Kidzland Indoor Playground at the Grandstand, Singapore

I can't digest the fact that after more than a decade of living in Singapore, I was finally able to make my way to The Grandstand. The amusing part being that when I did, it was at the behest of my kids.

Engulfed by lush greenery within one of Singapore’s most elite neighbourhoods, The Grandstand is an expansive lifestyle destination. The foodie that I am, my main motivation to visit had been PasarBella, a gourmet paradise tucked away in a family, lifestyle and dining enclave. To put it simply - PasarBella is a farmers market. One of my closest friends in Singapore had highly recommended going there on many occasions but it never came about.

When the day finally arrived, there was another reason for us to go which was to keep the kids engaged for a major part of the day. My parents were in Singapore and we wanted to take the kids out to someplace they would enjoy. Kidzland is one of the largest themed and integrated indoor children playground and family entertainment centre located at The Grandstand. Suitable for children aged between 2 to 10 years of age, this huge space packed with abundant activities is guaranteed to entertain the little critters.

After my kids were done grabbing a quick bite at PasarBella (while I was going around gawking at the fresh produce), we headed over to Kidzland. It was just after opening hours on a weekday morning so we were fortunate not to encounter too much crowd during the whole time we were there. 

It was our first visit to Kidzland and thus we were non-members. The membership offered at Kidzland is free. How it works it that first, you have to register your child at the counter. You will then be given a card and you have to top-up money into the card (either $50 or $100). This stored value card then gets tapped at each station and the relevant amount of money gets deducted. If you run out of money, top up the card again. Simple enough right?

Adults entering the centre will be charged S$5 for the second and subsequent adults/guardians.

I don't know the reason but the process of registration seemed to take eternity. That was my only gripe with our experience at Kidzland. For those who don't have their own mode of transport, another could be that The Grandstand is not easily accessible by public transport so taking a cab would be the most convenient option. Anyway, moving on, once the initial formalities were over with, it was time to get in on the action. The kids had already been running around the games arcade exploring every nook and corner until then. The blinding colors and dazzling lights had done their job to keep them engaged for a while. But they were too young to really comprehend the games (that are typically catered to kids aged 4 to 10 in my opinion).

The Forest

This jungle-themed indoor soft playground is the prime play area for toddlers. It consists of 3,000 sqf of playing structures including a giant rainbow net, climbing structures, a swing, slide, merry-go-round, soft shooting & a mini rock climbing wall.

Know that all children and parents (or guardians) must wear socks and Kidzland wristbands before entering The Forest. Also be aware that re-entry is allowed for that day which means that young visitors can enter to play, exit to grab lunch at The Grandstand, and then go back in again to continue to play to their heart's content, within a day. 

My 2.5 year old toddlers were quite taken with the psychedelic rainbow net but they were too young to truly enjoy it. They did climb up and bounce a bit but after a while the novelty wore off and they wanted to explore the more age-appropriate play areas. 

They absolutely loved the giant three-lane slide and one of my twins in particular went on it about 50 times even though the ascent to the top was inundated with obstacles

Baker's Corner: Fresh Mango Cake with Whipped Cream and a Dark Chocolate Collar

I know things have been a little quiet around here lately. My parents are in town and that has been a big welcome distraction. I love having family around....it makes coming back home after work feel all the more comforting. On the flip side, my last four weeks worth of exercise and healthy eating (in the valiant efforts to lose weight) have gone down the drain within a matter of days. All that has ever been said about a mother overindulging her children with food and exacerbating laziness is completely true. Not to mention, ever since my mum and dad set foot in my home, both my daughters attitude towards me has been on the lines of - Your kind services are no longer required. You may go now 😒 And these are kids who normally want me for everything. "Amma come here" "Amma help me", "Amma give me a hug", "Amma feed me", "Amma do this" Amma do that"......you get where I am going with this? The way things are right now, I could go on a week-long cruise aboard the Royal Caribbean and I don't think they would even notice (on second thoughts, that is not a bad idea at all). Humph toddlers! Not too big on gratitude are they? 😉

Anyway, I had been feeling guilty for not taking advantage of mango season this year. I had all these grand recipe ideas in my head but I failed to execute any of them. The mangoes that would make way to my household would be gone before I could do get creative with them. After a while, I just made peace with the idea that I wouldn't be featuring a recipe with mangoes on the blog anytime soon.

As luck would have it, just before my parents were due to arrive, I asked my husband to get a stash of alphonso mangoes from Little India in case they felt like eating some. On my parents arrival, I discovered they had brought with them a sackful of alphonso mangoes (that were bigger and better than the ones we had gotten). I had about 12-15 mangoes in the refrigerator that were beginning to freak me out a little bit.

So, TADA! Say hello to this vibrant fresh mango cake with lightly sweetened whipped cream and a dark chocolate collar. This was a very on-the-spur-of-the-moment kinda bake. We had family visiting us and I had already decided to bake a cake to commemorate a special occasion. A mental image of all those lovely mangoes lying around waiting to be consumed and it really was a no-brainer 💡

Believe it or not, this is not a very complicated cake. The vanilla sponge comes together quickly and the whipped cream can be made in a flash. After that it is a matter of frosting the cake (a very basic job will do), thinly slicing the mangoes, arranging them on a rosette pattern on top and making the chocolate collar. The latter two aspects are more time-consuming and requires a bit of patience.

I'm happy I attempted something different (and slightly out of my league too). The cake turned out looking quite elegant, wasn't too sweet and was appreciated by everyone. I used up around 4 mangoes from my mango booty to make it. The rest have been slowly dwindling and we are now down to the last two.

So, I know that we are at the tail end of mango season and I may be a tad too late in bringing this recipe to you. But if you still have the king of fruit sitting around and you want to do something special with them then try this cake. If a cake decorating novice like me can pull it off then I'm pretty sure anyone can 🙌

Recipe of the month: Spicy Mushroom Capsicum Fry

It is Mother’s Day today - that one Sunday in May when the world officially tips its hat to the tireless, selfless women we call mom. A single day hardly feels adequate, does it? If you ask me, mothers deserve a lifetime of celebration. But hey, I don’t make the rules. So here’s wishing a very Happy Mother’s Day to all the incredible moms out there! From one mother to another - you are seen, you are valued, and you are absolutely irreplaceable 💖

This is going to be a short (and spicy!) post. Since it is Mother's Day, I am going to share a recipe that I got from my own mother more than a decade ago. Rewind to when I was a newly married and slightly panicked bride, frazzled at the thought of running a household. Before embarking on the new chapter in my life, I got myself a notebook in which I hurriedly jotted down a handful of simple recipes (including dal 😝). Among those recipes was this one for Spicy Mushroom Capsicum Fry that I nicked from my mom's handwritten recipe book. 

This recipe just needs a handful of ingredients, looks vibrant, tastes good and can be made within 30 mins. Sounds perfect right? This dry side dish is heavy on the spices, so feel free to go easy on the chilli if you prefer a milder version. I used to make this dish often, but it has made fewer appearances in recent years, mostly because the husband is Team Gravy when it comes to side dishes. I think this would be a perfect side dish to serve alongside a simple dal/mild curry and cooling raita with any Indian flatbread or one-pot rice dish. That way you get a satisfying, well-balanced meal that hits all the right notes.

If you are old enough to cook for your mom, you know what you need to do. Give her the day off and put a smile on that face that has worked a lifetime to make sure you always have one on yours 😊

Vegetarian & Vegan Food with a Modern Twist: The Living Café @ Bukit Timah, Singapore

Before this review, my plans of visiting The Living Café (TLC) had been hanging in the balance for the past 3 years 😄 Unfailingly, something or the other would come up forcing me to cancel my plans or venues would get changed unexpectedly. On one occasion, I even entered the café having scheduled dinner with a friend only to find that it was half an hour away from closing. I had no other option but to head over to another food establishment in the vicinity 😞

So when I had the opportunity to catch up with two old friends over lunch and realized that Bukit Timah was the ideal locality (being sort of equidistant for the three of us), I suggested TLC without a moment's hesitation.

This time, the stars aligned and my plans finally came through 🙌

The brainchild of master nutritionist Dana Heather, TLC embraces raw vegan food and this is what sets it apart from other cafés. Their chefs are continually creating their own versions of raw and raw-fusion to bring a wide scale of variety to the café. Although not 100% vegan, most of the dishes are vegetarian and vegan-friendly, with many raw options. Animal protein sources such as chicken, fish and eggs make an appearance in certain starters and entrees though dairy is entirely avoided. To be more specific, TLC does not use red meat, cow dairy, white sugar, preservatives, additives, artificial colorings and includes gluten-free alternatives on the menu. The café takes pride in using specially selected and sourced organic ingredients wherever possible and thoughtfully combines them to achieve optimum flavor for their healthy raw food establishment.

It was a Saturday afternoon and rather late by the time we reached the venue but much to my surprise, the café was bursting at the seams at 2pm. There was only one table vacant all the way at the back so we had to make do with that.

The naturalistic decor of TLC reflects the "green" concept of the café. Spacious and airy, prominent features of the space include mismatched furniture, earthy colors, indoor plants, chalkboards and a lofty ceiling. 

There are two floors - the lower floor consists of the dining area and the upper floor has a retail store selling premium quality food products, health supplements, essential oils and books amidst other things. 

Something that catches one's eye almost instantly is the glass case with their amazing array of raw desserts. While you are waiting for your orders to arrive, you could keep your peepers peeled on the enticing display.