Looking for a family-friendly dining place?
Why not head down to Orchard Central?
The centralised mall in downtown Orchard now offers a slew of new F&B tenants, including many family-friendly ones. Rachel, Asher and I headed down to Orchard Central one weekday noon to embark on a culinary adventure at five F&B outlets: Maccha House (B1), Milagro Spanish Restaurant (Level 8), Tony Roma’s (Level 7), The Manhattan Pizza Co. (B1) and Spageddies Italian Kitchen (Level 4).
Sounds crazy, but we had fun and survived the endless food onslaught.
Our first stop was at Tony Roma’s, famous for their award-winning baby back ribs and onion loaf. I have fond memories of Tony Roma’s and was a regular patron at their restaurant during my JC days, between 1997-98. I still remember having dinner at Tony Roma’s with a bunch of JC friends, the night before our O level results were to be released. I was worried sick about doing badly for my Os then. Looking back now, it doesn’t seem like a big deal. Today, I am dining at Tony Roma’s again, but with my wife and a two year old son in tow. Asher means the world to me now and I am happy to share with him, the same good food which I used to enjoy as a teenager.
[image_sliders] [image_slider link=”http://www.orchardcentral.com.sg/index.aspx?key=directory-details&TenantId=2121″ source=”https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5516/14426050902_6b3cb56ccc_o.jpg”] Restaurant interior [/image_slider] [image_slider link=”http://www.orchardcentral.com.sg/index.aspx?key=directory-details&TenantId=2121″ source=”https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2937/14427348545_9de51450a5_o.jpg”] Open bar [/image_slider] [/image_sliders]
The signature onion loaf at Tony Roma’s is still as good as I remember it. Made with giant hand-cut onions, breaded, deep fried and served with Toma Roma’s own BBQ sauce, Asher love it as much as I do and couldn’t stop munching on the onions after the first bite.
The ribs was as sweet and succulent. To me, the best way to enjoy it is to hold the individual rib bone with a bare hand and pick through the meat on it to the very last morsel.
Next, we headed to Spageddies Italian Kitchen, another popular restaurant chain that has been in Singapore for sometime. They are famous for their spaghettis and run three restaurants in Singapore, with the outlet in Orchard Central being the flagship store.
[image_sliders] [image_slider link=”http://www.orchardcentral.com.sg/index.aspx?key=directory-details&TenantId=1794″ source=”https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3871/14240894537_ca1bb3d7e2_o.jpg”] Restaurant entrance [/image_slider] [image_slider link=”http://www.orchardcentral.com.sg/index.aspx?key=directory-details&TenantId=1794″ source=”https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3882/14240745680_602220a38d_o.jpg”] Open kitchen [/image_slider]
[/image_sliders]
The restaurant is kids-friendly, with ample baby chairs and kids cutlery. These are the items we sampled:
Particularly noteworthy are their signature Crayfish Parmigiana and Seafood Sizzlelini. The latter is great for a family of two adults and a young kid for sharing. It comes with scallops, mussels, prawns, crayfish, marinated onions and bell pepper, served with spaghetti in a slightly spicy neapolitan sauce.
From Italian cuisine, we moved on next at Milagro Spanish Restaurant, one of the newest F&B addition at Orchard Central. The owner of the restaurant is a 26 years old young chap who was inspired to set up a Spanish restaurant, after a road trip to Spain got him hooked on Spanish culture and cuisines. The menu and recipes are all carefully curated by the owner to deliver the most authentic Spanish dining experience for diners.
[image_sliders] [image_slider link=”http://www.orchardcentral.com.sg/index.aspx?key=directory-details&TenantId=2173″ source=”https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3914/14426877535_ce8527a24d_o.jpg”] The menu [/image_slider] [image_slider link=”http://www.orchardcentral.com.sg/index.aspx?key=directory-details&TenantId=2173″ source=”https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2896/14240274390_bce0f94509_o.jpg”] Simple decor [/image_slider] [image_slider link=”full_urlhttp://www.orchardcentral.com.sg/index.aspx?key=directory-details&TenantId=2173_link” source=”https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2936/14425750894_b50deee7fe_o.jpg”] Dining area [/image_slider]
[image_slider link=”http://www.orchardcentral.com.sg/index.aspx?key=directory-details&TenantId=2173″ source=”https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3868/14240273878_43966b6245_o.jpg”] Magnificent view of Orchard while enjoying your meal [/image_slider] [image_slider link=”http://www.orchardcentral.com.sg/index.aspx?key=directory-details&TenantId=2173_link” source=”https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3858/14240413987_b632676567_o.jpg”] Rachel and Asher at Milagro [/image_slider] [/image_sliders]
Rachel and I enjoyed the food at Milagro the best. You can feel the owner’s passion as you flip through their simple, yet diverse Spanish menu. For the price-conscious, Milagro is friendly on the wallet, with no GST and no service charge. The price you see on the menu is what you pay, nett, a very good deal for quality Spanish cuisine:
From Spanish cuisine, we moved on next to The Manhattan Pizza Co. for some American-style pizzas. Expect super-size portions, the way Americans like their food. One 10-inch slice of their pizza (from S$4.80 to S$6 per slice) is good enough for a complete lunch for many regular Singaporeans.
[image_sliders] [image_slider link=”http://www.orchardcentral.com.sg/index.aspx?key=directory-details&TenantId=1915″ source=”https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2905/14426872445_15fb3ba5ec_o.jpg”] Restaurant seats [/image_slider] [image_slider link=”http://www.orchardcentral.com.sg/index.aspx?key=directory-details&TenantId=1915″ source=”https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3872/14240266380_3a8e42e57d_o.jpg”] Restaurant entrance [/image_slider]
[image_slider link=”http://www.orchardcentral.com.sg/index.aspx?key=directory-details&TenantId=1915″ source=”https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3922/14425567332_b5df8de67a_o.jpg”] Ordering counter [/image_slider] [/image_sliders]
Asher loves pizzas and it came as no surprise that this was his favourite stop for the day. When the gigantic 20-inch Meat Lovers pizza (S$45) was served at our table, his eyes lit up immediately and was wolfing down a large slice the next second. I was rather taken aback to see him finish one whole slice of adult portion pizza on his own.
Manhattan Pizza Co. serves 9 different pizza flavours. Customers can decide between classics such as Regina, Hawaiian, Margherita, Pepperoni or their specialty flavours such as BBQ Chicken, Seafood, Roast Duck and Meat lover. Prices range from S$36 to S$45 for a 20-inch pie.
For those dining alone or who prefer a complete meal, there are 8 different combos to choose from. Combo prices ranges between S$5 to S$9.90 and they come with either a drink or a side and a drink. There is also a special “The Brat Pack” ($5) kids combo and kids are given a gift with every combo.
This pizza joint is one of the longest F&B tenant at Orchard Central, testimonial to their popularity with shoppers, especially with the young crowd.
The last stop was Japanese desserts at Maccha House which specialises in traditional maccha infused beverages & desserts. The restaurant has its root from Kyoto, Japan where the first Maccha House opened its door on July 2012.
[image_sliders] [image_slider link=”http://www.orchardcentral.com.sg/index.aspx?key=directory-details&TenantId=2025″ source=”https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3892/14424007271_4dbb7977cc_o.jpg”] Maccha House [/image_slider] [image_slider link=”http://www.orchardcentral.com.sg/index.aspx?key=directory-details&TenantId=2025″ source=”https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2904/14240710139_167f01f188_o.jpg”] Sakura theme [/image_slider] [/image_sliders]
I had fun enjoying a cup of maccha tea, the traditional Japanese way at Maccha House. For newbies like me, there is a helpful how-to guide at the restaurant:
The desserts were awesome:
Asher cannot get enough of the japanese pancakes while Rachel and I were delighted with the maccha ice cream. This is the perfect dessert place to wrap up a good meal.
Orchard Central is undergoing a little revamp and they are beefing up on their F&B tenant mix, offering just about something for everyone. Do visit the official website to check out some of the upcoming F&B outlets which will be opening soon in Orchard Central.
