Dinner at Spaghetti Kitchen

I hate it when good restaurants open up their only branch in the city at a mall. This means double the work for mums who have to handle not just dinner, but also running around the mall!

But the Zara sale and a good Italian dinner were too tempting to give up, so we headed to Spaghetti Kitchen at Phoenix mall anyway.

Food Factor:
I have to say, I felt the quality of food at Chennai's Spaghetti Kitchen was a bit of a let down compared to their Bangalore branch.
The menu is your typical Italian fare with a good selection of pastas, pizzas, grills and desserts.
Most of the starters seemed similar with a slightly tangy taste. None of the main course dishes really stood out  - the Black pepper chicken, Aglio Olio pasta nor the Bassa fish. We had to skip dessert because the li'l one got a tad cranky!

Baby Factor:
- Wooden baby chair available.
- Booth seating also available if your baby prefers to sit next to you.
- Friendly staff. They brought some chocolate rolls for all the kids at the restauarant.
- If your kid likes soup, the cream of mushroom soup is a great option.
- Wood fire pizzas and spaghetti in alfredo sauce are items most kids would enjoy too.

Do choose a weekday if you are going with your li'l one though because the weekend rush may be a bit too overwhelming!

Address: Spaghetti Kitchen, 2nd floor, Phoenix Market City, Velachery, Chennai - 600042.
Phone: 044 30083730

Cutest kids swimwear EVER!

What is more adorable than super cute swimwear in teeny tiny sizes for the li'l ones in gorgeous candy colours? Nothing!

I take my daughter swimming (to be read as splashing) at her play school, once a fortnight and she loves it! It is a really fun time with a bunch of tiny toddlers splashing about in the pool surrounded by water toys and excited mommies clicking away hundreds of pics.

As for me, I love swimwear shopping as much as I love her swimming sessions. If you are looking for some really nice swimwear, head straight to Marks & Spencers and Mothercare. Marks & Spencers has an absolutely adorable range with a whole lotta prints, colours and styles ranging from one-piece to bikinis. Mothercare has a limited range, but quite a few pretty pieces.

My fav picks are a sea green ruffled bikini from Marks & Spencers, and a multi coloured ruffled number from Mothercare. (Yes I have a thing for ruffles!)


Location: Marks & Spencers at Phoenix and EA, Mothercare at EA. 
Price Range: Rs.1000 to 1800. With the current Sale you can get good discounts.

Weeeeeebeeeeeees!

Once my li'l one turned about 10 months, it was evident that playing at home with a truckload of toys was not good enough. I wanted to take her out some place that was fun, safe and entertaining. More importantly, a place that where she could interact with other kids.

I went around the city, hunting for good play gyms. There are quite a few play schools which offer their play space/ play gym on an hourly basis. My favourite among the lot is Weebees. 

Weebees is tucked away inside the calm residential Gandhinagar area. It has a gorgeous outdoor play area lined with trees & plants, bird cages, a small water play area, a trampoline and bikes. The interiors are done up in bright colours with neatly arranged toys, a ball pool, a play gym, books, a kitchen set and even a toy ice cream vendor stall.

If your child is less than 18 months, an adult can accompany the child in the play space. They also have staff who are friendly and play along with the kids. So if you wish to leave your child alone, you could opt for the "Drop off" facility by the hour. Charges for the former is Rs.150/hr +100/ additional hr and the latter is Rs.150 for every hour.

I take my li'l one atleast twice a week to Weebees and we have a fantastic time. She loves to explore every part of the play space and make the most of her time there, jumping from one activity to another.

They also have a cafe for the mommas to sit and relax which is a big plus! Just a word of advice, if you plan to visit Weebees over the weekend, do make sure you call them ahead 'cos they hold a lot of birthday parties at the premises and the play space will not be available.

Address: Weebees, 86, 2nd Main Rd, Gandhi Nagar, Adyar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600020

Phone: 088 70 043373

The Brew Room - with my li'l one

A little stone path on a small grass layout, gorgeous al-fresco seating and quirky artifacts which include a cycle covered with twinkling lights make for a great cafe!

Food Factor:
The menu lists good options for coffee and tea drinkers, light bites, pastas and sandwiches. Inside, displayed under glass cloches are interesting sweets such as White Velvet Cake, Chocolate Eclair, etc. 
What caught my attention was the all-day breakfast options and after battling between a Souflee with eggs & cheese, and Eggs Benedict, the latter won. Soft gooey eggs (that Matt Preston would have been proud of) served with crispy bacon and a slightly salty hollandaise sauce on a light bread.

Baby Factor:
- Wooden baby chair with table available.
- Staff very polite. The waitress asked if we wanted a baby chair (I did not expect a small hip cafe to have one).
- The open space is convenient for the kids to run around.
- If your kids like cakes and eggs, you have quite a few options.



Address: The Brew Room, Savera, JP Ave, Krishnapuram, Mylai, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600004.
Phone: 044 2811 4700

Dinner with bub - China XO

     

On top of my list in "best places to dine with baby" is The Leela. Undoubtedly, some of the friendliest staff who make sure you and the baby enjoy the dining experience.

This experience is about China XO. I will cover Spectra in another post.

Food Factor: 
This Chinese speciality restaurant has a good mix of traditional Chinese dishes such as Peking duck along with the popular ones that we have grown up with like Kung Pao chicken. 
I can confidently say they serve the best dimsums in town which are lil packages of delicately flavoured meat/seafood/veggies wrapped in silky translucent sheets. A bit of a warning about the desserts though - we ordered three and all of them were disastrous!

Comfort Factor:
We opted for a private dining room the first time and it was excellent! The room held a big round seating table, a couch on the side and a personal waiter to attend to us. Subsequent dinners were at the main seating area, near the live kitchen window to keep the li'l one entertained.

Baby Factor:
- Well maintained Graco baby high chair available. Staff help you get the baby in and out of the chair multiple times patiently.
- In the private dining room, the additional couch and decorative table top were helpful to keep baby stuff without a struggle. You can also sit ok it and feed the baby with a nursing cover.
- Although they don't have anything to please the kids on the menu, they were obliging enough to bring fluffy focaccia bread and butter from Spectra (Their all day dining restaurant).
- If your baby does want to run around, there isn't much space within the restaurant which is done up with glass, murals, fountain, etc. However, just step out of the restaurant on to the basement lobby and they can be free.



Address: The Leela Palace, MRC Nagar 1st Ln, MRC Nagar, Raja Annamalai Puram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600028
Phone: 044  3366 1234

Baby friendly restaurant? Say What?!

I always felt bad for "that" mom running behind a screaming baby in a crowded restaurant, enduring the judgemental looks and ‘chee-chee' head shakes from onlookers. 

Well, I am sure other people think the same of me now.

You will be surprised to learn that most restaurants in Chennai are not at all baby friendly. Not a single restaurant has a baby changing section or a feeding section, few restaurants have baby chairs and and even fewer restaurants have a play area.

I realised there must be hundreds of mums out there who face the same problem as me figuring out which restaurant to go to on a weekend with their li'l one. This blog will give you a list of great restaurants/cafes/hotels to take your lil ones to (and also, not so great, but slightly manageable ones) and make life easier for as many mommies as possible. 

I have taken into account a few metrics to determine the “baby-friendliness” of the place:
- Baby chair
- If above is missing, then comfortable seating
- Friendly/accommodative staff
- Kid friendly munchies
- Space to play around

Hope it helps!