Media Invite
Sometime back, I did a series on “School Holiday Specials”, and under the category of my top 5 picks for kid-friendly restaurant, I mentioned Rochester Playhouse. After recent renovation works, the playhouse is now even more fun for the kids. We were invited back for a review last week, and as always, everyone had a great time. If you are looking for a venue for play dates or just a gathering with your parent friends, I recommend The Playhouse & Cafe at Rochester. There’s good food and plenty of play time for the little ones.
The Cafe
The dining area is in alfresco style with no air-conditioning. I like going there in the evenings when it’s more breezy. It’s got a very chill and relaxing ambience.
Outdoor Play Area
Right next to the cafe is the outdoor play area for the kids. This whole area is further divided into 3 sections –
1) Free play area with toys, little cars and slides on grass carpet
2) Mini water play pool
3) Huge trampoline and a mini garden
The Indoor Playhouse
No worries if it’s a rainy day because The Playhouse also has an indoor play area, which in my opinion, was the real deal. It’s air-conditioned with different areas for pretend play, dress-up, slides, ball pit, wooden blocks, coloring and craft tables etc. It’s very comfortable and cosy to be inside, and there are staff helping to engage your kids as well.
The dress up corner was obviously popular especially with the little girls. =)
If your kids are old and independent enough, they can be left playing inside the playhouse while the adults continue having their meals in peace.
I like it that the whole place is clean and there are many different toys to keep the kids entertained. Every kid would probably dream to have a playhouse like this!
The Food
We tried several items from the menu and enjoyed everything!
A must-have for a kid-friendly restaurant is a kids’ menu of course.
The kids ordered Fish & Chips (all-time classic!) and it was served with a cookie and a juice.
The adults ordered a few dishes to share. First up, Classic Caesar Salad ($11.90)! The veggies were fresh and I like it that sauce was just right and not overpowering.
And there was even a poached egg on top of it! Made it very hearty indeed. :)
I love the starter dish we chose – Prawns With Roasted Garlic ($14.90). The prawns were so huge and succulent, and tasted superb! Totally whet our appetites for the main courses to come.
One of the main courses we particularly enjoyed was the Chicken Fajitas ($28.90). The chicken chunks were so well done with slightly charred sides, peppers and onions! Delicious!
Wrap it up with jalapenos, lettuces, avocado spread and salsa sauce – Perfecto!
We simply had to try the Weekend Roast because they are only available during the weekends. This Prime Rib of Beef ($52) was a huge slab of meat – Perfect for meat lovers, or for two ladies to share. Served with truffle mash and veggies.
The husband was all praise for it. =D
I’ve always enjoyed the Prawn Aglio Olio ($16.90) here, so I had to order it no matter what. Let’s just say it did not disappoint. =P
Ordered another beef steak main course – Rib-eye ($29.90) - and it was really tasty with black pepper sauce. And that mountain of French Fries was just too awesome.
Desserts was a plate of cute macaroons ($2.90/pc) – Sweet endings to a really delicious meal.
Thank you Rochester Playhouse & Cafe for making it such a wonderful evening for my family. The kids had so much fun playing with one of the staff – Taj! Thanks for taking good care of them in the Playhouse! :)
If you are interested to bring your kids to the Playhouse, here are the charges and other info for your reference:
Opening Hours:
Open 6 days a week
Tuesdays - Friday: 10 am till 7pm
Saturday & Sunday: 10 am till 8pm
Play Rates
1 hour Play-pass @ $8
2 hours Play-pass @ $10
Unlimited Play-pass @ $15
Superheroes @ The Playhouse!
By the way, The Playhouse is having a special Superheroes @ The Playhouse event this coming weekend on 16 Aug 2014 (Sat), 11am to 6pm! Do bring your kids down to have some fun! For just $15, the kid can play in the playhouse and participate in games, take photos at the photo booth and enjoy a free kid’s meal with free flow juices! I think it’s super worth it! =D
