February 9, 2010
Being half–Italian and a (complete) foodie, I knew that when I had children I would want to instill in them a love of good food and the ritual of eating together. Well, here I am with a 3 year old who loves olives, garlic, capers and salami. Of course, he likes those Brit staples of chips and sausages too, but he has a well developed love of really flavoursome foods.
As soon as Jack showed interest in food when we started weaning I encouraged him to taste a bit of what we were eating too. Eating out has been a big part of developing his love of food and sharing the pleasure of eating together with him.
On a recent day out with Jack and his grandparents we found ourselves on the South Bank at lunchtime. It was school holiday time so there were queues for all the restaurants. We plumped for the one for Giraffe. What a mistake.
Now, I know that there is a place for restaurants which cater specifically for families – especially when you’ve got a gaggle of kids to feed. But if you want to actually enjoy the experience of eating out together rather than use it purely as a refuelling stop, don’t do it.
The noise level is conversation-stifling. If MacDonald’s did table service this is what it would be like. There are baby changing facilities and there is plenty of room for buggy parking, but, frankly, why you would want to bring a baby here unless you had no other choice is beyond me.
If you’re in the area and need somewhere to eat you’d be much better off in Canteen or Wagamama’s.
Rating:
Stylishness: 0/5
Friendliness: 3/5
Feeding Facilities: 3/5
Changing Facilities: 4/5
Food: 2/5
Overall rating: 12/25 £
January 29, 2010
When I was on maternity leave there were days I felt like everyone else was busy at work and I was the only person – in the world – sitting at home longing for an adult conversation. On days like those, the only way to keep my sanity, was to get out and about.
At the very least, walking down to Blackheath Village for lunch would be enough to lift my spirits a little. We have the obligatory high street eateries like Pizza Express, Cafe Rouge and Strada but I give them a wide berth. Bursting at the seams with mums, babies and children and a decibel level which would not be out of place on the flightpath of a jumbo jet, they instill in me a mortal fear that I have morphed into ‘the middle-aged mum’.
Don’t get me wrong. I like Pizza Express and other mums and their babies. Just not all in the one place at the same time. Places that specifically aim themselves at mums and children seem to assume that children will only eat plain (and sometimes downright poor) food. There is a kind of culinary lowest common denominator at work.
Thankfully, a handful of great independent cafes have established themselves in the Village. A recently reinvented Chapters is currently our bistro of choice. The food is beautifully prepared, generously proportioned and as good as you would expect in the West End. The children’s menu is well edited without compromising on taste. The staff are unfailingly friendly and helpful. The baby changing table is in the disabled loo which is also handy for toddler needs.
And best of all? On any given day, at any given time you are as likely to be eating alongside young couples, famous children’s TV presenters from the 70s, ladies (and laddies) who lunch, as you are other mums. Good enough to save your sanity.
Rating:
Stylishness: 3/5
Friendliness: 5/5
Feeding Facilities: 4/5
Changing Facilities: 5/5
Food: 4/5
Overall rating: 21/25 £-££
January 24, 2010
Browsing leisurely in a bookshop, working my way from one interest or passion to another, is a luxury I rarely have time for now I have a 3 year old as well as a job. Occasionally, my husband and I, in some reckless desire to behave as we did BC (before child), torture ourselves by popping into Waterstone’s in Piccadilly.
The miles of books wink, whisper and call to us. Read me. Read me. Read me…
Ah, if only. As we make our way to the children’s department something displayed by the entrance or the stairs will catch my eye. Otherwise I rely on recommendations, reviews and Amazon.
We must be doing something right though, because Jack regularly asks to go to ‘the book shop’. He could spend hours looking at the books and demanding to be read to.
Luckily, they do have a small family room on the same floor, complete with changing table, loo and chair for feeding. For toddlers and adults in need of refreshment the 5th floor eaterie beckons.
The tables and chairs are not too closely packed so it feels quite relaxed, even when it is busy. The food is ok, but nothing to write home about. Then again, one doesn’t come for the food; one comes for the books. The staff are efficient and, sometimes, friendly.
Any minor shortcomings of the eaterie are absolutely forgiven for what it creates: the time and space to enjoy the books.
Rating:
Stylishness: 4/5 (Come on, it is a HUGE bookshop, what could be more stylish?!)
Friendliness: 3/5
Feeding Facilities: 3/5
Changing Facilities: 5/5
Food: 3/5
Overall rating: 18/25 ££
January 17, 2010
The Saturday morning we were due to visit our friends in Bermondsey dawned as wet as a very wet thing. It was definitely a bad sign.
Bermondsey is home to a cool mixture of creative and NYLON types and sits cheek by jowl with Borough. The plan was to drop by and see our friends, exchange belated Christmas presents for their 4 month old and our 3 year old, then wander over to Roast in Borough Market for a nice lunch.
The rain put paid to the second half of the plan. Village East on Bermondsey Street was a mere stone’s throw away. That, and it’s claim to be in the style of New York warehouse dining, sealed the deal.
It certainly looks the part. We were seated in the ‘canteen’ area which was busy but not full. Jack, doing his best impression of mummy and daddy ordering from the menu, asked the waiter for chicken and chips. Both were on the menu but in separate dishes. The waiter: ‘er, I don’t know about that, not sure we can…‘ Me: ‘But you have chicken and you have chips?’ Waiter: ‘Yes. I will check with the kitchen.‘
He didn’t come back so we crossed our fingers and hoped that something approximating chicken and chips would appear. The relief was palpable when it did – particularly as Jack was approaching hunger meltdown by that point We had ordered from the brunch menu and it is fair to say it was all delicious. The waiter warmed slightly once he realised we were pleased with the food.
Another little group with a child, who could not have been more than two, arrived and a high chair appeared. They looked like they were having a good time and I started to think I might have judged the waiter too harshly.
Sadly, that was shortlived. There is barely enough room to get a toddler in the toilet cubicles, let alone find space to change a baby. On asking if they had a disabled toilet I was met with a very sheepish ‘um, yes, but we use it as our cloakroom…‘
As if that wasn’t enough, we got absolutely drenched walking back to the car and smelt like damp sheep all the way home.
Rating:
Stylishness: 3/5
Friendliness: 2/5
Feeding Facilities: 3/5
Changing Facilities: 0/5
Food: 3/5
Overall rating: 11/25 ££
January 11, 2010
For a while after Jack was born I had my hair cut by the beloved-of-fashion-and-beauty-journalists Hari of Hari’s in Brompton Road. It was an incredible indulgence since it involved (not only expense but also) a Saturday morning trek from Blackheath to Knightsbridge, often accompanied by my husband who was charged with looking after Jack whilst I got pampered, followed by lunch and then the trek home.
That was how we first discovered the Brompton Quarter Brasserie. Initially I was lured by the cakes and pastries which are so beautifully and mouthwateringly visible from the street, then it became a regular part of the haircut routine.
The Brasserie is always busy and there isn’t room to keep a buggy by your table but they do have high chairs and space by the door to park several buggies. Despite how busy the cafe is, the staff always had time to make a fuss of Jack and indulge our requests for bottle warming, and, later, child size portions. We found the sharing dishes a great way of introducing Jack to foods he hadn’t already tried without wasting a plateful of stuff if he turned his nose up.
The all-glass walls mean that if you’re breast feeding there aren’t many places to sit where you feel private, though there is a row of tables tucked at the back by the kitchen which are more discrete.
The English/Mediterranean food has always been delicious, simply prepared and presented. So good, in fact, that I never had room to squeeze in one of the delectable looking cakes.
They have a changing table in the disabled loo which meant Dan had no excuse for not doing his fair share of changes.
Luckily, The Brompton Quarter Brasserie is close to the Natural History and Science Museums, so even though my days of going to Hari are now past (I change my hairdressers like… well, like things one changes. A lot.) I still have a bona fide excuse for lunch. And who knows? One day I might even make it to the cake…
Rating:
Stylishness: 4/5
Friendliness: 5/5
Feeding Facilities: 4/5
Changing Facilities: 5/5
Food: 4/5
Overall rating: 22/25 ££
January 7, 2010
Friends of ours had invited us to join them and Adelie, their two year old, on a trip to the Pleasance Theatre to see a production of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s Room on The Broom. It was Jack’s first trip to a proper theatre and he was transfixed.
After all that excitement the children (not to mention their parents) were ready for some lunch. The Pleasance Theatre is tucked in Carpenter’s Mews off Caledonian Road and hungry tummies dictated the nearest eaterie had better be up to the job.
Thankfully, Shillibeers, which is right next to the theatre, was already playing host to a number of children and families with the same thought – a good sign. Shillibeers feels like a relaxed gastro pub (of the Islington variety!) and has a menu to match.
The young staff took the demands of our toddlers in their stride. Whilst they didn’t always get it right the first time (Jack’s water arrived in a huge glass filled to the top and which would have ended up on the floor within seconds), they were more than happy to rectify things with the minimum of fuss.
The place is so large and the staff so relaxed that after a delicious lunch of sausage and mash followed by ice cream the kids had space to run around without causing either disturbance or annoyance.
The one disappointment is that their baby changing table (which is located in the disabled loo) was broken. However, if, like us, you happen to have made the trek to the Pleasance Theatre with your toddler (rather than a baby), Shillibeers is a great way to round off the event before you head home.
Rating:
Stylishness: 3/5
Friendliness: 4/5
Feeding Facilities: 4/5
Changing Facilities: 0/5
Food: 3/5
Overall rating: 14/25 £
December 21, 2009
If you’ve been for a post-work or first date drink in the Lobby Bar at the Trafalgar Hotel you will, at this point, be thinking that it is indeed a pretty cool bar to hang out in but no one in their right mind would bring a baby. Well, you would be right. And wrong.
We had been out and about one weekend with Jack when he was just a few months old and he desperately needed feeding and I, equally desperately, needed a coffee and refused to go a step further. We hoped the Trafalgar would be up to the challenge.
We discovered that during the day, The Trafalgar is generally quiet and civilised in a rather cool kind of way. There are not many places in the vicinity of Trafalgar Square one can say that about. As such, it made a perfect daytime escape from the melee of Trafalgar Square.
There were no raised eyebrows, and whilst the too cool for school staff are not necessarily the friendliest in the world, they are efficient. Coffee procured, milk bottle warmed and all seemed right with the world again. They even have a baby changing table in the disabled loo so either of us could change Jack.
The food in the Lobby Bar is mainly small plates in an Asian fusi0n style. Not bad for a snack or light lunch. A yummy mummy, daytime secret in the middle of Trafalgar Square. Shhhhh, don’t tell anyone…
Rating:
Stylishness: 4/5
Friendliness: 3/5
Feeding Facilities: 3/5
Changing Facilities: 5/5
Food: 3/5
Overall rating: 18/25 ££
December 15, 2009
My pre-baby experience of Claridge’s had been the bar (for business drinks), the Ramsey restaurant (for business lunches) and the Foyer for cocktails and afternoon tea with the girls. Dan’s desire for a quiet life proved stronger than his initial reservations when I suggested Claridge’s for lunch after Jack’s first trip to see Santa at the Harrods grotto and so it was that we found ourselves in a cab winging our way to Brook Street.
And what a delightful lunch we had. In the Foyer there were two other couples with toddlers and a man on his own with a baby, as well as a general assortment of elderly, wealthy-looking couples and Americans. We were offered a highchair but didn’t need one as Jack had already settled himself in one of the green and white silk armchairs. The table was beautifully laid with no dilution in the service and manner of the waitresses that you sometimes get at posh places when you arrive with a child. The buggy was whisked away with no fuss at all.
They have a children’s menu with mini versions of the regular, beautifully presented, lunch fare. The waiting staff were, without exception, friendly and attentive to Jack’s requests, even when, tickled by the novelty, he kept summoning them for the sake of it. We couldn’t decide whether we had bred a confident three year old or a monster in the making…
The attentive staff even noticed when an open door sent a chilly draught in the direction of the chap on his own with a baby and promptly lodged it closed with a chair. There is a dedicated baby-changing facility in the disabled loo so he would certainly have no problem changing the baby. The attendant in the Ladies made a fuss of Jack so even a trip to the loo proved entertaining.
As we prepared to make our way back into the chilly street, a waitress helped Jack into his coat and discretely ignored the food that had ended up on the carpet.
In all, a total treat. Glamorous surroundings, lovely food and children and babies no problem.
Rating:
Stylishness: 5/5
Friendliness: 5/5
Feeding Facilities: 4/5
Changing Facilities: 5/5
Food: 4/5
Overall rating: 23/25 £££
December 11, 2009
The dearth of decent restaurants in South East London has improved in recent years with the arrival of The Rivington Grill in Greenwich. You might expect a Manhattan-styled restaurant (especially one in the same stable as Scott’s and The Ivy) serving high end British food in a place like Shoreditch, but in South East London it is worthy of celebration.
Keen to ensure the Rivington took firm root in this gastronomic desert, it didn’t take us long to try it out, along with a high-chair ready, but pre-walking Jack. It was a weekday lunchtime and relatively quiet so the staff had time to coo over Jack. Paper and crayons appeared as if by magic, but Jack got more enjoyment from throwing them around the room than from using them for their intended purpose. Still, the thought was there.
They don’t do specific portions for children, though they didn’t bat an eyelid when we simply asked for a a side plate on which we put bits from our own delicious choices (sausage and mash with bubble and squeak for me and beef and ale pie for Dan, if you must know) for Jack to play with. The warm, homemade sourdough bread went down particularly well. The food soon followed the crayons. No eyebrows were raised and the food was cleared up cheerfully.
The Rivington is let down by the lack of changing facilities – the ladies loo is snug even for ladies, let alone ones with a toddler or baby. We haven’t let that put us off though, as we’ve been back several times with Jack because we like the food and the atmosphere. Next time we go I will check out the disabled loo for changing potential and update this review accordingly!
Top tip: If you’re local to Greenwich and booking a babysitter with a view to a rare night out, the Rivington do a mean Cosmopolitan!
Rating:
Stylishness: 3/5
Friendliness: 5/5
Feeding Facilities: 3/5
Changing Facilities: 0/5
Food: 4/5
Overall rating: 15/25 ££
November 28, 2009
If you’re travelling to or from South London via Waterloo Station the revamped area around the Royal Festival Hall is a great place for a pit stop. Canteen is located round the back of the Festival Hall away from the melee of the riverside, which is a relief if you’ve spent the last few hours fighting your way through crowded streets with a buggy.
I’ve been with Jack several times now, from just before he was a year old onwards. The food is always yummy and they will do starter size portions for children. The vibe is distinctly not that of a children’s restaurant (unlike places like Giraffe, of which more in a later post) since you’re as likely to find trendy 30-somethings working over lunch as you are mums with toddlers.
The staff have always happily found space to park the buggy and magic up a highchair. The toilets have loads of decent changing space as well as a dedicated disabled loo which has a changing table.
Whilst the service is generally pretty quick – always helpful when you have a hungry toddler – on one recent occasion when they were, admittedly, very busy we had to ask after the food several times. This produced an exasperated reaction from the waitress. The result: I went from one stressed mum who needed to feed her child to one very angry one. Not good if you expect a tip.
Don’t let this put you off though, because overall it’s a great place to go with babies and toddlers if you want a more, pleasant, adult experience than you’ll get in a place dedicated solely to feeding kids. They also have branches in Spitalfields, Baker Street and Canary Wharf
Rating:
Stylishness: 3/5
Friendliness: 4/5
Feeding Facilities: 3/5
Changing Facilities: 4/5
Food: 4/5
Overall rating: 18/25 ££
