Niko Cafe in Oakleigh - Two visits

So when I said the post for Niko is coming right up, I really did mean it lol

I went to Niko (or is it Niko's?) for dessert/ afternoon meal with my friends on two separate occasions, and although I did enjoy the dessert and coffee I chose from the first visit more, I still love to try new food, so I really didn't mind as much :)

From the first visit: Short macchiato, I think. Strong but absolutely wonderful. A perfect accompaniment for...

This wonderful Greek dessert!! Hm... Cinnamon dusted walnuts, fresh cream, (vanilla) chanitlilly cream (not sure if it was custard since the consistency would have been a bit thicker), then at the bottom there were these crispy strands - almost like "mee krob" drenched in syrup. The crispy texture of the bottom layer and the walnuts contrasted well against the two soft and creamy layers. Ugh I want more..








From the second visit -

Cappucino on a chilly afternoon was perfect. It was a good cappucino, but I must say the dusting on top was a tiny bit messy. Would have enjoyed a dusting in a specific shape or drawing like my bf had in Japan!

My friend and I were really hungry, so we decided to give this a try. It was not bad, but nothing out of the ordinary. Because of my Asian tongue, I personally found this to be slightly under-seasoned, to be honest. Eggplant stuffed with minced meat topped with Bechemel sauce and grilled. The salad on the side was fresh though! Love the feta cheese on top, since it was a nice punch against the crisp and refreshing veggies.

I couldn't stop myself... and got the Pistachio macaron. Didn't like this very much. Way too sweet and not much of the pistachio smell. They had creme crulee flavored ones too.. But then again. The only flavor macaron I have ever loved is green tea, which I have yet to find here in Melbourne.

This is a fruit and cream-topped cake with cream in the middle and encrusted with almond slices. It looked really yummy in the display, and the flavors were good, but again nothing to come back for. Mental note to try their Bailey's cheesecake next time. I have been eyeing that since the first visit, but always got distracted. Next time!!










All in all, both visits were pleasant! The greek dessert with the walnuts was memorable since it was something completely new for me, and the coffee is great! The vibe and atmosphere is nice, so I'm definitely going to go back to try more things ;)

xoxo

Randomness - a few pics in the life, some things I am craving and missing..

My Hubby Babe!! She's a wonderful dog and I have been really, really missing her lots as of late. Look how my sister's old shirts no longer fits her 'cuz Hubby gained weight!! lol awwwww


















Asahi Beer :) Yummmm I saw this while walking on the street in BKK near my old office. Wouldn't it be nice to have one of these (especially if they magically re-fill themselves for free?) at home?

Garlic Fried Rice. I believe this was from a Korean Grill restaurant back in BKK. Maybe Gyu Gyu Tei. But I remember distinctly that it was delicious! 

My attempt at a whatever's-left-in-the-fridge risotto. It turned out quite well actually! I was in hungry mode and just put anything I had into the dish, which resulted in a white wine risotto with bacon and eggplant, topped with creamed cottage cheese and a mystery sauce (simply because I cannot remember what it was hehe).

Anzac Biscuits! I actually liked these. They served as my studying snack lol Not the healthiest, but it got me through the rough nights. I still prefer moist cookies with chocolate chips and nuts or buttery shortbread over crispy cookies in general though.

6) And speaking of studying...the Pym. I am so glad to be done with one semester! woo hoo :)

I recently went to a Conference downtown at the Exhibition Hall in Melbourne as part of my internship. Great experience in general!

Here's another view inside the hall

I was pleasantly surprised to see a Thai beer being advertised in Australia! pretty cool, eh! I wonder what it'd be like to see Canadian Molson or Moosehead advertised here in Oz!














Another post about my Saturday afternoon visit to Niko's Cafe in Oakleigh is coming right up!

xo

So I haven't really been a good girl :( Well, I mean in terms of spending, that is. Last week as a celebratory thing for the end of exams, I ended up hauling a lot more than I should've. Considering I only earn approx AUD 120 - 160/week, this isn't good. Which is why I will officially be on a make up ban until mid July the earliest! But I might stop by Target to see the Essence cosmetics counter as a final farewell (I think the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs collection is coming out next month? I am really anticipating the red polish for that - I still need a good classic red in my collection, as well as a nude. I did want to try their waterproof eyeliner pen perhaps in a dark brown but this depends on the applicator - otherwise I am considering Dolly Wink up next), and maybe purchase the Holika Holika Aqua Petit Jelly BB Cream first. I just might. Gah... I really do seem to have a makeup addiction. I don't really use them as much, (because I am already usually running late haha - something I also need to work on) but I love collecting makeup. Especially lip products oh my goodness, don't even get me started on that. And shoes. Sigh...

Oh, and diet will officially start tomorrow. I've been feeling sluggish lately, so I need to get cracking on a healthier eating and exercise routine! I guess we'll see how that goes.

Coming up soon = Revlon Color Burst Lip Butters Review and Swatches/ Burt's Bees Lip Balm Haul/ Australis Nail Polish Mini Haul, Review and Swatches/ More BYS Nail Polish/ Australia Brush On Lip and Cheek Tine Review and Swatches

Is this not a sufficient indicator of how much hauling I've been doing lately? -__-'

Yo sé que tu no leyes mi blog posts. Claro que está escrito en castellano pero si hubiera yo escrito todo eso en inglés no haría leído tampoco. Estás tan ocupado con tu trabajo en Japón. Yo te admiro mucho. ¿Sabes?

Esta noche hablamos en skype. Tu intentaste de comprar los billetes de avión (¿como se dice en castellano 'flight ticket'?) esa mañana pero no tuviste tiempo. Entonces tratamos de comprarlos juntos por skype. Esa pequeña acción me puso muy alegre. Es la acción de decidir, de hacer algo juntos que para mí llevan mucho sentido, porque estamos físicamente tan lejos. Desafortunadamente no pudiste comprar los billetes por el internet - no estamos seguros porque. Además hay que obtener un pasaporte y una visa temporal de entrar en Australia. Me sentí un poco decepcionada que no pudimos comprarlos esta noche, pero en la medida en que los compres un día este mes, en la medida en que llegues aquí en Australia, en la medida en que pueda yo verte cara a cara, puedo esperar un poco más. Cuando empezaste de tocar el botón o click de comprar los billetes, me dijo "Ahora compraré!!!!!" lo cual me hizo el corazón palpitar más fuertemente. Te quiero mucho.. No estoy segura si ya sabes, pero te quiero mucho. Aunque te digo con frecuencia, hasta el punto de que no te parezca tan cierta u honesta, te quiero mucho. 

Mañana te voy a enviar una carta electrónica para decirte que tus acciones me afectaron mucho, que estoy muy afortunada de recibir tu amor...

~BYS Nail Polish + Sally Hansen Nail Color Dryer Haul~

So, today I had set my mind on going to the shopping center to get a pair of rain boots and maybe a couple of room socks and of course - food. I literally had nothing left in my fridge other than a single stick of carrot and a small tray of pears. I was too lazy to go to the supermarket right away (even though it was literally a 3-5 min walk) since it looked like rain outside, so I decided to just eat what I had left.

Bueno, hoy querría Anyway. 2 hours later, I was out the door and heading out to the shopping center. And the moment I stepped in, I was swept away. It's Mother's Day in Australia, and there were SALESSSSSSSSSSSSS arghhhhhhhhh I think a tiny alarm in my head was sounding, my eyes glistening and my feet were moving toward stores as if they had their own mind hahaha. So I obviously came back home with more goodies than I had originally planned. But I hadn't shopped for at least a month now, so I guess I'll try not to again until next month! :)

My birthday was at the end of March, and one of my friends was so sweet and gave me a Nail Gel Essence from Japan!

I haven't opened it yet, since the packaging is so cute! This was actually the inspiration for me to acquire some nail polishes, since I haven't shopped for nail polishes since I got to Australia 3 months ago. I'll be doing a review on this once I've actually used it.

So I went into this shop called Gloss, which is where they sell numerous cosmetics and nail polishes at a discounted price. Afterward I went to K-mart and found another gorgeous color on sale, so I grabbed it as well, since it looks exactly like my favorite liquid glitter eye liner from Etude House (mental note to write about that later) ^__^

Here they are <3

Such gorgeous colors!!! kyaaaaaa though especially more so for the fall!
Let's take a closer look, shall we?

N295 Make Love Not War

The color is called "Make Love Not War" - wow such a pretty name! I don't know if it's just me, but half of the fun is in reading all the names for beauty products! This color is a gorgeous pink (with a slight red undertone) which looks creamy in the package, but not sure how it'll turn out on the actual nails. It feels really pretty and girly to me, which is definitely my favorite style in general. I'll update pics in natural lighting later.

N215 Matte Grey

This one is perfect for fall and winter, I think. It's a dark grey that's not too ashy. It's supposed to be matte too!

N348 Diamond Glitter Silk

And, the last one... the one I'm most excited about! kyaa this photo does NOT do it justice at all! :( The real thing is gold glitter with multi-colored shimmers mixed in as well. The moment I saw it, it was love. I gravitated toward it lightning speed lol

And lastly, I got the Dry Kwik Nail Color Dryer to try out as well! I am a person who always manages to get random fingerprints or hair or wrinkle marks on my nails while letting them dry for some reason. Always. I usually like to do nails at night time, then go to bed. And wake up with slightly messed up colors on my nails. Sigh... Hopefully this will help! I wonder if it would work as a base coat too?

I got a nail polish remover as well, but it's nothing exciting. Just the normal drugstore one.
Well, that was certainly fun!

Will post up pics with all the polishes on the actual nails when I wear them :)

xoxo

On Tonight's Menu - La cena de hoy!

Basa Fillet with poached pears in garlic sauce, accompanied by a spinach and avocado salad! hmmmmm ^__^

Un fillet de pescado blanco con peras en una salsa de soja y ajo, acompañado por una ensalada de aguacate y espinacas. Hmmmmmm!!! Me gusta muchísima no solamente porque es tan rica ero también que no tiene mucha grasa y es entonces buena para la salud. Es muy fácil de cocinar y no dura mucho tiempo tampoco. Por supesto cocinaré este delicioso plato de nuevo (si no muchas veces!)

¡Buen provecho!

xoxo

Un poquito de mi día

Es muy difícil para que algo se cambie en una rutina o hábito en el caso de escribir español. No iba tan difícil en el pasado porque tenía que hacerlo como parte de mis estudios. Pero ahora no hay tantas oporutnidades de usar el castellano. No tengo nadie con que puedo practicar. Solo tengo el internet. Entonces como me daría cuenta que estoy comitiendo errores? Ay.... pero por lo menos estoy escribiendo ese blog post, lo cual significa que estoy pensando en castellano. Por lo menos.

Acabo de ver la película "Finding Nemo" de nuevo después que más de un mínimo de 4 años. Esta vez la ví en alemán pero con subtítulos en español jajajaja fue completamente una experiencia nueva. Porque el alemán y el castellano no son mis idiomas nativas. Además son estos dos idiomas completamente diferente! Tuve que concentrarme mucho en lo que estaba escuchando en comparación con lo que estaba leyendo. Que raro es el cerebro humano. Es capaz de cumplir tareas tan complejas a la misma vez. O mejor dicho, que increíble.

Bueno, ya está la 1:40 en la mañana. Otra vez empieza el lunes. Esta tarde tendré una presentación oral en la clase de traducción. El tema? La traducción o traductología feminista. Es un tema muy interesante y a mi me gusta mucha. Me fascina ver a las técnicas diferentes que utilizan las traductoras para lograr el objetivo de hacer la mujer más visible en el texto. Uno de los ejemplos de la técnica que se llama "hi-jacking" es de una traducción del texto La Habana para un Infante Difunto por Guillermo Cabrera Infante. La frase original es la siguiente: "ningún hombre puede violar a una mujer". Pero la traducción por Suzanne Jill Levine dice "no wee man can rape a woman". Absolutamente fascinante.

Veremos que pasará esta tarde. Tal vez escribiese más después de que llegue en casa esta noche. Hasta luego!