Welcoming a new baby into our family has brought much frenzy and happiness at the same time.
Our latest addition has changed our lives as we learn to prioritise and strategise our tasks while going about our daily lives.
While refreshing our memories about caring for a newborn, the first month has been somewhat challenging. Breastfeeding issues, handling a fragile baby and making sure our toddler isn’t neglected. And in between feeds, cuddles and night wakings, we realised that our little boy would be turning a month old soon.
Traditionally, Chinese families throw a full month party to celebrate the birth of a newborn in the family. Some believe the joyous occasion will help ward off evil spirits and keep the child blessed and safe. In fact, it also usually marks the end of mummy’s confinement where she’s finally freed of not showering and having to chow down herbal broths.
Between the husband and I, we wanted to keep things straightforward for our son’s full month party. Besides good company, we believe that food quality is the highlight of any party, as it can easily make or break the celebration.
Planning baby’s full month party
Once the date, time and venue were decided upon, it was crucial to arrange for a food caterer from a trusted provider. The husband and I were unanimous in our choice: Neo Garden Catering; we had experienced their service at other baby showers and were convinced of their quality.
As we wanted a slightly different menu from the usual choices of carbs and meats, we found ourselves swooning over the premium package, Neo’s Imperial! Butter crayfish, Italian Seafood Aglio Olio, Yam Roll with Prawn, Nasi Briyani with Ah Char, Wasabi Prawns, and their signature Curry Chicken – these sounded so delish, I was definitely looking forward to celebrating with all that food!
Sending in our order was easy-peasy: We logged on to their website, signed in with an account, selected the desired dishes and side dishes, provided our delivery details, reviewed the order and awaited a call from their Catering Consultants!
Food and décor are highlights at a full month party. How did Neo Garden fare? Read on to find out!
Décor and more!
The next task on our to-do list was to see to the party décor. Besides getting balloons to set a casual and fun mood, we were pleasantly surprised to find that Neo Garden Catering specialises in thematic party setups – this definitely helped add a celebratory touch to our party, and we didn’t have to wrack out brains any further.
The thematic setup was hassle-free too – colour-coordinated decorations were provided with our preferred colours of balloons, and a centrepiece was picked from the options of a diaper cake or flowers.
For parents with a specific theme in mind, Neo Garden Catering tries their best to customise their offering. Some of the popular themes they have done previously includes pandas, safari and teddy bears.
Thematic party setups add a touch of fun to our child’s full month party! Neo Garden Catering makes it easy to liven up the party atmosphere instantly!
For our son’s full month party, we chose the diaper cake as the centrepiece, and the props that came along included teddy bears of different sizes, as well as wrapped boxes as presents. They definitely lent a child-appropriate party feel!
Food – yay or nay?
So, did the food measure up?
We are happy to say that everything was eaten with much relish by our family and friends! Guests enjoyed the food, and different folks came up to share their feedback.
“The food was awesome!” texted my friend from school.
“Which caterer did you order from? Food was very different from the usual boring variety,” asked another friend.
“I’m going for my second round of food!” exclaimed my husband’s school mate during the party.
“That’s from Neo Garden?? I didn’t know they had such a good spread plus a nice setup like that!” quipped another friend.
Even the husband and our families were impressed with the food quality, spread and delectable taste. Guess it’s hard to go wrong with a catering service that has been around for over two decades!
These bite-sized Yam Rolls with Prawns were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The Baked Fish with Mango Salsa was a delightful fusion too!
These Butter Crayfish were aromatic and tender – my favourite dish! And the Italian Seafood Aglio Olio came a close second.
Since my husband and I were busy attending to our guests and catching up with them, we missed out on second helpings – something we regret!
The Butter Crayfish was my personal favourite, and we were impressed with the other dishes too. Hearing positive comments from our guests was the icing on the cake, and we were glad that everyone enjoyed a scrumptious treat with good company.
New parents appreciate the support to make party planning a smoother one. Find out how their service standards measure up… or not?
Service – it’s all about the details
After our order was put through, we received a call from the Catering Consultant who reviewed our order. As we were expecting a group of at least 60 guests, we rented tables and stools as well. The Catering Consultant also advised on our request for tables; in our case it seemed that we didn’t need that many, so she suggested that we reduced the number. Turns out, she was right about it, and in doing so, we eliminated the need for excess tables which would have incurred additional rental costs.
During the same conversation, she checked with us on the thematic setup arrangements. This involved the choice of balloon colours, centrepiece, colour of table skirting for the buffet line and rented tables, as well as the time for setup and after-event collection.
With a delectable spread of Western, Chinese and Japanese delights, our guests agreed in unison that the food was one of the best they’ve had by a food caterer!
The process was smooth and systematic and at each stage I was assured that the arrangements were well taken care of. It was almost like having a good friend support you as you planned the first important event of your child’s life.
A couple of days before the event, Neo Garden Catering sent a text to us about the order details requiring us to confirmation the arrangements.
On the morning of the event, the delivery team called us to say that they were ready for set up – they weren’t just on time, they were an hour and a half hour earlier than expected… guess they just wanted to make sure that everything was ready in time for the party.
You know that a company is serious about their business when they ask for your feedback after the event, as Neo Garden Catering did with us, after our event.
Quality meets convenience
Above all, everything was organised and stress-free, which we really appreciated!
Neo Garden Catering understands how busy new parents are, and takes the humdrum away by taking care of the food catering for us.
New mums and dads, if you’re planning to throw a full month party for your new baby, do check out the Neo 宝宝 baby full month promotion. With orders of Neo’s Deluxe, Neo’s Divine or Neo’s Blossom menus, parents can enjoy up to 50% off buffet orders and 10% off baby full month favours packages from Choz Confectionery. Standard thematic setup starts from $200.
Speak to their friendly and experienced Catering Consultant at 6896 7757, or visit their website at www.neogarden.com.sg to plan your baby’s full month party!