Disappointing shokudo

I had been excited to find out there's a 'new' Japanese restaurant in the expanded basement of Raffles City, and specially arranged to meet my ex-classmates for lunch there. Shokudo is like the Japanese version of Marche, with each customer given a card to register the items we bought at individual stalls, then pay the bill at the exit. The seating areas inside are not so distinctly fanciful as Marche's, though different areas still feature different styles of tables & chairs. We just took the nearest comfy-looking one, where Sam's wooden baby chair fitted right in.

Initially, I was quite pleased to find the drinks stall selling Calpis, my fav Japanese yogurt drink. At $2.90 it's not exactly cheap, but Sam loved it too. I then ordered a seaweed udon ($7.50) & a gyoza ($5 for 5 pcs), thinking to repeat my old trick of mixing the minced meat from the gyoza with the noodles for Sam to eat.

Turns out the udon was very chewy. Usually the problem with udon is it gets too squashy when left soaked in the hot soup for too long. Shokudo's version was so firm, even I myself took some time to chew through the noodles. As you can imagine, Sam took even longer for a single bite! The gyoza was seriously not tasty at all........Sam, the meat lover, not only did not ask for 2nd helpings, but after eating only 1.5 pcs of the fried dumpling, rejected the rest of the dish.

Desparate, I laid waste the noodles & bought a plate of fried breaded oysters ($7 for 4 pcs) with a bowl of rice ($1.50). One of the reasons why I like to bring Sam to Japanese restaurants is the softness of the Japanese short grain rice, which makes it easier for Sam to eat. Well, shokudo's rice is not soft at all.......though the rice was distinctly short grain, I felt as though I was eating the usual Chinese restaurant rice.

The oysters? I can't even tell how fresh they are: I've spent too much energy chewing through the thick coating of flour surrounding the shellfish! So 1st time in this blog, I'm furnishing a photo of my unfinished food. It's really quite sinful for me to waste so much, but I've really lost most of my appetite.

I must be really quite unlucky to have ordered 3 separate dishes that I didn't like. Friend JH said her ramen was quite acceptable. And judging from the throngs of customers in the place, I guess there must be better dishes somewhere out there.........

Only after I've paid the bill & stepped out of the restaurant did I see the mini children's play area right at the end of the restaurant, where a small slide & 3 bead puzzles serve to entertain young children. Well, I find Raffles City's baby room just to the left of the restaurant more welcoming, though small - with its 2 nursing rooms & one diaper changing area - but complete with a large basin, hand dryer & napkins to clean my hands after changing Sam's diaper.

Don't think I'll ever go back to shokudo again, not till I've changed my preference of food to chewy ones.............


shokudo
#B1-44E, Raffles City
Tel: 6837-3793

The Cow in Lai Lai

Rather irritated the baby room in the Basement 1 of Jurong Point's new extension has not even started renovation yet, so ended up changing Sam's diaper along the corridors, cos was too lazy to go back to the old wing for a simple change.

Had wanted to find out why the Lai Lai Casual Dining in the new extension is so popular, so went for an early weekday lunch before the lunchtime crowd comes in.

The white Ikea baby chair brought a smile to my face. They've personalised the chair with their red company logo! Sam, too, found the cow in the centre of the red circle attractive, and willingly pointed out the cow for me to photograph!

The signature dishes I was interested in were all spicy. In the end, I decided on a small bowl of taiwanese vermicelli with pork meatballs ($5.90), as I wasn't too hungry after a rather large breakfast. Drinks was a fruit punch ($3.90), though the waitress forgot my specific request of 'no ice'.

The Taiwanese version of rice vermicelli is very different from our local version - thick soup, noddle strands cut short, it's more like drinking the vermicelli than eating it. Lai Lai's version is not bad, small portion, just like in Taiwan, where the dish is more like the snack at tea time, I believe. But if feeding this dish to children, do take note: while the vermicelli is soft & very easy for Sam to chew, the liquid-like texture of the dish caused Sam to drink it like soup, and once he nearly choked. After that I tried hard to drain out most of the soup, not an easy task, given the nature of the dish.

The 5 meatballs with the vermicelli were pretty good, so much so that Sam finished 4 of them easily. Luckily I expected this, and ordered a fried pork cutlet ($6.90) in advance. ;P Though the cutlet was tender & crispy, I still much prefer the Japanese style. *I miss my Tonkichi!*

The waitress had anticipated our need for kids' utensils, and the plastic bowl & spoon turned out to be those commonly used in certain Chinese restaurants. The spoon is an adult size soup spoon though, causing me to give Sam too large mouthfuls several times.

It was a good thing I had the early lunch, cos by 12:30pm, before I even finished my pork cutlet, the queue started! I guess smaller portions are rather popular with the office crowd. Besides, Lai Lai is the only other Chinese restaurant (besides Ding Tai Feng) in that part of the new wing.

Perhaps next time I'll just get hubby to try the set menu, starring their signature spicy noodles. But then, I don't really want Sam to get full on the accompanying bubble tea leh...........

Members of Jurong Point's Shiok! card take note - 10% discount on a la carte items only.


Lai Lai Casual Dining 来来红烧牛肉面
#B1-60/61 Jurong Point (extension, or JP2)
Tel: 6861-1004

Flower Bowl in Bali Thai

IMM is definitely one of the more child-friendly shopping malls in the West. Besides the free outdoor water-play area & sheltered playground, there's plenty of musical cars & gameball machines distributed all over the mall, so parents have something (assuming you're not picky) to entertain their children wherever they shop.

Today, Sam found his dream musical car: Mickey Mouse on a colourful car, his 2 loves in one! We were on the way to Popular, but Sam got distracted by this, and we never made it to the bookstore. I spent 20 whole minutes listening to Sam lament on the wheel that "break" (note the lack of front right wheel), and after he found the spare tyre at the back of the car, tried in vain to fix the problem! Really, spending too much time in the company of children may lower my IQ!!!!!!!

Lunch at Bali Thai today. We haven't eaten here for 4 years, and the food was as good as we remembered. The waitress discreetly obtained our approval before serving the keropok, since it costs us $3. Unlike the time in Siam Kitchen, Sam didn't eat much of the titbit, since it's the bitter version (sorry, not sure what's the true name of the titbit, I've always called it the bitter keropok!). I thought thus Sam would be hungry enough to eat plenty of my fried Thai rice noodles ($9.50) and the stuffed boneless chicken wings ($3.50/pcs, min 2 pcs).

While Sam enjoyed the delicious chicken (slightly minced with a bit of carrots & herbs), he only ate a third of the bowl of the noodles I set aside for him. I guess he found the same fault with the dish as I did: while the fried noodles do taste good, the sweetness of the sauce accumulates as you eat, so halfway through the dish, I was rather sick of the noodles already.

Hubby was luckier with his fried tang hoon ($8.80), which he finished so fast, only an empty plate greeted me when I tried to get an alternative carbohydrate for Sam. I guess he got really hungry after the terribly spicy papaya salad ($9.50) appetiser, which caused me to finish half my drink of calamansi ($3.80) after only a single mouthful! Nope, it's not just me, even hubby could only manage a few bites before surrendering.

While the service was generally good, with the waitress asking us to check the individual items before signing on the final bill (pretty sure it's a subtle way to make sure we won't return & complain about having to pay for the keropok!), the kids' utensils provided upon request still cause me to ponder.

The white Ikea baby chair was quite usual, but the translucent flower-shaped bowl the waiter brought doesn't resemble any child's bowl I've seen. I'm still wondering if that bowl is meant to be eaten from, or is it used to contain peanut shells or chicken bones???!!! And the waiter a bit blur blur, I had to ask a 2nd time before he got me a spoon for Sam, and yes, he provided an adult-sized spoon.......

Still, I can't help but wish I was hungry enough to order some of the desserts. Maybe next time...........


Bali Thai (IMM branch)
2 Jurong East St 21
#01-21 IMM Building
Tel: 6560-5660
Opens 11.30am ~ 10pm

Came across this website while I go searching for something else:

http://www.thebabycafe.org/BCPage/BC_Singapore.htm

and I had a flashback on all my own breastfeeding days. Having totally, finally, weaned off Sam just last month, I thought to share my little list of breastfeeding websites that's helped me survived the past 2.5 yrs.

So now there's an additional panel on the sidebar, and I'm 'inspired' to comment in my future posts about the baby rooms (or nursing rooms, or changing rooms) I come across in my dining trips with Sam. Hopefully this would be of some help to those mothers still needing the nursing facility. And for those with older children, may the info help you gauge if it's worth the effort to travel 3 storeys up and across the entire shopping mall for that simple diaper change (something I myself always end up pondering).

A Ben & Jerry's Ice-cream Treat

Silly hubby wanted to have a X'mas lunch instead of dinner, thinking it'll be less crowded. So I dragged Sam all the way to VivoCity on a rainy day. Sam's hungry tummy couldn't possibly wait till his daddy gets off work at 1pm, so we ended up having Ben & Jerry's ice cream.

I had thought Sam would wanna eat chocolate chip cookies, so I ordered the Double Cookies Euphoria ($12.50). Turns out Sam was more interested in the mini M&Ms toppings!!!!!! I ended up finishing all 5 cookies on my own, and was hence too full to eat lunch till 3 pm!

One thing I like about Ben & Jerry's ice cream is that some of its flavours are full of chunky bits, like the New York Super Fudge Chunk, so Sam could happily chew his way through. But perhaps I shouldn't have gotten both scoops of chocolate flavoured ice cream: my throat got so dry from all the cookies & chocolate I had to drink several cups of the free flow chilled water provided!

I hadn't bothered to ask if there were any baby chairs provided at the outlet. The tables and chairs provided were so cute & colourful Sam easily climbed up one himself, while I was trying to decide on my order. Apparently I've done something right: after Sam got tired of sitting down, he actually asked for my permission to get off the chair, even though there's no safety belt tying him down!

Apparently the place is rather popular with parents giving their children, and themselves, a sweet treat. Even passerbys can't help but stop & take photos with the resident cow at the shop entrance:

Oh, turns out the Ben & Jerry's website has a number of games (free) for children to play, including some craftwork. Sam is still too young for these, but you may find http://www.benjerry.com.sg/mysticmoo an interesting site to visit.


Ben & Jerry's (VivoCity)
1 HarbourFront Walk #02-135/136
Tel: 6736-9917

Creamy Linguini in PastaMania

Mother wanted to try pasta, so I brought her to PastaMania for some reasonably priced Italian food. The Marinara Seafood penne ($10.80) was as good as I remembered. What was new (to me, since it wasn't available 4 yrs ago when I left the country) was the kid's menu.

For $6.90 ~ $7.90, depending on the pasta dish chosen, the kid's set comes with the pasta, 2 pcs garlic bread, and a bottle of juice. I've already ordered a 7" Chicken Ham & Mushroom pizza ($9.20) for Sam, since he usually doesn't take pasta, but I couldn't resist wondering if there's anything special about the kid's menu, so I ordered the $7.90 Alfredo (chicken in cream sauce) linguine to try.

Well, the slightly smaller portion of pasta was served in a pasta bowl surrounded by colourful vegetables. Other than that, there wasn't anything kiddy about the set! The garlic bread was the same serving size as the usual adult set, as was the juice. There wasn't even smaller sized cutlery available! Fortunately the plates were all plastic & Sam's now big enough to tolerate the adult-sized spoon.

Needless to say, I was the one who ate most of the kid's meal. About the only consolation to the meal was that Sam, surprisingly, was willing to eat the cream sauce-based linguine. Wonder if he was too hungry, or does he simply dislike the tomato-based version (this is the 1st time he tried the cream sauce).......

Point to note: the white Ikea baby chairs are hidden goodness-knows-where by the restaurant and could not be seen by the usual customer (ie. me). You have request for it.


PastaMania (West Mall)
1 Bukit Batok Central Link
#01-40 West Mall (on the outside of the building)
Tel: 6793-9315

Beautiful Cane Chair of Jia Xiang Mee Village

Wanted to try this new eating place in the new Jurong Point extension simply because of their beautiful cane baby chair!!! Isn't it a lovely sight compared to the common white Ikea ones???

But of course, there are the disadvantages, ie. no seat belt, making it unsuitable for very young children. Its roomy size makes it comfortable for older kids, since Sam is outgrowing the Ikea version. But this means he spent half the lunch sitting with the rare freedom of hugging his knees up close to his chest! I must find some other method to teach him to sit properly!

Turns out the noodle place features some well known or popular mee from Kuching, Sarawak. The place is decorated the 'old' style, with wooden tables & stools, 'brick' walls and partially open kitchen (the noodle cooking part). There're only 12 items on the menu - I ordered the Jia Xiang noodle ($6), dry, though soup version available.

Though I find the noodles a trifle too expensive, at least the portion was reasonble. Even after giving Sam 3/4 bowl of the noodles, there's still enough to fulfill my hunger. There were plenty of ingredients - lots of green vegies, minced pork, char siew, and in the separate bowl of soup, 2 prawns & 3 wantons.

The noodles were seasoned differently from the typical Singapore style. Me can't tell what they used, except perhaps sesame oil?, but definitely no soya sauce involved, cos the mee retains its yellow colour beautifully. Chili sauce available in a large porcelain bowl on each table, for those who like their noodles spicy. I enjoyed the noodles as it is, though finding it a trifle salty, & easily finished the water chestnut drink ($2).

Important point: the noodles were very springy. While that's a good quality for delicious chinese noodles, it made it a trifle troublesome for me to cut the noodles into bite-size portions for Sam. Definitely not recommended for younger children not used to all the chewing. I myself am hoping Sam did manage to chew through his meal properly.........

Jia Xiang Mee Village did not have any kids' utensils. Upon request, the waitress handed me a white plastic rice bowl, & a pair of adult size metal fork & spoon. Fortunately Sam was in his 'eating' mood - opened his mouth WIDE to accomodate the spoon & all the food on it. Perhaps his willingness to eat has to do with the crispy bits of fried wanton ($5.50 for Small) I had ordered with this exact purpose in mind. ;P

There's no service charge incurred........this means you'll have to grab a seat then make the orders at the cashier, & perhaps carry your drinks back yourself. The hot dishes will be sent to the table though, no worries. The waitresses, noting me carrying Sam, also kindly served us our drink at our table.

All in all, a place to go if you miss the Kuching-styled noodles, and if you've never eaten that (like me), a good alternative to our local Singaporean version.


Jia Xiang Mee Village 家香面村庄
#03-90 Jurong Point
Tel: 6795-6766
Other outlets in Killiney Rd, VivoCity, Marina Sq & Toa Payoh Ctr.

Non-Fried Meal for Kids in Ramen Shop

Got this idea after eating the relatively good gyoza in Menichi the last time, so I tried it out today when I ate there again:

Ordered the Yakiniku Ramen set ($12.90), which came with a half portion of ramen with black pepper beef, a small portion of curry rice, & 2 pcs of gyoza. I requested for the beef to be served separately from the ramen, so that the noodles & its soup remains non-spicy. Also ordered an extra portion of gyoza ($4.90) - 5 pcs - since I know Sam really eats a lot of meat!

Then I placed most of the ramen into the plastic kid's bowl, asked the waitress to help cut the noodles really short, scooped out the meaty fillings of 5 gyozas and mixed those up with the noodles.

Ta-da! Minced pork noodles!

Ok, it doesn't look very appetising, but at least I don't have to worry about Sam finding the char siew too tough, swallowing the bean sprouts whole, or eating too much fried foods. Now, for this lunch, he's getting his proteins & carbohydrates, and if you count the chopped spring onions mixed with the meat in the gyoza, some vegetables as well!

Hee! Talk about a desparate mom!

A Soft Christmas Tree in the name of Charity

A non-food-related but very Singaporean post:

All sorts of X'mas trees in Singapore now, and this one captured my attention today after lunch:


Located in the centre of Suntec City Convention Centre, this tree is set up as a charity drive to collect stuffed toys for the children of the Metta Welfare Association.

So if you have any teddy bears or soft toys to share, do bring them down to the big box next to this wonderful Christmas tree. Charity & X'mas photo-taking, 2-in-1 fun!

Collection till 21 Dec 08.

The Biting Fish Bowl in Hai Tien Lo

Despite his repeated reminders to me that times are bad, hubby wanted a good meal on his rest day, so we ended up with a S$58++ a la carte buffet brunch at the Cantonese restaurant, Hai Tien Lo, in Pan Pacific hotel. Located on level 37, Sam enjoyed the ride on the 'glass' lifts on the outside of the building. But the view today was dismal due to the weepy weather:

The baby chair isn't my fav type - it looks like a mini chair from those old-styled Chinese restaurants, and have absolutely no form of restraints whatsoever to keep the child safely in the seat. Even Sam was disappointed to find no safety belt for him to buckle into. I suppose the high chair would be good for older children who are a trifle too short for the adult chairs, but as expected, we spent the latter half of the meal telling Sam to sit down and keep his hands off the dishes.

On the plus side, the plastic kid's bowl was an entertainment in itself. Never mind the small shiny metallic fork & spoon. Sam spent the 1st 20 min of the meal pretending he was bitten by the 'fish'. Initially I didn't understand what he was doing, and was rather irritated to hear him go "ouch" with no apparent reason when I'm trying to eat my lunch. Then I saw him touch the bowl (at the tail end!) with one finger, quickly retracted it, & mutter 'ouch'! So he was pretending the 'fish' bit his finger!!!!


Sorry no photos of the food, me too busy eating & didn't wanna try taking photos of 10+ dishes served at various points of time. ;P That's a testimony to genuinely good food, a reason for the rather high price of the buffet. Besides the bird's nest egg tarts, shark's fin soup & lobster dumplings (only 1 serving per person for these dishes), the other dishes we tried (including steamed cod fish, fried garoupa, wasabi prawns, 虾饺，烧卖, homemade tofu, black pepper ostrich, stewed pork ribs, seasonal vegetables with lily bulbs, 油鸡，烧肉, drunken prawns) were all delicious.

The white peony tea at $6/pax was no joke, but as hubby says, it's 'real' tea, fragrant & full-bodied, didn't get too bitter or mild after repeated servings over the 1.75 hr meal. The fruits (including strawberries, sweet rock melon & jamu) & desserts (various types of kueh & cakes, a good mango pudding, among others) were at a self-service buffet table, and by the end of the hot dishes I was really stuffing myself full so as not to miss the mango pudding, my fav dessert!

Sam loved the sesame seed walnuts served as appetiser, and polished off several prawns again. I found that the prawns used in the steamed prawn dumpling are usually softer and easier for Sam to eat, compared to the firm ones in the drunken prawn dish. As hubby pointed out, the firm ones are probably fresher, but after Sam spat out those prawns after 5 min of constant chewing, I rather let him eat (& chewed then swallowed) prawn dumplings.

Can't wait for hubby's next urge for good food! ;)

Oh, almost forgot: UOB credit card members get 15% discount off, making the buffet a trifle more friendly on the wallet.........


Hai Tien Lo
Level 37, Pan Pacific Hotel,
7 Raffles Boulevard , Marina Square
Tel: 6826-8240
A La Carte Buffet Brunch: 11.30am to 2.30pm (Weekends & Public Holidays)
Dress code: Smart Casual

A Camel & Cocktail in Shin Kushiya Vivocity

The expected-to-be-short trip to get our new Toyota Wish turns out to be a long, eventful morning involving a possible ants' nest & a 1.5 hr wait for the window film. So I ended up having to lunch with Sam in VivoCity while hubby go settle all the nitty-gritty details.

Sam found the outdoor children's playground while I was still pondering how to occupy the 20 min to lunchtime. So I ended up holding Sam back from the water sprouts - wonderful play area if you're in swimsuits, but a definite no-no for a mother without a towel & sun block!

The swings, see-saw & other play areas are all uniquely designed. More for older kids, I thought, since I saw teenagers play on the see-saw effortlessly. Sam climbed up the little hill only to find the blue slide scathing hot to the touch. In an effort to get him out of the hot noon sun, I brought him to the shaded area in the centre of the playground where multiple horses await by a girl & her cash register. I thought of treating Sam to a ride on the motorised animals.

But I was mistaken. Only after I've paid the $10 deposit did I realise the horses are mechanical, requiring the child on it to push the pedals up & down with his legs to move the animal, mimicking the action of horse riding. Sam was way too young to understand the task required of him, and 3 min after sitting dumbly on his camel (of all the horse available, he chose the only camel!), he asked to get off, then proceeded to push the camel around the compound!

The girl in charge was quite sweet: seeing Sam playing off the camel, she only charged me the 3 min Sam was on the animal. I asked Sam if he wanted a photo with the 'horse', & he specially made this pose! Now only have to teach him to look at the camera at the same time........

Left the playground hot & sweaty, & my eyes were drawn to Shin Kushiya, due to the large banner outside the restaurant advertising its kushiyaki (various foods grilled on sticks). Haven't eaten in a kushiyaki restaurant for years!!!!! So I got Sam seated in the white Ikea baby chair, then realised Sam probably couldn't eat most of the kushiyaki, & I had too full a breakfast to risk ordering 2 different meals for Sam & me.

In the end, I settled for the Ladies Set (S$19.80) - a little of everything - so Sam can eat the udon & I can try the kushiyaki, sashimi & dessert. The futomaki & salad were quite standard, the salmon sashimi thick & fresh, the lemon cheesecake pretty good, the braised eggplant was firm & well-seasoned, and the cucumber/seaweed appetiser was, well, very appetising.

The chicken (I think) kushiyaki were pretty good, soft & tender & not overcooked. I like to eat kushiyaki plain with the sauce it was served in, but I tried out Shin Kushiya's special salts: the yellow curry salt was strong & flavourful, you wouldn't taste the freshness of your food with a smear of this seasoning! The purplish plum salt was a trifle too sour for me, I think it would complement the kushiyaki much better were it be much milder.

I had ordered a Ikura Oroshi ($12.80) - fish roe with white radish & lime served attractively as a cocktail appetiser - for Sam to eat with the udon from my set, which turned out to be such a small portion I added a Mixed Chazuke ($6.80) after he finished all the noodles & fish roe. Not many Japanese restaurants serve ochazuke, which is rice & salmon/seaweed/plum served in hot tea broth. Hubby says it resembles Teochew porridge. ;P

Anyway, I find the mixed chazuke (containing salmon, seaweed & plum) here too 'wet'. I prefer those that allows me to pour out the broth from the teapot myself, so I can control the amount of broth in the bowl. Turns out Sam was fairly full after the udon, and I end up 'ta bao'-ing most of the chazuke home.

Hubby turned up when I was finishing the meal, and ordered a Hotate Kariage Don set ($18.80), which had such a big bowl of rice he barely managed to finish it! I liked his side dish of stewed vegetables, but hubby finds the kakiage don (mixed shredded vegetables fried tempura style) too dry - he prefers those that adds the egg sauce over the don.

After we left the restaurant, we saw its takeaway booth just next door, with delicious looking rice balls & kushiyaki. Something to try the next time we visit!


Shin Kushiya
Vivocity #02-120/122
Tel: 6275-8766

Keropok Galore in Siam Kitchen

Couldn't resist the die-cast models of the Comfort, Yellow Top & CityCab taxis, so today brought Sam to the Toys 'R' Us in Jurong Point to buy the pull-back toy car. He picked the blue Comfort model, and continued to be entranced by the car with front doors that can open & close (his 1st such toy) the entire day.

His fascination with the toy gave me the opportunity to examine the banner outside the Siam Kitchen on the way to NTUC, and so we ended up having the set lunch (S$11.90++) there.

The wooden baby chair was clean with a working safety belt, and the waitress, upon request, gave the complete plastic baby set (bowl, spoon, fork), with warm water & straw in the plastic cup. A big plate of keropok was served when we were seated. Sam loves the tidbit (adds $1 in the final bill), as I do, so we munched our time away waiting for the food to be served.


Of the 6 appetisers - 10 main courses - 3 drinks set lunch menu, I chose the spicy green mango salad, thai rice noodle with beef, and the iced lemongrass tea. The drink was refreshing, as claimed, though I find it a trifle sweet, and I personally prefer a stronger lemongrass taste.

The green mango salad was nicely sour & crunchy and really spicy (for me), and it's about the best dish of my lunch there, cos the beef noodles turns out to be a trifle disappointing. The soup was too oily for my taste; even looking at the oil reduced my appetite somewhat (though the mango salad turned it back up). The beef slices were fatty, and the beef balls not very flavorful. No, I'm not the only picky one - Sam also didn't like the beef balls much, eating only 1 when he could easily eat 3.

Worse still, he still doesn't like rice noodles much.......he willingly devours ramen, ban mian, & yellow noodles of all sizes, but when it comes to hor fan & kuay teow, he eats only just enough to stop his tummy growling. So his half bowl of rice noodles got wasted, and he ended up eating even more keropok!

I had added $1.90 for a dessert, caramelised tapioca with coconut milk (out of the 5 choices available). This turns out to be a big portion, but way too sweet for me. I thought the dish would be served dry, but the tapioca chunks are literally swimming in the bowl of syrup.

To top it all off, Sam's diapers overflowed and I ended the lunch rushing out of the restaurant to change his pants! What a meal! I suppose I shouldn't be too picky for the price paid & the size of the servings. Just treat it like a thai food court with service charge & GST, and since it's not crowded at lunchtime, it'll do, sometimes.


Siam Kitchen
#B1-06 Jurong Point (outside NTUC Fairprice)
Tel: 6794-1588

Cooking Okonomiyaki in Yaki Yaki Bo

After a disappointing visit to yet-another nursery, I decided to go have a good lunch, as a belated birthday treat to myself.

This time, Sam noticed the big crab at the entrance to the Shokutsu-10 on our way down the escalator to the basement, and happily agreed to pose with it. But as you can see, he ended up scratching an itch, and I never managed to get him to pose again.

So with Sam babbling about the "kiap-kiap" crab that will make him "pain pain", and me trying to explain it's only a statue and will not hurt him, we made our way to the last restaurant on the right of the food street, Yaki Yaki Bo.

It's a relatively teppanyaki restaurant, with 3 teppan counters surrounded by dining seats, and several tables near the entrance for those who don't wanna sit at the cooking counters. But I wasn't interested in teppanyaki today. I've been eyeing the okonomiyaki menu ever since I walked past the restaurant on Monday (that's another dining experience), and today I've made my order - ebi okonomiyaki (S$10.90).

The waitress offered a teppan counter seat, and I didn't reject. Thought it would amuse Sam to watch the cooking process, as long as he understands the danger of the hot plate. I was right. Sam was entranced, and when the chef started on 2 other orders in the middle of our own meal, Sam started mimicking the cooking strokes!

The okonomiyaki is flatter, and the presentation different, from what I was used to in Osaka & Uji, but at least the general flavour is the same, and the texture of the 'Japanese pancake/pizza' is the same, with plenty of vegetables and just enough batter to hold the vegetables together. Best of all, the okonomiyaki was served with a little metal spatula, just like in Japan!

Sam enjoyed the new food, and I was glad I could get him to eat so much vegetables in addition to the prawns. Turns out Sam loved the bonito flakes piled on top of the okonomiyaki, so the big pile wasn't wasted.

The okonomiyaki sauce was a little too much for us, though, so I ordered an extra hot green tea ($1) in addition to our lime juice ($2.90). Sam finished half the bowl of accompanying miso soup, sipping directly from the bowl japanese style (I held the bowl for him of course!).

I kinda wish they would leave the okonomiyaki on the teppan in front of the diner, so that the food stays warm, and I can add my own toppings as I did in Japan. But I guess I should complain so much, not when I've satisfied my craving. At least they do have the sense to serve the dish to table diners on a small hot plate.

Oh, they do use the white Ikea baby chair & provided a plastic bowl & spoon with a small metal fork for Sam, so children are definitely welcome. ;)


Yaki Yaki Bo
1 Jurong West Central 2
#B1-52, Jurong Point
Tel: 6792-0583
Opens 11:30am ~ 10pm

Sam's 1st Burger

Went to Ikea Alexandra to get another bookcase to display all our European/Japanese/Malaysian souvenirs. Sam had a wild time at the Children's Area with my mum while I shopped for more containers to hold my sewing stuff, so by 11.15 am we were ready to have our lunch at the Ikea Restaurant.

This time, I ordered the Fish Burger set (S$2.90) off the kids' menu for Sam. It's the 1st time he had a mini burger, and he didn't know how to eat it - he speared the top bun with his fork & pondered at the mayonnaise underneath! I had to demonstrate how he's supposed to how the burger with his hands & bite, but he wasn't in an adventurous mood. Ended up only taking 2 small nips from my feeding & then he went back to eating his fries.

After our wonderful experiences in Holland and Kuala Lumpur, it was disappointing to find that the Singapore Ikea has given up offering its plastic forks, spoons, bowls & plates at the microwave station. The only kids' utensils left is the plastic cup, self-served at the beginning of the queue for the food.

Otherwise, the Singapore Ikea is like its counterparts overseas, offering its own white baby chair in abundance, and a play area for children in the middle of the restaurant with bar-counter-like seats all around for the hungry parents. I never bring Sam near the play area though - I'll never get him to eat properly otherwise!


Ikea Alexandra
317 Alexandra Road
Tel: 6786-6868
Restaurant opens daily from 9:30 am ~ 10 pm.

A Trifle? Spicy Ramen at Menichi

Today finally went to Jurong Point, 1st trip there since we returned to Singapore. Had lunch in the 'new' (cos it wasn't there 1.5 yrs ago) Shokutsu-10, which is supposed to be a food street inspired by Osaka's famous Dotonburi. Well, to call it a "street" is really an exaggeration. It's more like a food "rectangle", since there're only 6 shops (2 on 1 side, 4 on the other) altogether in the area!

Fortunately, at least 2 of the eateries seemed to be of a new concept. Tried the ramen shop, Menichi, 1st, as it was already open at 11.20 am that day.

The young waitress who took my order made the effort to clean up the white Ikea baby chair before bringing it into the small shop. I decided on the Yasai Ramen (S$9.90) - ramen with assorted vegetables in miso tonkutsu soup - since I thought Sam would be able to eat some vegetables besides his usual meat & prawns.

The older waitress who served the food very wisely asked if I needed the kids' utensils, then proceeded to give us the plastic bowl, spoon & fork. She also offered to cut the long strings of noodles for me, but since I'm already well trained in cutting up noodles into bite-sized strands for Sam, I declined her offer.
The noodle portion was quite generous, I thought, though big eaters may want to take the option of upsizing the ramen. Sam easily managed the shredded carrots, some bean sprouts & even 2 small pieces of the cabbage, but didn't try the spring onions.

Only after the food was served did the young waitress mentioned the soup may be a little spicy. Well it was a tinge spicy. Hubby will probably say it's not, since he likes spicy food, but both Sam & I polished off a 2nd glass of lime juice ($5.60) by the end of the meal, as the spiciness accumulated with every mouthful. The soup was otherwise not bad, I thought, something different from the other offerings I've tried in other Japanese restaurants in Singapore.

Customers of Ichiban Boshi & Ichiban Sushi may be glad to know that Menichi is part of the RES group, which means the 4 Seasons Rewards Card may also be used.


Menichi
1 Jurong West Central 2 (at Boon Lay MRT station)
B1-54 Jurong Point
Tel: 67945125
Opens 11:30 am ~ 10 pm daily.

Rice Option in Dim Sum Meals

Had lunch again (see previous experience) at Crystal Jade Palace, and this time, hubby was in the mood for a dim-sum-only meal. Sam as usual polished off 3 whole shrimp dumplings (虾饺), but I wanted to get some carbohydrates into him, so I repeated my usual 'trick': mix the fillings of a dumpling with some rice.

->

The chives dumpling (韭菜饺) of Crystal Jade Palace are pretty good, so I ordered a bowl of white rice & mixed some of it with the fillings of the chives dumpling. This has the added advantage of getting some vegetables (the chives) into Sam, in addition to the minced pork & prawns.

It was a waste of the dumpling wrapping, but which Chinese mother would feel assured with her son eating only prawns for lunch???? Anyway, this shortcut saves me the trouble of mincing up the meat/prawn, and the dish is steamed, so it's not too oily........better than ordering fried rice, I thought! ;P

Entertaining Kids in the Paragon

There's not much free outdoor activities to keep my Sam entertained here in the heart of Orchard Rd. Especially right now, with the building of the Ion right behind the apartment, the planting of NEWater pipes in the road in front of the apartment, and the expansion of the pedestrain walkways of Orchard Road itself (previously the stretch in front of Ngee Ann City, now shifted opposite in front of Paragon), the whole area is a mess of construction din & dust contributing to the usual slightly dusty city roads.

But still, it's not supposed to be good for the kid to spend all his time indoors, so today I thought I'll let him vent his energies outside for a little while. Started Sam off running down the slopey walkway between Wisma Atria & Ngee Ann City, where he saw a lizard sunbathing. Then, walking along Orchard Rd he gazed interestingly at the water fountain in front Ngee Ann City & consented to a pose with the Christmas decorations:

After 15 min, both Sam & I were sweating, so I hustled him into Paragon. This is becoming one of my fav shopping centres for lunch, not because of its good variety of restaurants, but for the availability of child-friendly facilities.

The free children's playground (2 ~ 6 yrs) on level 5 must be the answer to lots of mummies' prayers. At 11.20 am on a Wednesday morning it was quite popular, Sam having to jostle through the tunnel & to wait for his turn at the slides.

From 11.30 am onwards, the crowd of children started to thin, as the mothers begin to move into the just-opened restaurants for the early lunch. I, too, wanted my food before the office crowds set in, but Sam refused to go till he played pretend in one of the musical cars.

By 12 noon, I managed to get Sam into my fav soba restaurant, Shimbashi Soba. After my previous experience, this time I ordered a cold soba for my Hana Syokado set (S$28.80). I had thought 'cold soba' = 'zaru soba', but no, the soba was chilled & served already dipped in broth, with wakame seaweed & tenkasu (bits of deep-fried tempura batter). It was so much better than the hot version, very chewy & fragrant. Sam had several helpings in his baby set, I was glad I paid the extra $5 for a larger serving of noodles.

Was glad we made it to the restaurant early, a queue started forming from 12:30pm! After the very filling lunch (the Hana Syokado set included 5 slices sashimi, 3 pcs sushi, chicken katsu, agedashi tofu, deep fried soft shell crab, 4 pcs tempura besides the noodles), we left the restaurant and literally walked into another children's fav outside the Spageddies.

I don't know the proper name of the technology. It seems to make use of the shadows thrown by the kid on the projected image & triggers a specific response, eg. bouncing the basketball, turning corn into popcorn, or Sam's favourite - overturning & chasing cars.

Like the playground, I noticed other mothers letting their children play here, while they waited for their tables at one of the many restaurants in Basement 1. The only unfavourable thing about this video game is its location - being right in the centre of the passageway, many a unwary adults nearly stumbled into the playing children, or stumbled trying to avoid them!

Shimbashi Soba
290 Orchard Road
#B1-41, Paragon
Tel: 6735-9882
Opens 11:30 am to 10 pm.

Fancy Children's Bento Box in Aji Tei

Friend MJ reminded me there's a Japanese dessert place right inside Takashimaya, so decided to have my brunch there today & calm myself down with some desserts, after the terrible morning with sticky Sam.

Turns out Aji Tei is a more up-market version of Ajisen. There's a wider selection of dishes available, and the dessert menu is extensive, but the ramen is still the same base as that in Ajisen.

Baby chair: a plain sturdy low back wooden affair.

Kids' menu: There're 3 kids' sets available. Set A is the rice & prawn served on an aeroplane-shaped dish, same as the one in Ajisen. Set C is curry rice served in a soccer ball-shaped bento box. Since Sam doesn't take much spicy food that is out of the question.

Set B (S$6.80) is the ramen & prawn set (similar to the Ajisen version), but with 1 more prawn & half of a hard-boiled egg, served prettily in a Japanese doll-shaped bento box!

->
I haven't seen such pretty bento boxes since my fav Jap restaurant in KL!

For drinks, hubby wanted Sam to drink something more 'healthy', so ordered the nearest possible candidate - Macha Milk ($3.80). Turns out the taste of the condensed milk is too strong, hardly can taste the macha. Sam didn't like it, never took a 2nd sip.

Kids' utensils: I asked for a small fork for Sam to eat his prawns with, since they only served a plastic Chinese soup spoon with the kid's set, and chopsticks when we were 1st seated. The waitress brought along a plastic bowl too, fortunately, else I think Sam would have overturned the ramen bowl in his attempts to drink soup with the spoon.

My mood only improved slightly after the meal, cos the dessert I got, Warabi Kinako (S$5.80), was a disappointment. I miss the fresh ones I bought from the Japanese food fairs (abt the same price too!) in Isetan KLCC when we were still living in KL! I wonder where else can I get good warabi mochi here in Singapore............wonder if the tonkatsu restaurant in Liang Court I ate in 4 yrs ago is still open, if memory serves me correctly the warabi there was acceptable...............


Aji Tei (Japanese Cuisine & Dessert House)
391 Orchard Road
#B202 Takashimaya Department Store
(right inside Takashimaya, past the last cashier of Cold Storage)
Tel: 6333-8110

How to Keep the Toddler Seated Longer

Here are the tactics I've resorted to when trying to get Sam to stay in his seat for a longer period when we dine out:

1. Eat somewhere that provides a baby chair!!! Sam has gotten used to the high chair, & the safety belt keeps him strapped in, so he can't get away on his own even if he wants to.

2. Avoid lunch & dinner peak hours, so that I can choose a table with a view to keep the toddler entertained, eg. facing the tv, fish tanks, view of the road with plenty of moving vehicles. If your toddler is easily distracted by certain views (eg. my Sam will clamour to join other kids walking pass the restaurant entrance), then you can at least choose tables that would not provide the distraction.

3. Delay putting Sam in the chair till the food arrives. Many a times did I place my orders with Sam on my lap, & I only put him in when the food is served. This reduces the amount of time he spends in the chair (sometimes even the 5 min delay is welcome), so he is more likely to last till we finish the meal. If hubby is with us, we sometimes take turns to place our orders, while the other half keeps Sam entertained at the fish tank/shopping mall.

4. Provide Sam with his fav toys - cars. I usually let Sam play with 2 ~ 4 toy cars while we wait for the food to be served. Sometimes he'll end up playing with them throughout the meal, other times he'll put the toys aside to self feed.

I suppose tactics 3 & 4 aren't exactly good habits. All I have in defense is that desparate mothers resort to desparate measures. ;P Unless anyone has better tactics to share????

Seating a Child in a Coffee Shop

I seldom like to bring Sam to eat in coffee shops or hawker centres, one of the reasons being there's no baby chairs in these eating places, and it's so stressful just to get him to stay seated. I most definitely won't be in a mood to take photos to blog about the occasion!!!!

Today's lunch was an exception, partly cos my in-laws were with me, so I could order my food in peace, partly cos Sam was in a good mood today & finished all his noodles & kwey without much prompting. So I managed this photo near the end of his meal:


This is the typical way to seat children in Singapore's coffee shops - stack up the chairs (they're usually these plastic stackable ones, for ease of storage at closing time) in twos or threes (depending on child's age & height), then the child is placed in the oversized "baby chair".

As there's no safety seat belt, much effort is taken to keeping the child seated properly in the chairs. Fortunately for me, Sam is used to being placed up high for meals close to the table, so he didn't attempt to climb down the chair. My efforts were spent on keeping his buttock on the chair, and not to squat or stand on it!

Perhaps, at this rate, I'll soon be able to eat at my fav hawker centres with Sam soon and actually enjoy the food..............

Ajisen Ramen's Kids Set B

Went to eat Ajisen Ramen in Ngee Ann City again (see 1st visit) this afternoon, since Sam wanted noodles & I didn't, and the place makes for a quick lunch.

Kids' menu: Tried the Kids Set B this time, so Sam got a small bowl of ramen all to himself, which he devoured half. He also finished the 2 fried prawns & half the cup of iced lemon tea which came with the set (S$6.80).

So I could eat my Kaisen Hokkaido Don (S$13.80), which was a bit of a disappointment. I guess at that price I shouldn't be too picky of the quantity & quality of the seafood. I ended up finishing the slice of char siew & the half of hard boiled egg in Sam's ramen to go with the remaining rice.

Baby chair: Sam remained captivated by the designs on the baby chair - kept trying to 'take' the train & car designs on it!

Kids' utensils: As Sam couldn't possibly eat directly from the bowl of ramen, I asked for a small plastic bowl, having in mind the usual black round bowl used to serve the miso soup. Instead, came a cartoon melamine bowl with alphabets around the rim. But the metal fork & spoon are still adult sized, so it was a trifle messy when he slurps the spoonful of noodles himself.

Ajisen Ramen - Ngee Ann City

Takashimaya Department Store

B210-2 (Basement 2)

Tel: 67324873

1st Encounter at the Sushi Tei Bar Counter

Wanted to have a 'quick' dinner without having to wait for food, so thought of going to the Sushi Tei in Ngee Ann City to have some sushi from the sushi belt.

At 7 pm on a Monday evening the place was nearly full already. I had wanted a table near the window so that Sam could look out at the taxi queue, but the waitress explained the baby chair at the side of the table would block the corridor, so I bravely accepted a seat at the bar counter, the 1st time I'm sitting there with Sam.

Entertainment: Fortuately, my gamble paid off. ;) Sam was excited to see the plates of food pass before him continuously, and spent half the dinner commenting on them.

Baby chair: the white Ikea plastic version that's the fave of many restaurants. One thing I like about the bar counter here, the table height is just nice for both me on the bar stool & Sam in the baby chair. I've seen another sushi belt restaurant that has such a high bar counter, Sam wouldn't have been able to reach the table, which was one reason why I've never dared to try the sushi counter with him before.

Kids' utensils: The waitress very promptly provided the plastic bowl, fork & spoon without me asking for them, and also included a nice short straw with the plastic cup filled with water. Sam loved the bowl which featured a bear kicking a soccer ball at the bottom.

Kids' menu: One advantage of sitting at the bar counter is that Sam could choose what interests him, and fortunately he was in the mood to listen to my "no, that's not nice to eat" should he point to the raw fish sushi or the too-chewy-for-him octopus & jellyfish. Before he was seated, he was already excitedly asking repeatedly non-stop for the 'beans' - edamame, which he finished 1/3 of the bowl (S$3.80). He didn't eat more of his usual fav, cos he found another - big fish roe.

He had mistaken it to be another type of beans (probably cos of the ball shape), and after I fed him some with the sushi rice (Sam still doesn't know how to eat the seaweed wrapping the sushi), he loved the way the fish roe melts in his mouth. All in all, he ate a total of 5 pcs of the big fish roe sushi (S$4.50 for 2 pcs per plate), a record for him in sushi restaurants.


Sushi Tei (Ngee Ann City)
391 Orchard Road
#02-13 Ngee Ann City (next to taxi stand)
Tel: 6737-8878

Magadesca 2 in McDonald's

No breakfast provided in the service on weekends, so this morning we went to the McDonald's in Bugis Junction before heading to the Goddess of Mercy temple near there.

Baby chair: a Ronald McDonald red sturdy chair.

Kids' menu: there's only 1 option for Happy Meal at breakfast time - hotcakes. Since Sam didn't appreciate it, I ended up eating the 2 hotcakes. Sam ate his usual hashbrown (part of Daddy's Big Breakfast Meal) & orange juice.

Entertainment: Since last week, McDonald's have been giving out Magadesca 2 figurines with the purchase of every Happy Meal. I thought Sam would find the animal toys interesting, but since his 'penguin' & 'monkey' doesn't do much except mutter some words when moved, he ended up banging the figurines on the table trying to trigger the speech function. He lost interest in the figurines after a short 15 min & asked for his toy cars again.

Kids' utensils: Everything is plastic at the fast food chain, in the event that you actually use any cutlery.

Service: I wish the Bugis Junction outlet is more prompt in clearing the tables & keeping the baby chairs clean at 9.30 am in the morning. I didn't have to do all the cleaning myself at the neighbourhood outlet of Pioneer Mall last week.

The Red Flower in Tonkichi Takashimaya

It's been 3 years since I last ate in Tonkichi Takashimaya, and tonight finally got a chance to go back there for dinner with my friend MJ, one of only 2 friends of mine whom Sam took an instant liking to.

Baby chair: Sam took a liking to the bright yellow cushioned chair, and kept turning back to point to the red flower design. Luckily safety belt was working fine, even though the cushion was torn in 2 places.

Entertainment: None from the restaurant. Sam was kept docile with his X'mas present of a fine red fire engine from MJ for a full 15 min. Then he broke the rescue ladder in his attempt to lower it! The poor toy only lasted 45 min from unwrapping to permanent damage, breaking all records for MJ's cousins & friends' children! What a terror Sam is!!!

Kids' menu: The restaurant has 1 kid's menu (S$9.50) - flavoured rice rolls with deep fried breaded prawn, crab stick & chicken, edamame & a Yakult. Sam as usual devoured the prawn, and this time he discovered the joys of dipping his food into tartar sauce. I had to remove the dip after he started exploring and spooned the sauce all over his rice though.

The edamame got the usual warm cry of "beans", but this time Sam didn't finish his fav snack, cos he had spread wasabi (intended for my zaru soba) over the beans. I also had to remove the wedge of lemon (meant for the fried foods) & the cherry tomato in the salad when Sam started poking it with his fork. By the end of the meal, I've removed the entire plate from Sam's reach to prevent him playing with the fresh, sweet cabbage!

Sam loved the yuzi gelato (+$3.50 to upgrade dessert of set meal), and I ended up having to 'fight' for the last spoonful of my fav Jap ice-cream. I was already too full from my greedy order of ala-carte deep-fried oysters (S$19) and the set meal of zaru soba, agedashi tofu, deep-fried pork, fish & prawn (S$27, for limited period only), but as most women know, desserts go to a different stomach, eh? ;P

Kids' utensils: A plastic cup of water was served for Sam (ours was the restaurant's standard houji-cha) upon our seating at the table. A child-size metal fork & spoon accompanied the fancy plate the kids' meal was served.

Service: Not much to complain about, except for the seemingly long time it took for the bill to arrive.

I was contemplating if it would have been worth it to buy the membership card (S$65 for 1 yr new membership with $120 worth of vouchers & discounts for all Pokka Food outlets), but since the waitress didn't make any effort to promote it, & I couldn't really gauge the benefits properly with Sam around, I just let it be. Anyone found the membership worthwhile???

Tonkichi Takashimaya

391 Orchard Road

#04-24 Ngee Ann City
Tel: 6735-7522

Noodles & Dumplings of Ding Tai Feng

Dear Mum helped looked after Sam this afternoon so I could have a haircut, and we ended up snacking in Ding Tai Feng (鼎泰丰), Wisma Atria's branch.

Baby chair: the grey & sturdy Rubbermaid version.

Kids' utensils: A cute plastic bowl & a plastic cup full of water with a bendy straw were provided without me asking, which was gratifying. But I wished they've gotten a smaller set of plastic utensils - the transparent tablespoon isn't really suitable for Sam to self-feed.

Entertainment: Nil.

Kids' menu: I ordered the appetiser, pickled lotus root (酸甜藕片, S$2.50), in an attempt to get Sam to eat some kind of vegie. He willingly ate 1 entire piece, but was more interested in the steamed prawn & pork dumpling (虾肉蒸饺, S$7 for 6 pcs), which was easily the best dish we ordered this time.

Had thought Sam would appreciate the hand-made noodles (元盅鸡面, S$10.80), but the noodles were too dry if eaten without the soup, & the chicken soup wasn't exactly delicious, so Mum & I finished most of the bowl ourselves.

Service: call me lazy, but I've gotten used to paying for my meals at my table. Any parent dining alone with an active toddler will agree, it's no joke trying to hold on to the child & the bill & your wallet/purse & the cash/credit card and to wait in line at the cashier in a crowded restaurant. After all, I've already paid the 10% service charge, haven't I? Luckily this time, my mum was with me, & it was a weekday during off-peak hours, so the payment at the cashier went smoothly. But I wouldn't want to go back there alone with Sam during dinner time!


鼎泰丰 Ding Tai Feng
Wisma Atria #02-48
Tel: 6732-1383
Opens 11 am (10 am on weekends & public holidays) to 10 pm.
No reservations accepted.

Private Room of Imperial Treasure Teochew Cuisine

Wanted a Chinese lunch, so decided to try out the Imperial Treasure Teochew Cuisine opposite the Crystal Jade Palace. Was initially a bit displeased that they asked if we could finish our lunch in 1 hour, then we realised they were giving us a small private room (sits 5) that has a reservation later, hence the request.

Fortunately, the dishes we ordered were served fast, so we had no problem finishing our 3 main courses, 1 dim-sum & 1 dessert in an hour, which was quite an achievement for us too, considering the unpredictable habits of Sam!

Baby chair: the same wooden & yellow plastic cushioned Winnie the Pooh chair as in Crystal Jade Palace, complete with the 5 point harness belt.

Kids' utensils: the same cartoon character bowl (but no cup) and small metal fork & spoon as Crystal Jade Palace. If I didn't know better, I would have thought the 2 restaurants belonged to the same chain!

Entertainment: Nil. In fact, being in a private room, there was nothing to distract Sam at all except for the toy cars I prepared.

Kids' menu: Nil. Sam was so hungry he actually ate the rather sour pickled vegetables served as appetiser! He loved the marinated goose (卤鹅, S$16) - which was sliced thinly, not too salty & not tough at all to chew - kept asking for more 'meat, meat'.

He likes the recommended water chestnut drink (马蹄水, S$2) too, since it was not too sweet, but he only ate 1 mouthful of the very delicious pea shoot fried with garlic (蒜茸豆苗, $16). The silly boy, it's not often you can get such sweet big-leafed HK pea shoot, ok!

By the end of lunch Sam was too tired to try the smooth & not-too-sweet mashed taro with ginko nuts (福果芋泥, S$4), but he perked up at the sight of the tray of 4 small cups of 功夫茶 (strong chinese tea) served at the end (beginning) of the meal. I let him try a sip: surprisingly he didn't find it too bitter, so, I allowed him a 2nd sip. ;)

Service: I don't know what to say. She's a good waitress, as far as me as an adult is concerned. But if she's good enough to offer to help put Sam in the baby chair, you would have thought she would be sensible enough not to place the cup of hot water chestnut drink in front of Sam.


Imperial Treasure Teochew Cuisine 御宝阁潮州酒家
391 Orchard Road
Ngee Ann City #04-20A/21
Tel: 6736-2118

Back at Shimbashi Soba

After 3.5 yrs I finally get to eat at one of my fav Jap restaurants again:

Shimbashi Soba
#B1-41, Paragon
290 Orchard Road
Tel: 67359882

I managed to beat the lunchtime crowd, & hence the waitress was able to arrange a table for me & Sam in a corner, without me worrying abt the hordes of customers later.

Baby chair: The waitress was good, asked if I needed a baby chair at the point of me requesting for a table. The Ikea chair didn't have its safety belt though, Sam spent some time looking for it!

Kids' utensils: Like the service, since they presented the full baby set - plastic bowl & cup (half filled with water & a straw), small metal spoon & fork - without me even asking for it!

Entertainment: Nil.

Kids' menu: They have kid's size portions available, so I ordered a S$6.80 Tanuki (soba in soup with fried batter) for Sam.

The portion is only slightly smaller than the usual serving, and Sam turns out not to like the soup, so the whole bowl was wasted. I should have gotten him his fav zaru soba (cold soba) instead!

The Aeroplane of Ajisen Ramen

Hubby got back home before I went out to buy dinner yesterday, so we ended up dining out in Ngee Ann City's

Ajisen (味千拉面)
Takashimaya Department Store
B210-2 (Basement 2)
Tel: 67324873

Baby chair: I usually don't like this metal & plastic cushion baby chair, but the patterns on this one is new to me & looks rather cute with all the different vehicles.

Most importantly, the safety harness is in good condition, so Sam could sit close to our table. This was necessary as the eating place was quite cramped, no space for the baby chair's small white table top! Thanks to the sensible waitress who enquired abt our need for the baby chair & made the arrangements while we waited at the entrance!

Kids' menu: There are 2 kids' menu available, I chose the set A, cos thought the aeroplane plate was rather cute. Thus I learnt the disadvantages of such plate designs for someone as young as Sam:

1. Sam kept wanting to play with the 'aeroplane', pushing the plate around on the table. How to explain to him that it's not a toy but just a plate???

2. The flat surface makes it very easy for all the food to spill over, making it a definite no-no for Sam to self-feed.

On retrospect, I should have order the set B: ramen with deep fried prawns. The food is still as sinful (hubby disapproves of kids' menu in general cos they usually contain only fried foods) but at least I won't have to deal with the aeroplane plate.

Kids' utensils: For a place that has specially designed kids' menu, it's so silly the waiters presented adult-sized spoon & fork with the kids' set! I can only assume they don't have any teaspoons or equivalent, since they already took the trouble to serve the fork & spoon instead of the usual chopsticks.

Entertainment: Nil.