Jack's Place @ Safra Jurong

Couldn't decide where to eat on a Saturday night, and we finally decided to try out the Jack's Place at Safra Jurong. Sam happily greeted the security guard on duty as we entered the club, and couldn't understand why none of his friends were having dinner at the same place!

As we had hoped, parking was aplenty & so were the seats, though there were 3 separate dinners going on in the Chinese restaurant on level 2! I guess it really makes sense NOT to eat Chinese during the Chinese New Year period! ;P

Sam didn't need to sit on the Ikea high chair available, and I was pleased to see the waiters serve the plastic kids' utensils & kid's menu immediately after we settle down. Had to ask another to remove the lighted candle on the table though.

Hubby settled on the Seafood Spaghetti ($12), which was to his satisfaction; I went loose and ordered the Striploin Steak ($28), adding $4.20 for the daily soup (mushroom yesterday), daily dessert (profiterole) & coffee/tea. Hubby also added a starter - Lobster Crab Mushroom ($7.60), which was juicy & cheesy and generally delicious, as long as you don't go hunting for the near-invisble slivers of lobster.

I love the tradition of a server coming up to the diner to add as much toppings - sour cream, bacon bits & chopped spring onions - as the diner wants to the baked potato. The vegetables were nicely cooked: still crunchy but not raw at all. My steak was a trifle too red for my taste.......I guess I should have stuck to well-done instead of going adventurous, and after finishing the meat I couldn't finish the potato as well.

I was keen to try out the kids' menu for Sam, but since he eats his spaghetti dry and had had chicken nuggets for lunch, I went for the simple Sausage & Egg set ($5.50), thinking of letting partake my baked potato. Turns out the set came with fries (wasn't described in the menu), so Sam happily devoured all, and also the scoop of ice-cream that accompanied with the set. Surprisingly he wasn't keen to try the cola that came with the set (it had said orange juice on the menu, and no one asked our preference for the drink), so hubby & I polished it off.

What surprised me was that after finishing his entire set meal, Sam was still hungry! Fortunately we had saved a slice of the free garlic bread that was served at the beginning of the dinner for him. ;P Sam polished off half the slice on the short walk to the carpark!! I guess he's becoming the sort of Chinese male who wouldn't be full without rice for dinner!


Jack's Place
Jurong Safra Country Club
333 Boon Lay Way
Tel: 6795-9226

Return to Seah Street Deli

It had been years since I went to Seah Street Deli. I still remember my 1st visit there >10 years ago: I had ordered some kind of salad which included blue cheese, and because of the pungent cheese, I wasted the entire salad. *no kidding*

So, returning after so many years, I decided to order the NY Cobb Salad ($20.50) with its blue cheese again. And this time, I've already learnt to enjoy the pungent cheese, even if I had to drown the taste in lettuce. ;P

Still, it was nice to find the place basically unchanged, complete with the old jukebox & friendly service. And as hubby said, the clientele of the Deli had became parents by now, so I shouldn't have been surprised to find the fully adjustable Graco high chair we have at home in the restaurant. Or perhaps I simply hadn't noticed such items when I was a young single adult.

Sam didn't need the high chair though, he fitted just nicely on the wooden dining chair. The kids' menu was a white sheet for the children to colour in with crayons, but Sam got bored with the colouring before we even made our orders, so I had to whip out his fav cars. Again.

The waitress had thoughtfully given Sam his water in a plastic cup & straw, complete with cover to reduce chance of spilling. What confused me was that while the restaurant was so obviously child-friendly (from the menu to the chair to the service staff's attitude), they did not have plastic cutlery!!!!!!

So while they brought a separate small bowl & spoon for Sam to eat from, the bowl was ceramic (I don't mind the metal spoon). Fortunately Sam didn't topple anything during the meal to mar our pleasure.

I was very pleased to find the kids' menu included Macaroni & Cheese with Sausage ($8). At least it seems to be healthier than the usual chicken or fish nuggets with fries on the same menu. The Linguini with Ratatouille sauce & vegetables seemed interesting too, would try that on the next visit.

Anyway, turned out Sam loved the Macaroni, which wasn't too cheesy. He couldn't sit still enough to finish half the bowl, or perhaps he had filled up on the Mozzarella Cheese Sticks ($11.50 for 8pcs), which came with a very good salsa dip that Sam hasn't learnt to appreciate. I guess even if he ate only the ends of the Cheese Sticks - where there's more of the crispy breaded coating - he would also be full after polishing off the ends of 5 sticks.

Fortunately we remembered to take away the leftovers of the macaroni, cos Sam finished off everything after he got up from his afternoon nap. I'm so glad to find an alternative to french fries for him in an American restaurant!

Oh, 15% discount with Citibank credit cards, so the overall cost didn't turn out too bad after all.


Seah Street Deli
Raffles Hotel Singapore
1 Beach Road
Tel: 64121816

Breakfast in Swenson's

Hubby had to go for his annual eye checkup 'early' in the morning before most shops in Orchard open, so decided to just give Sam his fav yogurt drink upon waking up, then rustle off to the Swenson's next to Paragon for breakfast.

Was surprised to find out the Crown Prince hotel has now became the Park Hotel. Really, one can't be away from Singapore for too long, else may really get lost upon returning home! Luckily the exterior of the building didn't change much, and the Swenson's below was still as popular as ever.

Decided to sit outside in the non-smoking area, so that Sam could look at the passing traffic in his Rubbermaid baby chair. Was pleasantly surprised to find the breakfast menu now (ie. compared to my last visit 2 yrs ago) included some Asian dishes, eg. chicken soup noodles. Not sure if this is available across all Swenson's outlets or just unique to this 24 hrs outlet.

Anyway, I stuck to my initial intention of ordering the eggs & sausages kiddie set (S$5.90, including a juice) for Sam. Forgot to ask for the eggs to be scrambled instead, so I had to end up eating the 2 sunny-side up myself, this cooking style not one of Sam's fav. The cresent moon-shaped hash browns were too crispy for my liking, seems to have more oil & crunchy bits than potatoe, luckily there wasn't much offered. While Sam happily ate his sausages & drank his apple juice, he refused to try the cup of fruit yogurt (chopped apple & canned orange slices in yogurt), so again those ended in my tummy.

I never understand why Swenson's, after going through the effort of creating the kids' menu and the train-decorated plate, never trained their staff to offer teaspoons or plastic plates/bowls to young children. I had initially wanted to let Sam self-feed from a smaller plate. After receiving a blank look from the waitress & a waiter who told me they have no plastic bowls, I gave up & just let Sam make a mess of his breakfast on the big train-plate with his big adult-size metal fork. After all, I'm not the one who has to clean up all the fallen food from the floor! ;P

I myself ordered the Eggs Florentine set (S$10.90, with juice & tea). The sourdough toast is really sour, but it's perfect with the creamy spinach & poached eggs. Had hoped Sam would be willing to eat some of the spinach, but he was in a picky mood, refused to eat it plain or with his sausages, picking out every single green strand. :(

After an hour long breakfast, Sam & I hopped across the road to play in Paragon's children playground on level 5 with all the musical cars. Then he promptly ruined my morning by disappearing while I was hunting for his CNY clothes! It was 10 anxious minutes before I found him playing with the toys in Early Learning Centre. Needless to say, I was scolding him all the way to the baby room (also on level 5, opposite the toilets), where I had to lower my voice (still nagging) to avoid disturbing the baby nursing in one of the 2 nursing rooms.

I nearly lost my temper when I found that Sam had pooped in his diaper without telling me. The saving grace was discovering the plastic bags hanging in the baby room for the express purpose of disposing used diapers! Oh, how I loved the Paragon management then! So while it was a stinky & embarassing affair having to clean up Sam on one of the 3 changing pads while another poor father tried to make up a milk bottle from the hot & cold water dispenser in the same small baby room, at least I left in peace of mind............


Swenson's - Park Hotel
270 Orchard Road #01-06
Tel: 6836-3320
Opens 24 hrs daily

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

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.

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.

Dome Cafe at Gleneagles Intan

Location: Dome Cafe, ground floor of Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre, hospital wing.

Baby chair: a plain sturdy wooden affair, complete with safety belt.

Entertainment: Nil. But I got a table in view of the hospital's drop-off & pick-up point, so Sam could have his car-watching.

Kids' utensils: Nil, a big minus, as the plates used in the cafe are heavy ceramics.

Kids' menu: the separately designed Junior Menu has both drinks & food for children. I ordered Sam's fav fish & chips, which was reasonable with its thick slab of sole.

Have no chance of trying any of the drinks though, since Sam doesn't really like chocolate and every drink on the Junior Menu is of that flavour.

Service: service was average, prompt. About the only complaint I have for the entire affair is that the takeaway for the remaining fish & chips was a single paper bag, which means the paper was totally oily by the time I got home.

Child-friendly Tony Roma's

Had a very good lunch today. Well, as good a lunch any mum can get when she's alone with a tired & hungry male toddler.

Brought Sam to Tony Roma's at Midvalley Megamall, cos saw they were having a promotion: children <12 yrs can eat for free on Mon ~ Wed, provided the adult ordered a main entree, of course. So, I tried my luck, and I'm definitely going back again, even if I have to pay the next time!

Firstly, they have both baby high chairs & booster seats for older children. Then, they provide crayons & an activity sheet (colouring, maze, puzzles) for the kid to play. Sam, being his 1st exposure to crayons, scared me to death by putting the crayon in his mouth!! Luckily I got it out before he bit it!!!

The starters for the kid's menu is carrot & celery sticks with dip. The waiter very wisely served this when I was still going through the menu & Sam was going "mum-mum-mum". And when I was scrambling for a wet wipe to clean Sam's not-so-clean hands, they promptly provided a wet wipe for the task!

And they didn't hurry me to order drinks or anything like that, just let me take my own time to read the usual menu after I've order fish & chips (RM$16.90) for Sam.When I've decided on their set lunch, fish & chips too (great value at RM$19.90, includes soup, coleslaw & drink), the manager even reminded me I've already ordered a juice for Sam, so do I want the extra drink?? Wow! I'll gladly give them the extra business just for this kind of service!!!!

The fries were good, makes me feel a bit less guilty abt letting Sam eat them cos they still have the potato skins on. ;P

And the fish were really, truly lightly battered! Cos picky Sam doesn't like to eat the batter, I usually have to spend a lot of effort scraping off the batter (& usually end up eating it myself) at other restaurants before I can feed it to Sam.

But Tony Roma's version had a very thin batter layer, which Sam barely noticed through all the fish, so I could spend the time eating my own delicious fish instead. Great!

I felt bad not finishing the dessert (Dirt Cup = choco pudding + Oreo crumbs) from the kids' menu. But silly Sam refused to take even a single bite, and I was feeling full & fat after eating half the dessert, so..........next time then!

When we were done, they served up another 2 warm wet wipes, one for me, 1 for Sam. Never have I been offered a wet wipe for the child before! The feeling was wonderful!

I'll definitely bring Sam back there again! Maybe next time let him try the Cheezy Pizza or the Chicken Strips while I enjoy a proper steak.............