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Yo! Sushi for kids, Westfield Stratford

7 June 2013 by Sarah Trivuncic 2 Comments

Interior scene of Yo! Sushi japanese conveyor belt restaurant at Westfield Stratford; a chef in black prepares dishes, food is moving along the conveyor belt, a shopping mall backdrop behind diners.

Yo! Sushi at Westfield Stratford occupies a prime position on the top floor of the main shopping mall. Open since the centre was launched in 2011, it’s a popular place to eat Japanese food whilst shopping. Takeaways are also sold from a fridge. Less of a novelty now, diners are now more familiar with the plastic colour coded dishes that you self serve from the conveyor belt. Yo! Sushi has kept changing its menu so this review first published in 2013, has had prices removed and some items may no longer be available.

On the conveyor belt, food slides temptingly past. My five-year-old has always been crazy for sushi. He’s more adventurous than many of my grown-up friends. When any of them are icky about raw fish, I say “You eat smoked salmon don’t you?” Sashimi isn’t so different.

Ted’s favourites are little maki rolls in sets of four; we usually grab a cucumber and avocado set to share half of each flavour between us.

A small child using children's wooden chopsticks at Yo! Sushi, Westfield Stratford, East London.

Servers hand out children’s chopsticks although annoyingly Yo Sushi never has any straws. Taps in front dispense water, alternative drinks for kids are bottled real fruit juices although these are pricey. For grown-ups Yo Sushi is licensed.

My recommended kid friendly Yo Sushi dishes are:

  • Noodles
  • Rice – although not fire cracker version if they don’t like hot stuff
  • Pumpkin Korroke (fritters)
  • Gyoza (fried dumplings with duck, veggie or chicken fillings)
  • Nori maki rolls
  • Chicken yaki-tori on skewers
  • Pancakes (for pudding)

These were the dishes I started Ted off on, but these days he’ll try anything.

A pink edged dish of squid salad as served at Yo! Sushi, Westfield Stratford, East London.

My current favourite Yo Sushi dishes are:

  • Tuna & coriander sashimi
  • Salmon and cod roe tartare (a yellow banded dish, in some branches)
  • Salmon sashimi and nigiri
  • Sea-weed salad
  • Squid salad (shown above)

Something I do miss whilst watching the calories is Yo Sushi chicken katsu curry (fried breaded chicken slices with curry sauce and rice). Actually this dish is so filling you might only eat 2-3 dishes rather than the 4-5 you could quickly clock up if you hadn’t filled up on this.

Two orange fish roe edged sushi rolls filled with salmon and avocado, on an orange rimmed white dish as served at Yo! Sushi, Westfield Stratford, East London.

My top Yo Sushi tips

  • Staff will guide you to a seat, likely on stools at the conveyor belt – or:
  • Some branches have tables for groups although you may wait longer to get one.
  • Fizzy or still waters are dispensed from the taps in front for a flat charge.
  • Miso soup and green tea are also unlimited for a flat charge.
  • Dishes are colour-coded according to price bands. Blue and green dishes are the cheapest with grey (and in some branches, yellow) the more expensive ones.
  • Sometimes on “Blue Monday” all dishes on the belt are blue making this the cheapest day to visit.
  • Some branches do a “Sumo Sunday” with unlimited dishes for around £19.99 although the colour bands picked how good a deal this is.
  • Help yourself to dishes from the belt or order from the menu. These days you order (and can pay) via an app or website.
  • The conveyor belt may be depleted at the beginning of the day. Depending how adventurous the local clientele are, sashimi and raw fish dishes may not sail past without being ordered. Most dishes arrive in under ten minutes so don’t be put off ordering something that looks complicated to prepare.
  • It’s not all fish, there are plenty of cooked fish, meat and vegetarian dishes.
  • If you worry how long food whirls round, dishes are covered in plastic dome with “expiry time” stickers so they are removed if not eaten by then.
  • To call servers or get the bill, press the button in front of you. Whizzy lights and noises happen but this is all part of the Yo! Sushi experience.
  • Yo’s Japanese style desserts may be an acquired taste – they’re less sweet than you expect. My son loves the pancakes but I am not a fan. Small pink dishes of salmon sashimi sushi upon white shredded daikon radish, as prepared at Yo! Sushi, Westfield Stratford

Watching the staff prepare batches of dishes can be hypnotically entertaining. All the action goes on in the central area inside the conveyor belt.

An orange rimmed white dish filled with cubes of battered tofu, garnished with bean sprouts and a small plastic pot of miso dip on the side, as served at Yo! Sushi, Westfield Stratford, East London.

Some dishes like these tempera battered tofu cubes come with a dipping sauce; other rolls are a bit unwieldy with chopsticks.

Japanese custard pancakes as served at Yo! Sushi, Japanese conveyor belt restaurant at Westfield Stratford; a small child, only partly in foreground shot, holds a bitten piece towards the camera.

So it’s ok sometimes to use your fingers! Many sushi items make great finger food for kids.

Have your kids ever tried sushi?

With thanks to Westfield Stratford City who hosted this meal at Yo! Sushi.

Filed Under: Restaurants, Stratford Tagged With: Asian food, Chain restaurants, Child-friendly, Japanese food, Newham, Westfield Stratford

The Real Greek, Westfield Stratford

3 December 2012 by Sarah Trivuncic Leave a Comment

Mezze restaurant offering taste of Greece

The Real Greek serves small plates of mezze dishes allowing you to mix and match according to appetite and tastes. It’s food that feels freshly prepared and straightforward, and somewhere to choose whether you want a sharing banquet or some grilled meat or fish with salad. Representative of “the Mediterranean diet”, the menu offers plenty of options to stick to a healthy eating plan. We first visited The Real Greek in 2012, and have been back too many times to count. The outdoor terrace is a lovely place to eat outdoors in summer. The restaurant is now immediately next door to its original unit having been refurbished in 2024. First published in 2012, out-of-date content and prices have been removed from this review. Menu items may have changed.

Interior shot of The Real Greek restaurant at Westfield Stratford, East London; a waitress in white short-sleeved t-shirt dashes past a stainless counter stacked with black metal serving stands, a chef stands in soft focus behind these.

On a chilly December day, I joined several friends for a taste of summer. Mulled wine was served on arrival, Christmassy displays twinkled outside. However, with a friendly welcome from our real RealGreek host, the chain’s Head of Operations, Christos, we soon felt we were in a white-washed Aegean taverna. We were presented with a full range of dishes served at The Real Greek; no corner of the menu was left uninvestigated.

Triangles of flatbread piled on a white plate, glasses of black olives with cocktail sticks and red wine lie in soft focus in the background. As served at The Real Greek restaurant at Westfield Stratford, East London.

In Greece, we were told, an empty table is a sin. Immediately, mezze and drinks began to appear on small plates. Calamata olives, Greek flatbread and shots of Mavrodaphne of Patras, a sweet red Greek wine (similar to France’s Pineau de Charentes) opened this Olympic feast. 

With small plate menus, it can be tricky gauging how much to order. At The Real Greek, 6-7 dishes between 2 people would be plenty. A typical selection for one person might be flatbread or potatoes, a dip or salad dish, a meat or fish dish and dessert or another random savoury choice. 

A plate of hummus on a white plate topped with chickpeas, herbs and glistening with olive oil; a spoon lies on the plate upon the vintage wooden table and in background soft focus lies a glass tumbler.

Hummus started a debate; some felt it was too grainy, whereas I thought it was just right with chickpeas not outshone by tahini. All appetisers were dressed with a pool of olive oil: perfect for dipping and scooping with soft triangles of freshly-baked flatbread.

A plate of tzatziki cucumber and yogurt dip garnished with herbs on a white plate with a serving spoon; in the background in soft focus lies a glass tumbler and a white ceramic bowl filled with cucumber, carrot and pepper batons. All lie on a vintage wooden table. As served at The Real Greek restaurant at Westfield Stratford, East London.

Tzatziki, that familiar blend of yoghurt and shredded cucumber, I do question the mark up on what is essentially a plate of yoghurt. Taste wise, I have no complaints.

A white plate of white taramasalata cod roe dip garnished with dill, as served at The Real Greek restaurant at Westfield Stratford, East London.

Taramasalata, the essential Greek fish roe dip, was much better than the Barbie-pink, stinky goo sold by supermarkets. Normally I don’t like taramasalata, now I know I like the good stuff. 

A white plate of htipiti, red pepper and feta dip as served at The Real Greek restaurant at Westfield Stratford, East London.

Htipiti [hit-ee-pit-ee] is a dip combining red pepper and feta cheese. Everyone in Greece apparently has their own htipiti recipe; some areas prefer it spicy, this version was more mild. 

A white plate of gigandas-plaki or "gigantic beans" scattered with chopped herbs, as served at The Real Greek restaurant at Westfield Stratford, East London.

Gigandas-plaki or ‘gigantic beans’ slow cooked in a tomato and herb sauce would please vegetarians. The skins that can sometimes be tough on big pulses were very soft.

Not shown, we also tried Tiropitakia, filo pastry parcels stuffed with leek, feta and spinach, were definitely one of my favourites. They were fried but not greasy with soft pastry. Nor would any trip to a Greek restaurant be complete without Dolmades, vine leaves stuffed with rice. 

A white plate of puy lentil salad topped with large pieces of feta cheese and beetroot as served at The Real Greek restaurant at Westfield Stratford, East London. Adjacent is a shot glass of red sweet wine. A serving spoon, handle facing towards the foreground, lies face down on the plate. In the background of the vintage wooden table, a wine bottle with red label and a white plate with another side dish are shown in soft focus.

We especially liked the beetroot and lentil salad featuring home-made feta cheese. Another good dish for vegetarians.

Moving onto seafood, tiger-prawns with garlic and chilli arrived infused with flavour in a blini pan. Tails intact, skins had mostly been removed. Alongside salt cod, these were my favourite of the seafood dishes. Grilled octopus was much lighter and less greasy than versions sold in cans. The octopus had a meaty texture but wasn’t tough.

Salt cod fritters, scattered with green herbs, piled on a small plate with lemon wedge and lemon mayonnaise, as served at The Real Greek restaurant at Westfield Stratford, East London. On the vintage wooden table, another white plate of food lies in soft focus in the background.

Salt cod had light battered chunks of fish with lemon mayonnaise. Despite the name, the fish is soaked for three days to remove saltiness. It’s upmarket fish and chips really!

Slices of chargrilled calamari scattered with herbs and garnished with spiky lettuce salad leaves and lemon wedge, as served at The Real Greek restaurant at Westfield Stratford, East London. Two further white plates of food lie in soft focus behind.

By now the dishes started feeling like the Olympics’ opening parade of countries. Another traditional Greek dish, grilled kalamari, was similar in texture to the octopus, but juicier and more tender. Not remotely rubbery.

A pile of sliced pork belly garnished with red onion slices and green herbs upon a white plate dusted with red paprika, upon a vintage wooden table; as served at The Real Greek restaurant at Westfield Stratford, East London.

Pork belly is popular on gastropub menus: in my experience, it’s too much belly and not enough pork. This was completely different. To die for. Long tender strips of meat with slivers of red onion and oregano. 

If I’m honest, the remaining meat dishes were a blur of minced patties, balls and kofte for which my descriptions would be meaningless.

A white plate of Greek meatballs topped with bright red tomato sauce, slithers of red onion and chopped green herbs as served at The Real Greek restaurant at Westfield Stratford, East London.

These ones were Greek meatballs topped with yoghurt, tomato sauce and red onion; we also tried Bifteki Greek burger patties, and Lamb kefte with mint yoghurt.

Plate of two small wooden skewers loaded with grilled chicken pieces upon a white plate with spiky salad leaves and large blob of mayonnaise, as served at The Real Greek restaurant at Westfield Stratford, East London.

The chicken skewers with lemon mayonnaise had plenty of chargrilled flavour without sapping moisture from the meat.

Bright segments of orange citrus flesh, skins removed topped with chopped mint and pistachio nuts and honey, upon a white plate as served at The Real Greek restaurant at Westfield Stratford, East London.

For dessert, fresh orange segments with pistachios were served on Greek yoghurt with honey. I didn’t really notice pistachio flavour although evidently these were there. Also not shown, four sticky triangles of baklava were the perfect serving at a fair price. I like desserts served in a modest quantities at a lower price, a taste of sweetness is enough after a big meal. 

A large triangular slice of caramel and pecan cheesecake on a white plate zig zagged with caramel sauce. As served at The Real Greek restaurant at Westfield Stratford, East London.

Caramel and pecan cheesecake, however, was the bumper size choice. We were undecided whether this was made in-house or brought in from outside. Most likely the latter, but it was still good.

A white plate of Greek yogurt, dark brown walnut pieces and honey, as served at The Real Greek restaurant at Westfield Stratford, East London.

Best dessert for me, and more classically Greek, was Greek yoghurt and walnuts with honey. These walnuts were a surprise, they looked like fig or black grape and seemed soft enough to be chestnuts.

Compared to similar small dish menus at chains such as La Tasca or Zizzi’s short-lived Venetian cichette, this was my favourite. The Real Greek was busy all afternoon without ever seeming chaotic or being too noisy. I’m really pleased to update in 2024 that The Real Greek is still going at Westfield Stratford but have not yet visited its new home next door.

Meal hosted by The Real Greek. Compare other reviews by my fellow diners; Greedy Gourmet, Pebble Soup and Cook Sister.

The Real Greek
Chestnuts Plaza, Westfield Stratford City
8 Montfichet Road
London E20 1GL

At a vintage wooden table, a small brass coffee pot is held by its dark wooden handle upon a pile of dark blue paper napkins. A white coffee cup and saucer, with someone else's hand lie in soft focus behind. As served at The Real Greek restaurant at Westfield Stratford, East London.

Filed Under: Restaurants, Stratford Tagged With: Chain restaurants, Greek food, Mediterranean food, Small plates, Westfield Stratford

All Star Lanes, Westfield Stratford

4 March 2012 by Sarah Trivuncic Leave a Comment

American diner with ten pin bowls

Interior view of the bowling alleys at All Star Lanes bowling alley, Westfield Stratford, East London. Lighting is pink and purple upon light wood bowling lanes with white bowling pins stood ready to play; lanes are marked with the branding "A*" and numbered one to four.

The All Star Lanes bowling alley was a flagship feature of Westfield Stratford City’s food and entertainment offering and remains popular for birthday parties and group meal bookings today. The venue serves hearty American diner style meals and cocktails to enjoy before or after your bowling game. Originally reviewed in 2012, this page has been updated in 2024 to remove some out-of-date information; old prices have been removed and menu items may have changed. 

I visited All Star Lanes with a group of friends. Stratford City is their largest branch boasting over twice the number of lanes of their smaller alleys in Bayswater, Holborn or Brick Lane.

All Star Lanes is a completely different bowling experience to what I remember growing up; this is no echoey cold fluorescent strip-lit cavern with the ambiance of a badminton court. With a warm, lively ambiance, fourteen lanes sit alongside the restaurant. You’re far enough away from the alleys not to be bothered by noise. The atmosphere is truly American, but the dark wood furnished booth seating was more luxurious than the 1950s Grease movie pastiche you find at “Eds Diner”. 

A tall slim glass of red lemonade mocktail with slice of lime, as served at All Star Lanes bowling alley, Westfield Stratford, East London. A bar menu is shown behind on the dark wooden table and red upholstered seating is shown as a soft focus background.

There is a cocktail bar; as I had driven to Westfield that day, I chose a tall lemonade-based non-alcoholic mocktail with raspberry and lime. As a starter I ordered a short rack of ribs that were joyfully sticky, juicy and tender.

Salt and pepper squid as served at All Star Lanes bowling alley, Westfield Stratford, East London; Battered pieces of squid are tipped out of a cardboard American style Chinese take-out box onto brown paper upon a wooden serving board. A steel dish of dark sauce and a lemon wedge lie in soft focus behind.

Dining companion Michelle had salt and pepper squid presented in a cardboard Chinese take-out container.

A trio of tostadas topped with swirls of refried beans, guacamole and chopped red onion and tomatoes lie on a white plate branded with the letter "A" upon a dark table. Some cutlery and a glass lie in soft focus behind. As served at All Star Lanes bowling alley, Westfield Stratford, East London

Jeanne’s appealing trio of tostadas came with refried beans, guacamole and coriander.

Classic bacon burger, presented open with patty and bacon on one half, salad and criss crossed gherkin on the other, as served at All Star Lanes bowling alley, Westfield Stratford, East London. Some metal serving pots stand in the background containing a mayo sauce and sweet potato fries.

Surprisingly Louis’ overdone bacon burger turned out to be dry and disappointing. An odd thing to mess up as it’s their signature burger.

The hands of a server in dark top and red apron presents a blackened chicken burger with French fries upon a wooden board; as served at All Star Lanes bowling alley, Westfield Stratford, East London.

Conversely, my blackened chicken fillet burger with portobello mushroom was perfectly juicy. 

Various side dishes in small white or metal bowls as served at All Star Lanes bowling alley, Westfield Stratford, East London; from left to right, brocolli, coleslaw, French fries, macaroni cheese. Some bottles of condiments including HP brown sauce and Colman's mustard stand in the background.

Sides included broccoli with almond butter, which we all deemed very ordinary. Overly heavy with mayonnaise coleslaw, French fries and mini mac ‘n’ cheese. The latter was the best which would be a meal in itself alongside a dessert.

Main course of rack of ribs as served at All Star Lanes bowling alley, Westfield Stratford, East London; a golden "hush puppy" fritter, some green salad leaf garnish and a pot of orange sweet potato fries are also on the plate. Some condiments including yellow jar of Colman's mustard stand in soft focus behind.

Michelle ordered the mains version of the ribs, served with sweet potato fries. I felt my starter ribs had had the edge sauce-wise but it was nevertheless the same dish in a larger size. Jeanne opted for one of her all-time favourites, pulled pork, served with rainbow slaw, and wasn’t disappointed.

Salmon fillet as served at All Star Lanes bowling alley, Westfield Stratford, East London. Criss-cross grill marks have been made on the fish fillet, some green watercress leaves, a small sauce boat of white horseradish sauce and a steel pot of French fries lie in the background.

Margot had grilled salmon with candied beets and horseradish cream alongside cornmeal fritters endearingly known as “hush puppies”.

Golden "Hush Puppy" fritters, round cornmeal fried side dish item served on brown paper with a stainless steel pot of brown dip in the foreground; as served at All Star Lanes bowling alley, Westfield Stratford, East London.

After lingering over our mains, it was time for our bowling slot. If you weren’t eating at All Star Lanes, they also sell imported American candy bars. We had to wear hired bowling shoes, these were nicer than I remembered too!

Red and black bowling shoes with white soles and white laces, as hired at All Star Lanes bowling alley, Westfield Stratford, East London. Some bars of American candy lie in soft focus behind.

A game between five players took nearly an hour. Jeanne was the most skilled player scoring several lucky strikes whereas I was hit and (mostly) miss. Games are priced per person and vary in cost for daytime in the week or a peak evenings on Thursday to Sunday. A special rack is available for younger kids to roll their balls down the lanes with ease

Sometimes big-name DJs provide the sounds; posters were advertising Huey from the Fun Loving Criminals being on the bill soonafter.

Chocolate whoopie pie dessert with piped icing, sprinkles and a scoop of vanilla ice-cream zig zagged with caramel sauce; as served at All Star Lanes bowling alley, Westfield Stratford, East London.

Despite the food break spent bowling, we were really too full for dessert but nevertheless investigated. Dessert portions were huge with whoopie pies the size of small birthday cakes.

Brownie dessert in chocolate sauce adorned with scoop of vanilla ice cream and zig zag of caramel, as served at All Star Lanes bowling alley, Westfield Stratford, East London.

The brownie was moist and pudding-y drenched in chocolate and streaks of caramel and ice-cream. Desserts were all superb value.

Light brown peanut butter milkshake with clear plastic straw in a tall ridge glass with foot, as served at All Star Lanes bowling alley, Westfield Stratford, East London. A tall spoon is sticking out of the glass.

Instead of dessert, Jeanne and I each had sweet and nubbly Reece’s Pieces flavour deluxe milkshakes. These tasted great but could have been served colder. Alcoholic milkshakes such as Baileys or Rum & Raisin are also available, although I think I’d have needed to be rolled home after one of those.

Hugely enjoyable and atmospheric, All Star Lanes makes an excellent venue for a birthday party for any age. As nights out go, it’s not cheap but a meal and game will stretch out all evening. Servers are friendly and helpful; portion sizes are state size so do beware of eyes-bigger-than-stomach over ordering. You need to be mobile for your game! The weeknight deals with two course meals and a game are good value. I’d highly recommend a visit to All Star Lanes and can’t wait to take someone else.

For alternative takes on our visit read these other reviews by Michelle, Greedy Gourmet, Margot, Coffee & Vanilla, Jeanne, Cook Sister Visit hosted by All Star Lanes. 

All Star Lanes
Floor 2, Westfield Stratford City
Montfichet Road
London E20 1ET

Filed Under: Entertainment, Restaurants, Stratford Tagged With: American food, Burgers, Desserts, Newham, Stratford

Cabana, Westfield Stratford

3 December 2011 by Sarah Trivuncic Leave a Comment

Brazilian barbecue restaurant with cocktails

Interior showing printed Portuguese words on posters and various types of lighting as seen at Cabana Brazilian barbecue restaurant at Westfield Stratford branch East London.

At Cabana, like Brazil, restaurants have red STOP and green GO signs at tables. These indicate to servers whether you want meat, meat, and yet more meat, to be served. We visited Cabana at Westfield Stratford when it first opened in 2011. Cabana have three Brazilian style barbecue restaurants in London with further branches at Covent Garden and North Greenwich. This review has been updated in 2024 to remove out-of-date content; menu items and prices may have changed. 

Pale yellow pineapple colada cocktail with black plastic straw, strawberry and mint garnish, as served at Cabana Brazilian barbecue restaurant at Westfield Stratford branch East London. A red drink is shown in soft focus behind.

Cocktails are recommended to start; there are mocktails too. This is Cool Colada; fresh pineapple blended with coconut cream, coconut water and citrus. It’s not the most photogenic drink, but enjoyable even without the optional spiking of cachaca.

A trio of golden rectangular cheese pastries served on brown paper on an oval white dish with a smaller dish of red dip in soft focus behind. The pastry dish is upon the menu with colourful typography shown underneath; as served at Cabana Brazilian barbecue restaurant at Westfield Stratford branch East London.

We chose appetisers from the “Street Food” menu followed by barbecued meats and a side order each. Crispy Pastels were three tasty deep fried pastry pockets served with organic smoked peppers. Sadly, the promise of being “stuffed with four cheeses” was broken: the insides of one was hollow and smeared with droplets of cheese on the sides and the other two were not exactly bursting. Nevertheless, they were moreish and one of our favourite starters. Imagine how great they’d be with more cheese!

Salmon ceviche, chopped pink fish in white sauce with herb, lettuce and lime wedge garnish on oval white plate as served at Cabana Brazilian barbecue restaurant at Westfield Stratford branch East London.

Two of my dining companions had chopped salmon ceviche. To see what everyone else thought of their dishes visit my friends’ reviews at Greedy Gourmet, Cook Sister, Pebble Soup and Coffee & Vanilla.

Thick golden Cassava chips in a white round dish, as served at Cabana Brazilian barbecue restaurant at Westfield Stratford branch East London. The menu, in soft focus is shown under the dish.

Above top right: Cassava Chips promised much on sight but the texture wasn’t to my taste. They look like big fat chips, but cassava has a drier texture, similar to chestnut,  making them hard work to eat. Far better were the Sweet Potato Fries (not shown). Sweetcorn Pamonhas, grated sweetcorn steamed in coconut milk with a hint of cinnamon served wrapped in a corn husk, were an intriguing dish but sweet enough to have as a dessert.

Butternut and feta salad, in a white ceramic bowl, as served at Cabana Brazilian barbecue restaurant at Westfield Stratford branch East London. In the background of the shot, a steel cylindrical tin with brown paper (containing chips) and two black wooden knife handles are shown.

Roasted pumpkin and avocado salad made a satisfying accompaniment, generous quantities of pumpkin and feta cheese. Relishes and pesto were served in side dishes.

A metal skewer of eight barbecued king prawns on skewers as served at Cabana Brazilian barbecue restaurant at Westfield Stratford branch East London. The server is partly in shot with a turquoise t-shirt. In soft focus, a woman in patterned jumper is seated behind with colourful posters on the wall.

And on with the skewers! With a theatrical arrival came Spicy Malagueta Tiger Prawns (spicy indeed), Chilli and Cumin Lamb, and Honey and Date Chicken on colour coded skewers. Portobello Mushrooms with Halloumi or Corn-on-the-Cob are vegetarian options. Skewer choices are served at the table and a card stamped with how many you’ve had from which colour skewers. As in Brazil, you have a STOP and GO beer mat to flip over depending how hungry or full you are.

Vertical metal skewers of blackened barbecued chicken as served at Cabana Brazilian barbecue restaurant at Westfield Stratford branch East London. The server is partly seen in shot with a bright blue Cabana branded short-sleeved t-shirt. A man in a scarf is partly seen in soft focus behind with a wall displaying posters with large block letters of Portuguese words. The meat is red suggesting it is marinaded in spices.

The interior and branding of Cabana is a similar style to neighbouring Mexican chain Wahaca, although here you get scaffolding and posters over the walls attempting to mimic the vibe of a Rio de Janeiro favela. Even the toilets are done out like a corrugated-iron shack. It feels fun, but to my husband, who has been to Brazil, it’s a Hollywood version of the real thing.

As an alternative to the pizza/pasta dominance of the UK chain-restaurant scene, Cabana, like its Latin-American cousins, Wahaca or Las Iguanas, is a joyful change. The tender, juicy, barbecued meats were a strength of Cabana, the side dishes and street-food choices were hit and miss. Meat being the centre stage ingredient, you may rack up a steep bill.

Clear plastic dishes of swirls of frozen yogurt with vertical pink plastic spoons sticking out of them, as served at Cabana Brazilian barbecue restaurant at Westfield Stratford branch East London. The server is partly in view holding the dishes on a black tray, their hands visible and flat under the tray. They are wearing a green short-sleeved Cabana t-shirt with a long-sleeved black t-shirt underneath. Poster signage from the restaurant interior is shown in soft focus to the side.

However, do, do, do, save room for dessert. The frozen yogurts available in natural, peanut butter or caramel flavours, with a dozen toppings to pick from, were awesome. I hope in the summer they start selling frozen yogurt from a kiosk outside. I’d go back for the Peanut Butter Fro-Yo alone.

Meal hosted by Cabana

Cabana Stratford
Unit 5, Chestnut Plaza
Montfichet Way
London E20 1GL

Filed Under: Restaurants, Stratford Tagged With: Barbecued food, Cocktails, Latin American food, Stratford

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