Food Reviews Archives - Page 5 of 10

Food Reviews

BECASSE: Kid-Friendly Restaurants, Orchard Road, Singapore

February 17, 2014 / Food Reviews, ION, Orchard Road, Singapore / 2 Comments

Becasse, an open-layout cafe in ION, opened up last year but I’d only just gotten round to checking it out. Better late than never! A artisanal brand from Australia, Becasse was brought in by Jones the Grocer (whose cafe is right next door), also an Australian brand. It is positioned as “a modern interpretation of a French and European patisserie and bakery”.

We were charmed with the black-and-white mod feel of the cafe, and the spaciousness was a huge plus when you have an active kid. Carter spent half the time wandering around, and the cafe was fairly contained so I was happy to let him be.

Carter had the delight of one whole croissant, all to himself! He was in seventh heaven and polished his Croissant ($4) off at record speed – a testament to how good it was. Fluffy and crisp on the outside, the layers gave way to a pillow soft interior. Luscious.

Our server confirmed with us that we “don’t want jam and butter” with our croissant, which is what it’s meant to come with, but still charged us the price on the menu that includes the condiments. Just something to note.

I was a big fan of the Duck Rilletes & Poached Pear ($21). The pot of duck was very very small, but delicious. It had the right amount of saltiness and fat, and the richness of the duck meat really came through. It was paired very well with the buttery and fluffy brioche bread.

Special mention of the poached pear and rocket salad that it was served with. I normally can’t stand rocket (so bitter!), but somehow, it was tempered by the dressing, scattering of walnuts, and sweet poached pears. It was a fantastic salad and I polished the whole thing off – very very rare for a salad-hater like me.

Becasse’s amazing croissant makes a re-appearance, this time in the form of a Toasted Leg Ham & Gruyere Croissant ($8). This is an excellent deal and perfect as a snack, or as a lunch for light eaters.

A big mug of Hot Chocolate ($6) to complete our meal. Served with a big, fluffy marshmallow!

Carter had his first taste of hot chocolate. I’d say he liked it 😉

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOxNRuHtux8%5D

Last Bite: Becasse offers a lovely and kid-friendly ambience at ION’s atrium, and specialises in French pastries and cuisine. Their croissants are a must-order!

Highchairs: Yes
Easy access: Yes
Change tables: Yes (in the mall)
Kids’ menu: Yes

Becasse
#04-27/28/29/30/31/32
ION Orchard
2 Orchard Turn
Phone: 68845365
Prices: $$
Hours: Daily: 10:00 – 22:00

MU PARLOUR: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Holland Village, Singapore

February 10, 2014 / Food Reviews, Holland Village, Singapore / 0 comment

Tucked away on the second level among the Holland Village shops, Mu Parlour is accessible via a narrow and nondescript staircase. It’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it kind of entrance, so you really need to be on the lookout to realise there’s a cafe upstairs.

For this reason, Mu Parlour is generally pretty quiet, with customers that are either regulars or via word-of-mouth. It’s an excellent choice if you’re after a relaxed and quiet brunch, and also kid-friendly because the area is very self-contained and the large window offers kids a bit of a birds-eye view of the people below, which keeps them quiet for awhile 😉

I loved their Strawberry milkshake ($7.80). It was creamy and cold, and just the refreshment we needed on a warm day. Bonus points for the cool glass mason mugs they use!

The No. 11 Beef, avocado, bacon, MU secret sauce ($15) was quite the stunner. The black bun (squid ink?) was soft, and the beef patty was perfectly juicy and the richness of the beef really came through. I loved the generous helping of cheese and ‘secret sauce’ and thought the burger was very well executed. I’d get this one again for sure.

Special mention to their fries too – I love how they serve shoestring fries, my favourite! They add a generous scattering of fried garlic and herbs on top of the fries, which elevates them to yummilicious levels.

Last Bite: Mu Parlour offers a quiet and relaxed reprieve from the busyness of Holland Village. Their milkshakes and No. 11 burger comes highly recommended!

Highchairs: Yes
Easy access: No (stairs up to second floor)
Change tables: No
Kids’ menu: No

Mu Parlour
16A Lorong Mambong
Singapore 277677
Phone: 6466 9336
Prices: $$
Hours: Mon – Thu: 11:00 am – 11:00 pm, Fri: 11:00 am – 1:00 am, Sat: 9:00 am – 1:00 am, Sun: 9:00 am – 8:00 pm

THE MISSING PAN: Kid-Friendly Restaurants, Bukit Timah, Singapore

February 6, 2014 / Bukit Timah, Food Reviews, Singapore / 0 comment

We’ve been on a bit of a hiatus recently. Between birthday parties, a trip to Perth, and Chinese New Year shennanigans, it’s been a really busy past few weeks!!

But, we hope to get back in the swing of things ASAP 🙂

It’s with great delight that I bring to you The Missing Pan, a gorgeous cafe that opened just three months ago. Located next to Coronation Plaza along Bukit Timah Road, the cafe has me ecstatic because THEY OPEN AT 9AM!! I do love my breakfasts, and rarely do I find cafes that are open this early (if you know of any more, please give me a holler).

When we stepped in, we were a bit confused as the place was tiny. Turns out that that’s just their first/entry level, which showcases their freshly-baked breads and pretty cakes. We were ushered into a lift and brought up to Level 2, where the sit-down area was.

The soft grey, tan and turquoise colour palette of the cafe had me swooning. Doesn’t it look so pretty and relaxing?

Their menu is, surprisingly, pretty extensive. And WOW, it also looks pretty spectacular. You will not find the standard brunch dishes here, but unique twists to regular dishes as well as new ones. The menu itself will take you a good few minutes to pore through!

I was pleased to see that they had a kids menu, which looked really enticing:

We kicked off with a rich Latte ($5.50) and a giant-sized Lychee and lemon mint homemade soda ($6):

And this is my favourite dish, their 62 degree eggs benedict with smoked salmon ($22). The Missing Pan’s rendition is absolutely superb, and very different to regular Eggs Benedict dishes I’ve had in other cafes. Served on homemade sourdough, the free range eggs were slow-cooked at 62 degrees, resulting in an extremely creamy egg with a molten gooey egg yolk – it was absolutely luscious.

The smoked salmon was like nothing I’ve ever had. Normally, smoked salmon is sliced thin, and very salty. You know, just the regular stuff. Their smoked salmon was FAT chunks of salmon, that was meltingly tender – almost like a sous vide salmon. It was nowhere near as salty as regular smoked salmon, so the delightful creaminess and sweetness of the fish came through.

Frankly, I thought this dish was outstanding and would get it again.

The Over Hangover (chicken schnitzel, bacon, sunny-side up egg on sourdough and bacon vinaigrette) ($19), I hear, is recommended for hearty eaters. And they’d be right – this will fill you right up. Using the same home-baked sourdough bread, the mountain of eggs, bacon, chicken and salad greens impresses when it arrives.. not to mention the tumble of crisp fries next to it.

At first, we thought the chicken would be dry and tough because the crumbed exterior was so dark. However, once we tried it, we realised the chicken was so succulent and juicy on the inside! It was actually perfectly cooked.

Two thumbs up for this dish, especially if you prefer your brunch to be fried 😉

I personally found the Rosemary rosti stack with bacon, sunny-side up egg, tomato, grilled zucchini salad ($16) to be least interesting. The potato rosti was cooked perfectly and the egg was delicious, but I just found the dish a bit boring because it’s just a whole lot of potato. Perhaps it would have been even better served with some of their fat chunks of smoked salmon, just to create variety?

That said, this is a winner if you’re on a bit of a carb fix.

I adored the Brownie bite, which was going at $2 a pop. The brownie was rich and fudgey, and I loved how it was encased in chocolate.

The BYO (homemade orange yogurt ice cream, raspberry jelly, macerated strawberries, basil, chocolate crisp) ($14) didn’t interest me, as I’m not a fan of any type of fruit-based dessert. But, the large chocolate crisps on top were delicious!!

Last Bite: The Missing Pan has only been open for a few months, but nails their unique menu. The food is excellent, as is the service and ambience. Plus, it’s open at 9AM for breakfast!

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

The Missing Pan
619D Bukit Timah Road
Singapore 269724
Phone: 6466 4377
Prices: $$
Hours: Tue – Sun: 9:00 am – 10:00 pm

CHOUPINETTE: Kid-Friendly Restaurants, Bukit Timah, Singapore

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Make-your-own-pancakes, you say?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So off we went!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The following review is by guest reviewer Delphine Tan:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CHARLY T’s: Kid-Friendly Restaurants, Katong, Singapore

December 23, 2013 / Food Reviews, Katong, Singapore / 0 comment

I very rarely order roast chicken when we go out – for the simple reason that, more often than not, the chicken comes out pretty dry and tasteless. Actually in general, I never order chicken in restaurants.

So I was really interested when I heard that Charly T’s specialised in rotisserie chicken!

I was really surprised to discover that it’s not just rotisserie chicken that they serve, but a whole variety of dishes from around the world. It kind of makes it hard to decide what to get 😉

The interior of Charly T’s is welcoming and family-friendly, with lots of high chairs and an outdoor patio area with a large TV screen. But the calling card is the play corner.

My kids made a BEELINE straight for it!

On one Sunday a month, Charly T’s hosts a full-blown kids event with an instructor…. FOR FREE. Kids are eligible when accompanied with dining adults. Not trying to sound stingy or anything here.. but any place that keeps my kids occupied for a good our for free is tops in my books!!

This month, the activity was “instrument making”.

It was a really simple concept and used simple craft materials, but was such a good idea and one that I’d never thought of before. The kids happily decorated the backs of 2 paper plates, stapled them together so they formed a drum/tambourine, and threaded through large bells to make them jingle-jangle. What a hit it was!

Chris was a champion and guided both kids through the craft making – though if your kids are a bit older, they can just be left there whilst you eat in peace.

After that, we relaxed with an Iced Latte and Iced Lemon Tea.. whilst the kids played around the area for a bit and shared a freshly-squeezed Green Flash juice – Green Apple, Orange, Pineapple ($7).

Of course, we had to try the Rotisserie Chicken with 2 side dishes ($14.50)! We were told that they pride themselves on chilled, never frozen, chickens that are marinated for over 12 hours before they are slow-cooked Rotisserie-style. Mmmmmmm……..

The meat was plump and tender, and I liked how crisp and smoky the skin was. But most of all, I thought the sesame (I think?) dipping sauce it came with was excellent. The kids loved it smothered all over their chicken! Speaking of which, both kids pretty much ate half the chicken each. I was kinda impressed.

Our two side dishes was the Garlic Rice, which was full of flavour and a total must order, and the Macaroni and Cheese, which I liked but wasn’t kid-friendly for my kids as it has a mild peppery flavour due to the red peppers in the sauce. It’s a healthy version of mac and cheese, by the way, which uses less cheese and incorporates cauliflower into the sauce, but is still very tasty.

I insisted on the Kansas City BBQ Pork Ribs($22) because saying “no” to pork ribs when they’re on the menu is criminal. They were meaty and tender, but still had ‘bite’. The meat was mostly lean, which I appreciated, and the BBQ sauce wasn’t too rich or sweet. I swapped my Vegetables side dish for German Potato Salad, and I’m so glad I did, because the warm potato salad was delicious because it came with lots of bacon bits studded through it.

The Kalua Pork ($20) was described as… uh… Kalua Pork on the menu, with no other description. I wouldn’t have ordered it if I hadn’t been told that it’s actually slow-roasted pork belly. I repeat: THIS IS SLOW-ROASTED PORK BELLY PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And thus, this was our star dish of the meal. It doesn’t look very attractive in the photo, but believe me, this is one of the best pork dishes I’ve ever had. The pork was so juicy and tender and silky it was absolutely sublime. I normally don’t like the fatty bits, but I ate up the thin slivers of fat inbetween the layers and felt it added to the silkiness of the texture of the dish. I didn’t even bother with the accompanying sauces – the pork was perfection eaten on it’s own.

I flipped to their little menu board that describes their dishes, and saw this “the pork belly is marinated in ti leaves for 48 hours and slow-cooked to perfection – fork-tender and moist.” Now it all makes sense.

A total must order! I would go back for this dish alone.

So there’s this outside patio area that’s totally enclosed by railings so it’s safe for young children to run about in. And since no one was dining there, and since we have a kid that cannot sit still in his high chair after eating *stares at Carter*, we chucked him out there!

He was kept pretty entertained and we could eat whilst watching him (we were seated next to the glass doors/windows) overlooking the patio).

We opted for the cryptically named (to me!) Kaiserchmarrn ($16). I was keen on it after being told it was “cut up pancakes in a bowl with ice cream“. You can’t go wrong with THAT! And true enough, fluffy warm pancakes studded with raisns arrived at our table, all chopped up and served with a scoop of ice cream. Awesome comfort food. The kids went nuts over this one….

I was already lusting over the Homemade Ice Cream Sandwich ($8) since I’d first eyeballed the menu when we arrived, so of course I ordered it pronto. I realised when it arrived that it was actually quite similar to the Kaiserchmarrn dessert we ordered! Both had vanilla ice cream, and both had sweet carbs with raisins. So silly of me.

I’d recommend ordering either one, but not both at the same time!

Charly T’s are doing a 3-Course Christmas Set Menu (until 31st December), but we went a la carte when we were there. They also have a Festive Bundle (until 1st January) as well as a Chinese New Year Prosperity Bundle (from 1st January to 30th January).

The next kids activity event is being held on 19 January 1-2PM, and is a Chinese New Year Fish Making class! Fab for bringing along their handiwork when you go round visiting relatives 😉

Plus, on the way out, I spotted a sign with this on it: “Facebook LIKErs get 15% off when paying with Mastercard”. It’s a good deal 🙂

Last Bite: Charly T’s is a HUGE hit with their free instructor-led kids activity event each month. It’s an excellent way to keep the kids occupied whilst you enjoy a tasty lunch. The Kalua Pork is a must order!

Highchairs: Yes
Easy access: Yes
Change tables: Yes (in the mall)
Kids’ menu: Yes

Charly T’s
112 Katong Mall $03-15
112 East Coast Road
Singapore 428802)
Phone: 6636 4701
Prices: $$
Hours: Mon – Fri: 11:00 am – 11:00 pm, Sat – Sun: 9:00 am – 11:00 pm

NADAMAN @ SHANGRI-LA HOTEL: Kid-Friendly Restaurants, Orchard Road, Singapore

December 19, 2013 / Food Reviews, Orchard Road, Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore / 0 comment

(photo credit: Shangri-La)

I’ve been to Nadaman at the Shangri-La a couple of times now, but have never managed to take photos and/or review the restaurant. I finally did this time, but only managed a few photos, and ZERO photos of the Kaiseki… whoops. I blame it on being distracted by both kids – either trying to get one to nap or one or both to eat, etc, etc. I regret it, because the presentation of their dishes (especially in our Kaiseki) is beautiful!!

The kids appreciate the place because it’s quiet (we always go for weekday lunch) and the service is top-notch. They are extremely attentive, very patient with children, and give an all-round pleasant experience.

Nadaman started in Osaka, Japan, 180+ years ago. The restaurant here, too, boasts refined Japanese cuisine that will delight any Japanese-food lover.

Obviously, their Kaiseki is top-notch and what I always get. Their Seasonal Kaiseki menu ($60) includes an appetiser, soup, sashimi, grilled dish, simmered dish, rice, pickles, miso soup and dessert.

However, this time, I decided to do something different and get the Bara Chirashi (diced raw seafood on sushi rice, with appetiser, deep-fried bean curd, salad and miso soup). At $50, you get a huge amount of sashimi that’s disproportionate to the amount of rice. What can I say? It’s a sashimi lover’s delight!! You won’t be disappointed nor will you leave hungry.

This is the deep fried beancurd that comes with my Bara Chirashi. It’s silky and delicious, and is a hot favourite with my kid (though they eat just the inside tofu and not the deep fried exterior).

We got the kids a set lunch each, of Grilled cod fish (Gindara Teriyaki) ($35). They can polish off a whole set each by themselves!! I discovered I can dip the sashimi into the piping hot miso soup, and it lightly cooks it, resulting in a gorgeously poached slice of fish… yummmm. And that cod fish? Delectable. Silky. Smooth. The perfect kids food.

Last Bite: Nadaman’s refined and elegant ambiance, coupled with delicious food, is a must for any Japanese cuisine lover. Get their lunch sets or kaiseki!

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

Nadaman
Shangri-La Hotel
22 Orange Grove Road
Phone: 62134571
Prices: $$$$
Hours: Daily: 12:00 – 14:30, 18:30 – 22:30

WILD HONEY: Kid-Friendly Restaurants, Orchard Road, Singapore

December 17, 2013 / Food Reviews, Orchard Road, Scotts Square, Singapore / 0 comment

Just a quick and cheerful post today, on an oldie but a goodie – Wild Honey at Scotts Square.

If you’re a brunching mum, you’ll probably be well acquainted with Wild Honey. It seems to be the place to be for mums with bubs in tow! It’s not hard to see why – with an all-day brunch menu and a casual ambience, it’s very popular at lunchtime among mums and also the working crowd.

Me? I’m a fan of their hearty portion sizes and how kid-friendly the food is!

Wild Honey do a decent iced latte, but what transfixes me is the cool duo-coloured straw (see below)! I know these straws don’t come cheap, so I was pretty impressed they popped them into each of our drinks. A simple touch but I was adamant it made my coffee taste extra nice 😉

It’s the little details that count!

The Boulevard St Michel was Savoury French toast with double baked cheese & spinach soufflé, parmesan crumbed poached egg, slowroasted tomatoes, grilled back bacon & spicy tomato chutney. Whew, what a mouthful!

It was a HIT with Hunter, and he ate half of the dish. In particular, he loved the double baked cheese & spinach souffle, which had a mousse-like texture. I was personally impressed with the parmesan crumbed poached egg, which oozed molten egg yolk when cut open. Nice!!

The Spanish Hash sounded tasty but salty, as it was Diced Chorizo, house corned beef & potato, two poached eggs & Hollandaise Sauce with grilled ciabatta. Oddly, it was very bland! To the point where it tasted like we were eating…. nothing.

The eggs were perfectly poached (a huge plus), but the tumble of corned beef and potatoes was largely tasteless. It was odd considering I’d expected corned beef to be pretty salty. It was also rather tough and chewy, and largely uninteresting.

Last Bite: Wild Honey’s relaxed ambiance and all-day brunch is their calling card, and we give them thumbs up for their well-sized portions and interesting dishes.

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

Wild Honey
#03-01/02 Scott’s Square
6 Scott’s Road
Singapore 238897
Phone: 6636 1816
Prices: $$$
Hours: Mon – Sun: 9:00 am – 9:00 pm

BWMB RECOMMENDS: GRUB’s limited-edition Christmas menu!

December 11, 2013 / Bishan, Food Reviews, Singapore / 0 comment

What’s that you say?

A fun Cake Pop making session for the kids?

An epic multi-course Christmas set meal, from GRUB’s limited edition Christmas 2013 menu?

A fabulous ‘ol time with the kids running in the park and chilling with coffees and icy cold beers?

Yes. Yes. And yes!

Us mummies and our kids donned our aprons, cracked open a couple of cold beers (only one beer each okay, we don’t promote drinking on the (mummy) job here at Brunch With My Baby!), and rolled up our sleeves for a fun afternoon with the kids at GRUB.

What a blast we had!

The Cake Pop making session captured the kids’ full attention. And ours too. It was actually a very simple process, but I wouldn’t do it at home because it’s just too much prep work and fiddly. Much better to do it in an organized environment like at GRUB!

First we rolled the cake into balls, then chilled them in the fridge.

Then, we stuck a straw into each one and dipped them into liquid white chocolate.

Finally, we decorated them with pretty sprinkles!

SO PRETTY, RIGHT????

It wasn’t much effort, and you don’t need to be a creative genius. Everything just looks pretty with sprinkles, you see. Hunter had loads of fun meticulously dotting his cake pop with silver sprinkle balls. I was delighted, because it kept him occupied for a good 20 mins.

After that, the GRUB crew cleaned up the area (thank goodness for them, and kudos to their patience considering the tables and floor was covered in liquid chocolate and sprinkles!!)…. whilst all of us took the kids out to play in the park right outside. It was perfect, because the kids got a chance to stretch their legs and run up and down and get some fresh air.

After the place was cleaned up, we were ushered back in again (though it was a bit of a challenge herding our active kids back!) for their………. Christmas set meal 🙂 This 3-course set meal is exclusive for December 2013 only, so get yourself down to GRUB asap!

And this is GRUB’s kitchen.. where all the magic happens!

I opted for the Soup of the Day, a Potato, leek and gorgonzola soup. It was my favourite item on the menu, which is a big thing for me as I’m not even a soup person! Hunter polished off the fluffy foccacia bread, and more than half of the soup. With gusto.

The soup was creamy and rich, without being too heavy on the palate. And the gorgonzola was very very subtle but lended a delectable twist to the soup. It was delicious and so comforting. I’m hoping they put this on their regular menu, because it was a total hit with all the kids!

I was suspicious about the Slow-roasted juicy turkey breast with gravy on sweet potato mash and pea tendrils shoots. Turkey is not my thing. To me, it’s like the drier, tougher version of chicken.

I’m not sure what GRUB did with the turkey breast here, but it was soft enough to be cut with a fork, and it was, yes, juicy! Very moist and tender enough that Hunter ate a whole piece himself. It had me astounded, since Hunter is not really a meat eater, let alone a kid that would sit and chew on meat. But he gobbled it up, along with the creamy sweet potato mash and cranberry sauce.

Colour me impressed!

And considering turkey is low-fat and high in nutrients, I’m very pleased that I can order this for my kids whilst it’s available in December.

Everyone gave big thumbs up for their Honey baked ham on mash, apple sauce and french beans. Cast aside your ideas on a ham dish being highly processed and salty. This ham was fat and freshly cooked, and wasn’t salty like what you imagine ham to be. It was very tender too, and was well received by the kids.

I particularly LOVED the french beans it came with, and wanted more! And more of the delicious apple sauce too please! I like lashings of it on my ham 😉

I’m not a Bread and butter pudding lover, so was a bit meh when it came out as a surprise extra dish. I personally am never a fan of bread and butter pudding, because I don’t like the mushiness of it and the raisins in the bread completely freak me out.

Not that it mattered, because Hunter ADORED it and polished it off!! It’s not a small portion either, especially for a 2 year old!!

My favourite dessert was the Banoffee – banana and toffee trifle with freshly whipped vanilla cream. Shhhhh….. I actually scraped most of the cream off (a travesty, I know, since it was freshly whipped!) because I don’t like cream, but I loved loved LOVED the banoffee below!! The delightful salty-and-sweet biscuit base crumbled delightfully on my tongue and was so good I wanted twice the amount. It paired very well with the sweet banana slices also in my glass cup.

GRUB’s new dessert (also on their regular menu now) was also served, the Sticky date cake with burnt caramel, vanilla ice cream and toasted almonds. It’s served very cutely in a coffee cup, and is a combination of hot and cold that really hits the spot. The sticky date is soft and moist, and you really need to eat the sticky date, ice cream, and burnt caramel sauce to appreciate this dessert properly.

The last time we got this (when we were dining at GRUB for dinner), Hunter ate the entire thing. It’s good.

Bellies aching from our meal, the kids and us were sent home with our cake pops! Aren’t they adorable?

The most-heard feedback at the end of the session: PLEASE do more kid-friendly events and lunches! The kids had a fab time and it’s even more fun if you get a couple of friends together for some mess-making and food-eating.

GRUB’s limited edition Christmas 2013 set menu is available from now til 31 December 2013. At $30++ per set meal, it’s a real deal considering the fine-dining quality and presentation you get. It’s also extremely kid-friendly.. all our children ate all the dishes!

Remember to bring your scooters/bicycles/etc so the kids can have some fun at the park too 🙂