Our kids LOVED it!

The absolute, hands-down best part of Rokeby (and parents with young kids will probably agree wholeheartedly with this) is their kids play area – a little corner with kiddie-sized tables and chairs, and stacks of toys and books! Plus, there’s also nice lounge chairs for parents to sit at, right beside the kids area. It’s perfection. If only more cafes had this sort of set up!

The Vegemite Down Under was a simple but satisfying dish. The thick and soft slices of toast were excellent, and they were slathered with just the right amount of vegemite. There was also a generous tumble of soft scrambled eggs on top, though remember to scoop them off the toast quickly if you prefer your toast to be kept un-soggy! I would have loved this dish even more with some cheese on top of the vegemite.

It normally comes with baked beans, but Chris hates the stuff, so we swapped it for fresh avocado. The avocado we got was kinda brown and squashy which was disappointing, but I performed some avocado-surgery on it to remove the gross bits and Hunter gobbled the rest of it up.. as well as half the scrambled eggs and toast.

The French Toast came out very very basic looking. I guess I’m used to seeing thick-cut toast and lots of fancy accompaniments, so the version at Rokeby looked rather drab and unexciting.

However, they cooked it perfectly. It had the perfect amount of egg, wasn’t too soggy or dry, and was lightly crisp on the outside but moist on the inside. Oddly, it wasn’t served with maple syrup and I had to request for that.

The Chocolate muffin looked fat and delicious in the desserts display case, so I ordered it, but it was pretty normal. It was more crumbly than moist, but at least they warmed it up so the melty chocolate drops studded on the top were nice.

Rokeby boast an excellent section of Aussie coffee, teas, wines and beers. We had a Latte each and thought it was excellent. Creamy, rich and flavourful, and not too acidic. It really hit the spot.

I personally thought Rokeby could ‘dress up’ the food a little more to give it a bit more of a ‘high quality’ kick, and think of the little things like ensuring there’s butter/maple syrup served with French toast, and serving water without being asked to (I had to ask twice as it was forgotten the first time). But, they are really new so still getting to grips with things.

Still, it was a fantastic place for a family brunch, and the kids really enjoyed having their own space to do something, instead of being cooped up in a high chair. We’ll be back!
 
Last Bite: Rokeby Bistro nails it with a kid-corner filled with toys. Their food is simple but satisfying, and their coffee is well executed.
 
Highchairs: Yes
Easy access: Yes
Change tables: No
Kids’ menu: No

Rokeby Bistro
15-9 Jalan Riang
Singapore 358987
Phone: 9106 0437
Prices: $$
Hours: Tue – Sun: 9:00 am – 10:00 pm
 
This food review was first published at Beverly’s Adventures!
 

With a name like Chillax Massage Cafe, I’m thinking it’s something a bit dodgy 😉 But I’d read about it online and was keen to try it out, especially since it’s near our Church and so is convenient for us on a Sunday.

One thing that should be noted is that the entire cafe is el fresco. Read: no air-conditioning. Something to take into consideration if you’re there at mid-day and it’s sweltering hot outside. They do have lots of fans blowing though, so even though the sun was out, I didn’t think it was too bad. Then again, I was in a little sundress. Chris, however, was in jeans and a collared polo short, and said he was hot as all hell.

I do like the casual atmosphere and the outdoors aspect means it’s quite child friendly. It was really empty on a weekend though – we were there for Sunday lunch and there was only one other table besides us.

Service is friendly and polite. The food came out pretty quickly and in decent-to-big portions. I was pretty impressed!

Overall, I thought the food was pretty good. It makes for a nice brunch with friends, and the area is nice for a walkabout afterwards. There’s also a pet store a few shops down that fascinated Hunter to no end, because of all the little dogs leaping around in there (though I always feel sad for animals in pet stores!).

Last Bite: Chillax Massage Cafe has a lovely casual ambience and decent food. It should be noted that there is no air-conditioning, though. Remember to check out the pet store a few shop fronts down!

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

Chillax Massage Cafe
28 Maju Ave
Serangoon Garden Estate
Singapore 556698
Phone: 6244 5529
Prices: $$$
Hours: Mon – Thu: 11:00 am – 12:00 am, Fri – Sat: 11:00 am – 2:00 am, Sun: 11:00 am – 12:00 am

This food review was first published at Beverly’s Adventures!

Arbite has been getting quite a lot of coverage and good reviews, and I can see why. We were in the area over the last weekend and so decided to check it out after a girl friend mentioned it. I’ve been in the area before, but didn’t even know this cafe existed. It’s tucked away on the 2nd floor, with a very small nondescript entrance on ground floor. You really have to know you want to go there, or you’ll miss it!

The cafe is spacious and beautifully sun-lit, with very attentive service and it wasn’t too noisy on a weekend brunch, which we liked. They have little toys and legos for the kids, a very nice touch.

I thought their drinks were VERY reasonably priced. My Strawberry milkshake came in a large glass and was fantastic!! Not too sweet, not too tart, lovely and cold. Chris’ latte was in a sizable tall glass too, and was rich and flavourful. So happy 🙂

I think the Arbite Breakfast – scrambled eggs, bacon, baked beans, grilled tomato, veal bratwurst, sauteed mushrooms, pommes noisettes is one of their best value-for-money items on the menu… which could be why basically every table ordered it. It was packed with a variety of food, and ALL of the food on the plate was good. It actually surprised me, because I normally am a bit dubious about these ‘big breakfast’ type plates… often they come out somewhat lacking and I’m almost never impressed.

Arbite’s version, however, was very good. The eggs were softly scrambled (Hunter loved them), I liked the baked beans in BBQ sauce, the bacon was super-crispy, the bread was fluffy and warm, the pommes noisettes were crisp and tasty, the mushrooms were juicy, the grilled tomato was perfectly cooked, and ohhhhhhhhh that sausage was awesome!! So so so juicy and tasty without being overly salty. This dish is their signature dish and a must-order for brunch.

In comparison, the Gardener French Toast – stuffed ciabatta french toast with a dark chocolate and almond ganache served with candied bacon, maple syrup and fresh berries looked like really POOR VALUE. It was more expensive than the Arbite Breakfast (above), yet was way way way smaller! It featured 2 small pieces of French toast and that was about it.

It was, however, really good. I suppose French toast injected with ganache can’t really go wrong 😉 It was fluffy yet rich, and very very yummy. The candied bacon was very random IMHO so it was left untouched. Frankly, they need to cut the price of this by 50%, or double (or triple) the amount of French toast on the plate to justify.

I’d definitely go back to Arbite again for brunch if I’m in the area. Their pancakes looked amazing when I saw it on another table. The Lunch/Dinner menu also looked really enticing! It’s a shame they don’t have a branch in the City….
Last Bite: Arbite serves up a delectable brunch in a lovely cafe that’s kid-friendly. Shame about the narrow steps you have to go up to get there. 

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

Arbite
66A Serangoon Garden Way
Singapore 555962
Phone: 6287 0430
Prices: $$$
Hours: Tue-Fri: 11:30am-11pm, Sat: 11am-11pm, Sun: 9am-9pm
This food review was first published at Beverly’s Adventures!