Roof East must be a contender for pop-up of this summer for the sheer variety it offers to Londoners. Stratford is fast becoming a popular destination for dining, shopping and entertainment. Roof East is situated on top of a multi-storey car park right next to the tube station, with exceptional views of the surrounding areas including Westfield shopping centre, the ArcelorMittal Orbit and Olympic park.
Being an outdoor venue, the key ingredients to its success are sunshine and warm weather. It could offer the most fantastic food and entertainment, but it is ultimately the weather that will determine the success of Roof East. It is a very spacious venue with plenty of seating from lounge deck chairs to wooden benches.
The street food pop-up opens every Friday and Saturday and will be rotated on a monthly basis. The current hits include Rockadollar dogs run by Richard Sandiford, who is the head chef at Hawksmoor Knightsbridge. Their yakisoba pulled pork dog is one of the most sinful creations you will ever come across: it’s a hot dog with pulled pork, lime and toasted fennel slaw, yakisoba sauce and kewpie mayonnaise. It is meaty, it is spicy and definitely very filling and worth every single penny that you pay.
They are other offerings including burgers from Flamin’ Liberty, Korean street food wrap from Bo Ssam boy and unusual Peruvian grill from Cachina. Whilst they are not as big as something like Streetfeast, there is enough choice here for even your most demanding of friends.
They offer heavenly cocktails from the Spirited Mixers team: the highlights included their nespresso martini and their signature cocktail, the roof east, which has suze, Prosecco, orange bitters, soda and orange slice. The nespresso martini is rich and aromatic tasting, whilst the roof east is light and summery.
It is the entertainment options that really make Roof East stand out, Birdies crazy golf club offers a 9-hole mini-golf challenge that includes loops and even an elevated 5ft drop into the 6th hole. It is the perfect activity for team-bonding or taking someone on a first date.
There is also the roof top cinema showing classic and modern films Tuesday to Saturday and offers a very liberating experience being able to watch tremendous films outdoors with the Stratford skyline as a backdrop.
There are of course a whole host of other activities to take part in including yoga classes, seeing the stunning murals of endangered species from London artist, Louis Masai. You can also check out the GrowUp box, which is London’s first urban farm in a shipping container. Finally amongst the plethora of activities and food stalls, there is the urban park itself to enjoy; bringing beautiful greenery to an urban car park.
baldwin@townfish.com