Our First Halloween Meal with Parkroyal@Kitchener Road

Friends who know me will know that I am crazy about Halloween. The last 2 years (no thanks Covid) was really tough. But this year, we decided we are going to celebrate it! We were contemplating whether to dress up for our Halloween Dinner but decided that maybe only the little one will dress for it because my huge tummy made it hard to find an approriate themed costumes for the family. 

Our Halloween Meal - a buffet was at Spice Brasserie at Parkroyal@Kitchener Road. It is not our first time there, but it has been a long time since we last went there. (You can read some of our reviews here.) It is a place that holds quite a bit of memories because I have been there, before marriage and now as a mother. The good thing about it being familiar is that I know all the yums there and can go straight for it!

My favourites have always been the chilli crab (with the mantous), desserts and Indian stations and local delights. Spice Brasserie is a place that knows what it is good in and excels continuously in those areas. It has been more than 2 years and the standards has not fallen. 

We went for the Halloween Special's which included the 12-hour-cooked Whole Lamb Leg with Fresh Herbs,  Baby Pork Ribs in a smoky BBQ sauce, a roasted pumpkin stuffed with cinnamon and spices, and a creamy chicken pot pie. Personally, I felt the dishes were very well-executed. My son was very thrilled with the spooky Red Velvet Cup Cake topped with blueberry compote and devoured it all up. 

The other food/ deco generally have a touch of Halloween here and there. My son was also very much in love with his favourite ice creams. If you have toddlers, you can let them have a plate of fruits, sushi, man tous (not the healthiest, but it is so good, they should have a taste) and fried rice. 

My husband insisted I tell you readers that the oyster omelette is super delish when it is served piping hot. A new yummy find this time round was the char-siew and satays. I would have ate up all the satays just that, it would fill me up too much and I didn't want to deprive others of their rightful share. Haha. I also had fun making my own muah-chee.

Spice Brasserie’s Halloween Specials is at SGD 75nett per adult and SGD 37.50nett per child, which I thought was priced pretty reasonably because just a few crabs and you will pretty much break even. Haha! There was a photobooth that day and we had so much fun with it. 

Quite honestly, I didn't expect to stay that long around the photo booth and props area. But our murderous axe-welding bear refused to leave the vicinity. He was just so in the mood and was growling at other diners when they approached the props table. I suppose they might think he is part of the Halloween deco. LOL!

It was a very fun night for the family. By the time we actually reached home, it was way past his bedtime. The next day, we could still hear him telling his grandfather about the eye cupcake he had. :) 

Halloween Themed Full Month Party

Covid has been quite a downer on everything. Initially, we thought of shelving the month-old party and throw a 100-days party instead. But the hubs side being uber traditional (said it sounded like the mourning for a funeral), we trudged ahead with the one month party. Being just out of confinement and still breastfeeding, I am drained as hell. But I thought no matter what, I shouldn't shortchange my boy. 

His one month didn't fall exactly on Halloween. As it was very, very close to Halloween, I thought why not make it a Halloween themed! At least, we can all have a bit of fun even if it is for the family and the 5 guests (which is still family members) LOL!

1. Red Eggs + Ang Ku Kueh + Cakes

This was the first thing that had to be settled. Because quite a bit of our colleagues were still working from home, we needed a place that could give vouchers. In the end, we decided on Bengawan Solo because they had many outlets which made collection easy. Also, they were very reputable and did not have bad press of mouldy cakes (shall not name who here). Although, comparitively, I think their price was a little on the high side, the packaging and taste made up for it. What you pay is what you get. 

2. Food

The next thing we had to settle was food. We did think of engaging a caterer but the Hubs and I agreed that the quality of food may be sub-par and for the same value, we could get food that we really wanted to buy. Most of the items are homecooked except for the sushi platter (Umi Sushi), curry chicken loaves (Golden Pillow 933) and Johnson Duck. To make the food match the theme, we used cupcake toppers ($6.90) from Give Fun. I have to say it looks pretty good for a home affair. 

3. Dressing to the theme

Sigh, this was supposed to be the easiest, but it turned out to be impossible. What I never did anticipate was his growth spurt and he could no longer could fit into his Thor hat from Sunflower Bee. In the end, I had to find some new gear to suit him out. He is still holding his little hammer. Haha. I think he still looked kinda of dapper, just a little more mismatched fashion. But oh well, kids always look good in tacky colours/ style. So a good deal of this time, he was sitting in his Babybjorn rocker while the guests snapped shots of him. Haha. 

4. Decorations 

This may seems like a frill but it makes or breaks the whole party. As silly as it may sound, the party "became alive" because of the balloons. My little boy is too young to appreciate the balloons. But the adults were obsessed with them. Not only did the balloons liven up the whole atmosphere, they also looked good as backdrop. Psst...as part of the party agenda, baby had his hair cut ceremony. And...the ballons were framing the shots taken cos the BIL was bringing them wherever someone was taking a photo. Hehe.

After the whole event, the baby did have some slight staring session with the balloons. He is curious but still not at the age he would want to prod them. You can get them all around a $100++ bucks (with helium gas). We also got some $1 halloween headbands which you will see more in our hair cut ceremony.  For the amount of joy it brought to the guests, even if you are on a cost-saving spree, you shouldn't cut this out. [Update] The balloons lasted a good 3 days with Boo! still going strong.  

5. [Optional] Cake 

If you know me, I am a super extra person. This was one of our highlights of the day. This is baby's first cake. We even had a cake cutting ceremony for him but the little one was not very impressed cos he was probably drained by then. He gave a very annoyed look with furrowed brows and all in the photo which I find it very cute. Not sharing our family picture because I was having a fever already and looking very pale/ horrid. Also, I have changed out into my sleepwear to be more comfortable. 

I am not sure about you guys but my friends were really impressed with the whole mini party when I shared with them the photos. I am only sharing a few selected ones here because we have another whole post on his hair cutting ceremony which is a lot more picture-heavy. Happy Halloween to you guys too! Who says Halloween is not an appropriate theme for a kid's party. Just get the cute stuff and you can wing it like me!