Monday, June 8, 2015

Advance Father's Day Celebration @ City Square Mall

[Media Invite]

Come to think of it, it's been seven years since I was promoted to becoming a Daddy but Father's Day was always the simple dinner out with the family, although sometimes my wife would surprise me with a cake too. It got a little special this year, as the family was hosted by the wonderful peeps from City Square Mall for an early Father's Day celebration and we got to try out some of the stuff for the very first time.



The first thing we did was to fill up our stomach so that we have the energy for the rest of the day. We know zilch about lasagna and wouldn't be able to tell whats authentic or not for nuts but the name and looks of the boss sure resembles an Italian! A really friendly person who shared with us his story of how he got his nickname "Super Dario" from his colleagues when he was in the gaming / animation industry then and the name stuck because it sounded like the game character, Mario. He also subjected his close friends and family to a year of lasagna torture as he honed his culinary skills and subsequently started this specialty cafe that took after his nickname.

Menu gone digital. Here's a wide choice of lasagna for you to choose from, including vegetarian ones!
It sure looked christmassy! Can see that the Chef Dario places great importance to the food plating!
How can we miss the sweet desserts?
Some Tiramisu or Panna Cotta maybe?
First time trying out some Italian soda! We are very ok with them except for one particular flavor which tasted weird to us.
Although the cafe is rather small but the sofa seat inside fits our family just right and is really comfortable and cozy. Look carefully at the decor and fittings (like the pipings) and you would be able to find elements similar to the famous Super Mario game. About 50% of his customers do takeaways and they sell lasagna by the trays for home parties too. Have you heard of "Bak Kwa" lasagna? We didn't then, but now we know it's one of the tops sellers along with their Super Dario original. Having sweet tooth, we loved their tiramisu and profiteroles too! At times like these, we only wished we had bigger eating capacity!

Here's a great photo with Chef and Owner Dario. Can you see how happy Leroy was? Thumbs up!

Far East Flora (#B1-16)


Another famous brand name that reminds me of their nursery along Thomson Road for I loved gardening and plants too. You may think of what has this got to do with Father's Day? Well, the kiddos were going to build a terrarium (or two) for yours truly! The staff guided the kids patiently and two beautiful terrariums were made right before my eyes, by my own kids! Unlike the typical florist shop that solely sells cut flowers, this outlet has a wide selection of ready-made terrariums available for sale. I was told that they do not have terrarium-making classes and this special session was just arranged for us, and our friends at Sengkang Babies! Touched.

Wide range of terrariums for sale.
There are also very cute potted plants for sale as well.
The kids busy at work, doing up the terrariums for yours truly!
A closer look at the different animals  that the kiddos got for me!
My new terrariums from Steffi and Leroy! 

Milk & Honey (#02-K14)


What? Food again? This time, we are going to gouge ourselves silly with yogurt parfaits and cakes! Looking through their great selection of desserts, we simply couldn't make up our minds on what to order! The decor looks classy to me, and their displays and food presentation really lives up to their tagline of being an "Artisan" yogurt and dessert bar! Salivating as I am typing this, I think I would make a beeline (pun intended) to this outlet the next time I am back at the mall. Oh I don't know if I should be saying this but the seats at this outlet offers the BEST view for any staged performances at the mall! I think I might need to get their contact number for seat reservations! By the way, the next show would be Barney's Jukebox Party live on stage from 6 to 21 June 2015. *Hint Hint*

I cannot help but wanna try all the cakes on display! Too bad stomach no space liao!
Looks really tasty right???
Yes, we chose the Mango Yogurt which really tasted like mango pudding! 
This is what you use to order your desserts!
Royal Honey: Love the crunchy popcorn drizzled with honey and the honey crystal jello! Might be a tad too sweet though but I like sweet stuff... so...
Coffee Addict: Steffi ordered this because she liked coffee. I tried too and I like the coffee jello. I would not have imagined coffee with yogurt but the sweet coffee aroma went well with the tangy yogurt!

Fun N Laughter (#B2-31)



Opps! Been to the mall so many times and I actually didn't know that an indoor playground existed at the basement and so it was our very first time here! Okay, one might be a little disappointed if you are accustomed to the big premises of the bigger chains or establishments but this smallish outlet packs the usual ball pits, trampoline, slides, mazes, cannonball blasters etc in one location as well! There is also an interactive projected display on the floor where the kiddos can play games and save the planet. Like my Stacci would say, they would happily stay here "forever" if given the choice.

Mountain tortoise la me. First time knowing about this place.
Here's the entrance to the play area! 
The play area is not exactly big but the obstacle course is tall enough for adults to move about rather comfortably.
Stacci having fun rolling in the ball pit. Could do with more balls though,
The kiddos playing cooking together!
Very clean and spacious baby room for all your nursing needs.

TimeZone (#04-24/29)



This is a place I know very well, when I was still addicted to toy-catching then and would spend hours at the arcades. Time flies, this time round I am bringing my kids to the arcade instead, for the games and not the UFO machines though. Armed with a loaded card, they took turns playing the various machines that they would otherwise only get to watch others play. Having not fully grasped the concept of the value of money, they probably thought that they can swipe as many times as they want. But when it came to the time to go home after utilizing the full value, all of them gave me the usual sulky "I don't wanna go home" face,

Each playing their own machines.
The big girl got to ride because the small one was scared and got off halfway. Hahaha...
Happy with her loaded card!
Leroy versus Steffi. Steffi won because she had height advantage!
De-stressing time for mommy!

Like a boss. I wonder why so many people crowded around Leroy as he played.
The kiddos had great fun the entire afternoon! Thank you for the invite!
City Square Mall sure has lots to offer for the family, be it food, fashion or entertainment and you can check out the full list of outlets here. Although it was meant to be a "Father's Day Celebration", it sure felt like a kid's fun day out instead! But no problem, for you see, as long as the kids are happy, I am happy and that's what matters most to me, as a father. Thank you once again for having us and Happy Father's Day in advance to all the rest of the daddies out there too!

The latest show, Barney’s Jukebox Party ‘Live’ On Stage at City Square Mall from 6 – 21 June (Daily except Mondays)
Time: 1pm and 7pm (Tue – Fri); 1pm, 4pm and 7pm (Sat and Sun) @ Level 1 Atrium
(Photo Credit: City Square Mall)

2 comments :

  1. Wah what a shiok early celebration for you, though your kids probably benefited more from it than you. ;) Happy Father's Day in advance to you!

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    1. Thank you so much Adeline! Yup it was definitely a fun-filled day for the kiddos! But like I always said, as long as the kids are happy, I am too! :)

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