Overlooking the ocean and surrounded by lush greenery is the the East Coast restaurant famous for its Belgian fare (especially mussels and around 200 brands of beer!) known as Brussels Sprouts.
My family and I were there recently to have a bite to eat. In the past, I've enjoyed taking my kids to Brussels Sprouts because it's just so kid-friendly — not only do they have a good kids' menu, they also have an indoor and an outdoor play area.
As you can see, the indoor play area has lots of toys to keep the little ones occupied. The outdoor play area is set up just outside the restaurant, so the kids get to enjoy the fresh sea breeze while they play.
If you're lucky enough to get a table by the restaurant's big french windows, you could easily keep an eye on the kids as they play outside while you enjoy your meal.
The ambience
Did I mention that Brussels Sprouts is very kid-friendly? I'll say it again — it is, and the ambience reflects this!
As we walked in, my 4-year-old son made a bee-line for the balloon artist who had set up his 'stage' right near the entrance and was making marvelous creations (my son asked for a dinosaur, of course!).
We were there at lunchtime on a Saturday and the place was full of families with kids. The ambience was quite casual and laid-back.
Brussels Sprouts is literally full of light. One side of the restaurant (facing the ocean and East Coast Park) is made up of massive french windows.
The roof also lets in lots of natural light, making the whole atmosphere airy and very relaxing.
The food!
Now to move on to a very important topic — the food and drinks at Brussels Sprouts!
Their menu is full of Belgian delights, with the star of the show being mussels, of course. There are also around 200 brands of beer featured in their drinks menu!
Here's what we sampled:
Shirley Temple (mocktail) — $10++
This was my drink of choice. Light, sweet and refreshing — it was a great start to our meal.
Pauwel Kwak — $20++
This Belgian Strong Pale Ale style beer was my husband's choice of drink and came strongly recommended by the friendly staff at Brussels Sprouts.
It had a rather distinctive malty aftertaste with a hint of sweetness and went very well with our Mussels starter. We both loved the unique way it was served.
Here's a very interesting little story about both the beer and the interesting 'beer mug' it came in. The name of the beer came from an inn keeper back in the 18th century. The glass of the beer was invented specifically to allow coach drivers to enjoy a glass of beer while driving around!
Mariniere: With onion, parsley, butter, celery, leek, white wine and cream — $20++ (Starter Size)
The mussels at Brussels Sprouts came highly recommended by the staff. I really enjoyed the Mariniere with its subtle and delicate flavours of celery, leek, onion and parsley.
The white wine and cream sauce was delicious too. I did wish I had some crusty bread to mop up that yummy sauce though!
We also ordered the starter sized Tom Yam mussels ($20++) which packed a pretty powerful chili punch, and was full of Asian flavours such as coriander, galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves — perfect for our Asian palates!
Beignet Scampi: Tiger prawn tempura and mirin wasabi — $18++
A crispy, crunchy shell of golden tempura with a succulent prawn inside — divine! I especially enjoyed the mirin wasabi as its lightness nicely set off the 'heaviness' of the tempura prawns.
Unfortunately though, for those of you who might have liked to try this item, it is no longer on the menu as of this writing. Still, I'm hoping Brussels Sprouts will put it back in!
Roulade De Poulet: Chicken thigh wrapped in parma ham served with garlic butter and rosemary potatoes — $28++
This was a beautifully presented dish. However, the chicken was slightly overcooked and dry, and I feel it would have benefited from a sauce or jus of some kind. I did enjoy the rosemary potatoes though.
Cabillaud Roti: Roasted cod fillet with tomato braised mussels and duvel beer sabayon — $35++
This was a really tasty dish. The cod was soft, succulent and cooked to melt-in-your-mouth perfection. The sabayon was buttery and delicious — the perfect sauce for the tender cod, ribbons of vegetable and braised mussels.
That's why I was greatly disappointed to learn that this dish no longer features in Brussels Sprouts' menu too, as of this writing. Another Brussels Sprouts dish that I hope will make a comeback soon!
Fish Sticks with salad and fries
There's no price on this one because this all-time favourite dish among kids came free as part of Brussels Sprouts Restaurant's 'Kids Eat Free Promotion' (do check with them if the promotion is still on before you go there).
My 4-year-old thoroughly enjoyed his meal, and even concocted his own version of a 'fish 'n' chip sandwich' (a piece of fish squashed between 2 fries!).
Fondant Au Chocolat: Molten Belgian chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream — $14++
This was without a doubt our dish of the day!
The cake gave way to a thick stream of dark Belgian chocolate. The warmth of the cake contrasted beautifully with the cold, homemade vanilla ice cream (I could even see dark vanilla seeds dotting the ice cream!).
This was a really good dessert — a chocoholic's dream — and one of the best lava cakes I have ever tasted!
Gauffre: Homemade Belgian waffle with strawberries, Chantilly cream and vanilla ice cream — $12++
My 4-year-old son loves waffles and so do I. We both thought this dish was pretty good!
The waffle was crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and not too sweet. It went really well with the sweetness of the vanilla ice cream and chantilly cream, and the slight tartness of the strawberries.
Is Brussels Sprouts kid-friendly?
It sure is!
From the balloon artist, indoor and outdoor play areas to the kid-friendly menu, cutlery and crockery, this restaurant is the ideal spot for a great meal with your family.
The cherry on the cake is the fact that kids eat for FREE on weekends and on public holidays!
How to get there
Brussels Sprouts has 3 outlets in Singapore, namely Big Splash, Robertson Quay and Sentosa Cove.
Here's the address for their Big Splash outlet, which is the one we visited:
902 East Coast Parkway
Block F Unit #01-27
Big Splash, Singapore 449874
How to contact Brussels Sprouts
You can call them at +65 6346 4344, or fax them at +65 6345 4144.
For email enquiries, you can send your message to bigsplash@brusselssprouts.com.sg.
If you want to check out their website and details of their other locations, click here.
Have you been to any of the Brussels Sprouts outlets? What did you think? Share your experience with us by leaving a comment below.
*All prices indicated were correct at the time this review was written.