My Experience At East Shopping Centre:

East Shopping Centre is a modern shopping mall in London featuring South Asian fashion and beauty boutiques, plus casual eateries. I liked how it was very lit with pretty decorations. However, it is not as big compared to your local Westfield Stratford or Shepherd’s Bush and the types of shops available are limited. I would recommend going there, as it is a place rich of culture and glam.

What is Café East?

Café East is a cafe located inside the East Shopping Centre in Green Street. They sell both savoury and sweet foods. 

What I Ordered And My Opinions On It:

Lotus Biscoff Cheesecake with Vanilla Ice Cream (£4.95)

As I love chocolate so much, I was tempted to try the chocolate cake as usual. But this time, I decided to give it a shot and try a different flavour of cake. I tried the lotus biscoff cheesecake as lotus biscuits taste quite nice. I was asked if I wanted vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and I chose the ice cream (no additional cost). Overall, I thought the ice cream would be slapped on top of the cake, but it was given in a separate cup. The cheesecake was large in size. It looked really nicely decorated and the contrast in the colours between the cake and the ice cream was so satisfying to look at.

In terms of taste, I thought the cake was really good but it tasted a little too sweet for my liking. However, the ice cream helped to soothe the sweetness and was very cooling to have, especially if you are having it on a hot day. Overall, I liked this dish but I would only have tried it once.

The Place:

The shop was like a stall amongst all the other stalls in the Food Court of the East Shopping Centre. There were many seating areas, and it was quite full but there was a location near the staircase where I sat and it was pretty empty. I watched people and ate my food while using my phone or being mindful of the food.

The Service:

The two ladies in the stall were quite nice, as they helped answer my questions on the different cakes. The cheesecake did take longer than expected (like a good 10-20 minutes), so I had to go and stand there and the woman was a little too direct. That made my view on the service go a little low, but overall, they still gave me my cheesecake.

Would I Recommend It?

I would recommend eating here, solo and/or with family. I would recommend having it only once though just because I thought the cheesecake was a little too sweet and the service was a little too slow. But, it was still nice to spend time by myself having this cheesecake, so thank you Café East!

My Rating: 3/5

My Rating System:

⅕ – was below average and would not recommend even trying once

⅖ – the food was average and would not recommend trying

⅗ – the food was delicious but would recommend trying maximum once

⅘ – the food was really good and would recommend trying here

5/5 – the food was outstanding and is one of my favorites!

Order from here (not sponsored): Cafe east & Desserts Menu – Takeaway in London | Delivery Menu & Prices | Uber Eats

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

• My 2023 Reflections As A Medical Student 
• My First Term of Medical School | Exams, Essays and Events 
• My First Month of Medical School | Moving Out, Freshers And Workload
• The Ultimate Guide To Ace Year 12 | Revision, Friendships And Supercurriculars
• How I Got All A*s At GCSEs | 10 Tips Every Year 11 Student Should Know

Without a doubt, this year’s Eid was the best Eid of my life. I managed to go to so many new places Alhamdulillah and I felt so blessed and happy to be able to celebrate this auspicious time with my family. I went to Chand Raat after Maghrib time with my sister. This was an unplanned surprise. 

What is Chand Raat?

Chand Raat is known as the ‘the night of the moon’ and is the evening where the first crescent moon is observed. I believe it happens in different locations, specifically in South Asian communities. My sister and I went to the Green Street location.

What did I like about Chand Raat?

• My sister and I left the house at around 9-10pm at night and it took us around 1 hour to get to Green Street. We reached at around 11pm and we stayed there up till 2am. We arrived home at around 3am.
• Chand Raat is essentially where many Muslims, specifically South Asians, get together and they celebrate by talking to each other, exploring stalls and shops and even setting fireworks.
• My sister and I walked across the roads of Green Street and we liked how many small businesses set up and people were using their skills to earn money e.g. henna artists were doing henna in many locations.
• I felt this sense of unity and it felt safe as many Muslims from different walks of life were coming together even in the darkness of the night to celebrate Eid.
• We also got to buy milkshakes and cake and eat food. 
• There was a specific area that my sister enjoyed watching where there were some people dancing, which was quite funny!

What didn’t I like about Chand Raat?

• Ensure you know how you will get home as many buses were on diversion and some trains were closed by that time. Try not to take any unsafe/empty routes home.
• It is a lot of walking so make sure you are comfortable doing so!
• If you decide to get henna done, it might get stained when walking, which is why my sister and I decided not to get our henna done here. 
• You will probably end up spending at least an hour here if you want to see everything so be prepared to get less sleep! When my sister and I arrived home, we slept at 3am and woke up at around 6:30am again, so we only got around 3.5 hours of sleep. But, it was a good experience for once in a rare occasion, so it was fine!

Would I recommend it?

I would recommend going to Chand Raat at least once if you live in London. The best thing about this is the unity and trying to bring a lot of people with you – it is safe and fun!

This was my short review or diary entry about Chand Raat Green Street 2022. These are my opinions about this place. Make sure to check out my other articles. 

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

• My 2023 Reflections As A Medical Student 
• My First Term of Medical School | Exams, Essays and Events 
• My First Month of Medical School | Moving Out, Freshers And Workload
• The Ultimate Guide To Ace Year 12 | Revision, Friendships And Supercurriculars
• How I Got All A*s At GCSEs | 10 Tips Every Year 11 Student Should Know