Pies & Coffee: Gourmet Pies and Air-Infused Coffee

If you enjoy pies, you will like Pies & Coffee. Besides, there are other good reasons why you should check out this place.

Located at Rochester Mall, which is about five minutes walk from the Buona Vista MRT station, Pies & Coffee, offers a wide selection of savoury and sweet gourmet pies, making it a first-of-its-kind cafe in Singapore to specialise in pies. It scores another first by brewing their coffees with an air-infusion coffee machine.

I was recently invited to a food tasting session and went away craving for some of their yummy pies.

Pies & Coffee opened in Feburary this year; pic © Pies & Coffee 

The Vibe: Done up in black and white colour scheme, the cafe exudes cool, contemporary chicness. The indoor area sits 20 while the outdoor can accomodate up to 60. 

I recommend heading out to the seats next to the water feature; it makes for an ideal spot for chillaxing. Not only is the area well shaded and surrounded by greenery, there's a constant breeze which is so welcoming a hot, humid day. We were told it's often this breezy. Looking at the building structure, it looks like the cafe is located at some sort of a wind tunnel and possibly explains the constant wind blowing through.   

Soothing sounds of the water feature and constant breeze create a relaxing atmosphere at this outdoor sitting area; Pic © Pies & Coffee 

Grab a magazine from one these baskets and sit back to enjoy your food and drinks

The food: Pies & Coffee offers 14 delectable pies - eight savoury and six sweet. The savoury pies come in three sizes - K-pies (which is kid-size pies), 4.5 inches and 9 inches. Prices start from S$8.95 for 4.5 inches to $64.95 for the 9 inches pies. 

Wagyu Beef Cheek Pie, pic © Pies & Coffee

For the food tasting, we tried the Wagyu Beef Cheek, Lamb Shank, Chicken Cheddar and Laksa Seafood Shepherd Pie. 

First, about the pie crust. It is golden and crumbly and has a nice buttery flavour. However, it was slightly on the bland side in my opinion, but not something I would fuss over.

All the pies are packed with a generous amount of fillings. They are served with salad and mashed potato, which taste real and not like the soft, mushy kind you get at some fast-food joints; you can still bite into small bits of potatoes in this one.

Out of the four savoury pies we tried, I thoroughly enjoyed the Chicken Cheddar and absolutely love the Laksa Seafood. The former was creamy, flavourful and has an almost melt-in-the-mouth texture.

Laksa Seafood Shepherd Pie, pic © Pies & Coffee

The Laksa Seafood Shepherd Pie, which is served in a bowl and covered with a mashed potato crust, is probably the first in Singapore and as a laksa lover, I'm head over heels with this one.

Every bite gives you a mouthful of seafood chunks - I could taste scallop, prawn and squid - all cooked to perfection and the gravy is so fragrant and not too spicy. I love it so much that I couldn't leave without getting one for the hubby, which he enjoyed too.

As for the sweet pies, the Macademia Nut Cheese and Chocolate Almond make for good desserts.

By the way, I got to mention the Tomato and Feta Cheese Salad. Though not stated on its menu, the salad comes with pieces of watermelon and adds an extra sweetness and nice crunchy bite to the whole combination that is (much to my surprise) so refreshingly good! It definitely makes it to the must-try list.

Do look out for monthly special pies and festive pies which will be rolled out throughout the year.

When it comes to the drinks, Pies & Coffee (as its name suggest) offers the coffee lover a wide selection: espresso, cappucino, macchiato, latter, flavoured latte and long black. Not to be missed are the siphoned coffees created by the air-infusion coffee machine. Coffee aficionados can look forward to full bodied, aromatic cups of Blue Mountain (Jamaica), Columbia Supremo and Kenya AA (Africa). I tried the Blue Mountain and it was smooth, light and doesn't have any strong bitter aftertaste.

Don't like coffee? There's Gryphon teas to gratify the tea lovers, as well as frappes, milkshakes and smoothies. I tried the Avocado Vanilla Cream Milkshake and Crunchy Peanut Butter Milkshake. While I normally love avocado milkshake, in this instance, I actually enjoyed the peanut butter one better. It was so yummylicious!

© Pies & Coffee

Family factor: There are some highchairs for the little ones. I'm told because of the Julia Gabriel school at Rochester Mall, there's usually quite a number of mums who hang out at the cafe. I would agree that it's definitely one of those places where mums can meet up and catch up with one another and the relaxing, laidback vibe certainly encourage that. It's great too, that the cafe serves kid-size pies.

Top right pic: the other outdoor sitting area; right bottom: highchairs for the little ones

Pies & Coffee practices self-service; customers will order, pay and pick up their food and drinks from the counter. That's fine with me. Beats being at some restaurants where they forgot about your orders until you start asking them after a long wait.

With good food and a quiet, relaxing ambience, I'll certainly be back - especially for that Laksa Seafood Pie.

Pies & Coffee

35 Rochester Drive, 

#01-02 Rochester Mall

Singapore 138639

Tel: 6570 0080 

Website

Opening hours:

9am to 11pm daily

AquaBambinos Swim School - A Review and Free Trial Lessons

Among the many sports, swimming is one that we hope Kenan will be skilled in.

However, when it comes to being in the water, the best I can do is to keep myself afloat.

My hubby, on the other hand, is considered a good swimmer. So I've always thought he will be the one to teach our boy swimming - and I remembered how he used to talk about doing the father-son bonding thing through swimming together.

Many, many months later, let's just say that the spirit is willing but the flesh.

So after coming to terms with the fact the hubby is losing this battle against inertia, I did what most smart moms would do - outsource to the experts.

I think God agreed that it's a good idea too. Shortly after, I found a flyer in my letterbox from AquaBambinos about its open house. A quick visit to its website showed that they have classes for toddlers and after a phone call to the school, Kenan was on his way to his first ever swim lesson.

About AquaBambinos

AquaBambinos, located within the Burghley Lifestyle Hub, is an indoor swimming school. It's pool water is "heated to a comfortable temperature of 30 degrees celsius".

The swimming pool built on a deck

(copyrighted by AquaBambinos) Lots of toys to engage young swimmers

(copyrighted by AquaBambinos) There's even a slide by the pool

Classes are available for babies and children from ages 6 months to 7 year-old. Class ratio is kept to a maximum of 1:6 parent-child pairs per group for parent-accompanied classes and 1:5 for non-accompanied classes.

Facilities include bathrooms with hot water showers, lockers, changing tables, toilets and a waiting area where there are some colour pencils and papers available. There's also a playground within the Lifestyle Hub's compound but I didn't see it during our visit, shall go look for it the next time.

As the school has just opened in January this year, all its facilities are still new and well maintained.

Bathroom with hot water facility (left); lockers for parents (right)

Our experience

There were three other kids during the trial lesson. At first, Kenan simply refused to go into the pool. We almost gave up trying, until he caught sight of the balls in the water and decided that it would be fun to play with them and other toys.

I found the teacher very good - she could engage each child and showed lots of patience as well as enthusiasm. When I taught Kenan an action wrongly, she also patiently showed me how to to do it until I got it right.

Of course, I like the fact that it's an indoor swim school, so regardless of the unpredictable weather, the lessons will go on uninterrupted. No worries about make up classes or going there and then later having the class cancelled due to sudden rain.

What's most surprising was that I actually enjoyed the class!

To be honest, I'm so happy to bring my boy to a swim class that’s indoors, because this vain mommy is afraid of having more freckles on her face from direct sunlight exposure.

That aside, it's been fun learning together with my boy, especially seeing how quickly he learnt certain actions - it made me feel so proud of him! It's been equally rewarding to see how he's transformed from the boy who refused to go into the pool, to one who almost didn't want to get out of it.

I'm now looking at the class schedule and see if we can find a slot that best fit our timing.

Kenan doing a little doodling at the waiting area

Win free trial class.. for not one but TWO winners!

Here's how:
1. Like AquaBambinos' Facebook page
2. Like Mommy Cafe's Facebook page
3. Your child should be between 6 months to 7 year-old.
3. Leave a comment on Mommy Cafe Facebook page, OR here on this blog post*, telling us your child's age, and something about his/her swim experience (negative or positive) and why you hope to win this trial lesson.
4. The contest will end on 29 April 2012, Sunday at 11:59pm.
5. The winners will be randomly picked, results will be announced on Mommy Cafe's Facebook page and on this blog.

Join the contest now - TWO lucky winners will get a free trial lesson each with AquaBambinos! Do spread the word too!

*I'm adding this option after someone told me she rather comment here than on FB :) 

Port of Lost Wonder: Where Pirate Ship and Foam Party Come Together

Have you heard the news yet? Singapore's first kids' club by the beach, Port of Lost Wonder (POLW) has opened!

Thanks to the very nice people of Sentosa, I got invited to a preview of this latest attraction on the Island last Saturday, which was also the day of their official launch.

As Kenan had class in the afternoon, we couldn't stay long, but it was enough for this mommy to recce the new kids’ wet 'n wild wonderland - and to share the details here.

Adventures at POLW

Copyright POLW, Sentosa Island

The POLW at Palawan Beach is just a few minutes' walk from the Beach Car Park

This is where you pay for admission and obtain your curio coins, which are for kids to pay for activities or a surprise snack

The coins come in a bag like this; kids will also receive a Port Pass to record their activities, collect stamps and redeem prizes!

Even before we entered POLW, the boy was already having fun! There was a bubble-making machine near the entrance spewing hundreds of bubbles to the delight of our boy.

Let the Fun Begin!

1. Ahoy matey!

The HUGE pirate ship docked right in the middle of the place is obviously the main draw of POLW.

Children were all having a splashing good time as they moved up and down the decks, jump into the waters and go down the numerous slides. However, parents do keep a close eye on your young children as they play with the various features, and in case the older kids get rowdy in their excitement.

The front and back of the Pirate Ship

2. Sand and foam

Enough of water play? Then head to the sand pit at the back to build some awesome sandcastles or have a frothy good time at a real cool kids-only foam party (pay 30 curios).

3. Pot a plant and meet some animal friends

Over at the Curiosity Island, children can work their little green fingers at a 'Pots & Planks' activity where they get to plant seedlings in a pot or boot and bring it home. The activity cost $20. From what I see on the board, it's not the POLW currency i.e. curios coins, they are referring to.

From what I read on the POLW website, there's also some activities involving little animals but I didn't see it when we were there and was a tad disappointed. Perhaps it wasn't time yet. Gotta check this one out another day as my boy is fond of animals.

There's also supposed to be board games, traditional games and storytelling, which I didn't see on that day. Made a mental note to look out for these too, at our next visit.

4. Picnic at the deck

POLW has thoughtfully incorporated a lounging area called The Deck so parents tired out from running after their energetic kids can take a break here. Families can also buy picnic baskets from Port Belly restaurant and enjoy a meal together in the open shaded area.

Other thoughtful designs include a diaper changing area, as well as locker facility.

Are you falling in love with this place yet? We'll likely be back soon, before the word goes out far and wide and it gets too crowded! 

Port of Lost Wonder

54 Palawan Beach Walk

Opening Hours:

10:00am to 6:30pm daily (last admission to POLW at 4:30pm)

Admission Charges: 

Weekdays -$8.00 (receive 50 curio coins and Port Pass)

Weekends & holidays - $15.00 (receive 100 curio coins and Port Pass)

Annual membership - $90.00 (600 curio coins, Port Pass and unlimited admission)

Charges is per child - accompanying adults enter for free. Love it!

Another reason why you should visit now? POLW is also having an opening specials - there's 15% off ticketing charges, and 20% off membership. For a limited period only.

For more information, check out POLW website or its Facebook page.

Spanking New Playground at Tampines 1

While there are quite a few water-themed playgrounds atop some of the local shopping malls, we've never took Kenan to one. Well, let me clarify. He did go to one once, but it was by chance that we came across it. Since we didn't bring along an extra set of clothes for change, the boy didn't get to play there.

So I was really happy to be invited to a special preview of Singapore's first wet-and-dry wildlife-themed rooftop playground at Tampines 1.

Accessible by escalator on 5F (near Amore Living and KOHONG Fish Spa), the playground is divided into different areas to depict different continents and endangered species.

For example, the bigger polar bear slide and the smaller seal slide (two bottom pics) represents the Antartica. 

There are also educational signboards to teach children about the specific region and about the animals. However, I had been too busy chasing Kenan and trying to take his photos and forgot to snap pics of the signboards.

This is the dry play area. It didn't keep dry for long as children who played at the water area came over to enjoy the facilities and got the place wet as well. So even if you think that your child will only be playing at the dry area, do bring along an extra set of clothes since there's a high chance that the place is wet too.

Kenan was initially more excited about the balloon than the playground itself. He only got more interested with the playground when the balloon burst. Thanks to Tampines 1, the little boy also got to play with a water gun that came with the goodie bag we received.

And Kenan made some new friends too. As you can see, he couldn't resist hugging them!

After all the play, children can take a quick shower or get changed at the toilet/shower area which is located to the left of the entrance.

You can also check some other bloggers' write up and to see more photos:

MadPsychMum

SengkangBabies

mamawearpapashirt

A Juggling Mom

And do visit to Mommy Cafe's Facebook page as I've uploaded more pictures over there.

Thank you once again to the management of Tampines 1 and the really nice folks at Fleishman-Hillard for the invite. We had a really great time!

The playground will officially open to public on 10 March 2012. Have lots of fun at this spanking new place!

The Dinosaurs Have Come to Town!

Wondering what to do this weekend? Come join Rainbow Bear and his dinosaur friends for a day of music, songs, art and craft and more!

To celebrate the launch of 'Rainbow Bear's Dinosaur Discovery: An Adventure in Blends and Digraphs', Julia Gabriel Centre is hosting The Dinosaur Stomp on Saturday, 4 February from 10am to 5pm at Forum The Shopping Mall.

The Programme

The fun-filled family event comprises stage performances and floor activities.

Children  will get to enjoy a time of music and songs, lively performances by Rainbow Bear and friends, and the Dinosaur Stomp. They can also participate in art and craft activities, face painting, and bring home some nice goodie bags and wonderful prizes from Lucky Draws and a Dinosaur Egg Treasure Hunt (1-2pm). To register for the treasure hunt, please contact Julia Gabriel Centre at 6733 3422.

Guests can also look forward to a special book signing and photography session with Julia Gabriel and Rainbow Bear (12.30pm and 4.15pm).


About the Book

(book cover; image provided by Julia Gabriel Centre)

Rainbow Bear's Dinosaur Discovery is the latest addition to the series of children's books from Julia Gabriel Creations.

It features 24 dinosaur characters and through vibrant text, colourful illustrations and engaging songs, children will learn sounds like 'Ch', 'Th', 'Sh', 'Wh' and more.


For a peek inside the book set (which I received a set of):

I have not start reading the book with Kenan but thought I'll listen to the CD first. I found that it makes a great companion to the book. It not only repeats what's in the book (read in Standard English pronunciation), the addition of songs helps reinforces the learning in a fun and engaging way.

To find out more about the book, do go down to the Dinosaur Stomp this coming Saturday.

The book, CD and songbook set will be selling at 15% off its normal retail price ($29.95) at this one-day event. So don't miss this chance!

How to Plan the Perfect Party with Disney Junior's microsite

My son's birthday is round the corner and the thought of planning a party for him had me almost losing  sleep, until I discovered a treasure trove of ideas from Disney Junior.

Last week, I was invited by the really nice people from Disney Junior to a media luncheon at La Nonna, an Italian restaurant in Holland Village.

There, we were introduced to "For Grown Ups", a microsite on the Disney Junior website that "provides all-you-need-to-know guides for parents to create Disney-themed celebrations".

To show us what can be achieved with the ideas and materials found on the microsite, the event venue was decorated in the 'Jake and the Never Land Pirates' theme.

Pic 1: Treasure chest, rainbow wand, Jake's Forever Sword, Pic 2: Doubloons, Jake and the Never Land Pirates playset, pirate's eye-patch, Pic 3: Name tag (printed on sticky label), Pic 4: Pirate hat

Pics left: Kenan playing with paper figurines from the Jake and Never Land Pirates playset, Pic right: Biscuits given to us in the goodie bag (he's actually afraid of the skull)

Once home, I couldn't wait to check out the site. The resources on the site are organised according to holiday themes, such as Halloween, Christmas and New Year, whereas birthday parties are organised by characters and shows.

Whether you're celebrating a birthday or a festive event, these are what you'll find:

• Designs for invites
• Decoration and favours
• Food ideas and recipes
• Activities and games 

Since the new year is coming, I decided to explore what they have for New Year celebration and found some really cool stuff:

Great decor and craft ideas like Mickey Mouse Clubhouse streamers, mobile centrepiece, tiaras etc. In fact, some of the ideas here can also be used for birthday celebration. For example, the streamers can be used for decorating a Mickey Mouse-themed birthday party.

For some of the themes, like this one for New Year celebration, there's a 'Try This!' box at the bottom of the page which has some really cool stuff and ideas (see the next pic).

For example, I found the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse New Year calendar which has some cute pictures that will be adored by children and adults alike.

With a great resource like 'For Grown Ups', planning that perfect party is now easy peasy!

Tolalu.com Giveaway - Have You Joined Yet?

Tolalu is an online shop selling personalised gifts for children. The site currently offers 350 products in 13 categories such as story books, calendars, activity books (under ‘Fun and Learning'), growth charts and many more. You can refer to my previous post about Tolalu here. 

Here are some samples of items from each category:

Clockwise from top left: stickers, jigsaw puzzle, wall stickers, growth chart

Clockwise from top left: story book, activity book (under 'Fun & Learning'), notebook, calendar

Like what you see? Here's the good news:

You can win a $30 Tolalu voucher for your child! 

To participate,  all you need to do is leave a comment here, sharing with us who you would like to get gifts for and what items you are interested in e.g. stickers, notebooks etc. This contest is open to readers residing in Singapore. Do note that $7 will be for delivery charges. 

There will be TWO winners for this giveaway! 

The giveaway will end on Sunday, 30 October, at 11.59pm Tuesday, 1 November at 11.59pm. So help spread the word and join the giveaway now! 


NOTE: If you have already participated in the previous post, you don't have to re-enter the contest. 


30 Oct '11:  A reader just informed me about having problems entering the contest as she couldn't find the comment box. If you would like to join the giveaway and encountered the same problem, you may participate by emailing me your information. My email is: ruthwongwrites@gmail.com
Because of the feedback, I've also decided to extend the giveaway till Tuesday, 1 Nov, 11.59pm. 

We Got Our Tolalu Products... Here's Your Chance to Get Some Too!

After about a week's wait, the Tolalu products I ordered have finally arrived!

In my previous post, I mentioned that the invoice stated a five-day delivery period. I was getting anxious when five days gone passed. Then I received a call from the company on Saturday morning and the staff asked if we would be at home and said they would send the items by noon.

After the call ended, I looked at the phone number and vaguely remembered there were two missed calls while I was away on holiday. I checked my mobile and one of the numbers was indeed the same as the one I just received. I had rang the other number when I was overseas and was told it was a printing company. But it was late when I returned call so most of the staff had knocked off and she couldn't find out who rang me. So they had been prompt, just that we had missed each other.

Anyway, this is what I ordered:

The package when I received it

Notebooks for my little boy!

Honestly, it was quite a tough decision as there were so many cute stuff. I settled for the notebooks because the rest are either not suited to his age e.g. puzzles, or he will most likely end up tearing them apart, such as the activity books.

Kenan enjoys drawing (ok, let me correct that - most of the time he asks me to draw for him), so the notebooks, which come with blank pages, is a good choice.

These are the two notebooks I got for my boy

The little boy examining his gift with great interest

Like what you see? Here's the good news:

You can win a $30 Tolalu voucher in 

a giveaway on this blog! 

To participate,  all you need to do is leave a comment here, sharing with us who you would like to get gifts for and what items you are interested in e.g. stickers, notebooks etc. This contest is open to readers residing in Singapore. Do note that $7 will be for delivery charges. 

Here's another piece of good news: 

There will be not just one but TWO WINNERS! 

The giveaway will end on Sunday, 30 October, at 11.59pm. So help spread the word and join the giveaway now! 

Tolalu.com - Personalised Gifts for Children! (a sponsored post)

I always remember the first time I received a personalised gift. It was a pen with my name engraved on it and I thought how very special it was.

So when I was introduced to Tolalu.com, an online shop with personalised gifts for children, I got really excited.

Introducing the website

Once you enter the site, you will be prompted to enter your child’s name.

As soon as you type in the name, you will be directed to the products page, where your child’s name will appear on all the items. This will help you visualise how the final product will look like.

The site currently offers 350 products in 13 categories such as story books, calendars, activity books (under ‘Fun and Learning), growth charts and many more. 

I found the prices reasonable – it ranges from S$8 for bookmarks to S$40 for story books. There’s even a ‘Free Products’ category where you can print out sheets of pictures for colouring or simple games like a maze or joining the dots.

I also like the Chore Chart, which I think is one cool way to motivate a child to help out with the house chores. The product description states that the chart can be cleaned and rewritten. By the way, the Chore Chart is one of the products that allow you further customisation by inserting your own photo:

The other products which have this feature are the puzzles, notebooks and place mats.

  

Anyway, the products are so cute that it took me a long time to decide what to get.

Puzzles

Calendars

Activity books under 'Fun and Learning'

Stickers 

  

After placing the order, I received a confirmation email. According to the invoice, the delivery will take 5 days. Delivery is free for orders of over S$60 and it takes an average of 3 to 5 days to deliver.

By the way, Christmas is just round the corner. If you are wondering what to buy for the little ones, personalised gifts will certainly be a good idea. And if you can't decide what products to choose, you can always get a Gift Card and let the one you are giving it to pick what they like. The gift cards, which will be sent via email, range from S$25 to S$200.

Well, I’m really excited to see how the actual products look like. Are you curious what I bought? I'll post the picture once I get the items, so stay tuned!