Yes, Kai has been to restaurants before, but usually sleeping or eating food we brought with us.  But now, Kai is a true customer.  He had woken up a little earlier from his nap than usual in the middle of our lunch, so we just asked for a high-chair and gave it a go.  We quickly realized that buffet is the right way to go in these situations.  You can select from the foods which you think he might like, and not worry about the cost (zero) or if he likes it or not.  It turns out, he was into most things including noodles, fish, rice, miso soup and almond jelly was one of his favorites.  Now we also have a new favorite lunch place to go for the family to enjoy (details after the photos).

It was a last minute decision to go out — the rain had stopped, and our morning playdate had cancelled.  All the old routine came back in force — packing all the requirements for a journey, e.g. food, diapers, clothes, drinks.  But in actuality things went quite smooth.  We explored a new Vietnamese cafe (although the owner almost scared us off saying there might not be room for the stroller, but in the end there were 3 tables occupied in the whole place) and a Italian wine bar/cafe waiting for the Vietnamese place to open.  In fact, Kai cooperated by sleeping so long we were almost late getting home to meet the baby sitter later in the day.  But we did manage to spend some time with Kai cruising around in his new boots around the mall.  Now inspired, I think we will try to be more adventurous when given the chance.