We visited Firebird as passing traffic and were very pleasantly surprised. The cafe and restaurant at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is underwhelming and I'd vowed not to go there again but step outside the museum and find somewhere new.
As we passed Firebird, my visiting sister said: "What about in there?". I sent her in to find out if they did a children's menu. They do. And they said something about children not tall enough to see over the bar are free or discounted or something. I can't verify any of this as she picked up the tab too. But as the total bill came to £22 for the three of us, it seems likely.
At 12pm, we were the only people dining but an hour later when we left it was heaving, especially with buggies! There is lots of space for buggies. The atmosphere is light, bright and relaxed. The trendy staff couldn't have been nicer to a couple of oldies and a toddler. Even though most of our chat was about the buses you could see through the windows.
I had a sandwich and chips, my sister and Angus both had sourdough pizza, which looked great. In fact you can see the wood-fired oven behind the bar and Angus's pizza was just the same size as a grown-ups. The food was really, really tasty and they serve West beer too.
Firebird is at 1321 Argylle Street and opens at 12. The nearest and cheapest parking is at either the Bunhouse or Kelvingrove Gallery and is £1 for four hours. The toilets are downstairs and clean, I didn't sample the baby change. The menu came with the obligatory crayons.
Monday, 29 May 2017
Tuesday, 23 May 2017
Glasgow Sport Birthday Party
I like a homemade DIY birthday party. However, at eight months pregnant, hosting Angus's third birthday party seemed a bit much. Just as I was thinking about where to hold it, Glasgow Sport (part of Glasgow Life) put up a big display at Palace of Art, where we go for Play Gym, advertising their revamped party programme. There are lots and lots of choices but one entitled "Parent and Child" seemed remarkably similar to Play Gym and I thought it would be ideal.
For £50, you get two hours in the venue and it is all set up for you. We chose Palace of Art as it has decent car parking and we knew a lot of people would be coming from other parts of the city. It's also a venue we visit weekly and Angus is familiar with it. I wasn't sure where the tables would be squashed in but when we arrived the usual gymnastics equipment had been cleared away, with just the soft play parts, bouncy castle and balls, bats etc. left out. Lots of tables and chairs had been arranged in a well-thought-out manner. There was space left over for party games and they provided a sound system.
The staff were very helpful too.
At Palace of Art there is no option to have the party catered for but this didn't worry us. I kept it very practical as the party was 10-12, with snacks, fruit etc. straight out of the box from the supermarket and birthday cake. You have to bring your own decorations and everything else. Again, you are left to clear up your own mess. I brought lots of bin bags and threw everything in but the member of staff who came after the party said we were the tidiest party he'd ever seen. If you want a party where you just turn up and it is all arranged for you, this isn't for you (at least not this option, at this venue) but it was perfect for a very energetic three year old and his very energetic friends. They ran around for a solid two hours, were not fussed about any organised games and occasionally stopped at the food tables to grab a treat. They absolutely did not care that there was no mascot, face painting, entertainer, decorations... They just wanted to enjoy themselves.
The Parent and Child parties are available at a number of different locations. It was tricky finding a date for the party at Palace of Art as we didn't want to clash with a game at Ibrox. This left us with one option only. This is the only criticism I can find though.
Overall, Angus was thrilled to be at Play Gym with his friends and to have a really long time to boss them about with his favourite activities. If your child is into one of the sports on offer (swimming, inflatables in the pool, athletics, football, bowls, gymnastics, golf, hockey, skating, tennis, squash), then this is a brilliant option.
For £50, you get two hours in the venue and it is all set up for you. We chose Palace of Art as it has decent car parking and we knew a lot of people would be coming from other parts of the city. It's also a venue we visit weekly and Angus is familiar with it. I wasn't sure where the tables would be squashed in but when we arrived the usual gymnastics equipment had been cleared away, with just the soft play parts, bouncy castle and balls, bats etc. left out. Lots of tables and chairs had been arranged in a well-thought-out manner. There was space left over for party games and they provided a sound system.
The staff were very helpful too.
At Palace of Art there is no option to have the party catered for but this didn't worry us. I kept it very practical as the party was 10-12, with snacks, fruit etc. straight out of the box from the supermarket and birthday cake. You have to bring your own decorations and everything else. Again, you are left to clear up your own mess. I brought lots of bin bags and threw everything in but the member of staff who came after the party said we were the tidiest party he'd ever seen. If you want a party where you just turn up and it is all arranged for you, this isn't for you (at least not this option, at this venue) but it was perfect for a very energetic three year old and his very energetic friends. They ran around for a solid two hours, were not fussed about any organised games and occasionally stopped at the food tables to grab a treat. They absolutely did not care that there was no mascot, face painting, entertainer, decorations... They just wanted to enjoy themselves.
The Parent and Child parties are available at a number of different locations. It was tricky finding a date for the party at Palace of Art as we didn't want to clash with a game at Ibrox. This left us with one option only. This is the only criticism I can find though.
Overall, Angus was thrilled to be at Play Gym with his friends and to have a really long time to boss them about with his favourite activities. If your child is into one of the sports on offer (swimming, inflatables in the pool, athletics, football, bowls, gymnastics, golf, hockey, skating, tennis, squash), then this is a brilliant option.
Thursday, 18 May 2017
Pick of the West End Festival (for young families)
Is it just me or has there been a lack of brochures around the city this year? Here are the events I'm thinking of attending with my three year old.
Saturday 20 May - Botanic Gardens 200th Anniversary
9.30am - 4pm, lots of live music for Angus and Highland cows!
Saturday 3 June - Woodland Fun Day
At the Children's Wood from 12pm. Free
Saturday 10 June - Looking for Nessie
At the Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre. 2pm. £5.95
Saturday 10 June - Glasgow Wind Band: Heroes & Villains Family Concert
At Hyndland Parish Church. 2.30pm. £8 (under 12s free). Come dressed as a superhero or villain!
Sunday 11 June - The Big Sunday
At Kelvingrove Park. 1-7pm. Free fayre.
Saturday 17 June - Messy World
At Kelvinside Hillhead Parish Church. 10.30am-1pm. Donations welcome. Arts and craft with a global theme.
Saturday 24 June - Voice
At Kelvingrove Bandstand. 12pm onwards. Free. Lots of choirs.
Saturday 24 June - Kate McLelland: Isla and Pickle
At Hunterian Gallery/Museum. 2pm. Free. Theatre? Book reading?
Sunday 25 June - Vintage Bus Service
Historic vintage vehicles run a jump in, jump off service from 11.30am-5.30pm. Serving Riverside Museum, West End, Hyndland, Broomhill, Anniesland and the Botanics. I know this will be Angus's highlight.
Saturday 20 May - Botanic Gardens 200th Anniversary
9.30am - 4pm, lots of live music for Angus and Highland cows!
Saturday 3 June - Woodland Fun Day
At the Children's Wood from 12pm. Free
Saturday 10 June - Looking for Nessie
At the Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre. 2pm. £5.95
Saturday 10 June - Glasgow Wind Band: Heroes & Villains Family Concert
At Hyndland Parish Church. 2.30pm. £8 (under 12s free). Come dressed as a superhero or villain!
Sunday 11 June - The Big Sunday
At Kelvingrove Park. 1-7pm. Free fayre.
Saturday 17 June - Messy World
At Kelvinside Hillhead Parish Church. 10.30am-1pm. Donations welcome. Arts and craft with a global theme.
Saturday 24 June - Voice
At Kelvingrove Bandstand. 12pm onwards. Free. Lots of choirs.
Saturday 24 June - Kate McLelland: Isla and Pickle
At Hunterian Gallery/Museum. 2pm. Free. Theatre? Book reading?
Sunday 25 June - Vintage Bus Service
Historic vintage vehicles run a jump in, jump off service from 11.30am-5.30pm. Serving Riverside Museum, West End, Hyndland, Broomhill, Anniesland and the Botanics. I know this will be Angus's highlight.
Monday, 15 May 2017
Wagamama
We have visited several branches of Wagamama and received exactly the same level of service and quality of food at each, so I'm lumping them all in together in this review!
Angus (and Mummy and Daddy) all love a Wagamama. I used to find it too much for lunch but now I order from the children's menu and that's perfect. Angus always has grilled fish with noodles and I have the chicken katsu curry. All the children's dishes are served with sweetcorn, grated carrot and grated courgette. Babycinos are free but they charge for milk (!). It feels very healthy, especially when we get edamame to share (I feel very Smug Mum, when my toddler sits there demanding more green beans are popped into his mouth!). The quality of food is always identical and excellent.
I think a lot of people with toddlers walk straight past Wagamama believing there's nothing here for them but Angus enjoyed the food as soon as we were past the packed lunch stage of weaning. If you're worried about the salt content, just whip the bowl of sauce away as soon as it arrives at the table.
The dishes are £4-5 each in our neck of the woods.
The baby change facilities are always clean and well-located. You do have to watch out as some of the seating arrangements aren't the most suitable for a toddler (high-up stools etc.) but every branch I've been to has a range of different tables, so just ask. A lot of the branches have the Mountain Buggy Pod high chairs, which clamp on to the table; if I had known about them before I bought our high chair, I would have got one. It is so nice to have your child sat right up at the table with you.
Service is always brisk but friendly. I never feel rushed even though I always think of Wagamama as being fairly like a fast food restaurant.
Our most frequently visited restaurants are Silverburn and Glasgow city centre but we've also been to Glasgow Fort and Croydon. The Silverburn restaurant is in the Winter Garden, so very light and bright but still quite secluded, I don't feel like I'm eating in a shopping centre too much. (Going here means I can tie in doing some chores and getting to the library to change our books too). The city centre restaurant is very handy when we're in town but much busier. Glasgow Fort is usually busy too and we have also been put in some out of the way corners before. It is one of the best options at the mall though.
Angus (and Mummy and Daddy) all love a Wagamama. I used to find it too much for lunch but now I order from the children's menu and that's perfect. Angus always has grilled fish with noodles and I have the chicken katsu curry. All the children's dishes are served with sweetcorn, grated carrot and grated courgette. Babycinos are free but they charge for milk (!). It feels very healthy, especially when we get edamame to share (I feel very Smug Mum, when my toddler sits there demanding more green beans are popped into his mouth!). The quality of food is always identical and excellent.
The dishes are £4-5 each in our neck of the woods.
Service is always brisk but friendly. I never feel rushed even though I always think of Wagamama as being fairly like a fast food restaurant.
Our most frequently visited restaurants are Silverburn and Glasgow city centre but we've also been to Glasgow Fort and Croydon. The Silverburn restaurant is in the Winter Garden, so very light and bright but still quite secluded, I don't feel like I'm eating in a shopping centre too much. (Going here means I can tie in doing some chores and getting to the library to change our books too). The city centre restaurant is very handy when we're in town but much busier. Glasgow Fort is usually busy too and we have also been put in some out of the way corners before. It is one of the best options at the mall though.
Tuesday, 9 May 2017
Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra Babies
We haven't been to many GIOBabies workshops but we absolutely loved them.
Led by Una, the children (0-5 years), got to try playing her double bass (not a cheap instrument to throw about!), played games with chiffon scarves and led some improvised music with them, sung some songs with shakers, experimented with pitch, dynamic (volume) and tempo in a couple more activities and generally enjoyed themselves.
Una wasn't phased by some of the younger tearaways and simultaneously engaged the older children, she was very friendly and welcoming. There were only 5 boys at my first session, so I hope a little bit of publicity helps them out.
The workshop was about half an hour long but is free. They take place on the second Friday of the month at 10.00am and 11.00am at the CCA. Whilst it's free, you do need to book tickets on the CCA website. I definitely want to take Angus back but Friday is a nursery day, so it will have to be high days and holidays for us - or the extra, special workshops that they sometimes hold on other days.
There is an accessible toilet right outside the workshop room but it doesn't have baby change (I think you would have to go down a floor or two for that). The cafe at the CCA is wonderful. Buses stop right outside the venue but we got the subway and walked from Cowcaddens (Angus was 35 months at the time). There is lift for buggies in the CCA from the ground floor to Level 2 for the workshop.
Overall, the workshop was really good fun and I like that you don't need to commit to a block of lessons. It feels like an excellent way to get a music fix for Angus and is technically high quality.
Led by Una, the children (0-5 years), got to try playing her double bass (not a cheap instrument to throw about!), played games with chiffon scarves and led some improvised music with them, sung some songs with shakers, experimented with pitch, dynamic (volume) and tempo in a couple more activities and generally enjoyed themselves.
Una wasn't phased by some of the younger tearaways and simultaneously engaged the older children, she was very friendly and welcoming. There were only 5 boys at my first session, so I hope a little bit of publicity helps them out.
The workshop was about half an hour long but is free. They take place on the second Friday of the month at 10.00am and 11.00am at the CCA. Whilst it's free, you do need to book tickets on the CCA website. I definitely want to take Angus back but Friday is a nursery day, so it will have to be high days and holidays for us - or the extra, special workshops that they sometimes hold on other days.
There is an accessible toilet right outside the workshop room but it doesn't have baby change (I think you would have to go down a floor or two for that). The cafe at the CCA is wonderful. Buses stop right outside the venue but we got the subway and walked from Cowcaddens (Angus was 35 months at the time). There is lift for buggies in the CCA from the ground floor to Level 2 for the workshop.
Overall, the workshop was really good fun and I like that you don't need to commit to a block of lessons. It feels like an excellent way to get a music fix for Angus and is technically high quality.
Thursday, 4 May 2017
Fun stuff in May
Looking through my diary, I see I have some interesting stuff pencilled in for this month. I think this might be the start of my first regular post...
Tuesday 2 - Saturday 6 May - The Addams Family
The Eastwood Entertainers are performing the musical at Eastwood Park Theatre. There is a matinee on the Saturday and I think Angus would actually find it really entertaining. Yes, it's an amateur production but that also means ticket prices are slightly cheaper.
Sunday 7 May - Kelvin Brass perform at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
At 3pm, there is a special one-off concert with Kelvin Brass performing alongside the organ at Kelvingrove. Angus enjoys the recitals bizarrely, so this might be a good one for him. As with all the recitals, it's free.
Saturday 13 May - Glasgow Stories for pre-5s at ARTPARK
ARTPARK at Bellahouston hosts another session from 1-2.30pm. Booking required.
Saturday 13 May - Baby Disco
2pm at Rutherglen Town Hall. £5 per child but free for adults, booking required. This one has a teddy bears picnic theme - cute!
Sunday 14 May - Tramway Family Day
Lots of arts and performances taking place on a drop-in basis from 12-4.30pm. Might be busy but there seems to be lots scheduled.
Friday 19 - Sunday 21 May - The Tiger Who Came to Tea
The classic book is being performed at the Town House, Hamilton. If only Hamilton wasn't so far away...
Friday 19 - Sunday 21 May - Festival of Museums
This nation-wide event has lots of things on. We may try the Arts and Crafts for Young Shipbuilders at Fairfield Heritage on Saturday (10-4, drop in) or Treasure Hunts on the Tall Ship (Saturday and Sunday, 12-4).
Saturday 20 May - Forest Fairy Festival
A celebration of their forest fairy trail at Castlemilk Park with storytelling, arts and crafts. From 1-3.30pm.
Monday 22 - Saturday 27 May - Fantastic Mr Fox
A professional production at the Theatre Royal, so pricey and probably a bit too old for us just now.
Friday 26 May - Night Light
A show for 3-6 years at Platform. Performances at 10.30 and 1pm. I don't know much about this performer but I am keen to check out early years theatre at Platform.
Friday 26 - Monday 29 May - Little Red Hen
Another performance from Family Storytime at Scottish Youth Theatre. Showing at 10.30, 12.30 and 3 each day.
Saturday 27 May - Open Afternoon at Queens Park Arena
Part of the grand finale of the Southside Fringe, which is taking place all month, this is the only event outside of regular stuff at Merry-go-Round for children. If the weather is sunny, it would be a great day out (12-4).
Saturday 27 - Sunday 28 May - Calderstock
This is a free, family event running from 12-4 each day at Calderglen Country Park.
Saturday 27 - Sunday 28 May - 40th Year Celebrations at Lamont Farm Project
Running from 1-4pm each day, there are promises of a barbeque, pony rides, bouncy castle etc.
Tuesday 2 - Saturday 6 May - The Addams Family
The Eastwood Entertainers are performing the musical at Eastwood Park Theatre. There is a matinee on the Saturday and I think Angus would actually find it really entertaining. Yes, it's an amateur production but that also means ticket prices are slightly cheaper.
Sunday 7 May - Kelvin Brass perform at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
At 3pm, there is a special one-off concert with Kelvin Brass performing alongside the organ at Kelvingrove. Angus enjoys the recitals bizarrely, so this might be a good one for him. As with all the recitals, it's free.
Saturday 13 May - Glasgow Stories for pre-5s at ARTPARK
ARTPARK at Bellahouston hosts another session from 1-2.30pm. Booking required.
Saturday 13 May - Baby Disco
2pm at Rutherglen Town Hall. £5 per child but free for adults, booking required. This one has a teddy bears picnic theme - cute!
Sunday 14 May - Tramway Family Day
Lots of arts and performances taking place on a drop-in basis from 12-4.30pm. Might be busy but there seems to be lots scheduled.
Friday 19 - Sunday 21 May - The Tiger Who Came to Tea
The classic book is being performed at the Town House, Hamilton. If only Hamilton wasn't so far away...
Friday 19 - Sunday 21 May - Festival of Museums
This nation-wide event has lots of things on. We may try the Arts and Crafts for Young Shipbuilders at Fairfield Heritage on Saturday (10-4, drop in) or Treasure Hunts on the Tall Ship (Saturday and Sunday, 12-4).
Saturday 20 May - Forest Fairy Festival
A celebration of their forest fairy trail at Castlemilk Park with storytelling, arts and crafts. From 1-3.30pm.
Monday 22 - Saturday 27 May - Fantastic Mr Fox
A professional production at the Theatre Royal, so pricey and probably a bit too old for us just now.
Friday 26 May - Night Light
A show for 3-6 years at Platform. Performances at 10.30 and 1pm. I don't know much about this performer but I am keen to check out early years theatre at Platform.
Friday 26 - Monday 29 May - Little Red Hen
Another performance from Family Storytime at Scottish Youth Theatre. Showing at 10.30, 12.30 and 3 each day.
Saturday 27 May - Open Afternoon at Queens Park Arena
Part of the grand finale of the Southside Fringe, which is taking place all month, this is the only event outside of regular stuff at Merry-go-Round for children. If the weather is sunny, it would be a great day out (12-4).
Saturday 27 - Sunday 28 May - Calderstock
This is a free, family event running from 12-4 each day at Calderglen Country Park.
Saturday 27 - Sunday 28 May - 40th Year Celebrations at Lamont Farm Project
Running from 1-4pm each day, there are promises of a barbeque, pony rides, bouncy castle etc.
Tuesday, 2 May 2017
Paw Patrol Live 2017
I haven't told Angus about this show...he would be heart broken to miss it but I cannot find it in myself to pay between £22.70 and £34.05 per ticket. It's on at 10.30am, 1.30pm and 4.30pm each day from Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd September 2017 at the SEC Armadillo.
Actors wear "life-size" puppy costumes and it's a whole story in one show. I will be looking out for voucher deals nearer the time!
Actors wear "life-size" puppy costumes and it's a whole story in one show. I will be looking out for voucher deals nearer the time!
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