Keeping up with the Joneses

I’m always game to try a new restaurant out, and even more so, when it’s kid friendly! So I’ve been wanting to try The Joneses out for a while now, but just haven’t had the opportunity. We ended up going for a drive on Saturday and I thought it was perfect to stop there with 2 of my 3 kiddos.

There’s a place called The Treehouse Kids literally 5 steps away from the restaurant where your kids can play while you eat. So this sounds like a dream for any parent!

When you get there, the place sure doesn’t look kid friendly as I think the decor is quite elegant. I was worried my 1yr old would pull everything to the floor. We went to check out the play area first and signed the 2 boys in. Okay firstly, I am NOT a mom that leaves my kids anywhere. There are kiddie play places where you can drop them off, have them, tagged and collect them later. I cannot do that, so even 5 steps away, I found this to be incredibly hard, especially with my 1yr old. On top of that, he was left alone while the receptionist ate lunch. She said as soon as she was done with lunch, she’d be tailing him. I asked my 4yr old to just hang out with his brother until they could allocate somebody to watch him.

We chose a table on the deck with full view of the play house so I could see baby boy with every step that he took…and poor middle boy following him around while everybody else played. The receptionist did eventually start tailing him and I sent hubby to tell middle boy his babysitting duties were over (as he was still tailing him with adult supervision).

We ordered some drinks and tapas and within about 20 minutes a minder came with baby boy as he was not happy there. I was relieved actually.

Drinks were prompt and I found the menu to be very interesting. I loved the idea of tapas for R20 and R30 per plate, so I just chose 2 as I wasn’t super hungry. I also asked for a child seat/high chair and one was brought so my 1yr old could sit and eat and I didn’t have to worry about him running around.

I ordered the beef ravioli and the beef short rib. The beef short rib was really delicious! I could eat a whole plate. My husband had some sticky rice dish (will pass on this next time), chicken kebabs (yummy) and chicken wings (he enjoyed). My mother in law had a broth which she loved, the beef ravioli and pork ribs. She enjoyed all 3 her dishes.

So my negatives about the place:

• I could be wrong, but when the place first opened, if you ate for R100 (example), your child could play for free, so I was a bit surprised that I had to pay for the boys to play. (This however is a positive and negative. – see below)
• I wish I felt more at ease with my child being in their care. We were only 1 of 3 tables so it wasn’t busy, though there was a party winding up. There was a minder that was so involved and playing with a little girl, I was wishing my baby boy ended up with him and not somebody just trailing him. He’s 1, he needs some sort of guidance and interaction, but perhaps age 1 is too young for this sort of situation.
• The place is lovely, but I’m honestly so scared that my 1yr old will destroy the lovely decor. There are stunning porcelain plant holders on a low ledge that I know my boy will push over if given the chance.
• I wish the railing was a bit more protected. I worried that my son could fall through and into the pond.

Positives:

• Paying for your child to play isn’t the end of the world if you consider that perhaps not 1000 kids will be playing there, because their parents don’t want to pay to play. So it may be quieter which I like.
• There is a minder to watch your kids. I’m not saying I will make use of this option again for my 1yr old, but for slightly older kids (and my older kids), I think this is a great option.
• The food was really nice. (We had a bit of a mix up where they gave me my mil’s pork instead of my beef, and I’m allergic/don’t touch pork with a 10 foot pole and I ended up taking a bite. An apology from the manager would have been nice, but I know to pay better attention in future. )
• The menu really offers a lovely variety and suits every pocket I think.
• The glass of wine was nice and full!! Full marks here….you know the sad situation when you get 1/3rd of a glass of wine. ha ha
• The kiddies menu is really packed with options for the kids.

I’d definitely say try them out. They seem to have great holiday activities for the kids and the Treehouse also does parties. They’re situated in the Bloomingdales Nursery Centre in Walmer.

Have you ever been to The Joneses?