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.

Tung Lok Signatures, So White!

Had dinner at Tung Lok Signatures in VivoCity, cos hubby's sis had discount voucher for the restaurant. I was so surprised at the crowds in VivoCity; a yr ago when the place was new, it was so empty! Now, we had to jostle at every escalator........but with so many different eating places there, I definitely want to go back again!

Baby chair: the white plastic Ikea version, which Sam is starting to outgrow.

Kids' utensils: a white plastic plate with small metal fork & spoon. Really admire how the restaurant got everything white!

Entertainment: Nil.

Kids' menu: Nil. Sam as usual polished off much of the braised peanuts appetiser, but he didn't eat much of the broccoli & beancurd.......guess the excitement of meeting his cousins again distracted him from his food.


Tung Lok Signatures
VivoCity, #01-57
Tel: 6376-9555

Crystal Jade Palace At Last!

We've never managed to have our Sunday dim-sum at Ngee Ann City's Crystal Jade Palace, cos usually by the time we arrive there at 12 noon, the place is jam-packed with a mile-long queue. This time, since we're staying within walking distance to the shopping mall, hubby wanted to have his 1st good meal back in Singapore at the elusive Palace, which we managed to do so at 11.15am.

Entertainment: Sam was attracted by the tanks of live seafood at the entrance to the restaurant, so hubby went to order the dim-sum while Sam pointed out the prawns & fishes to me.

Baby chair: I love the wooden chair with Winnie the Pooh plastic cushions - so cute, and it matches the deco too!

Kids' utensils: The plastic bowl & cup also have prints of bears. Too bad the small metallic fork & spoon didn't. ;)

Kids' menu: Nil. Sam was in a 'prawn' mood again - ate 3 entire "har gau" (prawn dumpling) by himself (after I cut up the fillings of course).


Crystal Jade Palace Restaurant
391 Orchard Road
Ngee Ann City #04-19
Tel: 67352388
No reservations allowed.

Children's Playground in KLIA Departure Hall

We left Malaysia yesterday at noon, and as usual, spent the time after check-in at the children's play area at the Departure Hall (near rows 1 ~ 2).

So of course we ended up eating at KFC, which is just next to the play area.

Baby chair: the metal & red plastic seat standard in all KFC outlets.

Kids' utensils: Nil. But since the fast food chain serves plastic utensils, it doesn't really matter.

Kids' menu: I like to order the Chicky Meal for Sam, partly because the toys offered are so much better than those in Singapore. In fact, I only managed to entice Sam away from the playground with the free toy - a bike!

After the play area stint Sam was hungry enough to eat 2 of the chicken nuggets of his Meal, in addition to the mashed potato & some of the iced Milo, which he seldom drinks. I suppose hunger really improves the appetite...........

The Slopes in Restoran Kung Jung

Have been wanting to try this Korean BBQ ever since we came to Kuala Lumpur 1.5 yrs ago, and yesterday we finally got to join the crowds of Koreans & Japanese customers at:

Restoran Kung Jung
Lot No. 3.1, Level 3,
PNB Darby Park,
Jalan Binjai, 50450 KL
Tel: 03-21667181/5181

Kids' menu: Nil. The 8 different appetisers were delicious, and Sam willingly accepted the potato & fish cake dishes.

The BBQ chicken hubby ordered was wonderful wrapped with the plum sauce & lettuce leaf. I heartily regretted not ordering more BBQ dishes, esp. since the barbecuing was done at another table by the waiter, so we didn't have to worry Sam would get scalded by the hot charcoal fire at our own table.

The "seafood chowder" surprised us by being so spicy, but as it was being cooked in a claypot on our table with a whole crab (chopped into manageable pieces), 5 large prawns & ladles of clams, it was wonderfully flavorful by the end of the meal. The tofu absorbed too much of the spicy soup for Sam's delicate tastebuds, but he loved his serving of fresh prawn & crab.

Baby chair: a nice sturdy wooden affair that matched the restaurant's furniture.

Kids' utensils: Ikea's plastic bowl & cup, with a metal set of small spoon & fork. The waiter even gave Sam his own paper placemat, which unfortunately Sam spilled water all over 5 min into the meal.

Service: Pretty good. The waiter only provided the plastic kids' utensils upon request, but he was friendly & chatted with Sam amidst his work. And of course he recommended the good food. ;)

Entertainment: Nil. The LCD TVs near the ceiling are all tuned to ESPN, a clear indication of the office crowd clientele.

Sam found his own playground at the entrance to the restaurant though, which featured 2 small ramps, one on each side of a centre flower display. So we had to take turns placing our orders while the other half supervised Sam's running up & down the slopes.

Fav Feeding Bowl to Pack

I started the habit of carrying a feeding bowl with lid in my diaper bag when Sam 1st started eating solids nearly 2 yrs ago. At that time, the bowl was for mashing up the foods for the baby to eat. After Sam started self-feeding, the bowl became my best friend in restaurants that don't provide plastic kids' utensils.

All this time I've bought multiple brands & types of feeding bowls, some collecting dust aft one time use, others still wonderfully sturdy aft months of abuse by the adventurous toddler.

Now that most eating places stock plasticware for kids & Sam's learnt not to throw the ceramic plates on the dining table, my latest fav: The First Years' TumbleMates Bowls with Snap & Stay Lids.

This is the green one with Fish & Chips leftovers from lunch today at Madam Kwan's (Pavilion outlet). Sam can never clear his plate at lunchtime, not even with kid-size portions, and it used to be a trifle embarassing asking to tabao the leftovers (esp. when it's only a teeny portion) for Sam to eat after his afternoon nap.

Now, I'll pop an empty bowl into the diaper bag before leaving home, assured the lid will keep the bowl clean. Any leftovers from Sam's lunch goes into the bowl, & I can simply warm it up in the microwave later & feed Sam directly without washing another container.

This bowl has no handles, & the lid really is leak-proof, so it's great for on-the-go. If I fill it with soup or such, I add a plastic bag, but so far there's been no accidents when I place it flat at the bottom of my diaper bag.

I got my set of 3 (blue, green & yellow) in Great Eastern Mall's Choo! Choo! Train, & have seen it sold in Metrojaya departmental stores too. Price? Hee, sorry, I forgot already........

The Fish at Crystal Jade

We'll be leaving KL soon, so we're now making use of our limited time to eat in our favourite restaurants one last time. My hubby's fav Cantonese haunt:

Crystal Jade Restaurant 翡翠酒家

The Gardens, Mid Valley City,

level 4, Lot T210

Tel: (603) 2283 3129

We love the place for the good food, & the extensive menu, which offers much, much more delicacies than its sister restaurants in Singapore. And of course, the good service - I never have to ask for the kid's utensils & the waiters are always ready to help pick up the toy cars Sam landed on the floor.

Baby chair: the plastic & metal version which I always find a trifle too flimsy. But at least this one was in good condition.

Kids' utensils: Ikea's colourful plastic cup, bowl & plate. A little metal set of fork & spoon was provided, just the right size for little Sam.

Entertainment: Nil. Sam loves the 4 tanks of live seafood at the entrance to the restaurant. We usually have to let him watch his fill while we placed our orders, then cajole him into his seat only when the food is being served.

Kids' menu: Nil. This time, Sam was in a 'prawn' mood - he polished off 3 "har gao" (虾饺) in total. I got the brain wave of getting Sam to eat some vegetables - one whole delicious "jiu cai jiao" (韭菜饺) - by peeling off the skin of the dim sum & mixing the vege with his rice.

The Restaurants in The Venetian, Macao

Location: The Venetian Macao~Resort~Hotel, in Taipa, Macao.

After all the child-friendly restaurants in KL & Singapore, it was an unpleasant surprise to find that Macao is not as toddler-friendly.

Maybe I was just plain unlucky: we had almost all our meals in The Venetian, where we were staying, for convenience, & most of the restaurants we tried have baby chairs that did not come with safety belts!

No, I don't mean the belts have fallen off or are broken out of misuse. The chairs we were offered were in good condition, partly cos I think The Venetian is still relatively new (only just 1 yr old in Aug).

The safety belts are simply not part of the design of the baby chairs! Some of the chairs, in fact, have no barrier between the legs either! They resemble more like mini chairs than the usual baby chairs I've gotten used to.

While these mini chairs look great, comfortable, & are probably a great hit with older children, they were a source of constant worry to me, making my meals as stressful as not having a baby chair offered. As such, I didn't take as many photos as I wanted too.........

There were several restaurants in The Venetian that specified "No kids allowed". Since we could never manage a proper 3-course fine dining meal with Sam anyway, I didn't really mind giving those a miss, as of those within the casino itself.

Only 1 restaurant was introduced as child-friendly in the guidebook provided in the hotel room: the 3 Monkeys 3猴子餐厅, located in St Mark's Square (shop no. 2412a). However, as hubby & I were not really into western cusine for this trip, we gave it a miss. Sam was highly amused by the giant monkey soft toy at the entrance to the 3 Monkeys though.

We tried all the 3 breakfast places offered in our package:

- blue frog bar & grill 蓝蛙酒吧餐厅 (level 1, shop no. 1037)
There's no baby chair available. Luckily the place is not very popular for early breakfast, so we got one of the semi-circular high-back seats & ordered the set breakfast off the menu, while Sam walked on the cushioned seat.

- Cafe Deco Macao 峰景餐厅 (level 1, shop no. 1036)
The breakfast buffet was very popular, think it's due to the wide range of Chinese & Western styled foods available. We ate there twice, & on both occasions had to wait a bit for the busy waiters to find us a baby chair. Sam had his fill on cornflakes, muffins, pork patties & chicken sausages, & tasted his 1st samosa, which he loved.

- Fogo Samba 巴西扒房 (level 3, in St Mark's Square, shop no. 2412)
I was surprised the Brazillian place offered delicious Chinese congee & fried noodles in their breakfast buffet, besides the usual fruits, salad, bread & pastries.

Though the selection is not as wide as Cafe Deco, their unique way of serving freshly roasted meats made it an interesting experience. We had to stop Sam from playing with the tongs used to take the slices of meat the waiters cut directly off the grill at our table. May I add that the roasted pineapple is wonderful when still warm!!!

It was rather fun to have the 'alfresco' dining under the Venetian sky (painted ceiling). At least the background to the photo looks more interesting. ;P

We had our 1st dinner at the Festivita Food Court 琳琅美食广场 (level 3). While there were no baby chairs available, we were able to stack 2 chairs up so Sam could reach the table comfortably.

I loved the wanton soup noodles in Old Neptune Restaurant 海王老记粥面菜馆 (level 1, shop no. 1032). But it was a trifle irritating not to be offered the baby chair: the waitresses assured us the baby chair was too tall for the low wooden table, & that Sam would be better off sitting on cushioned wooden seats with us.

As hubby said: why bother stocking the baby chairs then??? But the waitresses were right: Sam was the right height to self-feed (albeit with ceramic bowls & spoon, no plastic ones available), while we adults ate slightly hunched over.

And fortunately for the tanks for live seafood in the restaurant, Sam was happily entertained till the food was served.

Our last dinner was in the Grand Edo Japanese Restaurant 大江户日本料理 (level 3, shop no. 2311). The food was great: big live oysters deep fried Japanese style, plum-flavoured somen (an uncommon item), wonderful yuzu sherbet served in a yuzu (japanese pomelo).

But I couldn't fully enjoy myself, cos part of my brain kept worrying about Sam in his beautiful wooden mini high chair. There was no safety belt, no mini table to the chair - Sam was seated right till the arm rests of the mini chair touched the table. Thank goodness he didn't attempt to rock the chair that night!!!!!

If I had known Macao was not so toddler-friendly, I would have waited till Sam was a bit older before I visit. What a waste of all the good food!!!!

For travel blog on The Venetian, Macao, itself, you can read it here.

Victoria Station & its Red Train

Location: Victoria Station, along Jalan Ampang (next to Hock Choon Supermarket).

Baby chair: the grey Rubbermaid is sturdy & held my Sam well when he tried to rock in it.

Entertainment: None intended. But Sam loves the red train outside the restaurant, which also seats diners.

The proximity of the restaurant to the busy Jln Ampang road meant Sam could happily point out taxis & buses during the meal. I've given up sitting in the interestingly decorated train cabins, as Sam couldn't see the road from there, & he would always wanna play on the steps leading to the cabins.

There's a tank of live lobsters near the toilets, which Sam was fascinated with during the past visits (which he's forgotten now, luckily).

Kids' utensils: Nil. We have to make do with the ceramic plates. Fortunately, this time we got a small fork (used for our oysters) for Sam to eat his fries with.

Kids' menu: Nil. I usually order a fish dish for myself, so Sam can partake the fries & the fish (minus the sauce). The portions have shrunk though, compared to my 1st visit 6 months ago, so this time I have to order a side dish of fries to fill up Sam.

Service: Ok, no complaints.

Noble House & its Fish Pond

Location: Noble House (阳城酒家), at No. 19 Jalan Delima (off Jalan Imbi)
Baby chair: the foldable metal & plastic version. Usually I don't like this type of baby chairs, but luckily this one's plastic white table top was somehow fastened down, so Sam couldn't raise it up & down (as he did in other restaurants).

Kids' utensils: Ikea's plastic bowl, fork & spoon, fully colour coordinated! I asked for the ceramic white tea cup to be retained for Sam to drink from, a recent skill he enjoys.

Entertainment: None at the table. Sam was, unfortunately for us, interested in the big fish pond at the entrance to the restaurant building (ie. outside the dining area), & spent the pre-food-arrival time commenting on the size of the koi there.

Kids' menu: Nil, as usual for Chinese restaurants. Sam ate the usual braised peanuts appetiser while we ordered the food, and loved our soups. For once, he ate some spinach - finely chopped & mixed with tofu, then deep fried & covered with sauce - one of their signature dishes (至尊鸳鸯豆腐).

Service: Ok, as far as child-friendliness is concerned. The kids' utensils were offered without prompting.