Christine Knight, Author at Adventure, baby!

Christine Knight

Christine is the editor of Adventure, Baby!

Garden River Cafe; Kid-Friendly Cafes, Moorebank, Sydney

July 7, 2014 / Moorebank, South West, Sydney, Sydney Food / 8 Comments

I love nothing more than a good surprise. And that’s exactly what I found inside Flower Power Moorebank. When a friend suggested we take the kids to lunch and play inside Flower Power, I was somewhat dubious. She was, however, absolutely correct in every way.

The Garden River Cafe, inside Flower Power Moorebank, serves up delicious fresh food for the whole family. They have a daily breakfast and lunch menu, which includes a kids’ menu. The cafe looks out over the garden area, filled with gorgeous leafy plants, so the it’s a peaceful place to stop for a bite and coffee. Attached to the cafe is a fantastic little fenced-in playground, perfect for preschoolers.

We ordered babyccinos as soon as we arrived to satisfy the kids. They came in cute, non-breakable cups with marshmallows on the top. Our hot chocolate and coffee arrived quickly and soon the whole party was revitalised and ready to play.

We visited during the school holidays when Flower Power were running a special family gardening program. Every day between Monday 7th July and Friday 11th July 2014 Flower Power stores in NSW are holding a free gardening class for kids at 11am. Classes are suitable for kids aged three and over (with a parent helper). Each child gets to decorate their own pot and plant a seedling to take home. Our kids were offered the choice of a vegetable or flower to start their own home garden.

The class was run by a sweet, patient staff member. Two of the kids in our group were under three and were still able to participate and enjoy themselves. They were all so proud of their new plants at the end of the class.

Once we’d potted our plants, it was time for lunch in the cafe. We set up at the corner table closest to the playground so the kids could play while we waited for the food to arrive.

All of our meals were beyond what I’d anticipated I’d receive at a gardening shop. My haloumi mediterranean vegetable stack ($16) was absolutely delicious, and I could have gone back for a second one. Excuse the lack of photos, eating was done while chasing the children around the garden. Yes, we’re still working on sitting down at a cafe for lunch …

After another big play session, it was time to go home, with our exhausted, content children. Victory! A successful, fun outing for us all. We will be back.

Last bite: Great food in a casual environment with plenty to entertain the kids.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

Garden River Cafe
122/124 Newbridge Rd
Moorebank
Phone: (02) 9734 7795
Hours: Daily
Get Directions

Ice Skating on the Beach at Bondi Winter Magic

July 6, 2014 / Bondi, Eastern Suburbs, Outdoor Play, Sydney, Sydney Life / 0 comment

A gorgeous, sunny winter day calls for … ice skating, of course! We tried one of the many pop up ice skating rinks over the weekend at Bondi Beach as part of their Winter Magic event. We had a fantastic time, and little E took to ice skating like a natural. The penguin aid that we rented certainly helped her confidence.

Thinking of trying a pop up rink this winter? Here are our tips:

Book in advance (the sessions usually sell out).
Rent a penguin aid for littlies where possible — they only have limited numbers and they go fast.
Arrive at least 30 minutes early to ensure you are able to secure a pair of kid-sized skates (only limited double-bladed kid skates are available).

That’s it! We all had so much fun, and would absolutely go again if it wasn’t quite so expensive ($22 for adults, $10 for kids under 5 and $8 penguin aid hire).

The Bondi Winter Magic ice skating rink is located in front of the Bondi Beach Pavillion, and is open from 27 June to 13 July, between 10am to 9pm each day. Skating sessions start on the hour and each skating session is 45 mins long. Book tickets online.

Tu-Tu Much: Ballet With Eloise At The Plaza

July 3, 2014 / Cheese, Manhattan Munchies, Midtown, Midtown East, New York Food / 4 Comments

Ever since I arrived in New York, I’ve been dying to take my little girl to one of the special Eloise-themed events at The Plaza Hotel. The Plaza pays homage to its most famous “resident” with a special Eloise suite, an Eloise afternoon tea at the Palm Court, and a series of special events run out of the Eloise Shop.

The Eloise shop is one of my favorite drop-ins when I’m in the area with my own E. It has the most adorable Eloise merchandise (that’s a given), but it also has a lovely Eloise tea room with tiny chairs and tables; and another room with a stage, surrounding mirrors, pint sized grand piano and dress up tutus, wands and shoes. (Needless to say, we are frequent visitors at the shop.)

I’ve always thought my E was too young for the events, but when I saw the special ballet event, Creative Ballet with an Eloise Twist (for ages 3-5), I just couldn’t resist. The events are on the pricey side (this one was $75 for adult and child, for a one hour event), but I thought it could be a special outing for us both. The ballet event included a 45 minute lesson followed by pink lemonade and treats, and a “mahvelous” ballet-inspired gift bag.

So on a rainy grey day, we dressed in our ballet finest (or one of us did, anyway), and joined other Eloise-loving ballet fans for a special class à la Eloise. The class was completely adorable: Two teachers led a bevy of ballerinas through stretches, tendues and twirls, encouraging their imaginations with a fantasy journey through Central Park and flying like a butterfly.

At a couple points during the class, my E had an attack of shyness (or nerves?) and freaked out a bit when she moved around the room and couldn’t see me anymore, which is so unlike her. The teachers couldn’t have been kinder or sweeter with her, gently encouraging her to join them, holding her hand, and including her in everything even when she was hiding in my lap.

Following the ballet class was snack time. Usually this is held in the tea room within the Eloise store, but today it was booked for a party so we had our snacks in the main restaurant in the hotel instead. The atmosphere was just not the same, sadly. The kids were seated at too-tall tables and large, uncomfortable chairs that were totally unsuitable for little kids. We were surrounded by adult diners enjoying their lunches, which meant that the kids had to sit still (uh-oh!), talk quietly, and stay put (which, frankly, is very un-Eloise-like).

The snacks were nice and simple, however: The menu included strawberry lemonade, fresh fruit skewers and sugar cookies. As we left, we were given our gift bag, which included a cute Eloise tee and water bottle.

Before leaving I let E have a run around the Eloise store. She adores the baby grand piano — as do a lot of aspiring Eloise’s!

Eloise At The Plaza Hotel
1 W 58th St
Manhattan, NY
Phone: (212) 546 5460
Get Directions

How To Survive (And Enjoy) Disneyland With A Toddler

June 30, 2014 / California, Disney Travel, Disneyland, Sydney Food, Theme Parks, Travel, USA / 16 Comments

We recently did the unthinkable — Disneyland with our 2.5 year old. And you know what? It was awesome. Hectic, crazy and overwhelming, but also totally magical. We had the benefit of the amazing Gina of In The Mouse House to book and organise the trip for us, and help us enjoy an easy and fun family vacation. We had so much fun that I wanted to share my top tips (a lot of these are thanks to Gina!) for getting the most out of Disneyland with a toddler.

1. Book a hotel near Disneyland. It does NOT have to be a Disney hotel. They are a lot pricier, and there are so many other budget but good quality hotels literally right across the road from the hotel entrance. We stayed at the Carousel Inn and Suites for a fraction of the cost and could not have been happier with our decision. Note: We did not use the pool, only because we didn’t have time in our schedule. If you’re traveling with older kids, choose a hotel like the Howard Johnson, which is a budget hotel with an amazing pirate ship playground in their pool.

2. Have a Disney vacation planner like Gina book the trip for you. Gina, as an authorised Disneyland travel agent, booked our hotel, park tickets, character dining (and could have booked more, like flights, if we’d needed it) at no cost to us. She also wrote us a day-by-day itinerary of how to best manage Disneyland with a toddler. For people who haven’t been before and have no knowledge of which rides are suitable and popular for different ages, this is an absolute must to take the stress out of each day.

3. Plan your time of year wisely. We went just before peak season, and every day the parks were absolutely jam packed with people by midday. Do not, unless you are totally insane, go during high season. Disneyland has a page on their site with details on the best times of year to go.

4. Plan each day. Our itinerary took the work out of it for me, and meant that we already knew which rides were suitable for our toddler, and in which order we should hit them up before the crows got too bad. E’s favorites were Cars Land in California Adventure Park (particularly the life-sized and moving Lightening McQueen and Mater) and Fantasyland in Disneyland. Her absolute favorite rides were the spinning tea cups and flying Dumbo. She wasn’t a fan of any ride that went through tunnels as she thought they were scary. High and fast spinning things, no problem.

5. Alternate lining up and riding with your partner. As the day went on and the crowds grew, there were huge lines for every ride. If your toddler is like mine, you’ll want to have one person lining up for the next ride while the other person is taking the child on the previous ride.

6. Arrive super early. You’ll enjoy the park the most even though it might be hard to fathom getting up that early for a theme park. How early? If you buy a three-day park pass, you get one “magic morning” included, where you get to enter the park an hour before the rest of the general public. The days we went, opening time was 8am, and magic hour was 7am. Before entering the park you need to go through security and line up in front of the turn styles, so arrive even earlier – at least 15 minutes if not half an hour earlier, especially for your magic morning hour. Seeing the park with almost no-one in it is eerie and peaceful at the same time. And yes, the only time in your parenting life you will refer to 7am as the “magical hour”.

7. Want to meet Anna and Elsa? They’re the current hot ticket, and we used our magic morning hour to arrive at the park at 6:30am and line up at the turn styles so that at 7am when the gates opened, were were able to walk (ok, run) to their “house” in Fantasyland and be first in line to meet them. Anna and Elsa were thankfully punctual and greeted guests from 7:05am, which meant that by 7:10am, we had met them and were on to the rides, while the queue behind us was already massive. Without a strategy like this, you will wait around two hours to meet Anna and Elsa.

8. Book character dining if your kid absolutely HAS to meet certain characters. We had dinner at Ariel’s Grotto and met all of the Disney princesses. We also breakfasted with Minnie and friends. It was such a wonderful experience for little E to meet her favourite characters in a setting like this — no lining up, just casual chatting and playing with the characters. It’s worth noting here that the character interactions were beyond my expectations. You expect the staff to be good with kids, but they were not just good, they were exceptional. E froze up each time she saw one of her favorites come to life, and every single character took the time to chat with her and draw her out of her shell by asking her cute questions about her outfit, or a toy she was holding. It was the best three days of her life thus far.

9. Eat early or late. The best times to eat at a Disney restaurant are before 11am or after 2pm. During the middle of the day they get quite busy. The food at all the restaurants is pretty average, so I would also suggest bringing your own food if possible.

10. Take a break during the day. After your early morning, get your hand stamped and leave for a break or nap during the middle of the day.

11. Make time for the parade. It’s magical for kids to see (Gina advised us that near the It’s A Small World ride was a great vantage point for the parade, and she was totally right!). Disney has just added a Frozen float to the parade, so if you didn’t get a chance to meet Anna and Elsa (or didn’t fancy the line/early morning) you can still see them in the parade.

12. Use the “ride swap” for any rides you want to do that your kid is too small for. This means getting a fast pass when you get to the park (which tells you what time to return so you don’t have to line up), then, after you return during your time slot, one of you collects a ride swap from the attendants at the front of the queue and has the ride, while the other watches the child (our favorite was the Indiana Jones ride). Afterwards, the person who rides gives the ride swap pass to the other adult, who can then jump the queue. Yippee! Note: We tried to do to do this for the Star Tours ride, but when Alec got to the front and asked for the pass, they’d run out, so this is not a fool-proof plan.

13. Plan to spend one day at California Adventure Park and at least one at Disneyland. We didn’t do the park hopper tickets as we thought E was too little (and we were right! One park was enough per day for her.), but we did allow for two days in Disneyland so we could watch all the shows, take breaks, meet the characters, and not feel rushed. This was a great plan as we felt like we were able to see everything without rushing around like crazy.

14. Watch the shows! The calibre of the Disney performers is so high. Even the short musical performances are performed by extremely talented staff. Our particular favorites were the Aladdin mini show and the new Mickey and the Magical map show which featured several of the Disney princesses.

14. Get a PhotoPass when you enter a park. There are photographers all over the park who will take your photo with characters or in front of scenic points like the castle. Each time you’re getting a photo taken by one of the Disney photographers, if you give them your pass, all of your photos will be collected in the one place to buy at the end of your trip. They’re expensive, but if you use them a lot it’s worth the money to get your whole family in every picture.

15. Bring or hire a stroller. There’s a lot of walking and having the stroller gives kids a resting place throughout the day. You can park strollers out the front of the rides so no need to worry about where to leave it.

16. Feel the magic. The only way to really enjoy Disneyland is to ditch your usual cynicism and enjoy the best showmanship on the planet. Disney puts on a performance like absolutely no other — something even non-Disney-lovers like my husband can appreciate if they want to.

PS: Want help planning your Disneyland or Disneyworld adventure? Contact Gina via her website.

Shake Shack Opens in DUMBO

June 17, 2014 / Brooklyn Bites, DUMBO, New York, New York Food / 0 comment

There’s a new Shake Shack in town! Brooklynites rejoice, you can now grab a burger, fries, shake and concrete from the new DUMBO Shake Shack.

The newest Shake Shack opened today, featuring free wifi, a baby change table, and gorgeous handmade furniture by a local furniture maker (who is also a friend of ours!) Mark Jupiter. Look closely at the tables and lounge furniture – they’re made from factory beams salvaged from old buildings in DUMBO.

The menu features two new concretes specific to the DUMBO location:

The “Brooklyn Pie Oh My,” which is made from a slice of Four & Twenty Blackbirds pie blended with vanilla frozen custard. We’re told that the pie flavors will change, with the first one being strawberry-balsamic.
The “Caramel Carousel” concrete is based on nearby Jane’s Carousel, and is made with vanilla frozen custard mixed with banana, sugar cone pieces, caramel sauce, and sea salt.

The DUMBO Shack has partnered with Badass Brooklyn Animal Rescue, a non-profit network of volunteers that rescues, rehabilitates and finds homes for adoptable dogs from high kill shelters in the rural south. Five percent of sales from the Caramel Carousel concrete supports Badass Brooklyn. Isn’t that alone a reason to try the new concrete?

Thanks to Lindsey Turner for her pics of Shake Shack’s opening day! Will you be going to the new location too?

Shake Shack
1 Old Fulton Street at the corner of Water Street
Dumbo New York
Get Directions

I write, therefore I am

June 17, 2014 / Writing / 3 Comments

Why do I write? The question actually is, why can’t I STOP writing? Since I was a small child, I’ve been obsessed with writing down my thoughts, daily events (today we got a new dog!) and feelings. I’ve dabbled in (bad) poetry, quickly abandoned diaries and short stories. Blogging was the natural progression of my obsession with words.

I’ve often wondered why an introvert like myself likes putting her most personal feelings out there on the internet for everyone to see, when I have trouble talking about the same things in person with close friends. I can only describe writing as a cathartic process, something that makes me feel like once I have put these feelings on paper (or blog) that they can be washed away and the next day can start afresh.

I’m obsessed with recording life. Photographs litter my drawers, thousands of images clog my hard drive. Boxes of diaries with only a few entries are stacked in my wardrobe. Blogging is such an easy way to capture memories as well as feelings, and to put them somewhere that they can’t be lost.

I’ve always found it easier to express myself in writing than through speaking. A sensitive, anxious child grew into a guarded adult who prefers speaking to the void of the internet than looking into the empathetic eyes of friends when talking about things that are hard. Typing the words is somehow easier than saying them. Writing enables me to distance myself from emotions and articulate myself in a way I’m unable to otherwise do so.

Writing for me is like breathing. I write every day, even if it’s just an epic email to a friend. It’s no surprise that I prefer texting to voice calls, and emails to Skype. The written word is essential.

Revolver Cafe: Kid-Friendly Restaurants, Annandale

June 16, 2014 / Annandale, Inner West, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

One of the Inner West’s best cafes, Revolver, lives in the historic ‘Craiglea’ building on a quiet street in Annandale. Built in 1893, the Craiglea was originally intended to be a pub, but instead opened as a corner store that traded until 2005. After a three-year refurbishment, the run-down shop reopened as Revolver — a super kid-friendly cafe with absolutely delicious food.

We visited on a quiet weekday, and were surprised to see the majority of tables full. Locals told us that on weekends you can expect to line up for a table.

So what makes Revolver so special? Firstly, the staff. They were so incredibly welcoming and friendly to us, particularly to our smallest diner. When we ordered food for her, they suggested modifications of traditional menu items to suit her better. Secondly, the food. It was so good. Not surprising when we learn that Revolver really focus on fresh, quality ingredients, many of which are free range and organic. They have plenty of vegetarian and gluten-free options, and source ingredients from quality suppliers like Feather and Bone, Mirrool Creek Lamb, Morgan’s Handcrafted coffees and Riverina Fresh milk. To be honest, they had me at the Sonoma Sourdough.

As well as their eat-in menu, the cafe offers a great range of locally hand-made pastries, cakes and biscuits.

Lastly, Revolver is very reasonably priced. With all boxes on our list ticked, Revolver is cafe that we will be returning to over and over again.

So on to our visit. After recently returning to Australia from New York, Alec was excited by his flat white ($3.50), which he proclaimed to be as good as the best coffee he was able to get while in New York. The way to this boy’s heart is through a good coffee. Since Missy E enjoys talking coffee with her daddy, we ordered her a Babycino with marshmallow ($1.20). This was the second time we’d tried her with a babycino and this time was a success. She loved the marshmallow and sipping her “coffee” after “cheersing” coffee cups with Daddy.

I ordered a vanilla malt Old School Thickshake (large $6.6) to share with E. The staff very thoughtfully divided it into a large glass for me and a smaller cup with lid and straw for her. Delicious.

For our late breakfast we ordered Toast (Sonoma Sourdoughs: miche, soy and linseed, currant and apple, or white
Brioche Bakery: Gluten free, $6) for Miss E. It comes with the option of house-made jams, vegemite or peanut butter. We were offered the option of a half-serve (one slice) for our toddler. Again, super thoughtful.

I had the Avo Eggs (Scrambled eggs, avocado, roast tomato, Danish fetta, rocket, salsa verde and sourdough toast, $15.50 ). Every mouthful was like the best thing I’d ever eaten. Flavorful ingredients, and a mix of elements that I wouldn’t have though of myself, but that went together just so well. And the BREAD! The Sonoma Sourdough soy and linseed was dense and chock full of grains.

Alec’s Big Breakfast (Free range bacon, pork and fennel sausage, pork shoulder, baked eggs, roast tomato, roast field mushrooms in beans with sourdough toast, $18) was a hearty meal, all baked in the one pan.

After gorging ourselves on breakfast, we walked to a nearby playground to let E run off some steam. There is a small park on Annandale street, and a larger one in the reserve on adjacent Young street.

Last Bite: Revolver Cafe ticks all the boxes — delicious, affordable food, in a kid-friendly environment.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Minimal.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.

Revolver
291 Annandale St,
Annandale NSW
Phone: (02) 9555 4727
Prices: $$
Hours: Daily 8am-4pm
Get Directions

The Cottage Bar & Kitchen; Kid-Friendly Restaurants Balmain, Sydney

June 12, 2014 / Balmain, Inner West, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

The Cottage Bar & Kitchen is a cosy restaurant and wine bar that feels like you’re dining at your granny’s farmhouse. Vintage and kitsch furniture, chalkboards, fresh flowers and old photographs add to the rustic charm. From the front the restaurant looks quite small, but the cottage layout creates an intimate environment, with small rooms spreading back to a newly-opened alfresco courtyard (with heat lamps, of course). The menu features plates to share and pizzas cooked in the huge pizza oven – one of the centre pieces of the venue. Great to show to wiggly kids who won’t stay in their chairs.

We ordered a freshly squeezed orange juice for E, House Cut Chips with the cottage ketchup and aioli ($8), Arancini of tomato, smocked mozzarella and parmesan ($12), Seared Scallops with pear and elderflower puree ($18) and the Margherita wood-fired pizza ($18). All of our food was delicious (I particularly enjoyed the arancini balls and pizza) but, after the juice and chips, there was a long wait for the rest of the food. Epically long. Luckily for us E was in a chilled out mood and enjoyed playing with stickers until it arrived.

While there was nothing particularly “kid-friendly” about the restaurant, the staff could not have been nicer. Our waitress was kind and sweet to our curious toddler and, as we were the first to arrive when they opened, she was able to roam around our small dining room, look out the windows and investigate the curios without bothering anyone.

Last Bite: A long and leisurely lunch awaits.

Highchairs: No.
Stroller storage: No.
Easy access: No. There are a few steps to get in.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.

The Cottage Bar & Kitchen
342 Darling St,
Sydney NSW
Phone: 02 8084 8185
Prices: $$
Hours: Mon-Sat 12pm-12am Sun 12pm-10pm
Get Directions

City Kid Meets Country: Calmsley Hill City Farm

June 10, 2014 / Abbotsbury, Outdoor Play, South West, Sydney, Sydney Life / 0 comment

City kids meet country life at Calmsley Hill City Farm. Nestled in a quiet suburb in south-west Sydney, the farm dates back to 1806, when a Land Grant of 80 hectares was given to John Jamieson, a Scottish immigrant, who was the Superintendent of Government Stock at the time. He named the property Coulmesly Hill, but the spelling was later changed to Calmsley Hill. In 1984 Fairfield City Council took up the lease on the land and created Fairfield City Farm, now known as Calmsley Hill City Farm, as a place for families to learn about life on a farm.

The farm features many animal enclosures where you can get up close to farm animals like cows, sheep, goats, chickens, pigs and more. A favorite is the Australian Fauna walk-in, where you can meet free-roaming kangaroos and wallabies. The farm also runs tractor tours for an extra $3 per person a ride.

The best way to enjoy your farm visit is to plan to spend the day there and attend the educational shows. The schedule of events is timed so there is something on every 30 minutes from 10:30am, with a half-hour break for lunch at 12pm.

A sample daily entertainment schedule:

Animal Patting 10.30am
Morning Cow Milking Show 11.00am
Tractor Ride 11.30am (additional $3 per person)
FREE TIME for Lunch
Stock Whip Show 12.30pm
Working Dog Show 1:00pm
Sheep Shearing Show 1:30 pm
Koala Talk/Exhibition 2.00pm
Tractor Ride 2.30pm (additional $3 per person)
Animal Patting 3:00pm
Afternoon Cow Milking 3.30pm

You can also just roam around the farm and see the animals at your leisure. While the farm is quite small, there are a lot of animals and a lot of interactive opportunities.

The farm has baby animals throughout the year, such as this Shetland pony foal Dallas, born late in 2013. The newest baby animals are some multi-coloured piglets.

A small playground situated right in the middle of the farm, next to the barbecues and cafe, is great for entertaining little ones while you take a break (and possibly an ice cream).

Bring your own picnic lunch, or use one of the electric barbecues on the farm to cook your own lunch. You can also pre-order a DIY BBQ pack from the farm. Reasonably-priced take-away food can be purchased at the Farmhouse Kiosk (you can get a hot dog, hot chips and a milkshake for $9).

The shows are extremely educational, as well as entertaining for little ones. We particularly enjoyed the working dog demonstration, where as well as seeing the dogs round up sheep, we learned about the correct way to approach dogs in general, and how working dogs are trained.

Calmsley Hill City Farm
31 Darling St, Abbotsbury NSW 2176
Phone: 02 9823 3222
Open daily, 9am-4:30pm (last entry is 3:30pm)
Get Directions

Prices: Adult $23, Pensioner $16, Child (3-16years) $14, Family $70 (2 adults and 3 children – an internet deal for a family for $50 is currently on their website), Children under 3 FREE. Animal Feed Bags $2.

A Rawther Fancy Tea Party With Eloise At The Plaza

June 9, 2014 / Cheese, Manhattan Munchies, Midtown, Midtown East, New York Food / 2 Comments

Something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time is take little E to an Eloise-themed Rawther Fancy Tea Party at the Plaza Hotel. The Rawther Fancy Tea Parties are part of the special events run under the Plaza Hotel in the Eloise store. I ADORE the Eloise character and have been so excited to share her with my own Miss E. So it happened on a steamy, rainy Friday that the Little One and I found ourselves at the pinkest tea party that ever might be.

Our host, Stephanie, made us feel extremely welcome. Stephanie ran the tea party for us, providing us with pink lemonade as well as real tea (E and I both had citrus chamomile). It was E’s first “real tea” and she flipped out when I gave it to her, because it made her feel like such a big girl to be drinking adult tea with mummy.

Our afternoon tea delights arrived on a three-tiered platter of illustrated Eloise plates. The bottom plate held fruit skewers, the middle plate had sandwiches (egg salad, cream cheese and cucumber and peanut butter and jelly), and the on the top plate, sweets (mini cup cakes, chocolate brownie and choc chip cookies). Please excuse the terrible photo of the tea platter. E was SO EXCITED when it was placed in front of her that she photobombed me and I laughed so hard the camera shook.

The Rawther Fancy Tea Party was held in the party room in the Eloise Store, which is under the Plaza Hotel, next to the Plaza Food Hall. We’ve visited the store before on many occasions and E has always been attracted to the tiny chairs and tables — a perfect size for this little one to feel like a big girl, while at a very special tea party with kids her age in mind.

E tried a little of everything, but particularly loved the mini cupcake and the fruit. I happily ate the sandwiches (LOVE me some tea sandwiches) and can report that they were delicious. The fruit was super fresh and tasty (they didn’t taste like the fruit had been sliced hours earlier, languishing in a fridge), and the baked goods were all kid-friendly crowd pleasers (it is hard to go wrong with cookies and brownies.) As often happens with me and tea, we couldn’t eat all the sweets so we had them boxed up to take home.

Our fellow tea party goers were girls of similar age, along with their mum or mum plus an out of town friend. After our tea party we all wrote letters to Eloise. Stephanie told us that Eloise always writes back, so we’re very excited to receive a special letter in the mail. Miss E “wrote” her letter in some beautiful swirly drawings, at the end of which I added that we loved our tea party and wished Eloise had been able to make it.

The letters were all posted in the appointed Eloise mail box, ready for delivery upstairs to the Plaza’s most famous resident. E loved posting the letter so much that she took out everyone else’s letters and reposted them all several times.

Next came story time. Stephanie read two shorter Eloise books to the party in the back room of the Eloise store, while we lounged on the bright pink ottomans.

And then the party was over! Each child received a gift bag containing an Eloise pencil, postcard, mints, gift voucher to the store, and a book.

We shopped around, said “hello!” to Eloise, and went home. We love, love, love a tea party! Thanks Eloise and The Plaza!

Rawther Fancy Tea Parties are held on Friday at 4pm at the Plaza Hotel. Cost is $100 for an adult and child pair. Reservations are required.

The Plaza Hotel
Fifth Avenue at Central Park South,
New York, NY 10019