I wanted to blog our visit to Fratelli La Bufala because it was just so EPIC. Looking back on it now, I laugh. But all I wanted to do was cry when we were there.

Don’t get me wrong. The service was perfectly civil, and the food was good. It was super-packed though, as it was one of the (very few) restaurants that were open post-Hurricane Sandy, so everyone seemed to have rushed there. It was super noisy, cramped and bustling.. which is actually just fine for adults, but I guess it’s a no-go when there are young children involved.

Now, have a look at this face below………..

This little boy GAVE US HELL. Not just at this particular restaurant, but also the next night at another Italian restaurant (which is actually where I took this photo). Let’s just say that my parents couldn’t dine anywhere if they were with Hunter. He just wouldn’t let them!

I’m guessing it was the change of country that did it for him – the different schedules, environment etc. So when ever we took him out for a meal, he would go psycho. He’d swing between going “Heeeellllooooo!!!” at everyone and being super-fun, to screaming his head off and throwing everything on the ground. In a split second. It was insanity. And so stressful because other diners would stare at us (who wants a toddler acting up when you’re trying to eat?!) and there was nothing we could do to control him – distractions only worked for seconds, scolding him would set him off even louder, trying to pander to him would also make him turn it up a notch.

Oddly, the moment we got back to Singapore, he’s been just fine when dining out (which we do frequently, so not like he’s not used to it).. except when he’s super-tired. So I guess he just doesn’t deal well in a different country when it comes to meal times!

Anyway, so apart from his antics… the food there was really good. At least I think it was. None of us really got to taste or enjoy any of it because we were so stressed and also swallowing everything at top speed so we could get outta there ASAP!

I loved the presentation of their Salad. I can’t remember the exact name, but it came out like artwork. The different ingredients each had a little section on the plate, and the dish was lovely.

We had a Ham, mushroom, artichoke pizza. I loved the doughy freshly-baked crust! It was pretty big, with lots of ingredients on it. I particularly liked the slightly smokey flavour and smell of the crust.

Then we had their Cannelloni. It’s a house special, and came out looking rather surprising! It’s one l-o-n-g cannelloni that has various sections, each with different ingredients. This was my favourite dish – the pasta was very well done, and the flavours were just beautiful. Plus, great presentation!

At least the littlest one was well behaved. The fab thing about Carter is that he’s very straightforward. He’s happy most of the time and dishes out huge grins, and he’s easily pleased – all you need to do is make eye contact and smile at him. When he’s hungry or tired, he’ll yell (and oh boy is he LOUD!) but at least it’s usually easy to solve. Thank goodness for young babies – they are always so much easier to handle than toddlers!