cafe Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Adventure, baby!

The Grounds of Alexandria: Kid-Friendly Restaurants, Alexandria, Sydney

June 10, 2013 / Alexandria, Eastern Suburbs, Sydney Food / 0 comment

The Grounds of Alexandria is about as kid-friendly a place to eat as you can get: in addition to its indoor dining, there’s a large outdoor garden area with lots of space for prams and careening toddlers. Oh and there’s a pig. Called Kevin Bacon.

The Grounds, as the locals affectionately call it, is an oasis in the inner city known for its coffee (they’ve got a research and testing facility on site) and sustainable food practices (they grow their own herbs and seasonal produce). It’s more a destination spot than just a restaurant, café and bakery. And did I mention they’ve got a pig? Kevin Bacon.

On a gorgeously sunny winter day, I ventured out with Baby Lukas to meet a friend for lunch at The Grounds.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, Baby Lukas has been known to nuclear react at this time of day, and The Grounds is perfect for this potential situation: the amazing rustic outdoor garden, nestled amongst produce grown for the café, means that screaming, misbehaving and bored children blend into the scenery instead of standing out. There are lots of nooks and crannies to explore, including a gym for kids. Oh, and did I mention the pig Kevin Bacon?

The Grounds of Alexandria: Kid-Friendly restaurants in Alexandria, via brunchwithmybaby.com — Many places for kids to explore

Once you get over the gorgeousness of the place, the takeaway menu (only available to those eating in the garden) presents mouth-watering options. On today’s outing, I chose a Chicken Burger with Chips, and I can’t recommend this unique burger enough. Don’t ask questions, just order it. You won’t be disappointed.

Baby Lukas kindly waited until I had shoved a few bites into my mouth before deciding to nuclear react, which is about when I played my trump card: off to visit Kevin Bacon. The pig. Needless to say, it worked a treat. Lukas was smitten and I was able to shove the rest of my delicious meal in my face. Happy ending indeed.

Now the one thing I would recommend is getting there early. The Grounds attracts the hordes, and even though the outdoor area is large enough to almost always find a place to sit, the queues for ordering food can be daunting.

Last bite: If you’re looking for a kid-friendly eatery and destination that offers more than just food and excellent coffee on the menu, The Grounds is the place to be.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: Yes.
Kids’ menu: No. Lots for kids to eat off the menu, though!

The Grounds of Alexandria
Building 7A, N0.2 Huntley St
Alexandria, NSW 2015
Phone: (02) 9699 2225
Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-4pm, Sat-Sun 7:30am-4pm

Chocolate Attack at Jacques Torres; Kid-friendly Places To Eat, DUMBO, Brooklyn

March 10, 2013 / Brooklyn Bites, DUMBO, New York, New York Food / 2 Comments

Admission: I have a huge chocolate addiction. After a sunny day turned cold, we head to our go-to place for delicious chocolate in DUMBO, Jacques Torres. Here’s what you need to know about Jacques Torres. The hot chocolate is so think it’s like mud. Delicious, but there is a high chance you’ll feel ill after drinking it. Don’t be weak though, order it while the weather is still crisp. The signature cookies are amazing – huge chunks of chocolate and minimal actual cookie. Planning to take home some chocolate for later? Try our favourites, the chocolate-covered almonds. They’re so moreish that they won’t last the subway ride home.

Take home hot chocolate mix or a giant Easter bunny.

Highchairs: No.
Stroller storage: No.
Easy access: No. There are a few steep steps to get in.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.

Jacques Torres
62 Water St,
Brooklyn, NY
Phone: (718) 875 1269
Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-8pm Sun 10am-6pm

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The Grey Dog Chelsea; Kid-friendly Restaurants, Chelsea, Manhattan, New York

February 26, 2013 / Chelsea, Manhattan Munchies / 0 comment

After a failed attempt to visit the new Meatball Shop in Chelsea (it wasn’t open despite the website saying it was, so I’m still not sure what happened there), we were left with a group of four adults and one kidlet for lunch at prime time in Chelsea. Not a positive start to the afternoon. Lucky, our friend suggested a local fave of his, The Grey Dog, and, best of all, they had a table free so we could sit down straight away.

On its website, The Grey Dog calls itself the “best cafe in New York”. This is a HUGE call to make, people. Huge. I have to admit though, that it’s right up there – we had a really great experience at this cafe.

When you enter, the waitstaff will show you your table – but you order and pay at the bar. This is a little disorganised when the cafe’s full – or when, like us, you’re juggling a whingy toddler. On the plus side, it allows for a very fast getaway after your meal.

Delicious lunch. Mozzarella, tomato and basil pesto sandwich, potato, leek and broccoli soup, sweet potato fries.

We just missed the breakfast menu (it ends at 3pm), but were just as happy with the lunch menu offerings. As was the Cheese. She absolutely loved trying everything, from the soup to my sandwich and the table favourite, sweet potato fries.

The cafe does have high chairs, but with the way the tables are arrange, close to the walls and tightly together, I can see it would be hard to actually fit a highchair at your table unless you had an uneven number of people with you.

What we loved – the food was delicious and fast. Everything was super tasty and freshly made. They didn’t mind that we wedged the toddler between us on a window ledge so she could pilfer parts of our meals and bang on the window alternatively (sorry again for that, people sitting next to us …).

We will absolutely be back. I can see The Grey Dog becoming one of our neighbourhood go-tos.

Highchairs:Yes – it’s a tight fit though to squeeze them in next to you at a table.
Stroller storage: Minimal. We folded our umbrella stroller and wedged it in a space next to our table.
Easy access: Yes. There is a ramp near the exit, next to the main entrance.
Change tables: No. There is however a large wooden bench in the restrooms that could be used as a change table.
Kids’ menu: No.
Baby-friendly rating: ♥♥—

The Grey Dog
242 W 16th St,
New York, NY
Phone: (212) 229 2345

Hours:
Mon-Fri 6:30am-11:30pm
Sat-Sun 7am-11:30pm

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Aroma Espresso Bar; Kid-friendly Restaurants, TriBeCa, Manhattan, New York

December 5, 2012 / Manhattan Munchies, TriBeCa / 0 comment

We stopped by Aroma after a trip to nearby 9/11 Memorial, badly in need of a place to replenish strength with some out-of-town visitors. The casual vibe at Aroma is perfect for families, particularly those with young infants. Toddlers, too, are welcome – they can happily run around without bothering other diners. Cheese particularly loved the stands with packets of chips on them at a perfect height for little fingers to grab. Thank you Aroma staff for your tolerance!

Order and pay at the counter, then take a seat at one of several long tables. High chairs are available, or you can park your stroller at the table with you.

Aroma is a huge, modern cafe with lots of tables with plenty of room between them, and large, comfy chairs. Add in free wi-fi, fast service and delicious sandwiches, and you’ve got a solid, reliable place to stop and take a breath in the busy city.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes. This is a huge space, plenty of room for your SUV-sized stroller.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.
Kid-friendly rating: ♥♥♥♥-

Aroma Espresso Bar
100 Church Street,
New York, NY 10007
Phone: (212) 346 0095

Hours:
Daily 7am-11pm