Friday, May 31, 2013

Kids Friendly Restaurant 3

Orchard Cafe

Walking into Orchard Cafe, the most prominent thing is the centre piece surrounded by the mouth-watering food. The center piece is also changed regularly to give the restaurant a fresh new look.

Orchard Cafe incorporates western and local flavours, buffets with a selection of made-to-order dishes at the live-cooking stations. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily and Sunday brunch as well. For their Sunday Brunch, 2 kids (< 12 years old) get to eat for free with 2 paying adults. Together with a roving activity and another fringe activty at the kids corner from Mr Bottle's Kids Party, we guessed this is the reason why the restaurant is always filled with people of all age groups; from grandparents to their children and grandchildren.

The reasonably large kids corner comes with sofa for the parents/ grandparents to chit chat while accompanying the kids. There are also tables and stools for the kids activities like Easter Egg Painting on Easter, Face Painting, Arts & Craft, Air-brush Tattoo & Stick-on Tattoo.  

Kids Corner
 
Air-brush Tattoo

Face Painting










Arts & Craft

However, the kids corner is rather dimmed, with certain part very glaring and other area quite dark. It could be better if the lighting is more uniform. The stool is rather high for the low table. Hence, it's not very comfortable for the kids to work on. To get around it, some kids would rather sit on the floor. As the diners need not remove their shoes at the kids corner, and the kids are allowed to bring food to the kids corner to dine while having the fringe activity, we think it is quite unhygenic as their hands will come into contact with the floor mat.

To improve on the hygiene, the restaurant should, firstly, have tables with stools of suitable height. Secondly, make removing of shoes compulsory when entering the kids corner. Thirdly, add a hand sanitizer at the kids corner. Finally, the restaurant should not allow food to be consumed while the kids are having the fringe activity.

Comes to the roving activity - Close-up Magic, Balloon Sculpting, Mascot and Caricature. It is ideal for all age group and will definitely make your Sunday brunch worthwhile.
 
Balloon Sculpting

Mascot



Sunday, May 19, 2013

Kids Friendly Restaurant 2

Checkers Brasserie



The long opening hours (from 6am to 11pm) is the number one highlight of Checkers Brasserie International Buffet Restaurant @ Hilton Singapore. Other than phone bookings, online reservation is available to ensure a place before your visit.


The semi-circular restaurant stations its different categories of food at the sides, and as well as at the center of the restaurant in a systematic manner. Unlike other international buffet restaurants, at Checkers Brasserie, other than the self-picked buffet, one can order unlimited main courses of your choice, ranging from western food to famous local delicacies.

Checkers Brasserie's Sunday Champagne Brunch (12pm to 3pm), is the most popular of all, as kids under 6 years of age dine for FREE! In addition, the restaurant also offers a wide variety of Fringe Activities from Mr Bottle's Kids Party @ 12.30pm to 2.30pm, ranging from Close-up Magic, Balloon Sculpting, Face Painting, Caricature, Arts & Craft, Air-brush Tattoo, Stick-on Tattoo to Mascot. The restaurant also has a cosy and comfortable kids corner at the entrance of the restaurant. Kids movies and computer games are available to keep the little ones busy, and at the same time, to give the adults a break!





The ambience of the restauant is sort of romantic and suitable for couples. However, the restaurant markets by offering free dine for kids and fringe activities for Sunday Brunch. In addition, even on a Sunday afternoon, you can also see some businessmen holding discussions at the restaurant, hence it seems a bit contridicting who's their main target group.

The restaurant also is more quiet than most other buffet restaurants out there, moreover Hilton Singapore is situated right along Orchard Road. We guessed the restaurant requires more publicity to make the restaurant more well-known.


Monday, May 13, 2013

Kids Friendly Restaurant 1

Asian Market Cafe


It is not easy to find a Muslim restaurant in Singapore, needless to say a nice Muslim buffet restaurant. Hence, Asian Market Cafe is a very good selling point to all our Muslims here, as it is a Halal-certified Buffet Restaurant. Now you will have a place to dine with your Muslims kakis!

Located at Fairmont Singapore, Asian Market Cafe is located right at the hub of Singapore and it's just a couple of minutes walk from City Hall MRT.

They serve Hi Tea Buffet on weekends for 4 hours, 12.30pm- 4.30pm! As compared to most other Hi Tea Buffet, which is only available from about 12pm - 3pm. This longer hours will attracts those who are working half-day on weekends or those who are only available to sit down to have a good meal during the later part of the afternoon.

The price is reasonable for the wide range of asian food; from appetisers, main course to DIY dessert stalls.

Asian Market Cafe is a kids friendly restaurant, they provide kids' utensils, baby chairs and xbox game. Previously, they also have a small playground for the younger kids. As they have 2 units of xbox, we think that it would be great if they can retain the small playground and have 1 unit of xbox instead. Or maybe they can bring in some physical hands-on kids play, which will meet the needs for both the younger and older age group of kids. In addition, some parents might not be very supportive of their children to be exposed to too much computer games.


The restaurant also engages Mr Bottle's Kids Party for Face Painting and Balloon Sculpting fringe activities every Saturday and Sunday from 1.30pm - 2.30pm. Not only the kids get entertained by our Twinkle Artist and N2, the Balloon Ranger, believe it or not, the adults and even the senior citizens also cannot withstand to the beauty of Face Painting and to get their favourite Balloon Sculpture from N2!

 


This is also a fantastic place to hold celebrations like Engagements, Birthday Parties as the restaurant has a large sitting capacity and also a private corner ideal for bookings. If your celebrations happens to be during the time where the fringe activities are being held, you and your guests will get to enjoy Face Painting or Balloon Sculpting absolutely FREE!

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Innovative Approach to hold Celebrations & Gatherings 1

MINT Museum of Toys


When one mentions museum, what's the first thought that most people will have? An exhibition that is dull, boring, not interesting? And when's the last time you visited the museum? Is it during your school days when it's open free to the public.




Museum is not just an exhibition anymore! Will you believe that you can hold private or corporate gatherings in a museum? Yes, MINT (Moment of Imagination and Nostalgia with Toys) Museum of Toys allows you to do so. And we believed that for most of us, the only museum we've visited is the National Museum. Many of us wouldn't even have heard or know that there's a Toy Museum in Singapore.



With the five-storeys high museum displays more than 50,000 pieces of vintage toys and childhood memorabilia from more than 40 countries, while having the fun, children and adults can get to understand more of the different characters during different periods.






It is good that their own restaurant serves buffet catering. However, it would be perfect if they could add in vegetarian and halal menu. As for muslims, halal certified is not indicated in the menu. Hence, one would assume that the food is non-halal. If their restaurant is doesn't serves halal or vegetarian food, they can consider engaging a halal/ vegetarian caterer for their events. This would not shun away halal and vegetarian clients from holding their function at MINT Museum of Toys.


Private events like Birthday Parties no longer limits to your house,  indoor playgrounds, restaurants and chalets. Create a different kind of ambience with all the toys surrounding everyone for this special occasion! Adding in other activities for your guests at the museum is definitely not a problem. Mascots are ideal to lead your guests to the different levels of the museum during the walkabout. Goodie Bags is a MUST for birthday parties, get it from Mr Bottle's Kids Party now!



Break out from holding your Dinner & Dance, Networking Sessions, Christmas and New Year Parties in a ballroom, Consider organising your next corporate event at MINT Museum of Toys. Experience the difference! An engaging Emcee and the music from the sound system will bring energy, fun and laughter to everyone.

The only slight drawback will be events can only be held after 6.30pm daily, after the operating hours of the museum. However, being able to throw a celebration at such a unique place, timing is not much a problem at all. Moreover, we supposed that's the time when most of us have put down our work and it's also a time to let our hair down to enjoy!

Photo courtesy of http://emint.com/