Kuya V’s class spent the winter vacation preparing for their first term exams. The school has changed the examination format from 3Â exams to just 2 major exams with assessments in between. Last year assessments and exams where scheduled before school break, this change is not something I (or my fellow parents) are happy about.
Believe me when you are a parent, school homework and tests is so stressful. I have never prepared and studied this much during my time. Let’s not talk about how I did in school, my Mom did see me go up the stage and receive my diploma.
The kids deserve (parents as well) a treat for the hard work and doing their best. We surprise them with an “End of First Term Exam Party” at Eataly. I joined the giveaway hosted by The Son and The Moon and won this party package.
The party was scheduled on the last day of their exam, we had 13 confirmed kids, a mix of Kuya V’s year 3 classmates and family friends. Excited 8 year old kids approached me asking what’s going to happen in the party, they all squealed with delight when they found out that they are going to make pizza.
It was the first time for most of the kids to make pizza with a chef!
All of them were asked to line up to get a their disposable aprons and wash hands inside Eataly’s working kitchen.
Chef Enzo working his magic on a pizza dough
Eataly team asked kids to smell and guess name of ingredients available in their table – they had flour, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, basil leaves and fresh pizza dough.
Chef Enzo announced that they will eat what they made, it got the kids seriously working on their pizza’s.
Chef Enzo transferring the kids pizza en route to the kitchen
They were done making pizza and was ushered to the table were a goodie bag was waiting for them.
All of the kids receive an Eataly Arabia apron
and a Pizza Workshop Certificate.
Each of the kids pizza were assigned 1 unique ingredient like eggplant and sweet pepper for easy identification which pizza belongs to whom.
Just when the kids taught the party was over, a big cake was delivered in their table. A congratulations cake with candles. These made the kids really happy! We sang “Congratulations Year 3” to the tune of happy birthday.
Year 3 still has a long way to go before moving up the next level. We are so proud of you all for giving your best in your first term exams.
What we think about the party?
Venue:Â Restaurant area of Eataly, The Dubai Mall
 It would be nice if they had a dedicated room for the party. Kids were happily chatting (and loud),  playing and running around the restaurant, they were disturbing other diners.
Food: Pizza + Fruit Juice + Cake
It took between 5-10 minutes before the pizza’s were out of the oven and the kids were already hungry, some appetizers will keep them busy while waiting for their pizza. Unfortunately, I cannot find their party packages online.  We won this party package from a blog giveaway.
Activity: Pizza making
Coloring books and additional games like recalling what ingredients were used will keep the kids occupied while waiting for their food. Bored children can mean chaos so it would be a good idea to prepare another activity to keep them busy. A complimentary pass to Kidzania or Sega Republic is another good option they can include in the package.
Overall, it was a great party, all 13 kids had fun and according to V they still talk about it in school. Chef Enzo and his team did a good job engaging each kids, they took time to check on the kids work and answer their questions. No matter how noisy and impatient the kids were, the team maintained their patience.
Children as young as 3 yrs old and those young at heart (adults) will enjoy the pizza workshop party.
An afternoon in the park with  no gadgets for the kids just the good old running and getting themselves dirty. LittleMiss was happy playing mama to her baby alive doll Lucy.
The Taiwanese restaurant is known for it’s Xiao Long Bao (XLB), a dumpling with soup inside. Anthony Bourdain refers to them as “pillow of happiness.”
We informed our server that it was our first time and she patiently explained how to eat the famous dumpling. She also prepared a ginger, soy and rice vinegar dip to complete our XLB experience.
DTF does not have a separate children’s menu which is ok, we ordered fried rice and dumplings for the kids. LittleMiss was offered a high chair and they provided a kiddie plate as well, that made her really happy.
It was surprising that we were only handed a two pages lunch menu, refreshing as it gave an impression that the dishes were carefully chosen. They now have a 3 course menu selection with shisha for AED 119 per person from 12pm until 4pm.
This is probably one of the best smoked salmon I’ve ever had, presented on top of a flatbread with marinated onion and dill mascarpone. It is a rich creamy appetizer that could be shared among 3 people as it can be overwhelming for just one person.
We finally settled for Chicken Breast with cauliflower and parsnip puree, spinach and grilled asparagus for LittleMiss, she just asked to please add some French fries to which the server agreed.  The chicken was juicy and seasoned well, most importantly our little girl enjoyed every bite. “Not crunchy but still good with fries.”
Kuya V had Beef Burger with smoked Veal strips and served with fries. I didn’t got a chance to taste but according to V it was a good burger.
Beef Tenderloin done medium well was served with sautéed mushrooms, spinach salad and pomegranate. The meat was seasoned well, soft and juicy; it was delicious accompanied with the sauce.
Spaghetti with Alaskan Crab, lemon butter, zest, chili and basil. The lemon sauce with a right amount of chili heat really went well with the generous amount of crab meat.
LittleMiss starts FS1 in her new school. I wanted to prepare something that will make her smile while she’s in school. She was crying when I left her but was very happy when I picked her up after class. Thankful that her schoolmates made her feel happy.
Kuya V was excited to see his friends. It’s going to be a busy month for us since we are preparing for his term 1 exams. How I wish they stuck with the exam schedules we had last school year, it was less stressful for all of us.
The night before we bought bread from Ceasars Bakeshop for baon. Chicken Tikka Roll for Kuya V and Cheese Bun for LittleMiss.
Bread was toasted on a hot frying pan with butter because I don’t own a toaster.
LittleMiss on the other hand had an open sandwich because that’s the way she like it.
LittleMiss don’t like to eat eggs but she came home with just 1 Quail egg left (a win for me!) and of course she complained “Mama, remember I don’t like eggs.”
Cuddles and Crumbs 