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Kid Heaven at The New Coogee Pavilion – Kid-Friendly Cafes In Sydney

August 6, 2014 / Coogee, Eastern Suburbs, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

I’ve never been to Coogee before — how is that even possible? I might not ever have visited this gorgeous suburb if I hadn’t badly wanted to check out the brand new fit out at the Coogee Pavilion. After an extensive renovation the lower floor has just reopened. And boy, was it ever worth the visit.
We dropped by at 10:45am not long after the new pavilion opened. When we visited, their breakfast menu was not yet being served, but they were already filled with curious locals milling around, buying a takeaway Will & Co coffee or a freshly pressed Love Juice. At 11am sharp the pavilion officially opened the rest of their venue, and tables filled quickly.

The pavilion is kind of like bar meets upscale food court meets restaurant meets giant games room. All in the one huge area. The restaurant section requires bookings several days in advance for the full menu. You can however drop in at any time and sit anywhere else — around the bar, in the lounge chairs, booths or near the game area. These areas all serve the bar menu (order and pay at the bar).

The restaurant has a kids’ menu, but the bar menu does not. It does however serve favourites you could share with kids like pizza, fish and chips and burgers. Simple, hearty food. The pizzas are cooked in a wood-fired oven in the centre of the pavillion, where kids can watch their pizza go from dough to being sliced. Pretty cool.

We found a booth near the games area. While we waited for our food, we checked out the huge amount of toys and games that were nearby. For toddlers, we found things like a Mr Potato head, blocks, a toddler-sized colouring table stocked with crayons and giant sheets of paper, a life-sized Connect Four and a Scrabble board with magnetic pieces mounted to the wall (yes, too old for them, but still plenty of entertainment sticking the giant magnetic tiles to the board and climbing up and down the ladder).

Older kids loved the ping pong and foosball tables, and we noticed adults taking boardgames like Trivial Pursuit back to their tables as they clearly settled in for the afternoon. Opening soon are an in-house theatrette and Rudy’s barbershop, where you can get a trim while you’re waiting for your meal to arrive. So entertainment was not a problem. It was more of a problem to get her back to our table to eat when food arrived. Next time we will forgo the table and instead sit in the couches right on the play area so E could play while we ate, without one of us having to trail her around.

We ordered a Margherita Pizza (San Marzano, Bufala, basil $20), Fries with Aioli ($9) and the Coogee Diner Burger (American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, burger sauce $18). My pizza arrived quickly and was delicious. I shared mine with Missy E and was a bit sad I couldn’t eat more. Delicious sauce, soft cheese and a slightly crispy base. Perfect. Sadly something happened to the rest of our order and the burger and fries didn’t arrive. After about 40 minutes of waiting, a staff member noticed we still had food outstanding and very quickly put through the order again.

The rest of the food arrived about 10 minutes later. So over an hour after we ordered it, but thankfully there was so much to entertain the kid that it didn’t matter. Alec described the burger as “American-style”, saying it was OK but her preferred Aussie-style burgers. The fries were smocking hot, crispy and cooked through. They were tasty and gone in seconds.

After eating our meals we kept playing until we dragged E out of there to the beach. I honestly thing she would have stayed all day if we’d let her.

Upper levels are currently undergoing extensive renovation. When they re-open over the coming months you can expect a rooftop bar and a fine-dining restaurant.

The Coogee Pavilion is smack on Coogee Beach, so if your kids need to play or you could use a walk after a big lunch, the gorgeous beach is at your disposal.

Last Bite: One of the most family-friendly eating venues in Sydney. Go before it’s as popular as The Grounds.

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

Coogee Pavillion
169 Dolphin Street,
Coogee NSW
Phone: (02) 9240 3000
Prices: $$$ Hours: (Ground floor)
Daily, 11am – late. Breakfast menu coming soon so times may change. Take away Love Juice and Will & Co Coffee available daily from 7:00am. Reservations required for seating in main dining area. Call 02 9240 3000.
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What I Love, What I Miss: Adjusting To Life Back In Sydney

August 5, 2014 / Family, Sydney Life / 2 Comments

So we’ve been back in Sydney for about two months and are still struggling to find somewhere to live. Ugh. I forgot how long it takes to settle back after such a huge move. I’ve been enjoying a lot of little things that I’d either totally forgotten about, or never discovered before I left.

Gelato Messina
The best gelato I’ve ever tasted. I’ve eaten is almost every single day since being back. I’d eat it every day if their locations weren’t so far away. Bounty, choc chip and berry yoghurt are rocking my world.

Beaches
I wasn’t a beach person before I left Sydney. I have really fair skin and so have been a “sit in the shade” rather than “sit on the beach” type. Now I have a kid who is mad about playing in the sand, I have a new found love of beaches. Insanely gorgeous, plus hours of free entertainment. Just add sunscreen.

Mersey Valley Cheese
This has always been our favourite cheese. Being in the US however and surrounded by supremely average supermarket cheese, I have a new appreciation for just how awesome this cheese is. Crumbly and sharp – it’s hard not to polish off the whole block in one sitting.

Moscato
I love love sweet wine. Moscato has always been my wine of choice. I did find it in the US, but it wasn’t as common as here, and there wasn’t as much variety. Moscato here is amazingly good and also reasonably priced.

Thai food
I didn’t eat much Thai when I was in the US as whenever I did, it was pretty bad. The Thai in Sydney is so good – I think it’s the closer proximity to Asia, plus the large Thai population living here that contributes so the great food. Whatever the reason, I’m devouring curry puffs and pad see ew like they’re calorie-free.

Supermarket chocolate
Cadbury is awesome. There’s a giant bar of Snack and a packet of Carmel Crowns sitting in the fridge right now.

The sunshine
The weather here is just insane. I arrived back in time for winter (yay!) and it’s been warmer almost every day than it was for the entire of NYC spring.

Target
Target in Sydney is awesome! Super clean, big variety of quality products. Very different to the Brooklyn Target that I used to visit occasionally.

I’m also missing little things about NYC that I also didn’t even think about. The big things I miss are obvious, but the little things caught me by surprise.

Iced tea
Sydney doesn’t do iced tea. I’m so desperate for my daily fix that I’m steeping big jugs of black tea and chilling them every few days.

Bagels
How did I ever live without bagels pre-New York? It’s a mystery.

The subway
After the super fast and frequent NYC subway, my hatred of Sydney’s trains has only intensified. I don’t know what’s worse some days, the crazy traffic when I take to the roads, or the slow moving infrequent trains.

Amazon
Now I’m without my Amazon Prime free two-day shipping, I actually have to get in the car and drive to a shop to buy everything. Even stupid cables and boxes of nappies. I also miss Fresh Direct, Diapers.com and basically every other website that sent me the products I wanted with free shipping.

Cheaper prices
Ahhh the great Aussie price gouge. Buzzfeed has a really funny article about the great Aussie rip off. Paying more for things I only recently bought at a significant price difference is hard to take.

Ben & Jerry’s
While not my favourite brand of ice cream, B&J’s was my face supermarket brand. Now if I want a tub of Karamel Sutra I have to shell out $11 for the privilege.

Ample Hills
My favourite ice cream of all time. Australia doesn’t really do ice cream. It’s does phenomenal gelato and sorbet, but not ice cream. I am dying for one more scoop of Ooey Goey Buttercake and Sweet As Honey. Yuuuum.

Levain Bakery cookies
The best cookies I’ve ever eaten. So big and fat they were almost rock cakes. Big chunks of chocolate that melted in your mouth. Yes we have cookies here, but not like that!

The fast pace
I actually love the frenetic business that is the city. I thrive on over stimulation and love having a lot of colour, buildings and interesting people all around me. Back in Sydney I’m finding it hard to adjust to the slower pace and having personal space again.

Doormen
I had never had a doorman before my NYC apartment. Not only do I miss the community of my building, but I also miss the big-hearted doormen who became friends after seeing so much of them day in and out.

The Wiggles Exhibition at The Powerhouse Museum

July 24, 2014 / Indoor Play, Museums, Sydney, Sydney Life / 1 Comment

Having spent her entire life until recently in the US, Miss E had never experienced the phenomena that is The Wiggles until we took her to the new Wiggles exhibit at the Powerhouse Museum. It was a cold and miserable winter day and we were short on ideas to entertain her. I was hoping that it wouldn’t matter that she didn’t know The Wiggles, and, thankfully, the exhibit was so good that she didn’t even noticed that it was based on characters she wasn’t familiar with. She just thought the whole thing was a giant play space, which certainly says something about how well the exhibit was designed with little kids in mind.

It was E’s first time at the Powerhouse Museum in general, and my first time visiting in years and years. A special mention goes to the huge steam train inside the entrance — equally fascinating for kids and adults-alike.

While, as an adult, I’ve never been particularly fond of The Wiggles, I’ve always been interested in them as they studied early childhood education at my university (Macquarie Uni!). Part of their popularity I think can be attributed to the way in which The Wiggles structure their performances around how young children develop and learn.

The Wiggles exhibition at Powerhouse Museum is carefully curated so that adults are (almost!) as entertained as children. While we spent most of our time in the exhibit chasing around our kid, I was still able to read a few panels on the amazing rise of The Wiggles. What we were there for, however, was to let little E play — and play she certainly did.

I was super impressed with the exhibit. It had great high-tech interactive elements, such as what I can only call a life-sized game of Fruit Ninja (even Alec had a go!), a touch-screen coloring book, a holographic performance by The Wiggles, and iPads with The Wiggles games on them (sadly only two out of the four actually worked when we tried them however).

The exhibit also featured free-form play elements, such as Dorothy’s house with a tea party inside, a shape-sorting and fruit cutting table, and a pirate ship with telescopes, steering wheel and raft. There were also a few arts and crafts stations, where kids could make a rose for Dorothy’s house, or write Dorothy a letter and post it to her.

Kids who were clearly fans were delighted to see the life-size Dorothy the Dinosaur, Wags the Dog and Henry the Octopus. Since she was new to The Wiggles, E thought these huge creatures looked like a lot of fun and tried to hug them, which sadly wasn’t possible. She did however enjoy yelling “wake up Jeff!” to waken a sleeping Jeff character projected onto a screen. I guess it’s time for us to start watching The Wiggles!

The last stop in the exhibit is the famous Wiggles red car, which kids can climb into and watch some Wiggles action on a screen in front of the car. It’s a great photo op and was in hot demand when we visited.

The Wiggles exhibition was a great cold weather outing.

Entry to the Powerhouse Museum is $12 for adults and free for kids under four.

The Wiggles at Powerhouse Museum
500 Harris St,
Ultimo NSW
Phone: (02) 9217 0111
Hours: Daily 10am-5pm
Get Directions

Egg Of The Universe: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Rozelle, Sydney

July 22, 2014 / Inner West, Rozelle, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

If you love wholesome, minimally processed, nutrient-rich meals then Egg Of The Universe is the cafe for you. Situated underneath BodyMindLife yoga studios, yogis are known to leave class then step out into the sun drenched courtyard to fill their bodies with clean, organic food. Egg Of The Universe caters to everyone from vegans to omnivores, and those with gluten-free or dairy-free needs.

At the register, you can grab quick snacks like the Chocolate and Beetroot Cake and Raw Caramel Slice ($5 each). Take a seat in the back courtyard under the Chinese elm tree for the full table service menu.

Lucky us, we found the large back table free for our party of four adults, two toddlers and one baby. Plenty of room for the strollers to park right up at the table, as well as lots of space for our wriggly toddler to run around the tree while we waited for our meals to arrive.

To start with, I ordered the Dandelion Tea ($4), which was delicious. Our table ordered a wide variety of meals: a side of Ancient Grains ($6), Super B.L.A.T (Feather & Bone Smoked Bacon, Leaves, Avocado, Tomato, Aioli, Herbs & Hemp Seeds, $18. Add a Fried Organic Egg $3), Bread/Toast & Butter, $6, Spiced Kicharis (Seasonally Spiced Indian Rice & Lentils with Salad, Tamarind Chutney & Minted Yoghurt, $14), and the Avocado, Tomato (Spelt Sourdough, Hemp, Oregano, Basil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, &16. Add a Poached Organic Egg $3).

The food is fresh, bursting with flavour, and feels good on the stomach several hours later. No heavy after-effects after eating such wholesome food. Perfectly poached eggs, creamy avocado, fragrant tomatoes and crusty fresh bread. Absolutely delicious. The kids munched on toast and banana bread (that I was too slow to photograph) and happily danced around the courtyard while the adults enjoyed the peaceful ambiance.

Last bite: Wholefoods for the whole family at this laid-back, healthy cafe.
Highchairs: No.
Stroller storage: Yes — lots of room for strollers.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: There is a table in the bathroom that can be used a a change table.
Kids’ menu: No.

Egg Of The Universe
711 Darling St, Rozelle
Phone: 02 9810 3146
Prices: $$
Hours: Mon-Fri 7:30am-4pm Sat & Sun 8am-4pm
Get Directions

Best Babyccino in Sydney at Bar Contessa, Balmain

July 16, 2014 / Balmain, Inner West, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

Ever in search of cool cafes that remind us of New York, Bar Contessa “a casual cafe/restaurant which brings a unique slice of New York City cool to the streets of Balmain” sounded right up our alley. In fact, on walking through the entrance, Alec remarked, “this is just like Brooklyn”. Result!

Bar Contessa is actually one of the longest-standing eateries on Darling St (it was established in 1992). The current owner and head chef, Marco Adoncello, took over almost 10 years ago. Since then, this family owned and operated cafe has become renowned for its American-inspired fare infused with Adoncello’s Italian heritage. Recent renovations brought a New York-feel to the cafe, with a bold, sprawling street art mural, leather booths, bare bricks and swinging bulbs.

Adoncello sources his fresh produce from friends and family who operate a range of fruit, vegetable and butcher businesses within Sydney. Bar Contessa’s free range eggs are delivered directly from a farm on the Hawksberry River, and their breads and sweets are delivered straight from the Luxe Bakery ovens to their café at 6am every morning.

I have to admit however, that Bar Contessa came to my attention through an Instagram photo I saw of their babyccinos. The most adorable babyccinos ever. And yes, that is what we are all about these days. Something to entertain the kid, and (hopefully!) exceptional food for the adults.

We were quickly seated during prime brunch hour on a Saturday, by a very friendly waitress. I couldn’t see the famed babyccino on the menu, so I asked the waitress if they had one. She confirmed that they do indeed, have the fancypants babyccino from my instagram feed, commenting that they get a lot of families dropping in particularly to try one.

Alec and I ordered the same dish, Rosa’s Breakfast Bruschetta (named after Adoncello’s wife: thick slice of toasted organic soy linseed sourdough w/smashed avocado, fresh roma tomato, basil, rocket, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic reduction & free range poached egg $16.50), and we shared a side of the Chunky Beer Battered Fries (served w/ ketchup & mayo). Bar Contessa doesn’t have a kids’ menu, but they do make dishes to order for little ones. We asked for a small scrambled egg and sourdough as it’s Miss E’s current go-to breakfast dish.

Our meals were delicious. The bruschetta had the prefect mix of creamy avocado, poached egg with balsamic cutting through it. The thick fries were to die for. Piping hot, soft on the inside, with a tasty batter that barely needed sauce.

We enjoyed our meals and entire dining experience so much that Bar Contessa is sure to become one of our regular haunts.

Last bite: There’s something for everyone at this stylish, Inner West cafe.

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

Bar Contessa
371b Darling St,
Balmain
Phone: (02) 9555 7399
Prices: $$
Hours: Daily 7:30am-3pm
Get Directions

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.

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.

Centennial Parklands Kiosk; Kid-Friendly Cafes, Centennial Park, Sydney

June 23, 2014 / Centennial Park, Eastern Suburbs, Sydney, Sydney Food / 2 Comments

Centennial Parklands is the meeting place of any inner-Sydney or Eastern suburbs localite who crave open spaces but are not afforded one with the cramped city lifestyle. Fortunately for them (and the rest of Sydney-siders) they have got it right when thinking about what families need. There are two parts to the dining options, and on a chilly Sunday morning we chose the more casual affair at the Centennial Parklands Kiosk.

Centennial Parklands Kiosk - #kid-friendly #cafes - #Centennial Park, #Sydney via brunchwithmybaby.com — *Outside the Centennial Parklands Kiosk, Photo by Katia Barker*

The Centennial Parklands Kiosk offers a grab and go style affair with a standard cafe menu, yet tailors to a more delectable pallet with gourmet sandwiches and salads as well. Be prepared to wait for your coffee, but thankfully it is worth it with a hot quality brew served up. We opted for a large coffee ($4.30), toasted banana bread ($5) and a mini carrot cake ($2.60), all were fresh and tasty.

There is plenty of space to park your designer pram, bikes, scooters and other wheeled devices (no pony parking sorry!) and a good amount of tables which turn over pretty quickly. Otherwise there are ample park benches and tables nearby. The Centennial Parklands Kiosk is also located right next to the children’s playground allowing you to sip your coffee in peace whilst the children burn off some steam. A win for all!

Last Bite: Centennial Parklands Kiosk is a great starting point for a day in the park with good fresh food and quality coffee.

Highchairs: No. (There are a lot at the more formal Cafe next door)
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: Yes.
Kids’ menu: Not dedicated, but kids won’t starve.

Centennial Parklands Kiosk
Grand Drive,
Centennial Park NSW
Phone: (02) 9380 9350
Prices: $$$
Hours: Monday-Friday 7.00am – 4pm, Saturday – Sunday 7.00am – 5.00pm
Get Directions

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
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