January 2014 - Page 2 of 2 - Adventure, baby!

Month: January 2014

Where To Play With Kids In NOLA: A Cheat Sheet

January 9, 2014 / New York Food, NOLA, Travel, USA / 0 comment

The Big Easy is a decadent party town for adults. For families, on the surface NOLA looks pretty un-friendly. Unlike New York, there aren’t playgrounds on every corner. There are however a lot of fun and creative ways to entertain kids of all ages — we’ve done the research so you can take it easy.

Jackson Square
This square is located in the French Quarter, with gorgeous architecture on all sides. It’s ideally located near the famous Cafe Du Monde (for beinegts) and the waterfront for strolling. It’s an oasis in the city with grassed areas for kids to run around, and musicians and artists edged around the square for additional entertainment. St Louis Cathedral looms over the square, creating a picturesque photo op.
700 Decatur St, New Orleans

Audubon Nature Institute
The Audubon Institute is home to numerous nature attractions in New Orleans. The best value is to buy an all inclusive experience ticket.
$39.50 Adult, $27.50, Child (2 -12), $27.50 Senior (65+)

Audubon Zoo
As well as being home to animals from all around the world, the zoo houses a unique Louisiana Swamp Exhibit to give visitors a taste of local wildlife.
Re-opening in March 2014. $17.50 Adult, $12 Child (2 -12), $13 Senior (65+)

Audubon Aquarium of the Americas
See endangered African Blackfoot penguins and check out the new interactive Geaux Fish! exhibit, showcaseing Louisiana’s fishing industry.
$22.50 Adult, $16 Child (2 -12), $17 Senior (65+)

Entergy IMAX Theater
Watch 3D movies on a day when it’s too hot for anything else.
$10.50 Adult, $8 Child (2 -12), $9.50 Senior (65+)

Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium
Hundreds of live butterflies await!
$16.50 Adult, $12 Child (2 -12), $13 Senior (65+)

Louisiana Children’s Museum
Enjoy the museum’s interactive exhibits like a room devoted to blowing bubbles. With 30,000 square feet of exhibits and programs kids of all ages will enjoy themselves.
420 Julia Street, New Orleans. $8.50 per person, adults and children. LCM members and children under the age of one are admitted FREE.

New Orleans City Park
This 1,300 acre public park in New Orleans, Louisiana, is a short tram ride from the center of NOLA (which is a fun activity to do in itself). It’s the 6th-largest and 7th-most-visited urban public park in the United States, and jam-packed with fun for kids and adults.
1 Palm Dr, New Orleans, LA 70124

New Orleans Museum of Art and Sculpure Gardens
The five-acre Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden holds more than 60 sculptures and is free to enter and wander around. The sculptures lie nestled among winding paths and a scenic lagoon.

Morning Call
This little cafe serving beignets and chocolate milk (plus cafe au lait for adults) is right next to a large playground and open 24 hours. Cash only.

Playgrounds
City Park features three playgrounds for kid of all ages.

Carousel Gardens Amusement Park
The amusement park features 16 rides including the park’s 100-year-old namesake wooden carousel. The Carousel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
$3/person. Kids 36” & under get admission free. Check website for seasonal opening days and times.

City Putt
City Putt is a 36-hole mini golf complex that’s open all year-round.
Open Sunday, Tuesday-Thursday, 10am to 10pm (last rental at 9pm). Ages 13+ $8; Children (4-12) $6; Second round in same visit $4; Children (0-3) Free.

Storyland
Featuring 25 larger-than-life charcters right out of popular children’s fairytales such as Peter Pan, Snow White and Cinderella. Kids can climb aboard Captain Hook’s pirate ship or Cinderlla’s pumpkin carriage.
Open Saturday-Sunday, 11am-5pm; Tuesday-Friday, 11am-4pm. $3/person.

Train Garden
Kids and adults alike will marvel at the model of New Orleans in the early 19th Century with replicas of streetcars and trains winding around it. 1300 feet of track carrying streetcars and trains like those that traveled the city in the late 1800s to the early 1900s, at 1/22 of their actual size. Open Saturday-Sunday, 10am-4:30pm. Adults (over 12) $6 Children (5-12) $3

Coming in 2015 to City Park: Splash Park

Extra photography thanks to yelp.com: AL, Doug O, Eileen Z, Tina M

CHOUPINETTE: Kid-Friendly Restaurants, Bukit Timah, Singapore

January 9, 2014 / Bukit Timah, Food Reviews, Singapore / 0 comment

Located among a small row of shophouses along the Bukit Timah highway, Choupinette is always surprisingly busy with diners despite the non-central location. Owned by a French lady, it offers a limited but well executed menu that is pretty reasonably priced.

On top of that, they have a wall dedicated to showcasing their daily freshly-baked breads and pastries – it’s pretty hard to stop at one!

Our kids tore apart their Brioche and were very pleased with it.

Their best value are their Brunch sets. I opted for the Eggs Royale with fruit juice and hot drink ($23). It’s decently priced considering it comes with two full-sized drinks.

The eggs are poached to perfection – with the yolk creamy and goey inside. Only problem? We suspected they poach their eggs in water laced with (a lot of) vinegar, then don’t do a good job of draining the water off. The result: the bread soaked the water and gave an extremely sharp vinegar taste and smell. It dissipates quickly once you start chewing, but just something to note if you can’t stand the smell of vinegar.

My coffee was rich and smooth, and I really enjoyed it. So I was really dismayed when my hand hit the saucer accidentally and sent half my coffee spilling into my main meal!!

The orange juice was pulpy and not too sweet, and Carter enjoyed it (he drank the whole thing).

I adored their Beignet on a stick. Fluffy donut balls dusted in fine sugar, they were simple but very well done. I’d get this one again anytime!

Last Bite: Choupinette offers a well-priced brunch menu, and their wall of freshly-baked breads and pastries are a hit.

Highchairs: Yes
Easy access: No (a few stairs up to the restaurant)
Change tables: No
Kids’ menu: No

Choupinette
607 Bukit Timah Rd #01-01
Singapore 269708
Phone: 6466 0613
Prices: $$
Hours:
Tue – Thu: 09:00 – 20:00
Fri: 09:00 – 22:00
Sat: 08:00 – 22:00
Sun: 08:00 – 18:00
Closed: Mon

SLAPPY CAKES: Kid-Friendly Restaurants, Bukit Timah, Singapore

January 7, 2014 / Bukit Timah, Food Reviews, Singapore / 0 comment

Make-your-own-pancakes, you say?

Why can’t I just mix the batter by myself and make it in my own kitchen?

Good point. You absolutely can. But what’s the fun in that?!

So that’s what you’re paying for at Slappy Cakes – a whole lotta fun. The large tables have flat grills that work impressively well. They require no oil, and are totally flat, so any lousy cook can make a yummy pancake with little chance of creating a disaster. And this is what makes it extremely kid-friendly – our 2 year old and 4 year old could easily squeeze the batter out and even flip the pancakes by themselves! And boy, what fun they had 🙂

Brought to Singapore by the Tung Lok Group, the premise is simple:

Step 1: Pick your batter – Buttermilk/Whole Grain/Chocolate/Zucchini/Peanut Butter ($8 per bottle)

Step 2: Pick your fixings- they start from $1.50

Step 3: Pick your toppings – ranging from $1.50-$3.00.

One bottle of pancake batter will actually fill the average person right up. Some reviews online say each bottle will feed “2-3 people”. I have no idea who they’re referring to, but probably half-starving, super skinny people. One bottle is NOT enough for 2-3 people, it’s enough for 1 person with a normal appetite.

The fixings and toppings are a range of sweet and savory. It’s hard to narrow down! You’ll feel compelled to order everything 😉 Fair warning though – the portion sizes are phenomenally tiny. I’d expected double the portion. It’s enough for one person but nowhere near enough to share with more – so that was disappointing.

So off we went!

We did mostly round pancakes because when you have kids jumping around, and everyone is hungry, it was kind of the easiest to whack out. Not the most exciting, but it worked 😉

The Buttermilk pancake batter is superb, by the way. It had a beautiful buttery flavour and was a delight to eat.

This was my favourite ‘creation’ – Buttermilk pancakes, with grilled ham and Brie cheese (baked into the pancake)!

We did make a couple of cute shapes, and it’s easy to because the bottles come with a small nozzle. The kids were highly excited by the shapes, and made all their requests 😉

Oh! They also have other brunch-type items on the menu. Here, we have Roasted mushrooms caramelized red onions, spnach and crispy bacon scrambled with eggs and topped with cheddar cheese. Served with breakfast potatoes and toast ($15). It was served with sour dough and breakfast potatoes. It was good, and helped fill the kids up a little (I didn’t want them to eat just pancakes for a meal).

This is the Peanut butter batter, with homemade chocolate-hazelnut and bananas. It was kickass.

And this is the Chocolate batter with bananas. The chocolate flavour was dense and really came through, but is a bit much if you’re having the whole bottle to yourself!

Last Bite: Have a blast making cute (and delicious) pancake designs at Slappy Cakes. The kids will love joining in on the fun!

Highchairs: Yes
Easy access: Yes
Change tables: Yes (in the mall)
Kids’ menu: No

Slappy Cakes
The Grandstand, #01-20/21
200 Turf Club Road
Singapore 287994
Phone: 6465 1814
Prices: $$
Hours: Mon – Fri: 10:00 am – 9:30 pm, Sat – Sun: 8:00 am – 9:30 pm

Tea & Sympathy: A Touch Of Britain In The West Village

January 6, 2014 / Manhattan Munchies, New York Food, West Village / 0 comment

I have to admit, I like a challenge. When Alexis recently wrote a post on the best afternoon tea spots in New York City, and listed Tea & Sympathy as the least kid-friendly, it sparked my interest. “What?! But WHY isn’t it kid-friendly?” I thought. I LOVE afternoon tea and am constantly in search of proper English scones like I used to get at home. This overwhelming desire to immerse myself in a proper British afternoon instilled enough bravery in me to attempt an outing to Tea & Sympathy with Miss E.

Tea & Sympathy don’t take reservations. It’s a teeny tiny little cafe in the West Village (it fits about 30 people). It is literally so squishy that people are sandwiched together while eating their scones with jam and cream. Watch out for your elbows, there is hot tea on its way through!

It’s also a super popular afternoon tea spot, not just for the expat crowd like us, but for anyone craving a bit of REALLY good British food. While Tea & Sympathy is best-known for their afternoon tea, they actually serve a full British menu, including items like bangers and mash, shepherd’s pie and baked beans on toast with grated cheese. (Side bar: British baked beans are VERY different to ones made in the USA. They’re less sweet and more . . . beany. I found a store that stocks imported British baked beans and it seriously changed my life.)

Even though we arrived in prime lunch time (they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, none of this brunch business), we only waited a few moments to be seated at our table. Our friendly Irish waitress came by for a chat and took our order, and, pretty quickly, the order arrived, hassle -free. I ordered the Afternoon Tea For One (Assorted finger sandwiches, vegetarian upon request, scones with clotted cream and strawberry or raspberry jam, a selection of cakes and a pot of steaming hot tea, $35). Alec ordered the Shepherd’s Pie ($14.95), which he had been craving (we eat a lot of savoury pies in Australia and REALLY miss them).

Everything arrived pretty quickly, which was great considering how tightly we were squeezed into our table with a restless toddler. Our table was literally so small that we had to put the tea pot and my water glass on the windowsill.

Back in Sydney, we eat a lot of afternoon tea (well, I did anyway). The Aussie-style of afternoon tea is basically British, which is a bit different to the American style in subtle ways. The scones are drier and less sweet, the cake is a sponge with thick clotted cream (not sweet cream, so dense it stands on its own), and there is usually a bit of sticky date pudding. My afternoon tea was expensive, but so large it could be eaten by two people. It contained: three sandwiches, two scones, a huge slice of sponge cake with cream and jam, and a sticky date cupcake. Lucky for me our cheery waitress offered to package up everything I didn’t eat for me to finish off later.

Alec loved his shepherd’s pie — the perfect amount of fluffy mashed potato on top of a steaming boat of mince, with peas and corn on the side. Just like home.

The scones were phenomenal — I have to say here that I’ve grown to enjoy American scones too, but oh man, there is NOTHING like a traditional English scone with tea.

Next door is a store selling everything British you can imagine food-wise, plus some cute paraphernalia like teapots. They’re expensive, so shop with care. We were happy to be able to find some Mars Bars and Ribena. SCORE!

Last Bite: Tea & Sympathy is not for the feint of heart if you’re bringing small kids. Be prepared for a possible wait, super tight surrounding that require kids to stay seated. You will, however, have one of the most authentic afternoon teas in New York City, making it totally worth the adventure.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes – in the store next door, for folding strollers.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.

Tea & Sympathy
108 Greenwich Ave,
New York, NY 10011
Phone: (212) 989 9735
Hours: Mon-Fri 11:30am-10:30pm, Sat & Sun 9:30am-10:30pm
Get directons

BWMB RECOMMENDS: SodaStream Source for DIY fizzy drinks!

January 6, 2014 / BWMB Recommends, Singapore / 0 comment

I was pretty amazed with the SodaStream when I first saw it selling in department stores in Singapore – “such a simple idea”, I thought, “why would anyone bother buying fizzy drinks from the grocery store after this?”

Turns out the whole make-your-own-sparkling-drinks concept is new to Singapore, but has been around for decades in Europe and Australia. I never knew! Guess I never noticed, because all through years living in Australia, I don’t think I’ve noticed this before.

The SodaStream Source creates sparkling water and sodas in the comfort of your own home.

Designed by renowned designer Yves Behar, the Source is considered an ‘active green’ product (which means that it reduces the impact on the environment).

Personally? What I like most is that it contains only 1/3 of the sugar and calories compared to regular soft drinks.

This is my Starter Kid, that comes in a neat cardboard box:

The metal CO2 canister plugs straight into the back, and you’re ready to rumble! Each canister carbonates up to 60L of water (which is 60 bottles).

I fill my SodaStream bottle with (chilled) tap water, then simply push it up into the SodaStream machine.

To fizz up your water, just press the block (where the kids are pressing in the photo below), and hold it down until the LED indicators light up. The longer you hold it down, the more fizz you get.

It takes about 2-5 seconds to complete, depending on how much fizz you want. And VOILA!!! Fizzy water 🙂

There are a TON of syrups to choose from, but I got Orange Mango and Apple. I fill the lid up with 2/3 syrup (I don’t like my drinks too ‘thick’), pour it in, and slowly swirl the bottle.

DONE 🙂

Very, very easy, right?

The SodaStream is a HIT at parties, because it makes carbonated drinks in a matter of seconds, and is a sure-fire WOW attraction for the kids. I think they get pretty amazed with the whole gadget and being able to see the fizz and make their own drinks 😉

SodaStream Source PROS:

The physical size of the unit is compact (and gorgeous), and will easily fit on any countertop, or tuck away neatly in a cupboard.
It reduces the impact on the environment.
It doesn’t need to be plugged in or require batteries to use.
It takes around 5 seconds from start-to-finish to make a 1L bottle of fizzy drink.
You have a huge variety of flavours to choose to add in, or simply squeeze in your own orange or lime juice.

SodaStream Source CONS:

The high-pitched squeal it makes those 2-5 seconds as the CO2 is released into the water.

I can’t think of any more cons because, quite simply, this is a winner if you’re a soda drinker and/or have kids. You don’t even need to put the syrups in, you can drink it as-is as soda water!

We’ve used it at a couple of home gatherings and play dates, and it’s been treated with great interest every time. And, admittedly, I love being able to delight my guests and serve fun drinks…. instead of my standard – plain water 😉

SodaStream Source retails at SGD$298 for the metal version, and $208 for the plastic version. It is available at all major participating department stores including Tangs, Robinsons, Takashimaya, OG, Cold Storage and Best Denki.

7 A.M. Enfant Adult WarMMuffs + Kids' WarMMuffs GIVEAWAY

January 5, 2014 / Giveaways, New York Food, Product Reviews / 32 Comments

Keep little and big fingers toasty warm with our giveaway this week – a set of adult and kid WarMMuffs from 7am Enfant.

WarMMuffs are insulated with heat protective fibers and have a soft fleece lining, creating a snug and cosy pretective cover for hands and replacing gloves by attaching to your stroller. Now your scooter-loving little one can keep on scooting all winter long with a pair of the brand new WarMMuffs for kids.

The new kids’ 7 A.M. Enfant WarMMuffs are basically the same as the iconic adult WarMMuffs, shrunk down to fit teeny tiny hands. They easily attach to scooters and bikes with big, adjustable velcro strips, and are available in nine colors. You’ll love them because they’re easier for little tots to use than gloves and mittens, and your kid will love them because they can stay outside for hours, no matter how low the temps get (wait a minute!).

GIVEAWAY
The generous folks at 7 A.M Enfant are giving one lucky Brunch With My Baby reader the chance to win a pair of adult AND Kids’ WarMMuffs. If you want toasty and snug hands (who doesn’t?!) enter via the Rafflecopter widget below. Good luck — and stay warm, friends!

Giveaway opens Monday January 6, 2014, to 11:59pm EST Sunday, January 12.

Entry open to US mailing addresses only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GIVEAWAY: Win one of three $35 vouchers for OXO products!

January 3, 2014 / Giveaways, Singapore / 40 Comments

I’ve been a fan of OXO products for about two years now, and actually own… errrrr… pretty much the entire product line. I’ve accumulated them over the months and one day I realised I own the range! I know, I’m such a sucker for cool kid products.

The quality of the materials used in OXO products are excellent, and the colours are vibrant, which appeal to kids.

This, below, is my existing OXO product lineup *ahem*. I did tell you I really like their stuff!

Rockabyelane are giving away one of three $35 vouchers to spend on OXO products!

a Brunch with my Baby giveaway

You can submit some of the entries more than once a day, so come back tomorrow to get more entries in the draw.

Giveaway will run from 3 Jan – 9 Jan 2014 inclusive.
Winner’s entry(s) will be verified according to the entry criteria(s).
Voucher may be used to purchase OXO products at Rockabyelane.com

And, here’s an extra goodie from Rockabyelane:

Get a 10% off STOREWIDE DISCOUNT at Rockabyelane with code: brunchwithmybaby

Valid until 17 Jan 2014.
Discount is valid on all merchandise storewide, but excludes shipping cost.

OXO is stocked at Rockabye Lane, a local online boutique that ships out speedily and packages arrive with a pretty little sticker:

You’ll see in the photos of the water bottles that there is a little hole thingy (I’m sure there is a lovely name the OXO product folks have come up with, but I’m sorry I don’t know it!) where your thumb can go through, or little fingers can grab onto. It’s a simple idea, but works really well – it’s easy and fuss-free to grab my kids’ bottles and go!

And, is it just me, or do you guys have SUPER ANNOYING PROBLEMS with twist-up-straw bottles? You know, the type where you twist the top and the straw emerges? By problems, I mean when I twist the top to get the straw out, the whole top unscrews off the bottom. Hello water spillage. Not happy. A lot of brands have done this to me, but this new OXO water bottle does not. When I (or my kids) twist the top, the straw comes out easily. I think it’s party due to that thumb-hole thingy, which helps you hold the lid in place.

The water bottles are sturdy, completely leak-proof when closed, and my kids happily use them with no issues (ie. they don’t choke). All good in my book. My kids actually have around…. errrr.. more than ten (or maybe twenty) water bottles. It’s a creepy lil obsession of mine. I’m really satisfied with these OXO ones though, so all the others have been chucked into the cupboard and my kids just use these now.

The OXO snack box is my most-used vessel for the kids’ snacks. I pop in little biscuits, raisins, and puffs. I LOVE the design because I don’t like the silicon reach-in lids (the flaps always bend and don’t work properly after awhile) and the curved-in container keeps snacks INSIDE when kids tip the box. The opening is wide enough for little hands to reach into, and the box is shallow enough for little fingers to reach the bottom.

So.. what of all the other OXO products?

Here’s a quick run down from my personal experience:

OXO Freezer storage containers – these are marketed as containers to freeze your homemade baby food in, but I personally like them as small snack jars too. The lids pop on-off easily and they’re pretty air tight (they have a rubber seal around the inside edge). But as freezer containers, they work well as they snap in nicely into the tray, to keep things neat in your freezer. I use mine to freeze cooked fruit, and homemade soup stock.
OXO Freezer storage tray – I used these to death when both kids were babies and eating purees. I own a LOT of freezer trays and found this one to be the best. I pop out a cube or two of the veg puree to add into their food (excellent to make a pasta sauce with), and they slide out easily thanks to the curved bottom. The tray washes clean easily and has a slide-on lid so you don’t expose everything when you just want to pop out one piece.
OXO Straw cup – This was what Hunter was using before he got the new design. The cup was too small to last one day for him (they do sell a larger version, but we don’t have it), but I really liked the fat curved handles (so comfy to hold).
OXO sippy cup – I got this for Carter, because the grand plan was for him to drink his milk from it, instead of from a teat bottle. Unfortunately, he is more stubborn than me and refuses. We compromised on sticking a sippy spout onto his current milk bottle, but transitioning him to a different bottle/cup like this is still a work-in-progress. Hunter used to use it for drinking water though, as a transition before he started using a cup!
OXO drinking cup – this one is super cool, it’s meant to transition kids into using a proper cup, but has a transparent cover with lots of holes around the edge. So the water still free-flows out, but spillage is relatively contained. I’m going to get Carter to use this soon.
OXO Flip-top snack lid – this lid can clip onto either the small or large cups, to pop snacks into. I like the flip-top design but I don’t have the small cup to clip it onto, and my kids don’t eat that many snacks to warrant using the larger cup size. So this is a bit defunct for now! Very sturdy clip lid though, and I’d recommend getting the small version that’s super cute and practical, unless your kids eat a lot of snacks (or larger-sized biscuits).
OXO Snack box – This is better for younger kids or kids that don’t eat many snacks. It works well because the curved edge keeps snacks in even when tilted, and it’s small enough for kids to reach to the bottom. This is hands-down my most used snack box.
OXO Bowl (small) – I use this as a portable bowl in my diaper bag, because it has a lid to keep it clean. It has a heavier bottom so it doesn’t dip or fly off the table easily, and is really durable.
OXO Bowl (large) – This is for home-use, since it’s a larger size. Excellent for cereal or for pasta, and the heavier bottom (that’s non-slip) helps kids learn to self feed.
OXO fork and spoon – Oh by far one of my favourite cutlery for kids!!! And I own a drawerful from various brands. The design and functionality is, simply, perfect for kids. The metal isn’t sharp but well rounded, and the spoon has the perfect depth and size. The handle is chunky and non-slip, with a very useful curve in it when I’m feeding the kids (or even when they use it to feed themselves). It’s so good my kids use theirs on a daily basis.

Thanks Rockabyelane!

Think Global, Act Local: Inkkas Shoes Review & Giveaway

January 2, 2014 / Fashion, Giveaways, New York Food / 26 Comments

One of the absolute coolest things about living in a cramped city like New York is that you’re bound to have people in your circles who are doing really cool things. I recently discovered that one of my Brooklyn neighbors is the creator of this beautiful line of shoes, called Inkkas.

Inkkas.com is a socially conscious clothing company founded in 2012 on the principles of fair trade, philanthropy and authenticity. All production, sourcing and manufacturing of the shoes is done South America. The shoes are handmade of authentic South American textile by South Americans. As well as being beautiful, they’re ethically made and afforable (yay!). Kids’ Inkkas are $46 and adults’ start at $65. A portion of all proceeds is donated to to help protect the Amazon rainforest.

I was supremely thrilled for the opportunity to try out Inkkas shoes for myself and Miss E. Sidebar: it seems a lot of people actually named their child “Cheese” last year (no judgement!), so to start the new year off, I’m changing my daughter’s online pseudoym to something a bit less . . . dairy-like. Miss E it is (and sometimes Missy E, if she’s being sassy).

Back to the shoes: my slightly more subtle (in terms of design) Inkkas are the Concrete Jungle Low Tops (also available in High Tops). I like that the pattern is funky but not so over the top that I can’t just throw them on while wearing other colors. Missy E on the other hand, adores her very brightly colored Cotton Candy Kids.

I took the Inkkas shoes on our trip to Mexico a few weeks back since we needed some comfortable shoes to run around in (and to search for lizards in, and to take trips through lagoons in, and to eat guacamole in). Not only did the shoes fit the aesthetic of the trip (the patterns are reminiscent of traditional Mexican textiles), they’re also really comfortable, making them the perfect shoes for both kids and adults to wear all day.

GIVEAWAY
The kind folks at Inkkas are giving Brunch With My Baby readers the chance to win their own pair of Inkkas shoes. Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below.

Entry open to US mailing addresses only.

Giveaway open Thurs Jan 2, 2014 to 11:59pm Wed Jan 8 EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Brunch With My Baby were provided with samples for reviewing purposes.

DISTRICT 10 BAR & RESTAURANT (by guest writer Delphine Tan): Kid-Friendly Restaurants, River Valley, Singapore

January 2, 2014 / Food Reviews, River Valley, Singapore / 2 Comments

Hot on the heels on her first guest review on The Marshmallow Tree, Delphine Tan of the popular blog Life In The Wee Hours has hit us with a super-fun restaurant that I’m pretty excited about. A bouncy castle for the kids is always good in my book!

The following review is by guest reviewer Delphine Tan:

District 10 Bar & Restaurant in UE Square is a not a place I’d automatically associate with children’s birthday parties. But we attended one there last Sunday and it was a lot of fun for the kids. Every Sunday, a bouncy castle is set up at the al fresco area of District 10 from 11.30am to 4.00pm. I love that the castle is outdoors but still under shelter so the noise from screaming children doesn’t build up that much but the weather is not an issue either. I’ve seen some restaurants with bouncy castles that heat up like crazy under the sun and the children are practically roasting inside!

The bouncy castle alone makes District 10 a fab place to have family lunch on Sundays. But there are also colour pencils for the kids to colour with and a spacious walkway just beside the al fresco area for the kids to hang out at when they need a break from all the bouncing around. Our kids used that space to blow some bubbles and we could keep them within view the entire time.

No matter how kid-friendly a place may be, I think it still needs to serve up some decent food to keep the grown-ups happy and to get people to make a return trip. With the kids happily playing in the bouncy castle, the adults could sit back and relax with a beer (or two) and the ones who couldn’t have alcohol could choose from an extensive range of mocktails, juices and soft drinks. The food was pretty good too!

The Gunner ($12) was a favourite with the children and pregnant ladies (there were two of us there).

The classic French onion soup ($13) wasn’t the best. It was too thick and too strongly-flavoured and came across more like a stew than a soup.

The Caesar salad ($14) could be a bigger portion for the price but is otherwise very decent.

I enjoyed the fried Buffalo wings with blue cheese dip ($12) which were spicy enough to give a kick. The blue cheese dip was not overly pungent and went very well with the wings. I would have liked more veggie sticks.

The kids were somewhat suspicious of the rocket leaves on the Pizza Jamon Iberico de Bellota ($32) but it was well-received by the grown-ups. District 10 offer interesting combinations of pizza toppings to choose from.

The Black Angus beef burger ($22) was cooked well done, yet was still moist and juicy when other places would have made it really dry.

The Hoegaarden battered fish and chips ($22) was a hit with both young and old. There are two substantial pieces of fish very nicely fried with mint mushy peas, some greens and fries on the side. The husband considers himself a fish & chips connoisseur of sorts (he orders it whenever he sees it on the menu) and he was very satisfied with the one at District 10.

Since we had the birthday cake, we didn’t order any desserts but there’s a pretty good range including warm lava chocolate cake, New York cheese cake and Italian tiramisu.

I really enjoyed our lunch at District 10 and would definitely like to go back again. It’s great for a small gathering like the one we had, especially if most of your friends have kids above 2 who can bounce around in the castle without needing too much parental supervision.

Last Bite: District 10 is perfect on Sundays. The kids get to go mad in the bouncy castle; the adults get to eat good food and enjoy a beer.

Highchairs: Yes
Easy access: Yes
Change tables: Yes (but you need to get the key from the security guard at the counter)
Kids’ menu: No

District 10 Bar & Restaurant
81 Clemenceau Ave
#01-15/16/17
UE Square Shopping Mall
Singapore 239917
Phone: 67384788
Prices: $$$
Hours: Mon – Thu: 11:30 am – 11:00 pm, Fri – Sat: 11:30 am – 1:00 am, Sun: 11:00 am – 11:00 pm