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The Langham Sydney Afternoon Tea With Wedgwood: Sydney’s Best High Teas

June 4, 2015 / CBD, Millers Point, Sydney, Sydney Food / 1 Comment

The Langham Hotel has under gone a significant refurbishment, and is now lighter and brighter than ever before. The Palm Court at the London Langham Hotel is heralded as the birthplace of the traditional Afternoon Tea, so it has been on my list of “must-do” Sydney afternoon teas for a while.

Mother’s Day is always a good excuse for an indulgent high tea, and so it was the location for an elegant lunch (yes, even with my 30 year-old in tow) to celebrate, well, me!

The Palm Court at the Langham Hotel offers guests an exclusive afternoon tea experience with their new global partner, Wedgwood. The beautiful tea experience was heightened with the serving of Wedgwood specialty teas in tailor-made “Langham Rose” Wedgwood teaware.

Our server for the tea was lovely beyond belief. She offered our testy preschooler a hot chocolate and made it on the lukewarm side without being asked. Perfect not just for Cheese to drink straight away, but also in case of spills.

Since we visited on a weekday, it was a quiet seating. Our tea and then food were brought out quickly. I particularly enjoyed our server’s attention to detail through out the tea, ensuring that we were happy with everything and asking if there was anything more we could do for us. She also made an effort to engage with Cheese, and complimented us on how well behaved she was (lucky Cheese saved her tantrum for refusing to wash her hands in the bathroom!).

With one vegetarian and one regular diner, our platters looked exceptionally pretty with the added variety.

Starting with the savoury, I loved the pumpkin tart the best. It was just a delicious morsel of pumpkin and pastry with nuts for garnish. Next was the corn and avocado cornet (delicious) and the sandwiches. The sandwiches were sadly the only part of the high tea that I wasn’t happy with. All three were a kind of vegetable medley – it would have been nice to have a bit of variety like an egg salad, or cucumber. The bread was also kind of on the dry side and god stuck in my mouth. The fillings were fresh and flavoursome however.

The scones were my favourite part of the tea, along with the pumpkin tart. They were freshly made that day (not warm, but obviously not made long ago) and came with the most delicious strawberry jam and cream.

Desserts included a pannacotta with lychee, blueberry tart, sesame macaron and a kind of pistachio cake. My favourite was the blueberry tart, which was nice and tart rather than sickeningly sweet. I wasn’t a fan of the macaron as I don’t like sesame flavour in general, but Alec really enjoyed his. The panacotta was creamy and light, and the cake a dense chocolaty way to finish.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable high tea.

Wedgwood High Tea at The Langham Hotel
89-113 Kent St, Millers Point,
Sydney NSW 2000
Prices: $$$ (From $55 pp Mon-Fri & $65pp Sat & Sun)
Phone: 02 8248 5220
Hours: Daily 12pm–5pm
Get Directions

Tartine: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Mascot, Sydney

June 3, 2015 / Inner South East, Mascot, Sydney, Sydney Food / 2 Comments

At Tartine in Mascot, the humble jaffle sanga is being elevated to new heights. “Tartine” literally means “open sandwich” and at this cafe, you will not just enjoy tartines with amazing toppings like double smoked leg ham, provolone, chives on sourdough, you can also indulge in a delicious jaffle, unlike any you’ve likely ever had before.

Chef and co-owner Anthony Telford has brought the French open sandwich to Sydney, along with his partner Amy Kirchhoff, who’s the creative behind the interior.

The food is simple and reasonably priced, with every item on the menu is under $10. The tartines are beautifully presented on Brasserie bread, which is one of our favourite local breads. Jaffles are stuffed with combinations like heirloom tomato, buffalo mozzarella, or even dessert options like nutella, banana and marshmallows.

Families are extremely welcome at Tartine, and we did see several babies and toddlers having lunch at the same time that we visited. There is plenty of outdoor seating, which is particularly good for strollers, and a large lounge area that can also accommodate a stroller.

We started with an English Breakfast Tea ($4.5 pot), Flat White ($3.50 small, $4 large), Hot Cocoa ($4).

When i asked for the hot chocolate for Cheese, the waitress very helpfully let me know that she would make it lukewarm for her, which we all appreciated. It came out with the most adorable kitty face, making Cheese’s face in turn light up with joy.

Next up was the food: Vegemite, Feta, Avocado, Sourdough ($9.50), Cheese Jaffle ($8), Herbed Cottage Cheese, Tomato & Avocado ($9.9).

The jaffles and tartine were so delicious. Wonderful bread supporting fresh, flavoursome fillings. My avocado was the perfect ripeness, and the combination with the cheese and vegemite was heaven for my tastebuds.

Cheese devoured her jaffle, as did Alec his. We fought over who ate Cheese’s crusts.

We still had room for dessert, so ordered the Apricot and Frangipane Tart ($4) and a Coconut Tea Cake ($4).

The tart was delicious – light and fruity, with the perfect crust.

The tea cake was dense and moist – what Cheese didn’t want I finished off for her.

We loved this hidden gem in Mascot and will be back frequently for more jaffles and tartines.

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

Tartine
635 Gardeners Road,
Mascot NSW 2020
Phone: (02) 9700 9847
Prices: $
Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-4pm, Sat 8am-3pm, Sun 9am-3pm
Get Directions

The Tea Cosy, The Rocks: Sydney’s Best Afternoon Tea Spots

June 3, 2015 / CBD, Sydney, Sydney Food, The Rocks / 3 Comments

I’ve written about how I love The Tea Cosy before. This adorable, family-owned cafe is tucked down in The Rocks. It’s well worth a visit for a quick scone and tea, or a larger afternoon tea like I had on this occasion.

Alec once again had the Ploughman’s Lunch ($15). We ordered Cheese the Kid’s Devonshire tea ($7, one plain scone, jam & cream and a babyccino) and I enjoyed the High Tea ($35 pp: sandwiches, 2 scones, 2 drinks and cakes). Note: the High Tea is no longer being served.

The scones at The Tea Cosy are always the star of the meal. I think they are baked fresh all day, so the ones we had were the freshest scones I’ve ever had. The jam is sensational – such a big flavour in a tiny bite of jam.

I also loved the sandwiches – the bread was so fluffy and fresh that it almost melted in my mouth. The toppings were great – cream cheese and cucumber and curried egg. The egg was my favourite and I could have eaten even more.

Cheese loved her fancy babyccino (it came with two marshmallows – one was eaten before I could snap the picture) and scone. She even ate it with jam this time.

I love The Tea Cosy and always want an excuse to get back down to The Rocks so I can indulge in more scones, yet again.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Minimal – it’s a very small space.
Easy access: Yes, the majority of dining is outside or is on ground level.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

The Tea Cosy
7 Atherden St,
The Rocks NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9247 4955
Prices: $$
Hours: Mon, Wed-Fri 10am-4pm, Tues closed, Sat & Sun 9:30am-5pm
Get Directions

MCA Light Show, Light Lab & Family Fun Day: Sydney Best Art Galleries For Kids

June 1, 2015 / Cheese, Indoor Play, Museums, Sydney, Sydney Life / 0 comment

The Museum of Contemporary Art has continued to surprise and impress us since we moved back to Sydney. Not only does it have world-class exhibits, it also runs kid-friendly labs as part of the exhibits, and a variety of family programing every week for kids of all ages: from babies to toddlers, preschoolers and school kids. Literally something for kids of every age.

Because of their family-friendly programs, we have been feeling brave enough to venture back into the gallery with Cheese. She is not that into art thus far, being more interested in running and causing chaos instead. With the MCA’s set-up, it means we can see the exhibit we are interested in, as well as having a way to engage Cheese that she enjoys too – win-win for everyone, and we also hope that by doing this, our child will grow up to share our love of art.

The current exhibit at the MCA is Light Show (open until July 5, 2015). Light Show is a spectacular multisensory exhibition by artists all around the world, with the one theme in common – light. The show features a variety of installations and immersive experiences that are suitable for people of all ages – including wiggly preschoolers like our Cheese.

We did see the exhibit at our typical break-neck speed, close on the heels of our speedy preschooler, but this exhibit caught her interest and we doubled back to see rooms and installations repeatedly at her insistence.

The immersive nature of the exhibit was hypnotic – the three of us were mesmerised by the glittering, twinkling lights, and visual illusions that lead us to believe we were moving, or falling, all by means of clever placement and design of light. We spoke with Cheese about the lights. See how if you move this way or that, the image we see changes? What happens if you put your hand here? Or stand there? When you look at these coloured lights, and then look at the white wall, what new colours do you see? She particularly loved anything interactive, like the dark room with the beam of light that she could dance in, jabbing her wand into the light ray to try and capture it.

Outside the Light Show is the free Light Lab for kids. Set up into two rooms, one has a light projected onto a wall which captures movement – perfect for entertaining kids and teaching them about their shadows. The second room had UV lights installed on the ceiling shining down into the art works kids were making with simple white paper and highlighters. Simple but enthralling concept: shine the light on paper and it glows. Cheese wanted more and more paper to keep creating her artworks for us, which were quite Miro in style, I have to say.

Also running when we visited was the monthly Family Fun Day. This free program gives kids activities to perform in the gallery, followed by a craft activity in the National Centre for Creative Learning next to the Light Lab on level 3. The program is aimed at school-aged kids, so around 4 or 5 and up, but there were a lot of younger kids enjoying the activities with their families.

In the main gallery area, kids were lying on the floor with their parents, drawing pictures of the outfits worn in the artwork. The “MCA Sketch” sheet they were given with the Family Fun Day activities on it asked kids to find pictures of outfits in the paintings and then draw a new one on their paper. Upstairs in the learning centre was the craft area part of the day (which had a gorgeous view of the Harbour Bridge, by the way). Friendly staff handed kids a tray filled with craft materials and asked them to create their own superhero wearable artwork, like a badge, headband or the like. The art supplies were basic pipe cleaners, paper, sparkles and so on – perfect materials for letting kids’ imaginations run free.

We helped Cheese with her outfit of crown, wand, necklace and wrist cuff. Her superpower, she decided, was “freezing” (thanks Elsa), and “flying”. After which she proceeded to “fly” through the gallery, stopping now and then to press a “button” on her cuff to power herself up again. Crazy cute. I appreciated the idea from the MCA staff to help fuel her imagination.

Museum of Contemporary Art
140 George St,
The Rocks NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9245 2400
Get Directions

A huge thank you to the MCA for hosting us.

The Vogue Cafe, Macquarie Centre: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Sydney

May 21, 2015 / Macquarie Park, North-West Sydney, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

Rainy days in Sydney just destroy me. Especially when the rain has set in for weeks and we are all getting a serious case of cabin fever. On one such rainy day we head over to the Macquarie Centre for lunch and shopping (along with half of Sydney, it seemed). After the stress of finding a car park was over, we head straight to The Vogue Cafe for lunch.

The Vogue Cafe is such an interesting little place. It sits inside the shopping centre, and even has a seating area that is pretty much in the car park, but it’s an adorable, whimsical place, and it’s hard to remember that you’re actually in a shopping centre.

The staff are all very sweet and assure me that they are very kid-friendly. There are a lot of families having lunch when we arrive, as well as lots of young couples who are possibly big kids at heart.

The Vogue Cafe feels a bit like something out of Wonderland. While the menu is pretty straightforward, they are known for their fantastical shakes. Called “Magical Milkshakes”, they are topped with things like whipped cream, rice bubbles, pop corn and jelly snakes, with a chocolate and sprinkles rim. The weekly specials are even fancier.

The cafe is popular and we have to wait about 10 minutes for a table. The service is fast, and after we order, everything starts to arrive quickly. The kids milkshake arrives first, which is perfect for wriggly kids.

We ordered the TVC Mix Up (scrambled eggs tossed with feta and basil, served with soy and linseed toast, $12.50), sides of grilled tomato ($2) and avocado ($2), Benny Dict (salmon, two poached eggs, hollandaise sauce, chives, served in chiabatta bread, $16.50), BEB (egg and bacon baguette served with BBQ sauce ($8), Kids Sourdough Soldiers (with vegemite, $4), Hot Chips ($7), Kids Magic Milkshake (chocolate, $4), Magic Milkshakes (vanilla and strawberry, $7 each), Nutella Milkshake (8).

The food is great. While they are known for their milkshakes, their food is really delicious and also very well priced. My eggs are a huge serving that I can’t finish. Probably because I also drank that giant Nutella milkshake first.

The Nutella milkshake is what The Vogue Cafe is well known for, and it did not disappoint. The milkshake was creamy and delicious, and I really enjoyed the quirky waffle cone filled with gummy snakes on top.

In early 2018 the Vogue Cafe added a little enclosed play area for small kids, perfect for toddlers or preschoolers.

The Vogue Cafe is a great dining outing, even if you’re not planning on shopping at the Macquarie Centre.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: Yes.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

The Vogue Cafe
109 Waterloo Road,
Macquarie Park NSW 2113
Phone: (02) 9887 2570
Prices: $
Hours: Mon-Fri 9:30am-6pm, Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 10am-6pm
Get Directions

Jungle Buddies Play Centre: Indoor Play Centres Inner West

May 16, 2015 / Indoor Play, Sydney, Sydney Life / 0 comment

With a super active 3.5 year old, I’m a frequent visitor to play centres, particularly on rainy days. Even on days when the weather is clear, it’s still great to have somewhere safe for Cheese to burn her energy off.

Jungle Buddies at Five Dock is a huge, clean and bright play centre. The climbing structure is massive, with plenty of nocks and crannies and levels to keep kids entertained for hours. The equipment is all extremely clean and new, which is an added bonus for me and my hatred of dirty sticky things.

The cafe area in Jungle Buddies is quite unique in that they have made a big effort to create a menu that delivers guests delicious, healthy food choices. We were at Jungle Buddies for a party and were extremely happy with our menu of sliders, pizza and fruit.

If you’re dining in, there are even more choices on the menu such as salads, Serendipity ice-cream, and a range of locally-made cakes from Sweetness The Patisserie, and biscuits from Rowie’s Cakes. The ingredients for the meals are all from local producers, too, like Bowan island Bakery. It’s a real pleasure to take the kid to a play centre and not just watch her have a good time, but to be able to have some really good food myself while I’m watching her play.

For kids under 3 there is a separate soft play area.

Jungle Buddies is very light and bright, with natural light streaming in through the windows. It has clean bathrooms and baby change facilities, and a large parking area downstairs, where it’s easy to walk a few steps to the elevator which takes you right to the front door of the play centre. Very easy to navigate with a stroller.

The staff were very friendly, and were especially great with the birthday girl and her guests.

We really enjoyed our time at Jungle Buddies and will be back to play again.

Jungle Buddies Play Centre
2/97 Queens Road,
Five Dock NSW 2046
Phone: 1300 883 819
Hours: Daily 9:30am-5pm
Get Directions

Davo’s Trattoria: Kid-Friendly Restaurants, Moorebank, Sydney

May 14, 2015 / Moorebank, South West, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

I’ve been dining at Davo’s Trattoria with my family for years. It’s been the one constantly good restaurant in the neighborhood where I grew up, and we’ve been dining at Davo’s for celebratory events since it opened in 1990. This was my first visit with a child, and, as always, Davo’s was a delicious and delightful experience.

The food at Davo’s is really solid Italian cuisine. I always have the Gnocchi Napoletana ($15.90 for an entree serving is plenty for me). We also ordered Garlic Bread ($3.50, serves four), Potato Fries ($6.50), Lasagne di Casa ($20.90), Atlantic Salmon ($29.90, served on a bed of sweet potato mash and with baby bok choi and marinated cherry tomatoes finished with honey glaze) and the Black Angus Eye Fillet ($33.90).

The staff couldn’t have been more welcoming and accommodating to our wriggly toddler. We especially appreciated the crayons to draw on the paper table cloth with. Tracing outlines of everyone’s hands is endless fun (or, at least, fun until dessert arrives).

We always order dessert at Davo’s. I usually have the Chocolate Mousse, which is perfection, but this time I tried the Trio of Pavlovas, of which I wasn’t a fan – they were more like merangues than pavlovas. We also ordered the Kid’s Ice Cream with chocolate topping, Tiramisu (my dad’s all-time fave), a tropical sorbet and tropical panna cotta. The rest of the desserts were all delicious – next time I’ll order my old favourite!

Last Bite: Davo’s serves delicious Italian food that has been pleasing local families for many a year.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: Yes.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

Davo’s Trattoria
9/101 Nuwarra Rd,
Moorebank NSW 2170
Phone: +61 2 9601 0449
Prices: $$
Hours: Tues, Wed & Sun 5:30pm-9pm, Thur 12pm-3pm, 5:30pm-9pm, Fri 12pm-3pm, 5:30pm-10pm, Sat 5:30pm-10pm
Get Directions

Brekkie On The Beach: Lamrock Cafe, Bondi Beach

May 14, 2015 / Bondi, Eastern Suburbs, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

Bondi Beach is a favourite playground of ours on a winter day. It’s a lot quieter and we can play for hours outdoors without worrying about sunburn. It also mean the cafes are a bit quieter, so it’s easier to get a table.

We chose Lamrock so we could look at the gorgeous beach while we ate. While it was quite busy and bustling, we were still shown to a table straight away, and had a super friendly staff member immediately come over and take care of us.

Little E was pretty antsy already when we sat, so we ordered her a babyccino and breakfast straight away. While they don’t have a specific kids’ menu, Lamrock will make a kid-sized version of the adult meals for your little one. We asked for one scrambled egg and one piece of toast. Five minutes later it arrived on our table. Talk about fast service!

We admired the view while waiting for our meals to arrive. E’s babyccino cam soon after and was piping hot. Instead of being a cup of foam, it was actually scalding hot milk with foam on top, and E swilled a big sip of it before we could try it first. Cue extremely sad toddler with a burned mouth 🙁

My Vegetarian Breakfast ($16.50; sourdough toast, hash brown, haloumi, spinach, roast tomato, two poached eggs and mushrooms) was delicious. Perfectly cooked eggs, and a great variety of elements that contributed to a filling, nutritious and wonderfully tasting meal.

Alec’s Big Bondi Brekkie ($14.50) was pretty similar to mine. Two slices of sourdough, two fried eggs, hashbrown, sausage, bacon, roasted tomato, mushrooms. His was devoured within about 30 seconds and declared delicious.

Our table was optimal for great view while being within the cafe for a bit of wind protection. Plenty of space, and lots of chilled out diners who didn’t mind a crazy toddler refusing to stay put in her seat.

Last bite: A delicious meal with a killer view.

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

Lamrock Cafe
72-76 Campbell Parade,
Bondi Beach
Phone: (02) 9130 6313
Prices: $$
Hours: Daily 6:30am-6:30pm
Get Directions

Babies Proms, Country Kids: Best Shows For Kids, Sydney

May 9, 2015 / Cheese, Sydney, Sydney Life, Theatre / 0 comment

Today Cheese was introduced to country music for he first time at the wonderful Sydney Opera House’s Babies Proms Country Kids. We’ve gone to every single Babies Prom at the Opera House since arriving back in Sydney, and both Cheese and I enjoy them so much, we always look forward to he next one with great anticipation.

In case you haven’t been to a Babies Prom yet, they are a series of events aimed at kids aged 2 – 5 put on by the Sydney Opera House. Other ages are welcome, and there are usually lots of smaller babies and toddlers in attendance.

Each Babies Prom focuses on a theme (in this case, Australian country music), and amazingly talented performers teach the kids about that particular style of music through songs and engaging conversation. A big component of each show is teaching kids about the instruments used in that particular style.

With the Country Kids show, Gold Guitar winning country music artist Darren Coggan was leading the performance, with his band of talented musicians showcasing instruments such as the banjo, fiddle and double bass.

The songs chosen were familiar Aussie favourites, like “Thank God I’m a country boy” and “Waltzing Matilda” – making it the first time for many of kids to hear these classic songs.

Talented musician Coggan held the kids in rapt attention, and even managed to get the parents and grandparents on their feet to try their hand (or foot) at boot scooting to finish off the show.

As the show wraps up, the musicians (including Coggan) come down to the floor to meet their pint sized fans and let the kids have a go of the instruments. It’s a great opportunity for kids to touch the strings on the double base, or get up and close to the fiddle.

The Babies Proms run for 30 minutes, which is perfect for a kid of this age’s attention span. They manage to cram in a jam-packed agenda of songs and education, and kids leave not realise they’ve actually just been taught a lot about a whole new genre of music.

Shows like the Babies Proms are so important for the tiniest kids to learn about music from a young age. Catering to little ones like this program does is pretty unusual in my experience. Many shows cater to slightly older kids and expect kids to sit down and just watch a show. The Babies Proms are so successful because they really speak to the age of the kids and engage with them, and have created an environment where it’s ok for kids to stand up and dance, or run to and from their parents. It’s relaxing for all involved, as there is no expectation on the kids to sit down and stay quiet. In fact, the expectation is the opposite, as children are encouraged to sing, move and often play percussion instruments along with the cast.

Cheese and I love the Babies Proms and obviously can’t say enough good things about the shows. If you’re interested in taking your child to see a Babies Prom, the current Country Kids show runs from Wednesday, 6 May through to Sunday, 17 May with 9.30 am, 10.30 am and 11.30 am sessions available most days from $16.00 a ticket. Tickets are available from the Sydney Opera House.

Thank you to the Sydney Opera House for having us at this Babies Prom. We are huge fans and all opinions are, as always, very much our own.

The Incinerator Cafe: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Willoughby, North Shore, Sydney

May 6, 2015 / North Shore, Sydney, Sydney Food, Willoughby / 2 Comments

The Incinerator Cafe is, frankly, a haven for families who want to eat out somewhere decent. House on the ground floor of the Willoughby Incinerator building that was designed in the 1930s by Walter Burley Griffin, the cafe has become extremely popular with local parents who are after a relaxing brunch with friends where their kids are welcome, too.

As well as being a cafe, The Incinerator is also an art space. Large works are around the entrance, and also on the lower level if you take the elevator down to see them. The elevator actually is an artwork itself.

Around the Incinerator building lay picnic tables with small roof covering. Enough to beat off the hot summer sun and make dining outdoors possible without a sunburn. Families also throw down a picnic rug on the grass and grab coffee and a bite to eat from the takeaway stand.

Drinks first: I ordered a Tim Tam milkshake ($8) and a kid’s chocolate milkshake ($4). Mine came in a glass jar, and Cheese’s came in a takeaway cup with a straw. Very thoughtful.

We ordered a Kids Pancakes (x2) with apple and ice cream ($8), the Sweet Potato Rosti (with haloumi, beetroot relish and poached eggs, $17.50), and a “Have It Your Way” 2 free range eggs poached with toast ($9), with sides of mushrooms ($4) and avocado ($5).

The food came quickly, and was well cooked. My egg dish was a delight to my tastebuds. The sweet potato combined with the eggs and beetroot was absolutely delicious. The Tim Tam shake was so good I could have drunk about 10 more.

After we finished breakfast we walked down the path to Halstrom Park (about 10 metres away). I really like this park because it offers a lot of shade. It also has decent bathroom facilities.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: Yes.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

The Incinerator Cafe
2 Small Street,
Willoughby NSW 2068
Phone: (02) 8188 2220
Prices: $$
Hours: Daily 7am-4pm
Get Directions