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COMMON MAN COFFEE ROASTERS: Kid-Friendly Cafes, River Valley, Singapore

September 24, 2013 / Food Reviews, River Valley, Singapore / 0 comment

An impressive organic eggs benedict with braised ox cheeks and chive hollandaise, on sourdough toast.

Born from a partnership between 40 Hands cafe, Australia’s Five Senses Coffee and the Spa Spirit Group, Common Man Coffee Roasters recently opened their doors and, if you surf a lot of food blogs, you’d have noticed them popping up left right and center.

But first. The cafe itself.

If you bring a kid in a stroller, like I did, you’ll be utterly stumped when you arrive. The cafe doors are at the top of a flight of stairs, with no other way in. I stood there, in the drizzling rain, cursing under my breath at child-unfriendly locations… when a waiter spotted me and immediately dashed down the stairs with a big smile on his face. He quickly helped us up the stairs and helped me put away the stroller, fussing over us and giving us lots of attention. I was pretty surprised and impressed.

Stairs, stairs and more stairs. Enough to make a grown woman (with a stroller) want to cry..

The coffee/bar area looks like Broadway! I was rather dazzled by all the lights. The cafe is spacious, the ambience relaxed and inviting.

My girl friend and I really disliked their chairs, however. They are 3-legged stairs and perhaps we are klutzy or something, but we found it hard to… errrmmmm… keep our bums on the chairs! Especially me, as I had to keep leaning over to feed and talk to Hunter. I kept tipping over the chair and nearly fell onto the ground in an unglam heap. Numerous times.

And what of their coffee, their pride and joy?

I am no coffee connoisseur, but I thoroughly enjoyed my latte and wished it came in a much larger cup (though their glass cups are so pretty). It was robust but not overbearing, very smooth and had a lovely flavour.

And, I thought my coffee art was sooo impressive!

My Organic eggs benedict with braised ox cheeks and chive hollandaise, on sourdough toast was WOW. Simply, WOW. It blew my mind and has me determined to come back here to order it again.

To put it simply – Hunter, my reluctant eater that almost never eats meat, wolfed down a good chunk of this dish. I was amazed!

The sourdough toast was spongey and gave great but subtle flavour, and the eggs were so perfectly poached. They oozed creamy and rich, and the yolk was so brilliantly coloured.

But it was the braised ox cheeks that got me. It was all melty and tender and so full of robust flavour that I was surprised by how well it paired with ‘regular’ eggs benedict. What an unusual combination, but Common Man did it perfectly.

This dish was perfection IMHO and I am not interested in trying any other dish at this cafe, because I’d always get this one.

Organic eggs benedict with braised ox cheeks and chive hollandaise, on sourdough toast ($24)

Here’s where things got kinda….. WEIRD…..

I ordered half an avocado for Hunter, because I figured he could eat that if he rejected my dish above. For $5, I was expecting a SPECTACULAR avocado.

Instead, what I got was a quarter (not half, as the menu promised) of an avocado, with chilli flakes all over it!!!!!! This wasn’t mentioned on the menu, was an utterly odd pairing, and of course Hunter can’t eat chilli flakes. So I had to very carefully dissect it and clean of all the chilli. Not to mention, the avocado was not ripe enough and was kind of crunchy/hard, not the beautifully creamy rich avocado that I was expecting. Still rather horrified I was charged $5 for this.

Quarter of an avocado (though advertised as half), for $5

My girl friend ordered the Common Man full veggie breakfast with organic eggs, halloumi, spinach, grilled tomatoes, chestnut mushrooms, avocado, lemon and chilli, sourdough toast and we wondered why the halloumi cheese looked so… odd. Nor did it taste anything remotely like halloumi. Also, why does a vegetarian breakfast have sausage and bacon????

I was really confused, but my girl friend ate it anyway. It was a very decent portion so I think it’s pretty good value for money, but personally I never order big breakfasts because they bore me.

Anyway, now that I’m looking it up online, I realise they got her order wrong and presented her with the regular Big Breakfast instead (hence all the meat), and not the vegetarian one!! And the halloumi cheese was actually a hash brown.

Big Breakfast (served incorrectly as we’d ordered the Vegetarian version)

Things significantly picked up with the Chocolate and peppermint slice, which I ordered on a whim. I don’t even like peppermint, but I LOVED LOVED LOVED this. The chocolate base was almost like the base of a cheesecake in terms of texture – it was sublime. The peppermint on top was luscious and creamy, not too overpowering, and worked really well with the chocolate.

I hope this is a menu staple because I’m intent on getting it again!

The prices at Common Man Coffee Roasters sure ain’t cheap, but I do find it justified given the nice ambience and awesome food (by this, I specifically refer to my Eggs benedict and Chocolate and peppermint slice). I’m also a big fan of the coffee.

I’ll be back for sure!

Last Bite: A killer eggs benedict that is not-to-be-missed. Lovely trendy ambience and a great place to hang out for a coffee. It is not built entirely baby-friendly, but the helpful staff more than make up for it.

Highchairs: Yes
Easy access: No. Stairs to get up to the main cafe.
Change tables: No
Kids’ menu: No

Common Man Coffee Roasters
22 Martin Road #01-00
Singapore 239058
Phone: 6836 4695
Prices: $$$$
Hours: Mon-Sun: 8am – 7pm

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

D’GOOD CAFE: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Holland Village, Singapore

September 23, 2013 / Food Reviews, Holland Village, Singapore / 0 comment

d’Good Cafe has been around for over a year now.. but I’d only recently checked it out for the first time. And now I wish I’d discovered it a whole lot earlier!

Nestled upstairs in the Holland Village area, you have to take the stairs up (super baby-unfriendly) but there is a ‘secret’ lift accessible via the laser clinic next door. So fortunately I managed to get Carter and his stroller up with no fuss.

It’s an adorable cafe, split into 3 levels:

Aren’t these swings so whimsical and cute?

And upstairs is a little nook, with loads of sunlight streaming in

On the rooftop you have a cute outdoor area. I think I’ll book this for my birthday dinner next month!!

You place your order at the counter inside (no service charge here, whee!) and take your buzzer and find a table. It’s all very fuss free and food and drinks arrive quickly.

The counter. Check out the water dispenser – love complimentary water!

The staff are friendly and service is efficient. I thoroughly enjoyed my Fresh sea prawn aglio olio which came with copious amounts of fried garlic (mmmm) and with lots of prawns. It was pretty perfect a dish, and I would most definitely re-order this again next time. I’m trying to figure out when I can bring Dad here… cos he LOVES this dish and d’Good Cafe’s version is outstanding!

We tried their famous Maple sea-salt cheesecake and it didn’t disappoint. It’s their signature dish baked by the cafe’s owner each morning, and is usually sold out by noon (!). The cheesecake was fluffy soft and moist, with a mild flavour. What stood out was the tracings of maple syrup, offset with the sharp saltiness of the sea salt. It was pretty delicious 🙂

My Iced latte was lovely and no complaints there, though next time I’ll go for a hot latte as I hear their foam art is gorgeous 🙂 My girl friend rated the Iced chocolate as “really really good”.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to d’Good Cafe, and considering it’s pretty close to where I live, I’m definitely going to be back!

Good grief, Carter’s arm is as wide as mine……..

Such a cute pic of bub and pretty mummy!

I tried to get Carter to pose nicely next to the d’Good Cafe sign.. but he kept waving his arms and legs around like a drunken sailor and refused to cooperate.

Last Bite: Gorgeous little cafe with a delicious menu and cute swings for kids to sit on or play. Look for the lift if you go with a stroller in tow.

Highchairs: Yes
Easy access: Yes (via the lift)
Change tables: No
Kids’ menu: No

D’good Cafe
273 Holland Avenue #02-01/02
Singapore 278992
Phone: 6219 9807
Prices: $$$
Hours: Mon-Thu: 10am-10pm, Fri-Sat: 10am-11pm, Sun: 10am-10pm

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

THE SUSHI BAR: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Far East Plaza, Orchard Road, Singapore

September 23, 2013 / Far East Plaza, Food Reviews, Orchard Road, Singapore / 0 comment

I am a total sucker for hole-in-the-wall type places. Places that are all squirreled away in a corner, and that are relatively unknown. You just feel so smug, thinking you know of something special that others don’t. Ahem. Just sayin’.

So I was rather delighted when a friend brought me to The Sushi Bar, tucked into a random corner of Far East Plaza among manicure and clothing shops. Their prices are reasonable and the food is, simply, flat-out excellent.

But……………….. we weren’t sure if THIS lil guy would taste that good:

Yeah, that’s a lil crab you’re looking at in the photo above! There were a whole bunch of these in a big bowl/tank by their counter. I asked “Are these pets or for eating?” and the guy replied that they will flash-fry them and serve them at 5 crabs for $14.

I was so incredibly intrigued!!

Buuuuut.. in the end, my fear factor won. I was just TOO scared, after seeing them scuttling around, to try to eat them. Plus, they are plain deep fried (ie. not dipped in batter first) so you reallyyyyy see everything. Too scary for easily-freaked me 😉 My lousy girl friends also didn’t want to eat them (was trying to get someone to eat them and tell me what they what they were like)!

But on the topic of fried stuff, their Crispy shrimps were amazeballs. They have a proper Japanese name on the menu, but I’ve forgotten, sorry. Anyway, these are the teeny tiny shrimps that are lightly battered and deep fried, and served with a dollop of Japanese mayonnaise. They are a bargain, IMHO, and a must-order!

The prawns are fresh and crisp, and the batter isn’t too thick. Would have liked double the amount of mayo (I do love my dip) but it’s not a biggie as you can always ask for more.

I sneered at the girls ordering Daikon salad because, honestly, who orders salad when you’re dining out? How miserable!!

Well, I ate my own words when it arrived.

It was YUMMY. I guess also due to the sauce it was covered in 😉 I liked the freshness of the slivers of veggies and it was really refreshing. The crispies were also a nice touch. This seems very much like the Chinese New Year yu sheng dish by the way, but with a different flavour.

The Salmon don was a STUNNER. I could’ve cried. When it arrived, the chef (owner?) told me that he was sorry that he ran out of salmon, and so replaced it with salmon belly instead.

FREAK OUT I LOVE SALMON BELLY!!!!

This was the perfect dish. Luscious slices of salmon belly (and so many of them for the price), all creamy and slippery. There wasn’t a huge amount of rice though, as I do adore my carbs. I’d get this dish again anytime.

Seems like most tables order the Sirloin Steak, which arrives artfully laid out and is sliced delicately thin. The beef is seared on the outside and almost rare in the middle. It’s executed very well and the result is a lovely marbling of tender beef that is so easy to pop into your mouth. An excellent dish to share.

I consider the Salmon Aburi Roll here the best I’ve had in Singapore. There’s just no complaints. The avocado is fresh, the salmon is buttery and beautifully flame-grilled, and the dollop of sauce brings it all together into a creamy concoction with such a terrific flavour I couldn’t stop eating.

But…. ridiculously.. the Soft shell crab Aburi Roll was even better IMHO! It was the same as the above, except with crispy soft shell crab inside. And I guess this is why I like it more – I really liked the contrast of the crispy crab against the creamy salmon. The flavours were also mild enough such that I could taste the sweetness of the crab.

Man, I look like I’m about to WWF wrestle my friend’s poor kid. Or break his arm.

The Sushi Bar is one of my top choices when I’m at Far East Plaza. It’s reasonably priced, it’s got great food, and it’s all served very swiftly. Service is super friendly too.

Be warned though, it’s not very baby friendly (due to the small space) so if you do have kids in tow, make sure you score a table near the outside (like we did!).

Last Bite: Excellent, fresh Japanese food in the heart of Orchard Road. It’s very small, so go early. They provide high chairs but watch out if you go with toddlers, as there isn’t space to run.

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

The Sushi Bar
Far East Plaza #03-89
14 Scotts Road
Singapore 228213
Phone: 9625 0861
Prices: $$
Hours: Mon – Sat: 12:00 pm – 9:30 pm

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

GRUB: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Bishan Park, Singapore

September 23, 2013 / Bishan, Food Reviews, Singapore / 1 Comment

Enjoying outdoor dining at GRUB, located in tranquil Bishan Park

The entire premise of GRUB is: Responsible Ingredients. Inspired Menu. Delicious Food.

Guess just about everyone knows about Cookyn, a cooking party extravaganza first concocted by Mervyn and Amanda.. which grew to a bonafide successful business owned by multiple partners. Well, it’s the same guys that have opened GRUB.

How did it come about? About 2 years ago, Mervyn and Amanda were in the USA. They saw the plethora of family-friendly, responsible cafes that cooked with real ingredients (that you would use in your own kitchen), at a wallet-friendly price. They and their two friends (and co-owners), Dexter and Kelvin, wanted to do the same in Singapore.

And… ta da! GRUB. Over a year in the making and this gem is now ready for business. It’s located in the beautiful and green Bishan Park (hello gorgeous views) and is a stand-alone cafe that they built from the ground up. It’s SO GORGEOUS. Half outdoor and half indoor, it doesn’t feel like Singapore, but more like Australia when we used to eat at little cafes dotted around a park.

50/50 indoor and outdoor dining. I’ll be frank, it’s way prettier sitting outdoors if the weather permits!

A compact kitchen churning out a ton of great dishes. And lookie – there’s Mervyn himself right there!

Did you know that in most cafes in Singapore and other countries, when you order food like mashed potato, it comes in powder form in a packet???? The cafe simply mixes it with water and voila! There’s your mashed potato.

Ewwww.

So happy to learn that at GRUB, they only cook and serve what they would with their own families. That means REAL potatoes, and REAL ingredients. Nothing reconstituted, no preservatives. The headache that the kitchen has is to churn out good food made from FRESH ingredients asap.. but the waiting time is actually not longer than any other cafe.

You can see their menu here.

Anyway! A good ‘ol beer to start off! This one was Monteith’s summer ale from New Zealand. I liked it because it tasted more like fizzy ginger ale than beer 😛 Sooo good icy cold.

Iced honey lime juice ($2.50), Iced latte ($6) with a bizzarely monster-sized pot of syrup

Random insertion of photos of Carter at GRUB

If you’re a mussel kinda person, you’ll be pretty astounded at how tender and plump these ones are. The Tasmanian mussels and chorizo stew with fries and aioli came in a dish swimming in very nice broth (I wish it was served with some baguette to mop up that tasty broth!).

So here is the thing: I have a relatively big-ish appetite. If I had ordered just this dish, it wouldn’t fill me (this is why I rarely order mussels as my main, unless it’s all-you-can-eat). I pointed this out, and was told that these aren’t the (much cheaper) green-lipped mussels, but blue-lipped mussels air-flown from New Zealand which are a lot more expensive. So this is a case of paying for quality over quantity. But just warning you, if you are a big guy or have a big appetite, you’ll need to order an appetizer as well to fill you up!

Tasmanian mussels and chorizo stew with fries and aioli ($19)

The GRUB cheeseburger with 100% freshly minced beef patty, monterey jack cheese is so cheap for a very solid and good burger. Good value for money. The bun is really nice, so picture-perfect it looked fake! Very fluffy and held together well. I really liked the beef patty – it didn’t have weird bits in it (oh my goodness how I hate it when you bite into a burger and there’s something like part of a horse’s hoof in there) and was juicy and with an excellent more-ish beefy flavour. I enjoyed the fresh lettuce too, which was all uniformly green and crisp. I point this out because sometimes other burger joints serve browned or mushy lettuce which freaks me out.

GRUB cheeseburger with 100% freshly minced beef patty, monterey jack cheese ($11)

I giggled at the hilarious-looking Crispy fish burger with crumbed hake fillet and remoulade. Just look at it! Hahahha!! It’s basically fish & chips, playing hide-and-seek inside a burger bun.

The fish was moist and beautifully crumbed, and the creamy sauce was spot-on. What more can I say? This was good and great value too.

Crispy fish burger with crumbed hake fillet and remoulade ($11)

And……….. THIS.

THIS.

Beef & Guinness pie with mash and side salad.

I just…..

I can’t even………………..

I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT IS RIGHT AND WRONG IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE.

I mean, just look at this thing:

The STUNNING Beef & Guinness pie with mash and side salad ($12)

Chris and I were speechless when it arrived. This dish, it did NOT look like a beef & guiness pie! We were expecting a regular-looking pie, or perhaps a pot pie. But this…. this was a large disc of puff pastry that was absolutely sagging under the weight of the big chunks of melty-soft beef, and carrots/potatoes/etc. It was smothered in rich gravy and topped off with gooey mashed potato (made from potatoes in the kitchen, not from a packet!).

It was just insane to see.

It just LOOKED so good!

And I don’t even know how to describe the taste… except just think buttery puff pastry, rich flavourful gravy, and loads and loads of ultra tender braised beef. My goodness. PARTY IN MY MOUTH.

And so their Beef & Guinness Pie is, hands down, A MUST-ORDER DISH. We are most definitely always ordering this baby, and then another main from the menu.

“You get this incredible food, and all I get is a spoon?”

Palate cleanser before dessert, a Monteith’s Radler Bier ($10)

We didn’t have the stomach space to eat our way around their Dessert menu *sadface*. However, we have already tried GRUB’s churros and let’s just say they are splendid. Chris is a churros connoisseur and he really rates these.

But we did order the Belgium waffle with salty caramel, grilled bananas and dark chocolate. Reasonably priced for a nice chunk of fluffy crispy waffle with toppings. It came out… errrrr.. rather messy, though. Like someone in the kitchen had an epileptic fit as they were ‘dressing’ the waffle with the grilled bananas and sauces.

The waffle was deliciously crisp outside yet soft on the inside. It came with a dollop of rich cream, and I LOVED the swirl of fresh salty caramel (ie. not out of a squeeze bottle from the supermarket) – it went so well with the dark chocolate sauce! I actually am not huge on fruit on my desserts but I appreciated that they were grilled bananas and not just plain ‘ol fresh banana slices (sooo boring).

Belgium waffle with salty caramel, grilled bananas and dark chocolate ($8.50)

And so I end this monster review of GRUB. It’s a super duper family-friendly cafe, which gets a major thumbs up from me. I really like the outdoor greenery-all-round vibe of the place, as well as how the ingredients are all fresh and thoughtfully put together (I know very well how Mervyn places so much heart and soul into his craft).

The thing I’m really scratching my head about is how they’ll cope with the crowds. The place is surprisingly small! I can imagine it’s going to be gob-smackingly PACKED on weekends.. since families will love to go there for a casual brunch and let the kids run around in the park. You can add GRUB on Facebook to keep track of events and such, to stay up to date.

GRUB officially throws their doors open on 27 April 2013.

WE’LL BE THERE.

See you there too!

Last Bite: One of the best kid-friendly restaurants in Singapore, offering responsible food for families in the tranquil ambience of Bishan Park.

Highchairs: Yes
Easy access: Yes. Strollers and wheelchairs have a gated side entrance.
Change tables: No
Kids’ menu: No. The premise of the cafe is that kids can eat off the main menu.

GRUB
Bishan Park
510 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 (enter off Sin Ming Ave, opposite Blk 408)
Singapore 569983
Phone: 64595743 (no reservations)
Prices: $$
Hours: Tue-Fri 5:30pm– 10:30pm, Sat-Sun and PH 9:00am–2:30pm 5:30pm–10:30pm

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

Singapore’s Top Kid-Friendly Restaurants

September 23, 2013 / Articles, Singapore / 3 Comments

You know, cramped joints never used to bug me when I was young, carefree, and single. “How cool!”, I’d think, “It’s so hole-in-the-wall and niche.”

Places like that now completely stump me.

What? No high chair?

What do you mean we have to squeeze together at a too-small table?

So, where’s the area where the kids can run around?

Please oh please, let my waiter be nice and not give me the ol’ stinkeye…

The simple pleasure of dining out gets a tad trickier when you have young children in tow. We’re now pretty picky, particularly because we have a 9-month-old and a 2-year-old.

Places that we love to visit as a family boast the following:

Easy access – I like your cafe. I want to go into your cafe. Why, oh why, must you make it SO DAMN HARD for me to get in?! I’m talking about those evil things called stairs. You know, those sneaky two or three steps lurking at the entrance. WHY? It means I either have to guiltily call a waiter over to give me a hand, or carry the whole stroller up in the most unglam way. While we’re on the topic of strollers, I really appreciate it when I’m given a hand in collapsing the stroller and squirreled away somewhere safe, or, even better, able to have the stroller by my table (never know when the stars align and a kid knocks out for a nap!) if the cafe has the next feature…

Lots of space – ever poked your head into a small cupboard and screamed at the top of your lungs? Similar effect to sticking kids into a confined space. Even worse if there are diners close-by that proceed to turn and give you the you-are-a-crap-mum-and-can’t-control-your-kid STARE. Tops if the eatery has lots of ambient noise/music to… errr… drown out random kiddy noise.

Kid-friendly staff and amenities – oh the relief when you have patient, friendly staff that make the effort to say hi to your kid, instead of giving you the stinkeye. Much appreciated if they proceed to place kids cutlery and a cup of water on the table. Bonus points if they include some paper and crayons! I guess I should also mention here that it makes me want to hyperventilate when I’m told “Oh, we only have one high chair here, which is in use.” You might as well just be done with it and tell me “You’re fine with chasing your kid around the place like a lunatic, while ignoring your meal, right?”

You see, we eat out every single day for lunch. In fact, we’ve dined-out well over 800 times in the past two years for either lunch or dinner, since we relocated to Singapore. What are my fave family eateries? There are the obvious and well-known ones such as:

Food for Thought at Botanic Gardens
Privé at Keppel Island
Rochester Park Cafe
Riders Cafe
The Pantry at Loewen Gardens

But there are also some lesser-known family-friendly cafes that I love:

GRUB at Bishan Park (510 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1) – this family and dog-friendly cafe boasts killer food (it’s helmed by Mervyn Phan of Cookyn Inc), but go early or expect to be wait-listed. That actually isn’t such a bad thing, because it gives you some time to chuck your little ones into the park and let them stretch their legs. They buzz you on your mobile phone when your table is ready and you get to fill all your bellies with fabulous grub at reasonable prices. Their burgers are stunning, ranging from an impressive Fish burger (you’ll know what I mean when you see it!) to a succulent, insanely tender Pork steak burger. If you’re the healthy type, their Pan-seared salmon with risotto and chimichurri is a winner. Their Churros are also hits; the kids will love dipping these fingers of crispy goodness into the creme anglais and dark chocolate sauces!

Get your GRUB on at the tranquil Bishan Park.

Tanjong Beach Club (Sentosa) – if you love your dose of fresh air, water and sunshine, you can’t go wrong with this. Lovely food and great cocktails (with prices to match), but the real draw is the pool which you have full view of if you sit at the outdoor tables. Grab a lounge afterwards (iced water is complimentary!) to relax whilst the kids have a dip, or jump in there yourself to cool off. The ocean is mere steps away if your kids are the sand-and-sea type. Or if you want to take funny pictures of your baby’s expression when their feet touches the sand.

Kith Cafe (7 Rodyk Street, #01-33) – outstanding for coffee, if you’re that sort of person that can’t function until they’ve had a shot or three of caffeine in them (I won’t judge). This tiny cafe is mostly el fresco, so come dressed appropriately. Sit by the Singapore River and imagine you’re in some far-flung place instead, with crystal clear waters lapping nearby and the air is crisp and cool. In the meantime, the kids can rummage through the box of toys and books, and play on the toy animals in the mini garden. Very kid-friendly brunch food and a Strawberry yogurt milkshake that is very popular.

Nook DIY House of Pancakes (21 Lorong Kilat, #01-03) – make your kid work for their meal. Nook provides you with a pancake grill, 2 bottles of pancake batter (of your chosen flavours), and 3 toppings. You simply bring your artistic expertise to the table. Squeeze the bottle and make your own pancake! Admire your artwork, or confuse everyone with what it’s actually supposed to be. Go nuts making different shapes and objects, and watch the kids gleefully consume an inhumane amount of DIY pancakes. There are also regular a la carte options but honestly, who would bother with those when you can make your own pancakes?

Delight the kids at Nook DIY House of Pancakes

Spruce at the Old Fire Station (260 Upper Bukit Timah Road) – everyone’s familiar with Spruce at Phoenix Park, but its newer sister at the old (and beautifully restored) fire station is also worth a visit. It boasts high ceilings with excellent natural lighting, cheery and obliging staff, and space for kids to wander around. Better yet, there’s a playroom off the side for kids to amuse themselves in. And on weekends, there is the occasional fair/markets just outside, as well as a fun bouncy castle. If you’re really lucky, you’ll get to see a bunch of wild monkeys jumping around in the trees outside!

Fresh ingredients and lots of space make Spruce great for families

This article was first published on Material World.

NYC Tourists

August 16, 2013 / Family, New York Life, Travel / 0 comment

I typically avoid photographing anything touristy, but we walked home over the Brooklyn Bridge and I couldn’t resist this shot.

Raising a Little Aussie

February 24, 2013 / Australia, Family, Kids / 0 comment

Something I think about frequently is identity, specifically through nationality. The full identity issue is a much larger discussion and blog post than I’m tackling here. My national identity is pretty simple – I’m a Australian – at least fourth generation if not further. No matter how long we live abroad, I will always think of myself as an Australian. My parents are 100% Australian, as was my childhood home and education.

So where does that leave Eloise? Is she American or Australian? Will she feel American because she lives here? If we move back to Australian in a few years, then what will that make her? Technically she’s an Australian born in the US, with dual citizenship. I often wonder what she will feel like as she grows up. As she starts school she will pick up an American accent (nooooo!!!) and identify with her friends more than with us. Whereas Alec and I yearn for things like Cadbury chocolate and Gippsland yoghurt, will she prefer (god forbid) Hersheys and Chobani?.

How do we help Eloise embrace her Australian heritage and nationality so it forms part of her identity? Read her Playing Beatie Bow, serve her Vegemite, make her watch The Man From Snowy River? Will she even care?

The point is we do care, even if she won’t for what will probably be a long time. I hope that by constantly going back home to visit and by surrounding her with global experiences that she will embrace an identity of being more than just an American.

Christmas in Hawaii

January 5, 2013 / Cheese, Family, Hawaii, Kids / 0 comment

We decided to fly to Hawaii for Christmas and meet my family there instead of flying back to Australia. I booked us a three-bedroom suite at a resort in Ko Olina, right on the waterfront.

The flight was brutal – 10 hours straight. Eloise napped just once and then was awake for 12 hours straight.

The resort and beach were so beautiful. Ko Olina was a little piece of paradise. We spent most days walking around the beaches, swimming in the ocean and pools.

Checking out the beach for the first time since she was four months old in Sydney.

We also did the toddler dolphin experience at Dolphin Quest. It was wonderful to meet dolphins with Eloise. It totally blew her mind. She was fascinated by them, and has been saying “dolph!” and pointing to pictures of them since.

One thing I really wanted to do was the Disney character breakfast at Aulani. It was so much fun! A decent buffet breakfast with a great omelet station, Minnie Mouse and Goofy wandering around to the tables for meet and greets and photo ops. Every so often, “Auntie” would strike up music and sing cute Hawaiian-y songs, handing out instruments and leading the kids in a parade around the restaurant. Eloise was in absolute heaven.

Alec and I had a few hours to ourselves one day so went for a drive to Mokule’ia Beach, where Lost was filmed. It was stunning – a pure white sand beach with almost no one in site for miles.

We also went on an easy hike one day with Tim and Michele up to Diamond Head. It had an amazing view of Honolulu.

I also got up super early one morning to see Pearl Harbour with Michele. It was a sobering experience to be there and see the sunken Arizona ship.

Even though I get really sea sick pretty much just by looking at boats, I thought it would be a fun idea to get on a boat and go snorkelling and whale watching. True to form, I felt ill the entire time, but we did see about 10 Humpback whales.

We went for a stroll through Waimea Valley. It was really beautiful – a little too manicured, but some amazing plants.

We also went on the Ranch and Movie tour at Kualoa Ranch, where a lot of movies and TV shows have been filmed. I loved the tour – especially seeing where Jurassic Park was filmed for the famous scene with the log below.

Jurassic Park filming location, Kualoa Ranch.

It was really strange being somewhere other than in Warwick Farm for Christmas morning. It was really lovely, but also really strange! My first Christmas not in Warwick Farm in my life so far. We had breakfast at the neighbouring Marriott resort, followed by present opening and relaxing.

What a wonderful trip! It was so great to see my family all together. Hawaii is paradise – can’t wait to go back again.

Oh Canada!

January 2, 2013 / Travel / 0 comment

We had a quick trip to Canada so we could renew visas after Alec quit his job. It was so cold that it was hard to enjoy the trip. Also, we went to Ottawa – the Canberra of Canada. We did do one cool thing – visited the Museum of Civilisation and the Children’s Museum inside it. It was absolutely amazing – Eloise was loving it.

This was our first trip since our big Australian one the previous December, and Eloise was really great. Slept in the treavel crib pretty well – but still woke a lot more than we would have liked. It was still great though and boosted our confidence to travel again.

Eloise’s 1st Birthday Party

September 2, 2012 / Cheese, Family, Kids, New York Life, USA / 0 comment

For our little girl’s first birthday, we threw a party at Jane’s Carousel, Dumbo. We were blessed with a gorgeous day, with everything coming together beautifully for our little baby’s big day.

Welcome to the party! All stationary via Bekkah Little, Etsy.

Sugar cookies in the shape of ballet slippers from SugarFairies, Etsy. Photos of Eloise taken each month and assembled in a row.

Strawberry lemonade cupcakes from Betty Bakery, Brooklyn. Ballerina toppers from Annie’s General Store. Tutu cake toppers from JeanKnee, Etsy.

Vanilla cake with dulce de leche filling and pink vanilla buttercream, from One Girl Cookies, Brooklyn. Ballet slippers and sign from Crumby Art, Etsy.