Food For Thought @ Botanic Gardens, Singapore

Great place for weekend family time...

I've always liked the Singapore Botanic Gardens: While it's not very big, they have spaced it out nicely, with a good variety of sections; meandering paths, nice pond area, grassy fields and a scattering of interesting sculptures.
(I would recommend to avoid it on Sundays and long weekends though, because it gets a bit too packed with not just families, but also tourists, and workers on their off day)

There are a few food options within the park, and we usually head to Food For Thought, which is nearer to the Tanglin Gate/ Botanic Center side of the park.

Ok, so back to my "Parenthood" criteria for restaurants:
1) Is it child friendly? (Yes, tables are well spaced and there are ample baby chairs),
2) Is the general area child friendly? (Sort of. There's a nice play area attached to the restaurant, but no Nursing room nearby),
3) Is it easy to get to? (Yes, easily accessed by many busses (7,77,75,106) - just stop at Gleneagles Hospital and it's a short 5 minute walk to the restaurant)
4) Bonus: Is the food nice/ worth the price? (Yes... Well, I think so anyway)

Play area right next to the restaurant
The restaurant interior is modern, and comfortable, and I was surprised how (relatively) quiet it was that Saturday. Although it wasn't empty, the last time I was there (on a long weekend), it was an absolute madhouse.

Still, better to book on Chope well in advance, just in case.
(I wouldn't recommend calling their phone - maybe it's just my luck, but they hardly ever pick up)

Restaurant Interior
In terms of food, they have a decent variety: some brunch items (eg. French Toast), mains (eg. Beef Burger), as well as a handful of kid's menu items. The dishes are mainly Western, with a few having Asian twists, like the Torch Ginger Grilled Barramundi ($ 20), served with chilled quinoa and feta.This is my favourite main there, as I really like the moist fish accentuated with the torch ginger aroma.
(My only gripe?: The limp skin. I wish the skin was crispy-that would take it from good to awesome):

Barramundi
My hubby went for The Full Works ($ 22) - a plate loaded with up with scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, pomme noissettes (fancy French name for Tater Tots), garlic mushrooms, salad, and brioche toast. Nothing to fault on this - everything was prepared well and the crispy Tater Tots were addictively crispy. It is a rather large serving though - I don't think I could finish it by myself:

Full Works

There is a selection of cakes and ice creams, but we were too full for any dessert. We had ordered the Tempura Mushrooms ($ 7) as a side though. Overall, it was enjoyable - big, whole mushrooms that were coated with a rather heavy but crispy batter, served with a piquant kaffir lime mayo:

Tempura Mushroom
After a nice weekend brunch catch up with friends, we waddled around the gardens for a while in an effort to "walk off" the meal.

The Iconic Gazebo in Botanic Gardens



So, it's: Good food at good prices, convenient location, BUT gets too packed on long weekends/ holidays....

Summary Information:
Food For Thought @ Botanic Gardens, Singapore
Website: CLICK HERE

Opening Hours:
Monday - Sunday 8am to 9pm
(Last orders at 8.30pm)

Phone: +65 6338 4848

Address: 1 Cluny Road, Tanglin Gate, #B1-00, Singapore Botanic Gardens, Singapore Botanic Gardens, 259569
Map: CLICK HERE

NOT HALAL

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- Lady Iron Chef
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The Wild @ Westway Mall, Singapore

Change is constant...

------ start update ----

Update (20 Feb 2016):
Change is constant, indeed! So, turns out they are not open on Sundays anymore.
New opening hours:
Mon to Sat 12 - 9pm
Sun and Public holidays closed

------ end update ----

Life... is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get..
(Haha.. Yes lah. Lame/ overused line, I know, but I really do love that movie)

As life opens up new chapters, priorities will change accordingly. Currently, I'm at the wonderful (yet absolutely time and energy draining) chapter named "Parenthood". While I used to chase the excitement of trying new restaurants, nowadays I find myself sticking more to a set of criteria:
1) Is the restaurant child friendly? (It's just too tough eating in somewhere that is cramped, noisy or doesn't have baby chairs),
2) Is the general area child friendly? (Eg. Are there proper changing rooms nearby? Or a play area?),
3) Is it easy to get to? (I no marnee to buy car. Sinjiapore velly expensive)
4) Bonus: Is the food nice/ worth the price?

My hubby and I's most recent find that fulfils almost all of the above criteria, is a little restaurant named The Wild, located in Westway Mall (which is just across the road from Haw Par Villa MRT).
Note to families with babies/small children: I just double checked this weekend and unfortunately, the Westway Mall does not have a Nursing room, or Child friendly change room.
(Still, 3.5 out of 4 ain't bad)

I don't know if I'd call this a proper mall, not because of it's small size, but because there really aren't any retail shops to well, shop at...
(The whole mall = about 6 restaurants/ cafes, a cake shop, a darts bar on the ground floor, and a swim school at the back)

Still, I consider the quietness as a good thing, especially when we just want to go out for a peaceful family meal during the weekend. Overall, we find the restaurant very welcoming, as the tables are well spaced, and the service is always friendly.
(For those who drive - the parking lot is always fairly empty, so there shouldn't be any time wasted going around in circles)

Interior of The Wild

The restaurant has a decent selection of pastas, pizzas, mains and desserts, with a special brunch menu available on weekends. My favourite brunch dish is the Chicken and Waffles (SG $18), as the chicken is consistently moist, with crispy skin that is tasty and not overly salty or oily, atop a crispy waffle.
(It tastes even better when drizzled with syrup and hot sauce, for an awesome mix of savoury, sweet and spicy. I struggle to try anything new off the menu, because I always end up ordering this! :))

Chicken and Waffles

Another dish we order quite often is the Truffle Eggs Benedict (SG $16) - the yolks are always nicely runny, and goes well with the slightly tangy Hollandaise sauce which is accentuated by the aroma of truffle.

A brunch menu staple - Eggs Benedict

We also tried the Panna Cotta (SG $6) and found it enjoyable - not too sweet (yay!), with a nice creamy texture that went well with the jam and fresh blueberries it was topped with.

Panna cotta for dessert

After a fulfilling meal, we usually amble over to the children's play area. It's not very big, but is just a few steps away, and lets our little monster work out some excess energy (of which she seems to have ample amounts of!)

Play area nearby

I don't work close enough to this area to come by for weekday lunch or dinner, but I did notice that they have a decent weekday lunch set (prices start from $10), and some good daily deals for dinner too (eg. 50% off second pizza on Tuesday):

So, it's: Good food at good prices, convenient location, friendly service BUT there really isn't much else to do at this mall....

Summary Information:
The Wild @ Westway Mall, Singapore
Website: CLICK HERE

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat 12pm-9pm
Sunday and Public holiday Closed

Phone: +65 9687 2269

Address: 27 West Coast Highway, Westway #01-12, Singapore 117867
Map: CLICK HERE

NOT HALAL

OTHER REVIEWS:
- joHoR kAki BLoGs BEsT jB sINGApoRE FooD