Welcome back Oliveto

Have you poked your head in the doors of The Kingston Hotel lately? What a surprise. Oliveto is back, they have been serving up exquisite authentic Italian cuisine since before Christmas. We can finally get the famous wood over pizzas again too. The Tagliarie Board is great for sharing and a good opportunity for the kids to try some different foods. I love the new Frito Misto and my personal favourites are the Risi e Bisi or the Ossobuco for mains. There are children's options on the menu too if they are not that adventurous. The most difficult thing is to decide what to have for dessert they are all stunning.



Oliveto is filled with families over the weekend days, they just can’t keep them out it is spacious and welcoming. Oliveto is not only 'family friendly' but it is 'parent friendly' too. If you fancy a little quiet time on the rare occasions you can leave your little ones, pop over to their Library Bar. This ‘adult space’ provides a quiet, fresh space with an open fire and again that breath taking view. The staff serve up lovely coffee or you could try one of the cocktails from their newly launched Martini’s list. Whatever you order it is the place to go in Dun Laoghaire to have a chat with the girls or read a book without being interrupted by your own (or anyone else’s screaming children) it really is pure genius.

What a location. It is the only place in Dun Laoghaire that you can sit, eat, drink and take in the breath-taking views that are Dublin Bay. The renovations continue however the restaurant is looking amazing and the food and ambiance will keep you coming back time and time again.

Hope to see you there,

Love the Yummy Mummies and the Jetsetting Babies

Childrens Menu - Y
Baby Changing - Y
High Chairs - Y
Childrens Activities - Y (Colouring)

Review # 20 Tram Yard Cafe, Dalkey

Hi Everyone,

Sorry I am a little late with the review this week. With Tara so busy moving to London town I should be keeping up the blog but I have been a little slack, too busy missing her I'd say :) All this college work is building up too, if you don't know I have returned to college study Early Childhood Development so should have plenty to blog about in the near future, if I ever get a free moment. Enjoy this weeks review and start getting excited about some post from London coming soon.

The Tram Yard Cafe

A: Castle Street, Dalkey, County Dublin

O: Mon~Sun 9am~6pm

This stunning little café and gift shop in Dalkey is just off the main street in the old Dalkey Tram Yard, hence the name. The interior of the café is clean, vibrant and oh so pretty with my favorite Cath Kidson patterns adoring the tables, wares and even the staff in the form of pretty aprons. The decking for sitting out is in my opinion the best part of the café and there is a lovely casual but cool atmosphere that is enjoyed by an eclectic mix of people.

I tried a quiche which was served with a side salad and crisps and my friend ate from the outdoor barbecue being cooked right by our table. I am not sure if there is a specific children’s menu I was enjoying myself too much to stop and ask but there is a full sandwich bar so you will find something tasty for your littlen’s. We both had a glass of crisp Sauvignon Blanc and were lucky enough to be get some sunshine and free live jazz music to top off the experience.

Of course none of this would have been as enjoyable as it was if Amelie had not been content the whole time we were there. We were provided with a high chair and she happily sat nibbling in my quiche and sipping her water bottle just watching all that was going on around her. We were there for quite some time and when she got  a little restless in the high chair I was able to take her out and let her have a wander around as there is plenty of space. She amused herself with going up and down the step, oohing at the dogs that were constantly passing and having a little bop to the Jazz music.

Amelie relaxing at the Tram Yard Cafe

The changing facilities were lovely, staff very accommodating and overall the place exudes child friendly. On Saturdays there is a farmers market held in the tram year and I have heard whispers of a fantastic local artist about open a shop selling his hand made silver jewellery, very excited. We will be back without question to shop, eat drink and relax!

To read more reviews by the Jetsetting Babies pop over to our Review Page and if you want to share your favourite family friendly place with us contribute a review of your own, visit our Contribute Page for more information.

You might also like the blog... "Book Festivals, Live Outdoor Jazz, and a Creative Re-use"

Love the Yummy Mummies and the Jetsetting Babies xxx

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

Contribute Form

Every day spent with your children should be filled with happiness and excitement. We want to help! Whether you are staying close to home or venturing to the far and exotic corners of the world we want to help you know where you can eat, play and explore with children of all ages without having to worry where you will change your little one, whether you will have enough room to park your twin buggies or if there is going to be healthy nutritious food for you to feed you family.

 

Help Tara, Angi and the Jetsetting Babies help mothers from all corners of the globe explore the world without worry. Do you have a great restaurant, café, playground or event you have shared with your families? Want to share your experiences with other Mums so they can have as much fun as you did? Fill in the details below and e-mail it back to us.


We will post a review on our blog with everything you send us. We will include a photo that you provide with your children and your name at the top of the blog to give you the recognition you deserve for providing us with the information. (If you wish to remain anonymous that is fine also). Copy the form below or drop us an e-mail at jetsettingbabies@gmail.com and we will send you a copy in word format. Try to fill in all the questions but if you don’t have all the answers no need to worry just leave it blank.

 

ABOUT YOU
Name:
Your Children’s Names and Ages
Blog/Website
E-Mail:

REVIEW INFORMATION
Venue/Event/Activity name:
Address:
Phone Number:
E-Mail:
Web-site:
Opening Hours:
Are there highchairs available? If yes how many?	Y	N
Are there changing facilities?	Y	N
Is there a children’s menu?	Y	N
Is there ample space to park prams/buggies/strollers?	Y	N
Rate the service out of 10 with 1 being poor and 10 being excellent	1      2      3      4      5      6      7      8      9      10
Rate the food out of 10 with 1 being poor and 10 being excellent	1      2      3      4      5      6      7      8      9      10

Tell us a little about your experience:

(Feel free to include anything you liked or disliked about any aspect of your experience?)

Please attach some photos for us to include in the blog (Optional) Please, don’t forget to attach a photo of yourself with your child/ren so we can give you the credit)

All information given above will be used in a blog at http://jetsettingbabies.blogspot.com if you do not wish this information to be published on this site do not fill in the field.

Want to see an example of how your contribution might look on our blog visit:

Review #14 - Suzy Wongs House of Yum, Nashville Tennessee

We can't wait to hear from you!

Love The Yummy Mummies & The Jetsetting Babies

xxx

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