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Huskisson Bakery & Cafe, Kid-Friendly Cafes, Huskisson, Shoalhaven, NSW

October 31, 2013 / Huskisson, Shoalhaven / 0 comment

A trip to Huskisson is not complete unless you stop at the affectionately known Husky Bakery for something delicious. The draw card is the extensive pie menu where you actually get large chunks of meat in the pie – however we stopped in for a quick morning tea in between visits to the beach and the nearby park.

Husky Bakery - #kid-friendly #cafes - #Huskisson, #NSW via brunchwithmybaby.com — Husky Bakery Outside, Photo by Katia Barker

On previous visits we got take-out, but today, with nothing much on the agenda we opted for dine in and were surprised at how kid-friendly the Husky Bakery really is! Whilst you can’t really go wrong with a sweets display full of fresh and fun options, the Husky Bakery has really catered towards the younger crowds. There is a long covered eat-in area out the back with several highchairs available for use, but the best bit is the full size playground set – also under cover for the kids to run riot whilst the adults enjoy a coffee or two.

Our food choices were simple but very fresh and the coffee hot and tasty. Ross went savoury, with a Spinach and Fetta Roll ($3.60) but I could not go past the sweets and ordered a Mini Lemon Meringue Tart ($2.80). Cupcakes were right at child eye-level and it worked, Jenson ordered a bright pink Cupcake ($2.80).

Husky Bakery - #kid-friendly #cafes - #Huskisson, #Sydney via brunchwithmybaby.com — Jenson sat sit for just long enough to take this photo with his cupcake $2.80, Photo by Katia Barker

Isla wasn’t in the mood to sit quietly or still for very long, and we’d run out of our emergency supply of food for her so after our last drops of coffee were gone, and Jenson had descended the slide a few more times we made our exit down one of the two handy ramps.

Last Bite: The Huskisson Bakery and Café is a must stop location for anyone visiting Huskisson with kids, even if just passing through town to head further south. They know what kids like and have well-catered towards their needs, especially with the burgeoning camping crowds in summer when there is a freak downpour! Get in early and claim your table near the playground, as this place gets busy!

Highchairs: Yes
Stroller Storage: Yes
Easy Access: Yes
Change Tables: No
Kids Menu: Not dedicated, but what kid would turn back a cupcake (or lamington) it’s Un-Australian!
Huskisson Bakery & Café
11 Currambene Street, Huskisson, NSW 2540
Phone: 02 4441 5015
Price: $
Hours: Monday – Sunday 6:30am – 5:00pm

TANJONG BEACH CLUB: Kid-Friendly Restaurants, Sentosa, Singapore

October 29, 2013 / Food Reviews, Sentosa, Singapore / 0 comment

We’ve visited Tanjong Beach Club a couple of times before, but it’s always worth a re-visit every time we’re in Sentosa. The pool is a hit with the kids, and it’s a lovely way to have a bit of a play before a leisurely dinner afterwards.

It never seems to be crowded during weekdays, but I bet it’s popular on weekends. This suits me just fine, because we almost always have the pool to ourselves, and we’re spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing a seat.

There are two steps in the pool that stretch across it lengthwise, excellent for young kids. And every time I’ve dipped in the pool, the water has been really warm – perhaps because there’s not much sun cover above it, so the water heats up during the day. Point to note: bring sunscreen!

There’s also a long wooden deck area by the side of the pool, where the sofa lounges are. It means I can sit and rest on the sofa and watch the kids play on the deck, or pop in and out of the pool.

The beach is RIGHT THERE but, as expected, Hunter isn’t quite a fan of it.

Carter? Even worse. He just can’t deal with it. Guess my kids aren’t destined to be beach bums..

After the kids are sufficiently tired out, we adjourn for a nice dinner by the pool (though we had to move indoors half-way as it started raining).

Their Fried calamari is always a winner. The calamari has good bite but isn’t tough, and the batter is seasoned perfectly. A must-order.

The Fish & chips (kids portion) is heavy on the chips, and offers two fish nuggets. I would have expected more, or larger fish chunks. Regardless, the kids loved this.

I asked for my Prawn pasta to be “no spice”, but turns out it was still quite spicy. Carter (oddly) had no issues with it and slurped up more than half this (main meal size) portion! Hunter though, wailed like he’d been injured and refused to eat any of this.

Their Burger is delicious, though I would have preferred a larger patty (it was dwarfed by the rest of the burger) and less fries.

Both kids were really well behaved through the meal, with no fuss, and ate well. Actually, they were pretty angelic!

I attribute it to all the running around and swimming that they did for ages, before sitting down for our meal 😉

Last Bite: Tanjong Beach Club has a lovely pool for the kids to enjoy a swim in, before sitting down for a beach-side dinner. An excellent outing for the kids! Make sure you order the Fried Calamari.

Highchairs: Yes
Easy access: Yes
Change tables: ?
Kids’ menu: ?

Tanjong Beach Club
120 Tanjong Beach Walk
Sentosa
Singapore 098942
Phone: 6270 1355
Prices: $$$
Hours: Tue – Fri: 11:00 am – 11:00 pm, Sat – Sun: 10:00 am – 11:00 pm

Pilgrim’s Wholefood, Kid-Friendly Cafes, Huskisson, Shoalhaven, NSW

October 29, 2013 / Huskisson, Shoalhaven / 0 comment

We decided to take a cheeky mid-week Spring break down to the sunny holiday spot of Jervis Bay for a few days and Huskisson is a family favourite of ours. Finding kid-friendly cafes beyond fish and chips was a new experience we were willing to take on and Pilgrim’s Wholefood was an excellent start. Tucked along a retail corridor the interior of Pilgrims encapsulates a beach side cantina feel with a little bit of Sydney hipness.

Being a devoted meatatarian I was impressed by the modern menu, which is made up solely of vegetarian options utilizing local fresh produce. The wait staff helpfully offered up the most popular choices (both burgers!). Ross selected the Bliss Burger, $11 (mixed grain pattie with fried onion, avocado, cheese, tabouleh, sprouts, special sauce & peanut sauce on a wholemeal roll) and I opted for the Millenium Burger $11 (Curry lentil pattie, fried onion, avocado, lettuce, beetroot, cucumber, sprouts, tahini sauce & sweet chilli sauce on a toasted wholemeal roll). Jenson had a Kids Burger, $8 (mixed grain pattie, fried onion, cheese, sprouts & special sauce on a toasted wholemeal roll).

Pilgrim's Wholefoods - #kid-friendly #cafes - #Huskisson, #NSW via brunchwithmybaby.com — The Millenium Burger

We all opted for cold drinks and Jensons’ Kids Banana Smoothie, $4.50, was generous in size and arrived first, which is always smart when kids are dining. The adult Thickshakes, $7, each are served in traditional chilled metal cups and hit the spot on a warm day.

The adult burgers were both delicious and satisfying and didn’t need any accompaniments such as chips, although they were a little messy. Jenson tried his burger but wasn’t really into the non-traditional flavours. It would be more suitable for a child who is either a little more worldly with their eating, or can accept that a burger can be something other than meat, cheese, tomato, lettuce & sauce! Never mind, more for us to snack on!

Pilgrim’s Wholefood is a little bit of everything with typical breakfast fare in the morning (although still all vegetarian), burgers, wraps, pies & salads and coffee during the day with Mexican cuisine at night. This could allow you to return three times a day and have a different culinary experience each time. The café is spacious with long rustic wood tables built for sharing with a few smaller tables dotted around and has a small retail corner for local designer clothes & art for purchase or browse whilst waiting for your food.

Last Bite: Pilgrim’s Wholefood brings the Sydney vibe to the beachside town with unique vegetarian wholefoods, stylish interior and things to look at and poke around for the kids. Takeaway is also an option if the café is buzzing and you need space with a kid-friendly park directly underneath the shop.

Highchairs: Yes
Stroller storage: Yes
Easy access: Yes
Change tables: No
Kids menu: One or two options, might be best to ask for a custom sandwich or wrap if child is a little picky!

Pilgrim’s Wholefood
Shop 5/57 Owen Street, Huskisson, NSW 2540
Phone: 02 4441 6118
Price: $$
Hours: Mon-Sun 9am-3pm, Thur-Sat 6pm-9pm

MUSTELA GIVEAWAY: Any Mustela product of your choice + facial wipes

October 25, 2013 / Giveaways, Singapore / 40 Comments

Hope you’ve been having a fabulous week! If not, it’s Friday night anyway, and you know what that means – HELLLOOOOOOO WEEKEND 😀

This Friday, we have a very famous brand all the way from France: Mustela!

Mustela really needs no introduction. Skincare experts for babies and mums-to-be since 1950, their huge range caters for delicate skin with their natural formulas. Their new Rebirth! launch of the Bébé range focuses on Avocado Perseose which works to preserve your baby’s skin.

Mustela are generously offering THREE winners any Mustela product of your choice + facial wipes!

a Brunch With My Baby giveaway

You can submit some of the entries more than once a day, so come back tomorrow to get more entries in the draw.

Giveaway will run from 24 Oct to 31 Oct 2013 inclusive.
Winner may select and pick up their prize at the Mustela headquarters in Singapore.

My kids and I are heavy users of Mustela products. You’ll often find a bottle (or three) of their stuff lying around in the bathroom or the childrens’ bedroom.

In fact, I ended up ‘representing’ my favourite Mustela product in a couple of magazine ads this month. It was a feature on the Mustela launch that I attended, and had a section where I had the honour of appearing next to a few other mums (some of them are personal friends too, yay!). Click the pic below to see the full-size copy.

Here’s some of the Mustela goodies I tried recently…..

The Mustela facial cleansing cloth wipes (these are the ones included in the giveaway above) are more expensive than generic brands, but if you try one, you’ll see why. They are thicker, more plush, and feel superior. Huge props for the plastic clip-lid – I cannot stand brands that offer a sticker to keep it shut. It’s completely useless since it loses the stickiness so quickly! On the downside, since these are more expensive, I tend to make sure my kids are reaaaallllyyyy messy before whipping one out 😉

I’m a fan of the Mustela baby shampoo. It’s very mild with a subtle scent, and foams up well. The kids haven’t kicked up a fuss with it, so I guess they’re all good with it! It makes their fine baby hair really soft afterwards. No need for conditioner.

For those of you that don’t like too many products in the bathroom, or if you’re travelling, the Mustela 2-in-1 Hair and Body Wash works really well. Just one tube and you’re done from head to toe! Kids are squeaky clean and smelling great, but this formula doesn’t dry out their hair or skin.

Ahhh.. this Mustela Stelatopia Milky Bath Oil is Hunter’s favourite. He will always ask for this at bathtime, every night. The word “oil” sounds a bit freaky (just sounds messy to me!) but it transforms into a soft milky formula in the bath, and doesn’t leave my tub oily and slick. It does make the kids’ skin really soft though.. obviously so. And it has no scent, which is great for sensitive skin.

I’ve been through maybe 4 bottles of this Mustela Body Lotion. It’s one of my staples because it’s easy to use (the pump is a great idea!) and the lotion absorbs quickly and easily with little-to-no scent. It’s really nice for adults to use too, if you feel like a bit of pampering. I often steal some of this to use as a face lotion on myself.

Ahhh… the Mustela PhysiObébé. I don’t think I could’ve survived without this back when Hunter was born in China. I was afraid of using tap water (it’s unsafe to drink) on his face or diaper area.. and this no-rinse cleansing fluid worked SO well as the last step when changing poopy diapers I didn’t like using just wet wipes as I felt they left a (potentially irritating) residue, so I used cotton pads dampened with PhysiObébé and cleaned him up. I used it on Carter too when he was a newborn, and continue using it to this day to clean Carter’s bum after a poo. My favourite product. LOVE it!

Since my kids are half-Aussie, suncare is pretty critical in our swimming routine. The Mustela Special Intolerances SPF50+ Suncream is our favourite so far. The tube is small and portable, it’s a mineral sunscreen with a high SPF, and it protects the kids really well. I steal some for my face 🙂

And this Mustela Musti Eau de Soin is something that’s mine. ALL MINE!!!! Lots of parents have fallen in love with Mustela’s signature fragrance (though they have a line that is fragrance-free if you prefer that), and this spray caters exactly for that. It’s Mustela’s signature fragrance… that I can use 🙂 It’s alcohol-free, very light on the skin, and has a beautiful fragrance that reminds me of sunshine in a field of daisies. This has kickass reviews online, and I can see why. I’ve been using it daily as my fragrance.

Mustela products are available at: Takashimaya, Robinsons, OG, Kiddy Palace, selected Spring Maternity, Mums & Babes, Motherswork, selected Watsons and Guardian.

Thank you Mustela!!

ELLY GIVEAWAY: The Elly clothing item goes to….

October 24, 2013 / Giveaways, Singapore / 0 comment

CONGRATULATIONS to Josephine (js***@msn.com), who is the winner of our Elly Giveaway!

She wins a clothing item from Elly’s newest collection of her choice. I can’t wait to see what she picks.

Josephine, please respond to our email within 48 hours to claim your prize. And congratulations again!

a Brunch With My Baby giveaway

KITH @ QUAYSIDE ISLE: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Sentosa, Singapore

October 24, 2013 / Food Reviews, Sentosa, Singapore / 1 Comment

I’m already a big fan of Kith Cafe at Robertson Quay. However, that one now seems like a dinky little cafe compared to their gigantic new one located at Quayside Isle in Sentosa.

Quayside Isle is an area that’s been newly developed, and boasts top notch restaurants. Kith is one of them. I’ve been on a weekday AND a weekend, and it is the one and only cafe there that is packed to the brim. That speaks for itself.

Kith deserve the crowd, because their location is gorgeous (it overlooks the harbour and yachts), the food is top notch, and the service is impeccable.

We liked the outside play area, that offers plastic animals for kids to climb/push/crawl over, as well as the boardwalk that’s huge and largely empty. It’s FANTASTIC for kids to scooter and bicycle up and down! Excellent way to wear off their energy before sitting down for a meal.

My Iced Latte was lovely. It was strong enough – I abhor iced coffees that are too heavy on the ice and too weak on coffee.

Did I mention that their service is great? They are so patient with kids! Even kinda crazy ones like mine……………

Carter was determined to take every fruit out of their fruit bin (argh), and they patiently took back each piece of fruit and popped it back in.

And I know this sounds silly, but I was so impressed with their kids cutlery! It’s not the standard Ikea stuff, but really good quality plastic ware. The fork and spoon were also the perfect size for toddlers, and I loved the vibrant colours!

And see that little yellow train thing behind the plate? They whipped it out for Carter to play with at the table. A small but nice gesture.

I was really eager for the Pork Belly fried eggs ($20), which sounded so good. I never turn down pork belly when I spot it on a menu – it would be criminal to.

The bread was served in two large pieces, with two fried eggs on top. The scattering of pomegranate was redundant and we quickly picked it all off. I enjoyed the grilled tomatoes which were cooked perfectly.

However… the pork belly did not impress! It was a large slab (thumbs up), but was slightly on the tough side, and quite dry. I’d envisioned a very moist, tender, and succulent pork belly. This was the exact opposite. It wasn’t inedible, but it definitely had a bite to it and didn’t pair well with the rest of the dish.

Things picked up considerably with their impressive Big breakfast ($17). Incredible value for money, this arrived on a tray (!) and boasted a FAT slice of brioche, creamy scrambled eggs, a delicious smoked bratwurst, grilled tomato, beans and spinach.

I was a bit silly and didn’t notice that the baked beans are labelled as “spicy tomato beans” on the menu, and we fed Carter a big mouthful of it. Little did we know there were big flecks of chilli pieces in the beans!!! His eyes watered, his tongue slobbered out, and he wailed miserably!! We felt so bad, seeing his tomato-red face 🙁

The pastas that we ordered at Kith were more expensive than the breakfast items, but were a lot smaller. The portion size is petite, perhaps enough for a young lady but not enough for a big man (or a lady with a hefty appetite, not pointing fingers here..).

The Granchio – spinach pasta, crab meat, tomato, vodka, cream ($24) was a stunner. Tender slippery strands of spinach-infused pasta, coated with a creamy but light sauce and studded with tons of crab meat. The kids loved this! I think Carter ate half the plate…

I particularly liked the Fagotoni – sweet pear filled ravioli, gorgonzola cheese, cream, parmesan cheese ($22) because it was so…. different. The pasta really was sweet from the pear, and the saltiness of the gorgonzola cheese sauce really sparked a tingling contrast. It was flat out DELICIOUS.

Carter decided mid-meal that he’d had enough of sitting in the high chair, and so started fussing and wailing in a rather annoying manner. Thankfully, we were outdoors and so didn’t disturb other diners too much. I think.

He was mildly appeased by a 50c cup of kiddie biscuits.

Until he gobbled them all up in about 5 seconds.

Fortunately, the cafe is designed such that I could keep an eye on him whilst I finished off my meal and coffee. So he just pottered around, amusing himself. His little friend was OK sitting in the high chair the whole time, so at least we didn’t have TWO crazy kids running around!

Last Bite: Kith cafe @ Quayside Isle is the place to go for brunch-with-a-view. Food is excellent, and their coffee and milkshakes are delicious. The boardwalk just outside is a sure hit with kids that like to scooter or bicycle!

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

Kith @ Quayside Isle
Quayside Isle #01-08
Sentosa Cove
31 Ocean Road
Phone: 6734 9007
Prices: $$$
Hours: Daily 8:00 am – 10:00 pm

Brunch With My Baby Singapore collaborates with SassyMama

October 23, 2013 / News, Singapore / 0 comment

We are excited to announce our collaboration with the good folk over at SassyMama!

Brunch With My Baby will be supplying reviews of Kid-Friendly Places To Eat for their Dining section. Thank you SassyMama for thinking of us. We are excited to be a regular contributor to SassyMama, our go-to site for all things parenting in Singapore.

Psssst! Have you already put yourself in the running for our Elly giveaway? It ends in 24 hours!!

EPICURIOUS CAFE: Kid-Friendly Cafes, River Valley, Singapore

October 22, 2013 / Food Reviews, River Valley, Singapore / 0 comment

Boasting Time Out Singapore’s accolade of Best Breakfast in Singapore, Epicurious Cafe has a lot to live up to. Parked at the corner along the Singapore River, it makes for one kickass weekend brunch with the family. The kids can scooter or bike up and down the riverside, whilst you keep an eye on them over a coffee.

The tables are large, wooden, and heavy. And so were the benches we sat on. But that’s all part of the vintage charm of the cafe. Cups and plates are also old school vintage, which I thought was really cute.

We always order the Green Eggs and Ham ($14.60). Apart from sounding cute, the dish is very satisfying. Creamy scrambled egg studded with basil pesto, resting upon thin slices of parma ham. All this, laid upon country bread and scattered with parmesan cheese. Paired with oily but tasty potato chunks, this makes a superb choice for bigger appetites.

We also opted for the age old favourite, Eggs Benedict. It came drenched in Hollandaise sauce, which is a good thing for me because I love the stuff, but may freak out those that aren’t into very heavy and high-calorie breakfasts. I enjoyed the soft English muffins it came on, and the generous portion of smoked salmon.

My only complaint? The eggs were over-poached! This is the reason why I get worried whenever I order Eggs Benedict. I’m always terrified of getting eggs that are over or under done 🙁 These yolks were still soft, fortunately, but were solid and did not have the luscious creamy ooze that I so desire.

Happily, the Choco Nana ($7) was quite the hit. It was pretty as a picture! Perfectly toasted bread, containing melted nutella and bananas. The dish was dusted with icing sugar and topped off with bright red strawberry chunks. What’s not to love?

Their rendition of French Toast will have you (and everyone else at your table) curiously leaning over to take a second look. It’s French Toast…. dipped in corn flakes!! If you like your crispies, like I do, you’ll love it. If you’re a traditionalist, you’re going to think this is way too weird. I did enjoy it, but this is a dish to share, as the 3 fat chunks of bread can get a bit moreish.

The Americano coffee was pleasant but nothing outstanding. I did like their old-style coffee shops cups that they were served in, though!

Remember to come dressed for the outdoors, as the cafe is almost entirely al fresco. It’s a lovely, casual little spot to enjoy the view over the river, and is very popular with families.

My kids loved playing around in the area afterwards!

Oh the simple pleasures of splashing in puddles

Adrenalin junkies

Last Bite: Epicurious Cafe is a lovely spot to chill with your family by the Singapore River. Food is well-portioned and satisfying, and it’s easy to keep an eye on the kids as they run around by the riverside.

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

Epicurious Cafe
#01-02 The Quayside
60 Robertson Quay
Singapore 238252
Phone: 6734 7720
Prices: $$$
Hours: Tue – Fri: 11:30 am – 2:30 pm, 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm, Sat – Sun: 9:00 am – 10:00 pm

MY LITTLE SPANISH PLACE: Kid-Friendly Restaurants, Bukit Timah, Singapore

October 21, 2013 / Bukit Timah, Food Reviews, Singapore / 1 Comment

I must’ve driven past My Little Spanish Place at least a hundred times in the past two years in Singapore, but never noticed it. It’s located right next to Coronation Plaza, along a row of shophouses. I’m glad that I discovered it on the Singapore Restaurant Week list, or we’d have never realised this little gem existed.

It’s cozy and the atmosphere is warm when you walk in. They pride themselves on serving authentic Spanish home-style food, with an extensive menu to choose from.

At centre stage is their Jamon Bar. Legs of ham are flown in from Spain, and represent their gourmet charcuterie. It was both impressive and kind of scary to see!

Their Cafe con Leche/Spanish Latte is basically a standard latte, brewed using Spanish beans. It was very mild and quite milky.

I was delighted with our appetizers. Both were incredibly kid friendly!! Our kids slurped it all up with gusto 🙂

The Meatballs in tomato sauce were very well cooked, with soft meatballs and a rich tomato gravy that wasn’t too salty. Bread was provided for mopping up the extra gravy.

The Chicken soup with angel hair pasta would probably be a bit bland and boring for the grown ups, but our kids loved it. In particular, the chickpeas were really soft and we could mush everything down with a fork and spoon it all into waiting mouths.

Apologies for the horrifically poor picture, which belies the fact that this dish was delicious. This is their Fried fresh chorizo with eggs and toasted country bread and the star is, of course, the chorizo. It was cooked to perfection – little juicy chunks that were charred just-right, and packed a real tasty punch. It was paired very well with our creamy scrambled eggs.

We were also pleased with the Jamon, serrano, menchego, with eggs on toasted country bread. The Spanish ham is sliced to order from their Jamon Bar, and the thin slivers are laid carefully on the bread, then topped with two fried eggs. It’s a lovely combination and the portion size was sufficient.

I personally am not a fan of creme caramel desserts so the Creme catalana didn’t excite me. It’s a lemon and orange infused custard dessert with a crunchy burnt caramel crust, and Chris loved it. Hunter wasn’t impressed. Carter gobbled it all up.

I guess we were 50/50 😉

I felt right at home with the warm service at My Little Spanish Place, and I appreciated how food arrived swiftly and was well executed. It does seem like we were at a Spanish friend’s place, and the kids obviously enjoyed themselves as they had zero fussiness and were on top behaviour throughout.

Last Bite: My Little Spanish Place impresses with its home-style Spanish cuisine and warm ambience. Chorizo and jamon are the stars of their menu, though our kids really rated their appetizers.

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

My Little Spanish Place
619 Bukit Timah Road
Singapore 269720
Phone: 6463 2810
Prices: $$$
Hours: Mon: 6:30 pm – 11:00 pm, Fri: 6:30 pm – 11:00 pm, Sat – Sun: 9:30 am – 3:00 pm, 6:30 pm – 11:00 pm

JAMIE’S ITALIAN: Kid-Friendly Restaurants, Harbourfront, Singapore

October 20, 2013 / Food Reviews, Harbourfront, Singapore / 0 comment

It’s funny, the power a new restaurant can have in Singapore. Actually, more like the power food has in Singapore.

When Jamie’s Italian first opened at Vivocity a few months ago in July 2013, it was MADNESS. I was kinda amazed (mostly freaked out) and the psychotic rush to eat there. The restaurant boasted that they were booked-out for months (!) and the queue outside made me wonder if food was being served for free.

But last week, 3 months after they opened, Chris and I walked straight in at dinner time on a weekday. The restaurant was about 70% full. No queue.

What surprised us were the number of children dining at the restaurant. 2 out of every 3 tables had kids there. Being a “celebrity chef restaurant”, I’d expected it to be relatively unpopular with families, but I was wrong. It’s VERY popular with the kids!

The restaurant obviously knows this, and caters well for the children. The kids menu is presented in a Viewfinder toy.

I’ll repeat myself.

THE KIDS MENU IS PRESENTED IN A VIEWFINDER TOY.

How cute is that?!?! Obviously this interests only older kids (Carter was only interested in trying to eat it), but it is a super cute concept and, to be honest, the kids menu photos looked really really enticing.

We got the Crispy squid ($11.50) which came in such a tiny portion I thought the empty half of the plate was empty because a waiter had accidently tipped half the food out. Unfortunately, that really was the size of the dish. That said, the squid was fried to perfection. The squid was tender and easy to chew (I cannot stand rubbery squid), and the batter was delicious crisp and the seasoning was so tasty. A lovely little snack.

The Crispy stuffed risotto balls ($11.50) were more filling, but I thought something in the crispy exterior made the whole thing taste…. raw. Almost like crispy uncooked rice, or something like that. There was very little flavour in the rice and exterior crust, so it relied solely on the stuffing to bring out the flavour, which wasn’t sufficent. Fortunately, it came with a small saucer of salsa which was a refreshing change of taste.

I’d heard complaints that their pasta portions were tiny, so I was a bit wary when we ordered the Jools’ Favourite Silician Tuna Fusili ($21). This was the larger size, you can opt for a smaller size at a cheaper price. It definitely wasn’t a large serving, but it wasn’t teeny tiny either. Sufficient for an average eater, if you order an appetizer or a dessert as well.

The pasta was well-cooked, and I liked the chunks of tuna tossed through the dish. The breadcrumbs were a nice addition and brought texture to the dish. I enjoyed the tomatoes and garlic in the sauce, which wasn’t overpowering but blended well with the flavour of the tuna.

We were undecided about my Basil Iced Tea. I was alright with it, but Chris said something about the flavours just didn’t agree. That said, it was pretty 🙂

Last Bite: Jamie’s Italian is a must for all Jamie Oliver fans. The ambience is casual, it’s popular with families, and food is small-portioned but does hit the spot.

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

Jamie’s Italian
Vivocity
1 Harbourfront Walk
Singapore 098585
Phone: 6733 5500
Prices: $$$
Hours:
Mon – Thu: 12:00 pm – 10:00 pm, Fri – Sat: 12:00 pm – 11:00 pm, Sun: 12:00 pm – 10:00 pm