Food Tour 34: Family Edition

I am a mother, so now I actually pick food places which have kid's meal or a decent indoor playground. And...I shortlist these places to visit. I would have never imagined becoming like this. But between you and me, kid's meal are usually super value for money hehe. Here's some of good deals I found!

1. Tamago-En

This place is so chain-like, I actually walked past it so many times without even giving it a thought. The husband found out about the kid's meal and we thought "alright, let's just give it a try". Surprise-surprise, I actually love what they offered. And their kids meal was so cute. It is $9.90, but it wasn't the most awesome tasting. 

I had the pork Katsu Sando ($14.50) and  the Original Tamago Shake ($5.90). What you see on the menu is really what you get. The food is really up my alley and the shake blew me away. The husband had the Tamgao-En Oyako Don ($13.90) which was ok, but not my thing. I like that the price was reasonable too!

2. Baker and Cook (Dempsey)

This place is also found by the husband and I really love the outdoor playground. My kid likes it too. There was an outdoor and indoor dining area. At first, we sat at the outdoor areas and our food almost got attacked by the birds (cos we went at a really odd timing so it was just us. Nobody was looking after the food). Eventually, we chose the indoor dining area. I particularly love the pizza. The price is not the cheapest but I really enjoy the whole experience. Will probably meet some friends there too in the future. 

3. Marche @ Vivo

Most parents should know about this place. The kid's meal ($17.50) is a whooping adult-sized. In fact, my kid and I had to share because it came with a main, desserts and a drink. It was quite impossible for my toddler to finish. Most of the time, he was having a lot of fun sliding. Only con - this place is always crowded. Such a bummer, cos I love Marche's Rosti and their other food. Can make us an ambassador please? Haha. Would absolutely welcome preferential treatment :P

Kids-Friendly Cafe in the East

I decided to pen up this post because I realise as a parent a lot of my meals have been taken rather hurriedly. I feel like I can I finally understand why some working mothers relish going back to work. I used to hate eating alone (because somehow I feel it seems loserish), but not anymore. I actually enjoy the silence and that I can finally think and not be disturbed. 

We have been exploring the East quite a bit lately and these are my friends' (who live in the East) recommendations. Oddly, they ain't parents themselves but their recommendations are pretty dope!

1. Little Rogue Coffee

This wasn't initially our first choice but my father missed the turn to ECP and he was getting incredibly frustrated at my brother's navigation so we came here instead. It is a very typical cafe (pet friendly too) which serves really good coffee and food. It was quite packed when we were there and we came slighty after lunch hour. It is quite a noisy place too if you want a nice conversation. 

What we really love was the small play area for the kids. The little one would just grab a bite and then past his time playing in the pretend play area and the rest of the adults could have a breather. We got for him a chicken noodle soup ($12) and a plate of fries ($14.40). Realistically, he didn't finish all his food (obviously I overordered), so usually for us, the adults would finish his leftovers. 

Sorry, I didn't really take a photo of the menu so I can't remember the price, but we did try a good variety there.

• Flat White: My father and brother said the coffee was really good. 
• If you are expecting too, you can go for Karma drinks (doesn't contain caffeine) and Spicy Beef Linguine ($30)
• Soft Scrambled Eggs & Ikura ($19.50) and Seafood Linguine ($30) were chef's recommendations. The linguine are well executed with good texture and the ikura made the typical breakfast set more unique and atas LOL!

It is isn't exactly the cheapest cafe in town, but the ingredients used were pretty exquisite which explained the price. 

2. Commune (East Coast Park)

This was the place we wanted to go and wow, the husband and I just fell in love with the chill, relaxing vibe at our first step. The high ceiling even made the husband go "let's get a one-story landed property" haha. In fact, we short-listed this place for the kiddo's next birthday party. Similarly, it also had a small play area with a see saw, toys and books for the kids, complete with a children's changing room. 

Tips for parents, sit close to that area and your kid just run back and forth. The cafe truly gave me the "child-friendly" vibe because the waitresses would help to eye on the kids while you make your orders and grab a bite. I was so relaxed I ended up spending more more LOL. My kid was also pretty comfy, he offered the waitresses food and in the end grab a sticker pack home. He even held it tightly in his hands when he knocked out on his stroller. 

And yes we ordered a lot of food:

• For the baby we offered him: Petit Pancake ($10) - it was not our thing . The kid rejected it and we could barely finish it ourselves. Mozzarella Cheese Sticks ($10) - He ate like at least 4 himself. 
• For the expecting, you can go for the Beef Ragu Pappardelle ($19) - super love the pasta by the way, Smoked Barramundi Sourdough Sandwich ($19) - the Husband and I agreed this was the best sandwich we ever had in our lives and the Lychee and Mint Ice Tea ($7.50) - unsweetened and caffeine-free
• Flat white - go for the bigger cup cos it is more value for money at an additional $1
• Desserts - Hazelnut single scoop ice cream ($4.50) and Earlgrey Lavender Tea Cake ($8) - Totally not our thing too, shouldn't have ordered although I see lots of people grabbing one.

Huge damage to the wallet, but it was all so worth it :P