Five babes, two mamas and one shopping centre. What kind of mischief could we get up to?
We were on our way to find out last Sunday, after Westfield London invited me and my friend Rachelle (of fab foodie blog Love Learn Cook) on a play date with our families.
To be honest, I don’t need any excuse to go to Westfield.
Sure it can be overwhelming at times (so many shops, so little cash!), but beyond bargain-hunting there’s loads to do with kids — from bowling at All Star Lanes (available at Westfield Stratford) to free play in the Lego Store.
Rachelle and I had been meaning to get our kids together for ages and they hit it off instantly. They could almost pass for brothers and sisters.
We hired Kiddy Cars and Jed and Rufus (Rachelle’s 3-year-old) were both feeling ultra cool in their rides.
Lunch at Penang
The fun began with lunch at Penang, the Asian fusion restaurant located in the Southern Terrace outside.
Penang is a kid-friendly zone with a comfortable noise level so you don’t feel self-conscious about your squabbling children.
If you ask, they will give your little ones colouring sheets and pencils and there’s a sweet ‘gallery’ of children’s art up on the wall.
The kids’ menu is reasonably priced at £4.95 with options ranging from chicken curry to noodles, rice and roti bread on the side, plus juice and an ice cream all inclusive.
We ordered a mix of kids’ meals and adult portions for the older girls who wolfed down their Pad Thai. Ezra wasn’t so keen on his chicken curry but the spring rolls and dumplings were an all-round winner and my beef curry had a good kick to it.
Movies at Vue
Lunch over, the boys hopped in their rides and the older kids pushed them all the way to the cinema.
It’s quite tricky finding the right lift for the Vue cinema on the top floor (better signposting please!), so it was a bit of a mad dash to make it to our seats just as the credits rolled.
We watched The Croods, a hilarious animated flick following the adventures of a cave man family hurtling into a new world.
The graphics are stunning, the script crackles along and Rachelle and I sat next to each other, giggling away at the adult jokes. Some scenes are pretty intense so I was glad we didn’t watch it in 3D — especially as it was little Rufus’ first ever trip to a cinema.
Look at him, right on the edge of his seat!
Gelato at Joe Deluccis
After the film, we stopped at Joe Deluccis gelato stall where they generously gave us 2 scoops each of whatever we fancied. Creme Caramel with Madagascan Vanilla in a proper wafer cone… Sinful.
By now, crammed with ice cream and eye candy, the kids were literally rolling on the ground or having mini meltdowns over toys. Time to wrap things up.
All was cool on the journey home though and Jed and Rufus looked so cute sitting side by side.
Five happy babes, two chilled out mums and one brilliant playdate.
Thanks to Westfield for hosting us. Read Rachelle’s account of our visit to Westfield London.
Westfield treated us to lunch, movie and dessert to write about our experience. All opinions are strictly my own.
What an incredible day out-we loved Westfield and always wanted O to get a chance in those cool cars but he wasn’t old enough when we lived there. He is now and I feel a shopping trip is in order. Your kids and Rachelle’s are simply stunning. Gorgeous post x
Aww thank you hon, we had such a lovely day out and it was fab getting all the kids together. Next time you’re down we should plan our own shopping/munching/kiddy car hangout at Westfield with the boys ;-) x
Looks like you had a great time! Lovely to see the two families together, hello Rachelle! How cool do they look in those cars?
It was lots of fun and I really think Westfield should invest in some Parent Cars that the kids can push! ;-)