Image credits: Treehouse Cafe
An indoor treehouse, a slew of activities devoted to entertain your energetic little beings, as well as a diaper changing/ nursing room are just some things that parents will warmly embrace at Treehouse Cafe. Battle your hunger with fulfilling options like a Gourmet Steak burger, while the little ones (below 12 years old) fill their tummies with a chicken cheese hot dog with homemade mashed potatoes – Dog and Mash, which comes with a refreshing duo of Ribena plus a scoop of Movenpick ice cream.
Their Sundays are regularly packed with activities like face painting and balloon sculpting. We recommend that you check in for any special events like pizza making or Lego workshops! Your kids wouldn’t want to miss that.
200 Turf Club Road, The Grandstand, #01-17. Tel: 6469 0282.
2. Skinny Pizza @ Great World City
For kids with a big appetite
Image credits: Skinny Pizza
Skinny Pizza's new kids’ menu has been tried and tested with one result: Foodie-kids-approved. In fact, we really wished they were available for the grown-ups. Fish & Chips may be the most cliché item for a child but the restaurant packs it with a twist into an exciting slider with melted cheese atop crisscross fries and a perfectly breaded fish patty.
Our favourite (and the one you should offer to share with your little one) is the Chunky Monkey French Toast with Bananas and Orange Honey. The thick and fluffy brioche is layered with Nutella and bananas – an instant energy booster and a dish that is almost impossible to reject.
With the restaurant located in a family-friendly mall surrounded by pet shops, arcades and forms of edutainment, you won’t run out of things to do before or after your meal.
*The new kids’ menu is also available at their Westgate outlet. Each order is served with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.
1 Kim Seng Promenade, Great World City, #03-31/32, Tel: 6235 0644.
3. Slappy Cakes
Discover their creative side with food fun
Image credits: Slappy Cakes
Most kids love pancakes and some enjoy making a mess with their meals. At Slappy Cakes, give your children a legitimate reason to play with their food by doodling all over the grill – with pancake batter of course! The simple 4-step process starts by choosing your batter: Butter milk, whole grain, peanut butter, chocolate or zucchini. Next, fillings! The range covers both the sweet and the savoury, from berries, nuts and chocolate, to blue cheese, pork sausages and roasted mushrooms. For toppings, they’ve got maple syrup (of course), greek yoghurt, jams, whipped cream and a homemade hazelnut spread.
If both you and your kids are clueless on combinations, they’ve got recommendations listed out – so fret not! Then again, we think that DIY pancakes are a great avenue for children to explore their creative side. You’ll never know what they may come up with.
200 Turf Club Road, The Grandstand, #01-20/21.Tel: 6465 1814
4. Café Melba
For the outdoorsy kids
Image credits: Café Melba
Located in the east, this Australian café sits inside Goodman Art’s Centre in Mountbatten. And upon reaching your destination, you’ll see why Café Melba makes a great brunch escape with the tikes (and your furry friends too) – that large green open space for your sprinters and the ever-inviting bouncy castle for the jumpy munchkins. Take the outdoor seats if you need to keep an eye on them, while digging into wood fired thin-crust pizzas or other all-day breakfast offers like pancakes with berry compote and organic eggs benedict with lemon hollandaise.
*For more indoor fun, its Tuscan neighbor La Barca has an indoor playroom for customers on the weekends.
90 Goodman Road, Goodman Arts Centre, Block N #01-56. Tel: 6440 6068.
5. Food For Thought @ Singapore Botanic Gardens
There's always playtime regardless of rain or shine
Image credits: Food For Thought
This larger outlet of Food For Thought bounded by Singapore Botanic Gardens, is an ideal place for a meal for those with kids. Space is abundant in this 300-seater restaurant, with large tables to accommodate bigger families and ramps for those with prams. Their ‘Food For Tots’ menu include tantalizing selections like a pair of sliders – one beef & one pulled pork – with the option of adding on a juice box plus a mini dessert. To keep them busy while you’re still devouring their famous House Works, colouring sheets with provided crayons are available at a corner. Don’t worry if you can’t keep the active tots indoors – an outdoor playground lies within its premises!
PS: Did you know that you can rent picnic baskets from them too?
1 Cluny Road, Tanglin Gate, #B1-00. Tel: 6338 4848.
6. Ju Shin Jung Korean Charcoal BBQ
Where kids will have a ball of a time
Image credits: The Wacky Duo
A Korean BBQ restaurant may not seem likely of a child-friendly location. However, this West Coast food haunt, Ju Shin Jung Korean Charcoal BBQ, rings that bell with its indoor playroom – complete with ball pits, a castle and a mini slide. That permits you time to revel in grilling those meats – actually, the service staff will do it for you – or indulging in their huge array of side dishes. For a lunch buffet, adults pay $29++, while it costs $16++ per child below 1.2m.
Ju Shin Jung Korean Charcoal BBQ’s East Coast outlet also has a play area with tents and a wide screen television screening cartoon and programmes for kids.
27 West Coast Highway, YESS Centre, #01-18/19. Tel: 6464 0872.
7. District 10 @ UE Square
Brunch & bouncy castles ahoy!
Image credits: District 10 & Brunch With My Baby
That’s right – On the weekends, it’s all brunch and bouncy castles on deck over at District 10 @ UE Square. While mommy and daddy enjoy their brunch with local tweaks like the Pandan-coconut Pancake with Gula Melaka Syrup with District 10’s Moet and Chandon Champagne ($68++ per bottle), the kids can bounce off after filling up on Hoegaarden Batter Fish & Chips. Not on too full a stomach of course.
81 Clemenceau Avenue, UE Square Shopping Mall, #01-15/16/17. Tel: 6738 4788.
8. Rider’s Café
Pony fun for the little ones
Image credits: Rider’s Café & snapawayy.wordpress.com
Rider’s Café is a known popular brunch spot with a laid back atmosphere oozes of an old charm like no other. It’s not every day you can horse-watch over breakfast now, is it? Before heading over, remember to 1) Make reservations, 2) Pack your cameras. Pony Rides for children are available at the adjacent Bukit Timah Saddle Club on weekends from 10am to 1pm for $10 a ride. Your kid will beg you for a go and you’ll want that adorable and priceless shot of them donning the helmet looking thrilled yet helpless on the pony.
51 Fairways Drive. Tel: 6466 9819.
9. EatPlayLove Café
For your little crafter
Image credits: EatPlayLove Café
Got a little crafter under your roof? They’ll feel right at home at EatPlayLove – a vintage Thai café that’s also a hot birthday party location. The craft corner brings you back to art classes in primary school, with an endless variety of craft material at your mercy. We’re talking glitter glue, coloured beads and coloured pasta amongst crayons and recycled Yakult bottles. You can even “adopt” a stuffed toy and decorate it in any fashion. How’s that for molding your future designer? All this costs is a mere $5 for the first 2 hours of play.
28 Aliwal Street, Aliwal Arts Centre, #01-07. Tel: 6444 6400.
10. Kith Café @ Robertson Quay
"Scoot along!" Literally.
Image credits: Kith Café;
For the early risers, Kith Café opens its doors at 7am daily and while their indoor seats are limited, the outdoors are where you and your kids would want to be. The wide footpaths provide tons of space for them to run around or even to ride their little scooters! Plus you'll get a serene view of the river. Need your daily dose of caffeine? They make a mean cup of coffee here and brunch is as scrumptious as it can get.
Alternatively, head to their outlet at Quayside Isle. They've got toys for your tots too!
7 Rodyk Street, Watermark at Robertson Quay, #01-28. Tel: 6341 9407.
Written by Peh Yi Wen
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