so well that you’re almost rooting for his out of control character and his drug-crazed scenes with Jonah Hill are outrageously funny – never have I heard a whole cinema howl with laughter as much as that!

The experience was made even better with Vue Xtreme with its super-sized screen and top quality images and audio. On the theme of indulgence, we couldn’t help going all out with enormous Ben & Jerry’s ice cream sundaes. It was the perfect end to a brilliant day of shopping, bowling and eating at Westfield Stratford City.

Until the end of the month, Westfield is hosting its We Are Dining campaign, offering visitors a printed or downloadable booklet filled with deals and discounts (up to 30% off) at a wide range of its restaurants, cafes and bars. It’s worth picking one up at the entrance or concierge to get the most out of your visit and try some of Westfield’s fantastic restaurants (All Star Lanes is in there too).

Chérie City was invited by Westfield Stratford & All Star Lanes

Photos by Chérie City, Westfield Stratford & All Star Lanes

Chérie City