Out and about the Rainforest

Yup! Believe it or not we finally went there! It was a belated birthday gift for the Little Monkey from one of her friends. The charming 4 year old gifted us an afternoon of hanging with her at her all time favourite spot in the WHOLE WOLRD. I’m guessing Disney comes pretty close though! As you know I’m not a fan of chains and have pretty much never highlighted them on my blog when it comes to dining out with  baby. This time is no different… I’m not telling you to visit here for the food, which is why it isn’t under the dining out section. Infact don’t bother with any of the mains. Stick to the drinks and the appys and go in for the pure ecstasy on your child’s face.

As soon as we entered the cafe I was reminded of being on holiday. Think Universal Studios, Epcot Centre… very theme park like with a sense of adventure and excitement. The space is huge and with a true rainforest feel has plenty to arouse the senses. Large fish tanks, trees with giant fruits, near life sized animals, serpents and reptiles are staged throughout. Go for the ambiance. Which is what I’m assuming the two couples I saw on a date were doing, because I don’t understand why childless beings would want to dine there. Let alone have steak!

We sat by the elephants and would do so again but there’s plenty of other animals to sit by that will captivate the young ones. I was not expecting the pure joy that two stampeding (yet stationary) mechanical elephants would bring every twenty minutes or so. Mind you it can get loud but being a city girl the Little Monkey was not phased by the loud noises in the least bit. Instead she was jumping for joy and squealing in delight as she stood mesmerized. “Aaleeya”  was repeated over and over… which is Elephant in Sinhala (probably the ONLY word she knows in Sinhala!).

 I had the Oreo Milkshake because being pregnant gives me the right to have that. Justified. The burger was mediocre at best and I would highly recommend NOT getting it. I hear the Fajitas are okay but in all honesty the appys looked better and were a bit more reasonable in price, though I still don’t expect them to be anything more than sub-par  I’d say stick to the drinks (they have a well stocked bar) and some nibbles whilst your little ones explore the area. Better yet.. vino and dessert might be your best bet. Service was extremely friendly and they didn’t mind the kids running around but don’t expect speedy service. Even if the cafe is empty, it will take about ten minutes to get you seated and there’s no rush to get you out the door either.

Go for the thrill of jungle adventures, experiencing Jumaji in real life, the excitement of thunderstorms and the innocent smiles on your lil one’s face.

p.s- I apologize for the blurry pics. I only had my phone with me as I wasn’t expecting much! If you’re wondering why bunny and the bottle is out.. we had a busy day of breakfast, lunch and dinner dates so I had to ensure she took her naps wherever she could. I went prepared.