March 2014 - Page 3 of 3 - Adventure, baby!

Month: March 2014

GIVEAWAY: One Personal Training session (worth $125) + one Fit Mummy Workout class (worth $55) with Mums In Sync

March 7, 2014 / Giveaways, Singapore / 0 comment

I don’t want to be a frumpy mummy anymore but yet I don’t want to work out in a boring gym. So I decided to end my 3-year exercise hiatus and go check out a super lovely gym in a Sentosa resort! That way, I can exercise and be in gorgeous surroundings (with a killer view) – WIN WIN 😀

Aileron Wellness is located within Amara Resort in Sentosa, and specialises in highly-customized personal training.

For mums, however, Mums In Sync are there to cater for your needs. Kareen, the owner and personal trainer, is a mum (of twins!) herself. She knows all about weak stomach muscles, and mummy concerns like flabby stomach (urk), flabby arms (cannot wave at people without setting off a seismic wave), flabby thighs (where did the gap go??), flabby everything, really!

You can read about my experience with Mums In Sync right here.

What I LOVE about Mums In Sync is that it’s not daunting, embarrassing, nor weird at all. Kareen is easy to chat with, and it’s just so much easier working with someone that’s a mum herself (her twins are 3 yrs old). The gym is also full of young male guy trainers if, you know, you feel like some eye candy as you’re working out………………….

But here’s what we have for you this week – not one but TWO ways to win!

Mums In Sync are giving away one 60mins customised
Personal Training session (worth $125)

a Brunch With My Baby giveaway

Mums In Sync are giving away one 90mins
Fit Mummy Workout class (worth $55)

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.

Giveaways will run from 7 – 13 Mar 2014 inclusive.
Winner’s entry(s) will be verified according to the entry criteria(s).
Winner of Personal Training session may call to arrange their appointment.
Winner of Fit Mummy Workout class may select one of these two sessions: 25 March 10AM, 29 March 3PM

So here I am, going nuts at their machine/game that you have to smack as each of the lights light up. By “going nuts”, I mean moving as slow as a sloth – the game is actually super hard!!!!

This is Kareen, dead lifting 1,000KG. Give or take.

With Kareen from Mums In Sync, and Keith the owner of Aileron Wellness gym!

Saving the best part for the last…… FREE FOOD!!!!!

Specifically, a free kaching putih stand in the hotel’s lobby.

And a tip: bring your swimmers. Heck, bring your kids too if you have someone to keep an eye on them. Because they can swim in the THREE pools at the resort! And you can too, after your workout. It makes for a great family activity and you can poke around Sentosa afterwards to chill out 🙂

Thanks Aileron Wellness and Mums In Sync!

BAKER & COOK: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Bukit Timah, Singapore

March 5, 2014 / Bukit Timah, Food Reviews, Singapore / 0 comment

Tucked away in a residential area, baker & cook lies among a row of restaurants and shophouses and is always crowded in the mornings. The smell of freshly-baked breads and pastries is gorgeous! They pride themselves as an artisan bakery & foodstore, offering simple but delightful food for brunch.

My Egg mayonnaise, avocado spread and cress tartine ($13) was good. SO. GOOD. It’s a completely simple concept (which I later re-created at home), but executed so perfectly. Their egg mayonnaise was the perfect combination of chilled boiled egg and mayo, and it went so well with the thin slice of sourdough toast. The avocado spread, however, was pretty pathetic – just a tiny smear of avocado that did nothing to the dish. I would have been much more impressed with slices of avocado.

My girl friend opted for the Tuna mayonnaise, parmesan, chopped boiled egg and chives ($13), which was very similar to mine, just with tuna instead.

I forgot to steal some of my other girl friend’s Spanish Omelette (chorizo sausage, red & green capsicum, onion, cheese) ($16), darn! 😉 But the omelette looked plump and juicy. The toast, studded with nuts and seeds, looked thin and crispy, but I don’t think it came with butter to spread on.

An excellent Large latte ($5), with one of the most adorable foam art I have been served. Very well priced for a solid cup of coffee, so absolutely no complaints.

Their counter, laden with beautiful pastries and breads, is a real treat for the eyes (and nose!). I left with a couple of takeaway items to enjoy later 🙂

Last Bite: baker & cook offer a simple but delicious brunch, and brew a lovely cup of coffee. Don’t forget to take home some breads and pastries before you leave!

Highchairs: Yes
Easy access: Yes
Change tables: No
Kids’ menu: No

baker & cook
77 Hillcrest Rd
Singapore 288951
Phone: 6469 8834
Prices: $$
Hours: Sunday to Thursday – 7am to 8pm , Friday to Saturday – 7am to 10pm

TRATTORIA NONNA LINA: Kid-Friendly Restaurants, Tanjong Pagar, Singapore

March 4, 2014 / Food Reviews, Singapore, Tanjong Pagar / 0 comment

I’m cheating a little here… I’m doing a shout-out about Trattoria Nonna Lina as a kid-friendly place to go to, but I actually went there without kids! So full disclosure here: I was actually there on a dinner date, but was charmed by the homeliness of the restaurant and warm ambiance that I felt it would be totally somewhere I would bring the kids to. Not to mention how excellent their food is.. I know my kids would go nuts over their pasta!

Nonna Lina is a small and cozy restaurant tucked away in the Tanjong Pagar area. The Italian owner was outside and we felt like we’d stepped into an Italian family’s home when we entered.

We were served some complimentary bruschetta, which was a very lovely touch. The tomatoes were fresh and creamy, and it was a nice little filler whilst we waited for our dishes to arrive.

I adored the Homemade pappardelle with Italian sausages in creamy gorgonzola sauce ($27). Admittedly, it was a total artery-clogging dish, but it was so well executed! The thick pappardelle was cooked al dente and doused in the most gorgeous and luscious gorgonzola… oh how I love smelly cheese. The sausage (which was actually sausage meat) was tasty and chunky. I’d expected the dish to be a lot bigger, considering the price, but in retrospect it’s probably best it wasn’t since it was so rich.

Their version of Finely sliced veal with truffle essence and porcini mushrooms, served with homemade potato mash ($31) surprised us because we thought they’d given us the wrong dish when it arrived. I’d expected the veal to be thin slices, escalope style. Instead, it was more like little thin slivers of veal – not that it was a negative thing, but we just didn’t expect it.

This dish looked terrible (definitely not photo-worthy!) but it was a gorgeous dish – the veal was unbelievably tender, and the mushrooms plump and juicy. It was paired very well with the extra-creamy mashed potatoes.

The STAR dish of the night was the dessert, Traditional homemade Italian chocolate and rum pudding with homemade caramel sauce ($16).

WOW.

I don’t think I’ve tasted a better chocolate pudding.

The chocolate and rum pudding was dense yet not overpowering, silky smooth and slightly chilled. The flavour of the rum really came through, and lended a lovely potent kick to the dessert. The caramel sauce cut through the rum and the mix of the flavours was just top notch.

This was brilliant and one of the best desserts I’ve had. An absolute must order!!!

Last Bite: Trattoria Nonna Lina is the place to go for some homestyle Italian cooking. Their dishes are rich and flavourful, but it was their homemade Italian chocolate and rum pudding with homemade caramel sauce that really knocked our socks off!

Highchairs: Yes
Easy access: Yes
Change tables: No
Kids’ menu: No

Trattoria Nonna Lina
4 Craig Road
Singapore 089664
Phone: 6222 0930
Prices: $$$
Hours: Mon – Sun: 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm, 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm

NINE THIRTY BY AWFULLY CHOCOLATE: Kid-Friendly Restaurants, City Hall, Singapore

March 3, 2014 / City Hall, Food Reviews, Singapore / 0 comment

I’ve been to Nine Thirty three times now.

The first time was with a gf, and I had both kids in tow. It was my UNlucky day and both were creating a ruckus, so zero photos were taken, thanks to them. The second and third times were a lot more chill (read: well behaved), so I can finally write a review!

Opened by Awfully Chocolate, what I particularly like about Nine Thirty is the fact that this lovely restaurant is sunlit and spacious. It’s also mostly empty (it’s in the Esplanade Mall, so not many walk-ins, I’d imagine), which is simply brilliant if you have a kid that’s napping in the stroller, or if your kid wants to wander around a bit.

What had me so delighted (and salivating) was their pictorial menu! They obviously had an AMAZING food photographer do it, because everything looks enticing. It actually makes the process of deciding what to order reaaalllyyyyy difficult.

The Iced Latte ($8) was well-made and was not as watery as many iced lattes out there. That said, it’s pretty steep for $8 (plus gst, plus service charge) so I’m not sure I’d order it again.

We were delighted with the Corned Beef Benedict with caramelised onions, poached egg and hollandaise sauce ($18). It was brilliant!! The corned beef lended a saltiness to the dish that wasn’t overpowering, and it was beautifully matched with the soft and mild flavour of the egg. Oddly, despite having two slices of bread, only one poached egg is plopped on top. It would have been much better with two eggs.

Note: apologies for the really strange photos below. My camera flicked onto some setting and I didn’t realise it til much later!

Isn’t the Croque Madame ($15) a beauty? Served in a skillet, this dish was BIG and well worth the money. It had just the right amount of silky sauce to make the bread soft and moist, but not too much so that you really felt the calories. The crispy fried egg was delicious!

Impressively, they didn’t use ‘standard’ shaved ham, but rather FAT slices of ham-off-the-bone. It was fantastic.

Interestingly, the dish was paired with a small pot of sauerkraut and another of olives. They both complemented the dish well. We particularly liked the sweet potato crisps – they were so thin and crispy!

These dishes below are featured on the Lunch menu.

We weren’t very impressed with the Chicken Noodle Soup ($11). We’d expected it to be enough for a small eater or for a kid’s meal, but it was so tiny it can’t even be considered a dish. There was ONE noodle in there. It was a thick one, but still, it was one noodle. The shredded chicken in there seemed suspiciously cooked earlier via the boiling-to-death method, and was tough, chewy, dry and tasteless. The broth was nice, but nothing spectacular.

The lunch menu was waved by the Beef Bourguignon with mash ($23). It was pretty pricey, but at least it was lovely. The beef was fork-tender, all plump and moist. The carrots could have been cooked a little longer (they were a bit hard) and there could have been double the amount of potato mash, but overall, the beef was an absolute winner and both kids lapped it right up!

The Spaghetti Marinara ($18) came out looking very basic and home-cooked. Looks aside, however, it was cooked very well. The sauce was not too sour, and the seafood tasted fresh. It was a very small portion, so avoid this if you’re a big eater.

Ahhhhhh, their winner, the Salted Butterscotch Brownie from Awfully Chocolate! The brownie was so moist it was more like a fudge cake – just the way I like it. The salted butterscotch was sweet but gave a different flavour to the plain chocolate brownie. My kids ADORED this. And so did I 🙂

Last Bite: Nine Thirty has a stellar weekend brunch menu, and a pretty decent lunch menu too. Laid back and spacious, it’s a great place to have a relaxed family brunch.

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

Nine Thirty by Awfully Chocolate
Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay
8 Raffles Avenue #02-14
Singapore 039802
Phone: 6336 9563
Prices: $$$
Hours: Sun to Thu: 12:00 – 22:00, Fri – Sat: 12:00 – 00:00

Dear New Mum …

March 1, 2014 / Kids / 10 Comments

Dear new mum,

Yes you, the one who I see at my local park, swaying and rocking and shushing your baby in the carrier, walking in circles around the block to get your wailing, sleep-despising baby to give in to sleep.

I see the bags under your eyes. I see exhaustion in your face. I see how close to tears you are. I see it all and in you, I see me.

You probably look at me and my toddler – almost preschooler – and think I’ve had it easy. You watch as she plays independently on the jungle gym, face plants after a fall on the monkey bars, then picks herself up and declares that she will try again, all while I’m laughing with a friend, relaxing nearby.

It wasn’t always like this. It wasn’t always fun and stress-free to take an outing to the playground. I remember a time when I was the one power-walking around my neighborhood to the tune of a wailing newborn, too scared to look people in the face for fear of their reactions – rarely sympathetic, often wondering exactly what I’d done to that baby to make her scream like that. I remember holding my baby upright, all night long, for weeks on end, because reflux prevented her from sleeping any other way. I remember being so tired I literally collapsed every night into a coma-like sleep, only to be woken a few hours later, hoping that the screaming, miserable baby had just been a bad dream.

You are probably asking your pediatrician for help. Desperately begging for an answer to stop the crying, the wailing, the nights where your baby is up every half hour and you think you just can’t it take any more. You’re told patronisingly that they’ll “grow out of it in a few months”, which seems like a lifetime when every day seems to last an eternity.

Dear new mum. What I want to say to you is, you are not alone. You are me two-and-a-half years ago, drowning in despair and unable to find your way out of the newborn fog. It might not seem like it, and you might want to punch your doctor in the face every time he tells you that it will end, but he’s right, it will end, even though it seems like it won’t. In the meantime, don’t hide in the darkness. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Your baby is a hard baby and you need support. Speak up and be heard – your voice matters, your health and sanity matter.

Dear new mum. I was you not long ago. I want to tell you that I see you, I see how much you love your baby even though you also want to throw it out the window some days, because no matter how exhausted and lonely and miserable you are, you are still pushing yourself past your physical and emotional limits every single day, not giving up.

You might feel like you’re struggling through this alone and that no one sees you as your own person anymore, but you’re not invisible. I see you. You matter. And it will get better, I promise.

Month: March 2014

Mums In Sync are giving away one 60mins customised Personal Training session (worth $125)

Mums In Sync are giving away one 90mins Fit Mummy Workout class (worth $55)

Mums In Sync are giving away one 60mins customised
Personal Training session (worth $125)

Mums In Sync are giving away one 90mins
Fit Mummy Workout class (worth $55)