Slurp it... new review for the Giddy Goose

The Giddy Goose Cafe was the first review we ever posted back in January '11, having recently read the review I have realised as our blog is not the only thing to have grown. The Giddy Goose was relatively new itself back then and it really seems to have completely found its feet this last few months. So here is a new review, a little more up to date and fitting to the Giddy Goose today...

This week the Giddy Goose is participating in Soup for Life - National Soup Week.

Soup for Life is a fun and positive campaign which urges everyone to sip some soup!
For every bowl of soup sold in the Giddy Goose this week, a donation of €1 will be made to Gorta

Donations will help the poorest families in Uganda secure a better future. The money raised will provide seeds, tools, livestock and training on nutrition and food security.

Good on ya Giddy Goose and I urge everyone to get down and support this campaign. Now for our review...


THE GIDDY GOOSE CAFÉ

A :     138-139 Lower Georges Street
          Dun Laoghaire

T :    (01) 2148634

The Giddy Goose... we go back to again and again, baby friendly you ask? Well Yes! How friendly you ask, well honestly you can't get much better. The staff are brilliant and the service is really fresh and friendly, there is always a helping hand with your buggie or baby. The coffee is consistently good (it is what has always kept me returning to the GG.) There are a couple of high chairs for the littlest ones and for slightly older kids with better dexterity and larger appetites the Giddy Goose has all sorts of treats from colouring pencils and toys for entertainment to delicious kids options on the menu. They even sell babychinos to complete the cafe experience for the youngsters. Ame loves the ginger bread men, pretty much for the tiny chocolate buttons. Beware it can get super busy on the weekends so it makes a little squishy for too many buggies! I can't say much about the food as I always order the same thing, very tasty eggs Florentine with a side of sauteed mushrooms and a sausage to share with Ame. The pastries are fresh daily and there are always very tasty homemade cakes in the counter. Overall we go back again and again because it is a lovely little place with a lot of character and a nice buzz to it for Yummy Mummy and Jetsetting Baby alike.

High chairs Y – 2

Baby Changing Y

Children’s Menu Y

Children’s Activities Y

Colouring, Puzzles, Blocks

Love Angi x

Review #10 - Overends Cafe, Airfield Farm, Dundrum

Hi Everyone, if you read my previous post on Airfield Farm you will know that I promised a review of Overends Cafe that is part of the beautiful house located on the farm. So here it is...

Overends Cafe

A: Airfield Farm, Upper Kilmacud Road, Dundrum, D14

T: 01 2984301

E: bookings@airfield.ie

W: www.airfield.ie

After enjoying a wonderful walk around the farm ground we approached the old house feeling very hungry. The restaurant was much larger than I had expected and for those of you familiar with Powerscourt Gardens very similar. For those of you not familiar I will elaborate. There is several large rooms with seating for groups of two to about six and a generous outdoor area for al fresco dining with large tables overlooking a very beautifully well-kept garden. As we sat in the rare Dublin sun, feeding Amelie bits off our plate and admiring the view we were perfectly relaxed.

The food is all prepared on premises fresh daily and it shows. I had a vegetable roulade which was served with three gourmet salads all of which I thoroughly enjoyed. I was given a large dollop of homemade pesto to go with my leafy salad and at first I was not so sure, but after identifying the 'different' flavour as lavender I liked it a lot more. I wouldn't be looking for it every time I have pesto in the future but I always appreciate the little twists and extra effort put in by a chef to give your palate something to think about.

Desserts posed a problem there were so many to chose from, all as sickly looking as the last. My husband had a generous slice of chocolate cake served with lashings of whipped cream and I gorged over a huge slice of black forest cake served with the same over the top lashings of whipped cream. Both were too large for us to finish entirely but we were not complaining. The best thing was we did another lap of the farm before leaving so I am sure the extra walking helped with all those extra calories!

A visit to Airfield Farm is a must this Spring and if you are looking for a lovely lunch Overends Cafe is, in my opinion, a great choice whether you are visiting the rest of the farm or not. There are lovely changing facilities for the babies and plenty of high chairs to go around. It gets the baby friendly tick of approval and I will be back with Amelie without a doubt.

Visit our Events Page for up and coming events at Airfield Farm or check out my previous post on the day we spent with Amelie at the farm, the new born lambs were a highlight of the day!

Baby Changing - Y

Highchairs - Y x 3

Kids Menu - N

Children's Activities - Y The Farm!

Have a great week,
Angi x

New Look Reviews - The Sunshine Cafe

Hi, here is a review for the Sunshine Cafe, Dun Laoghiare. As we have now opened the review section of our blog up to contributers I filled out a contibuters form so you could see an example of the New Look Reviews. If you would like to contribute, copy the form from our blog or email us at jetsettingbabies.blogspot.com (That is why this review is written in the third person.)



The Sunshine Cafe


A: 107, Lower Georges Street, Dun Laoghaire,
P: 01 230 1828

Thankyou to our Yummy Mummy Angi and her Jetsetting Baby Amelie(13months). They contributed the information for this weeks review. Angi has a blog check it out: http://jetsettingbabies.blogspot.com/

(This photo could be of you and your little ones!)




The Sunshine Cafe is a genuinely good cafe on the main street of Dun Laoghaire with a nice vibe . Angi rates the service a 9 out of 10 and says "The staff always hold the awkward double doors so I can get the buggy in, I have even seen them stop in the middle of taking an order to help me."

The food gets a 8 out of 10 and Angi says "it is wholesome and flavourful, there is always a lot of desserts to chose from I really enjoy their soups." The Sunshine Cafe serves breakfast daily as well as a really good lunch menu. The freshest ingredients are used in their food with their open sandwich's seeming very popular.

Unfortunately much of their seating us upstairs and while the tables downstairs are nicely spaced the room could not accommodate more than a few at a time. There are also no changing facilities at all again this can pose a problem for families. On the up side there is a cute sandwich and juice deal for children and there are two highchairs available for use.

Angi mentioned that there was always some gret music playing, "I love the French Jazz that was on last time I was there" she commented. Thanks again Angi for sharing your expereinces.

 

Baby Changing - N

Highchairs - Y

Kids Menu - Y

Children's Activities - N

Review # 8 - Gallery.net Cafe - Dundrum

Hello all, here we are again with another cafe review for you. Hope you have all been enjoying special times with your familes, we would love to hear about your favourite family friendly venues and events in your area, where ever you may be, drop us an email at jetsettingbabies@gmail.com

Gallery.net Cafe

Dundrum Shopping Centre

A: Sandyford Rd, Dundrum, D16

T: 01 299 1700

E: n/a

W: www.dundrum.ie

After a busy day shopping in Dundrum there endless places to choose from when the time comes for lunch. We hope to review them all in time and let you know which we find the best if you have your babies and toddlers with you. We will begin with Gallery.net Café, it is a small little bagel bar located on the Gallery Floor. The free wifi access is obviously appealing to students and business people so we were not sure how this place would fare on baby friendliness if it was not really the clientele they were aiming at. I can hardly imagine Amelie being patient enough for me to update the blog over lunch.

Let begin by saying the staff at this café were very attentive, friendly and able to stay on top of the busy lunch time rush. We ordered sandwiches, drinks and some fruit for Amelie. I was excited that they sold one of my favourite drinks… Feel Good orange and cranberry water, it is delicious and packed full of vitamins and minerals that give you a real energy boost. The sandwiches were fine at best, my husband leaving half of his as he just lost interest and thought the bread was slightly stale, we probably should have gone for bagels instead. The fillings in my sandwich seemed fresh and the salad crisp, again the bread was slightly stale so I would try a bagel the next time.

As we were not quite full from our less than amazing sandwiches we decided to have something sweet to cheer us up. The coffee and cake deal for €3.95 was too good to pass up and certainly made up for the sandwiches. The coffee was good and the cakes were nice, run of the mill nothing too special but nice. By this stage Amelie had made a huge mess with her fruit and was now getting fidgety, we paid the bill which was very modest and left feeling satisfied from the desserts. We look forward to visiting some of Dundrum's other cafes soon, and of course sharing our experiences with you.

Baby Changing - Y

Highchairs - Y

Kids Menu - N

Children's Activities - N

The Gallery.net Cafe did not have any chidlrens activities however Dundrum Shopping Cetre is packed to the brim with things for baies, toddlers, children of all ages and of course their parents. More info to come soon.

Love The Yummy Mummies and The Jetsetting Babies

xxx

Review # 7 The Promenade Cafe, Dun Laoghaire

The Promenade Cafe

A: 1-2 Windsor Terrace,
Dun Laoghaire,
Dublin

T: (01)2148710

The Promenade Café is located just down from Teddy’s Ice Cream in Dun Laoghaire. Peoples Park is around the corner and there is a lovely walk along the coast to Sandyford so you can work off the calories from lunch. I noticed the Promenade Café soon after it appeared but it took me a little while to get down there. After a busy morning with Amelie at the Cuidui play group in in Glenageary I decided to stop for lunch before heading home.

The steps are quite tricky to negotiate with a buggy alone.  I must admit after the stairs I was worried that this place would not be baby friendly at all. I was wrong. I was greeted by a lovely woman who directed me where I could park my buggy and showed me to a table. The only high chair was already in use, luckily I had brought the sackn’ seat so Amelie was fine to sit at the table with me.  Some age appropriate toys and books were delivered to my table to amuse Amelie while I had a peak at the delicious looking food on offer.

The decor is designed to make you think you are in a little French Café, there are all sorts of treats like boiled lollies and homemade relishes to buy that are on display on the walls in between the classic art nouveau posters nicely famed and dotted around the place. I had cottage pie which was very hearty and really hit the spot. For dessert I had a mouth watering slice of cheese cake that was all together far too large I am actually ashamed to say I finished every last mouthful.

Great Café experience, baby friendly yes but baby practical not so much. Stairs, table layout and overall size of the venue poses problems for Mums with more than one child.

We attempted to return the next week, four Mums and four babies… not a chance. We all managed the stairs only to realise there were no tables big enough for us all to sit at (most tables are for two) and no way could we park all the buggies without completely blocking the door. We resigned to try again another day and tottled down to Poppies where there is always room for us and the babies.

Enjoy x

It was a beautiful day and this is a photo taken just by the car park, I love rainbows!

Jetsetting Babies Guide to Dublin South - Review # 6 - Poppies - Dun Laoghaire

A: 7 Upper Georges Street, Dun Laoghaire

P: (01) 6336871

W: www.poppies.ie

Poppies is a great little café, restaurant located at the top end of Georges Street quiet close to The People’s Park in Dun Laoghaire. It is just opposite a great babies store called Tiggle (a relatively new addition to stores in Dun Laoghaire).  I frequent Poppies often either with friends who have children or alone with Amelie.

The well-spaced tables allow plenty of room for buggies and high chairs, I have met three other Mums and their children at Poppies on several occasions and found it to be quite comfortable. Like many other places they only have two high chairs so you may have to hold your baby on your lap or leave them in the buggies if you are in a large group. I have also seen a huge number of mothers here with their toddlers and small children it seems to cater for families well.

The food in Poppies is fantastic and uses locally sourced ingredients. I have often called in purely for a nice fair trade coffee and their amazing homemade carrot and walnut cake. Having tasted a good number of things from the menu, I can say I am not so in to the ‘Poppies Chicken’ it looks interesting and impressive with a cornflake and almond topping but as a signature dish I was not blown away, it is a little dry and plain. On the other hand I highly recommend the saucy and flavorsome Shepherd’s Pie served with Avoca style salads or a baked potato. No clear children’s menu but they have a lot of things you would happily feed your kids, what’s more is they have a god selection of fruit available for a healthy snack.

A fun marketing idea and eco-friendly initiative has been adopted by Poppies, they sell their own travel mugs and stainless steel water bottles which they currently have on promotion at 50% off, and I was lucky enough to get the travel mug filled with a hot, creamy take away latte when I last purchased one.

If you didn’t have to place your order and pay your bill at the counter this place would be a little closer to perfect for mothers and babies. They staff are lovely and deliver great service each visit. The next time you need to warm up a little after a trip to the playground in People’s Park poke your head into Poppies and you will leave full, cozy and satisfied.

High Chairs: Y x 2

Childrens Menu: N

Changing Tables: Y

Kids Activities: N

Review #4 - Tonic Bar & Restaurant

Hi Everyone,

Apologies for being a little late with this weeks review. I just could not find the time to get to a computer this weekend, I had a lovely lunch in Oliveto Restaurant in Dun Laoghaire with Tara and her family on Saturday (Review coming soon). On Sunday some of my girl friends and I popped in to Sea Green in Monkstown (Review #2) for lunch and a belated birthday celebration. The food was excellent and a glass of prosecco was a nice touch to the overall experience. This week I have reviewed Tonic in Balckrock, the first restaurant to feature on our blog. I have to say it is my favourite place in Blackrock thus far to take the babies aside from the very generic Starbucks for coffee and a snack I have struggled to find anywhere that is worthy of visiting again but the search continues. If you have somewhere you would like the Jetsetting Babies to review just let us know.

TONIC AND SUIT 54

A:       5 Temple Road

           Blackrock Village

T:       (01) 2887671

E:       mail@tonic.ie  

W:      www.tonic.ie

                             

If you live on the South side I am sure that you have a few fond memories of Tonic and Suite 54
from you pre-baby days. Or maybe you even get a baby sitter now and again to have a night out (where you don’t have to trek into town, ) get in a bit of a dance and to sample one of their award winning cocktails. What to do though if you have the kids and you are in Blackrock? Tonic restaurant mightn’t be the first place that comes to mind when you are thinking baby and family friendly, though possibly it should be. I love to visit Tonic on the weekend after the Blackrock markets or a trip to the park with Amelie. A really unique, nutritious and tasty kids Sunday menu has recently been launched. It is full of food you would love to cook every day for your kids at home; these guys understand there is more to feeding your little ones when you are out then chicken gougons and chips… they even have a baby bowl which will not disappoint even the smallest of critics. The menu does not disappoint us either. I really enjoy the smoked duck waldorf salad and you can’t go wrong with a steak. The coffee is of a very high standard and there is a delcious list of desserts to match.Don’t be daunted by the few stairs as you enter, just pause a moment and someone will be at your side to help you around the venue with your buggy. Once the few stairs are negotiated there is ample buggie parking space, highchairs and changing facilities so you wont need to go anywhere in a hurry. This is our diamond in the rough, check it out before it becomes too well known and there isn’t room for any of us anymore.

High chairs - Y x 2

Baby Changing - Y

Children’s Menu - Y

Kids Activities - Y Colouring

These photo's of Amelie were taken before we arrived at Tonic we were shopping in the Frascati Shoppig Centre and she even got a free balloon from Shrek in the Blackrock markets. The camera battery then ran out so no photo's of the venue but check out their web site it is very detailed and has some great shot of the food and of the venue itself.

Review # 3 Mugs Cafe Dalkey - Jetsetting Babies guide to Dublin South

Ok I know I am little early with the review this week but we have had a week full of sickness. Poor DJ and Amelie have had the tummy bug and it seems the yummy mummies are not so yummy this week either. So this weekend I am going to disinfect this house and finally get rid of these bugs once and for all... so here we go here is review number 3...

MUGS CAFE DALKEY

A: 61a, Castle St. Dalkey, Co. Dublin .

T: 012840419

Mugs is a dainty little cafe situated in the heart of Dalkey, on Dalkey main street. When I say dainty, I mean dainty. Its not the most buggy friendly of places. The double doors that lead in to the cafe are awkward to open as you need to open both of them to actually get in to the place. Once you are in there is no where to park your buggy and unless you get the sofa to the right of the door your kinda stuck. Its very small and intimate in side and you are bound to knock in to someone sending their lattes flying. There is a small narrow staircase leading to an upstairs, which does have an area at the back that has comfy sofas and an area where you could sit with your babies, if you can actually get up there. There are no high chairs, no changing facilities and no children's menu. However they do fantastic coffees and yummy cakes and soups. If you are happy to take your baby in there in a papoose or sling and you avoid the lunch time rush its a lovely little place to go. The staff and owners are really friendly and they love babies. So all in all, not a great place to go with your babies but if your on a mums only morning out go check it out.

High chairs              N

Baby Changing         N

Children’s Menu       N

Kids Activities           N

 

Lots of love The Jet Setting Babies and The Yummy Mummies

Kickstart & Coco Markets in People's Park Dun Laoghaire

Today Amelie and I popped into 'Kickstart' in Peoples Park in Dun Laoghaire to see what all the fuss was about. What a fab day to be had by families. There were bouncy castles and slides, candy floss, arts and crafts and face painters.

Amelie was a little small for all of the activities but had a great time watching all the older kids play. She especially enjoyed watching the juggler and had fun showing off her clapping and waving skills too.

The Coco Farmers Markets were on as usual and we got a few tasty treats, I had a a break from the amazing and addictive duck pies and instead opted for a delicious sausage roll from the 'Lovin Catering' bakery stand.

 

We sat by the water fountains and ate our lunch together. While it was chilly it was a lovely day out and we look forward to next year's kickstart when Amelie can take part in a few more of the activities, until then the swings will keep her amused time and time again!

This was a five star family friendly event, and we look forward to the next one to be held by the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council. Keep reading our blogs for event updates and of course more reviews on Dublin cafe's and restaurants. So far we have published reviews on The Giddy Goose and Sea Green Emporium and Tea Rooms...

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!

Love the Jetsetting babies and their Yummy Mummies

x x x

Review # 2 Sea Green Tea Rooms and Emporium - Jetsetting Babies Guide to Dublin South

Hi Everyone,

We are back this week with our second review, if you missed our first review on the Giddy Goose in Dun Laoghaire be sure to check out our previous blogs. This week we are talking all about a little place in Monkstown that is worth a visit anyday of the week. We would love to hear your views on the places we visited so feel free to get in touch. We have a face book page too of course, be sure to 'like' it to find out more... http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jetsetting-Babies-Guide-To/184088134954174

Sea Green Tea Rooms and Emporium

A:       11a – 12a The Crescent

Monkstown

T:       (01)2020130

E:       info@seagreen.ie

W:      http://www.seagreen.ie/

Sea Green was such a hidden treasure and not a place we discovered until sometime into our search for the Jetsetting Babies Guides most family friendly cafe in Dublin's South. A friend mentioned that during her first few weeks home from the hospital she would pop down daily for  walk to sea green and get a great take away latte. We heard… 'great latte' and were there in a flash. So impressed we were that our search slowed for a little as we found it hard to drag ourselves away. Vintage wooden highchairs with the softest cushions for the babies are a photo op in themselves, but there are only three so you will have to be quick. Ample parking space for buggies, a changing table and even a supply of organic baby food will see coffee melt into lunch, lunch into coffee and coffee into “oh no I have to get home and get the dinner on.”  The coffee, the homemade scones and the hot chocolates are to die for. The salads we found to be a bit hit and miss but there are plenty of other tasty soups, sandwiches and homemade meals that you will be more than satisfied. The staff are very friendly and accomodating, they are patient with children and make a cute babychino (a little heavy on the chocolate in my opinion for a baby but for toddlers and up it's a go.) With a cute shop where you can find excellent boutique gifts, designer clothing and shoes, you will be dreaming of going back for seconds the moment you leave. What’s more if you don’t have time to browse their store while you dine, check out their website once your kids are in bed and treat yourself to some great online shopping.

High chairs              Y

Baby Changing         Y

Children’s Menu        Y

Kids Activities           Children's vintage style toys for sale 

With love, Angi Tara and the Jetsetting Babies

A lovely Christmas decoration Tara picked up in Sea Green Emporium for Amelie as her first Christmas decoration, isn't it gorgeous!

xxx

Review # 1 Giddy Goose Cafe - Jetsetting Babies Guide to Dublin's South

Good Morning Everyone,

We are very excited to post our first review today, the start of something special! We know that eaveryone has a different dining experience each time they visit a venue and these reviews merely represent ours. We hope you find this review and the many to follow helpful. Enjoy your weekend we hope you find a gret latte and a tasty muffin somewhere...

THE GIDDY GOOSE CAFÉ

A :     138-139 Lower Georges Street

          Dun Laoghaire

T :    (01) 2148634

The Giddy Goose... we go back to again and again, baby friendly you ask? Well Yes! How friendly you ask, well honestly it depends on what day you go. Some days we sneak in out of the rain and are greeted with smiles and the waitresses will hold the door, move the furniture, park the buggie, get the high chair, and tickle the babies until they’re happy. Other days you do all of the above yourself while they watch with a strange look from behind the counter as if you are aliens. Though we must say they are perfectly patient when the bubs throw food at the ground, other customers or even the staff and never complain about the mess you leave behind. For slightly older kids with better dexterity and larger appetites the Giddy Goose has all sorts of treats from colouring pencils for entertainment to delicious kids options on the menu. They even sell babychinos (albeit they’re a little overpriced) to complete the café experience for the youngsters. Beware it can get super busy on the weekends so it makes a little squishy for too many buggies! The quality of food and coffee is about as consistent as the quality of service, stick to the simple dishes with simple ingredients and you should really enjoy your meal. Get into the cup cakes quickly too as they always seem to run out. Overall we go back again and again because it is a lovely little place with a lot of character and a nice buzz to it for Yummy Mummy and Jetsetting Baby alike.

High chairs	Y – 2
Baby Changing	Y – 1
Children’s Menu	Y
Children’s Activities	Y – Colouring

Love Angi x

Eco Friendly Tip # 1 – Me & My Travel Mug

Eco Friendly Tip # 1 – Me & My Travel Mug

For Christmas I was very excited to open one of my presents and find a travel mug. I had wanted one for quite some time but had not gotten around to picking one up.  The main reason I wanted a travel mug was because all of those take away lattes had really started to eat at my conscience. I imagined the pile of paper cups, plastic lids and paper sugar packets getting higher and higher the landfill spilling over and toppling into pristine forests and crystal clear ocean (overactive imagination YES far from the reality NO. So every time I bought a cup of coffee to drink while doing the shopping or running errands it tasted a little bitter, even though there was nothing wrong with the coffee.

Now I simply pop into my favourite café (that sells fair-trade organic coffee of course) hand them my travel mug and I am on my way sipping a delicious guilt free latte. It stays hot for longer too so it means if you get distracted with a dirty nappy or a crying baby and the coffee gets forgotten you have a much better chance of still enjoying it warm instead of cold. I salute everyone out there who already has their eco-friendly travel mug and urge all of you who don’t to jump to the travel mug band wagon! If you are a Yummy Mummy who lives a hectic life this is a small, simple practical item that you will really enjoy and it’s great for the planet!

The Math –

If I got 1 take away coffee a week (and well let’s face it, it’s usually three) for a whole year I have saved by using my travel mug between 52 – 156 paper cups, and 52 – 156 plastic lids from ending up in landfill.

Check out www.kitchen cookware.ie and pick up your Travel Mug today!