Backlog of Food Adventures in Melbourne

Back with another food-related post!

Prepare to be hungry hehe

Kitsune Udon from Uzu (Caulfield)

Love Kitsune! Although I prefer Soba, kitsune udon still satisfies my craving and warms me up when it's winter in Melbourne.

Salmon Roses

Raw salmon is on my top 5 list of things I wouldn't mind eating everyday for the rest of my life, so it's no surprise that these Salmon Roses were delightful. Inside the roses are sushi rice, tempura flakes and mayo and fish roe. Yum :)

2012 Shiraz for my Birthday!

This was a gift for my Birthday back in March, but it was one hell of a good bottle! I liked how it didn't have any overwhelming bitter aftertaste and wasn't too dry.

Brunch in South Yarra

And of course - my favorite meal - Sunday brunch! This one was from a cafe in South Yarra. Rocket greens, potato 'hash brown', avocado mash, smoked salmon, a poached egg and hollandaise sauce. Great, but not life-changing.

Big Breakfast @ Degraves St

This was a big power-up breakfast right before a long day of work at the Town Hall. Poached Eggs, Toast, Sauteed Mushrooms, Baked Tomatoes and Bacon. Need I say more? Still can't get used to the bacon they have here in Australia - I prefer the crispy ones in Canada way more!

Favorite snack = Knoppers

Knoppers remains one of my absolute favorite snacks. I always have it with coffee (Long Black or Long Macchiato - no sugar of course)! I go through these like crazy haha they're not always available in Aldi either, so if I see them I tend to buy two packs of six - just in case.

Enough food pics for the time being - more to come later ^_^
xoxo

Back from my hiatus :) Mini beauty haul + review of Sally Hansen Sheer Cream Blush

I certainly missed this blog! An entire 4.5 months has gone by so fast I barely got to catch my breath.  I am finally done with my Masters Degree!! Woo hooooooooooo :D There has been many ups and downs both in my professional, university and personal life, but I am still hopeful for that silver lining behind the cloud.

So to celebrate my completing the degree and also to cheer myself up from a rough time this past weekend, I decided to go on a mini shopping spree. Retail therapy teehee!

There's currently a 50% off promotion for the entire Rimmel range in My Chemist, so I decided to take advantage of it and went to test out the oh-so-famous-on-youtube "Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation".

After testing it out on my hands though, I must say that it's not for me. There are obvious shimmers in the foundation, which may suit skin that is more dry and perhaps smaller pores. Personally though, I don't quite like shimmer all over the face, but rather in specific locations - which is why I am particularly fond of highlighting my cheekbones and the inner corners of my eyes. My pores are relatively large and because of this I fear that the shimmers/glitter will only accentuate them. I also have oily skin, so I don't see this working for me.

I was rather disappointed, but then I turned to play around with other Rimmel foundations and fell in love with the texture and finish of their Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation! It's a light perfecting foundation, which give a satin finish - a perfect balance between glowy/dewy and completely matte.

The shade that I have is called Ivory 100!

Rimmel Match Perfection in 100 Ivory & Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Sheer Cream Blush in  01- Beaming

Ivory 100 is the lightest shade in the yellow undertone side of the range, which fits my skin tone perfectly. I have yet to actually try it on my face, but I think this might be one of my soon-to-be-favorites this next month!

The other beauty item I got today was the Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Sheer Cream Blush in 01-Beaming. I purchased its sister in 05-Bloom a few months ago (I think this was in a previous haul) and ended up loving it so much that I decided to get this shade as well.

The texture is not too creamy or sticky and blends in with the skin very nicely. It dries to a satin-finish which is very natural on the face.

In terms of longevity, because of my oily skin, it does tend to fade a bit, but I find that it works best as a base for other powder blushes as well! If I want the exact color, then I would powder very lightly. Otherwise, I layer another blush on top and it stays on all day for me.

Here are the pictures of the two shades and also the swatches!

Left - 01-Beaming// Right - 05-Bloom

 

 

 

Left 05-Bloom// Right 01-Beaming

Bloom is more of a medium pink, whilst Beaming has more of a peach undertone. The swatches on my wrist are more true to color than how they look in the pan in the pictures above.

Top - 01-Beaming// Bottom 05-Bloom

I highly recommend the cream blush as they are generally low-maintenance, appear very natural and are especially great when you're pressed for time.

xoxo

This past week of food adventures - home made + out & about

Here's to another week of delicious food adventures - both home made as well as from restaurants in Melbourne.

Warning: the following images may induce hunger and cravings. Viewer discretion is advised, especially if viewing late at night.

Starting with dessert at the Laurent cafe at the Chaddy branch. Chololate ganache, mini macarons, coconut and raspberry and cake filling. 

Then jumping to the morning after hangover food at the Pancake Parlour. Pancakes, whipped butter, eggs and bacon. Need I say more?

Jumping over to the Japanese side of things. Unagi don at Uzu in Caulfield. The unagi was delicious, but I still cannot believe the rice was soggy. Hmph. Don't skimp on the rice!! :(

This baby still saved the day. Otherwise, I would have been very unhappy. 

Now for fruity chocolates that look like Drawing/Colouring Chalks from HappyLab! Love the presentation of this little box! Plus, they were yummy too. My favourite one was the lychee flavour (far right, baby pink color).

My home made spicy fish stew with caramelised leeks and cucumber.

And lastly, last night's late night dinner: A warm salad of tuna, tomatoes and green beans in a brown butter and balsamic reduction. Crackers on the side. Yum!

xoxo

~A mini fashion haul/ retail therapy~

I don't usually post a lot of hauls, simply because I get too excited and then use the products straight away and then eventually get too lazy to feature them on here. This time, I've decided to get off the lazy wagon and share two purchases which I made recently - and by that I mean within the past 48 hours lol

The two items that I've purchased are a pair of black ankle booties and a new handbag. I was cruising and browsing randomly in the shoe section in Kmart - something which one should not do because you may easily come out with a pair which you didn't intend on getting when you entered the store - and came a cross this simple black ankle booties.

Now although it is technically summertime in Australia at the moment, we still get those very random days or weeks of 20C. This is precisely when I want a pair of booties that will work for those grey days in the summer, or even on a sunny day with a pair of shorts or a skirt for an edgy look. This piece will also very easily transition into fall and winter in the next few months. All in all, a piece that I know I will get so much use out of.

The heel is not real wood, but it felt sturdy regardless. The heel adds just a bit of height, but not too high that it will make yo feel uncomfortable to walk on for the whole day. I know I can pop these on in a hurry (the side zipper makes this pair so easy to slip on) and walk out the door looking more 'put-together' without the effort.

The cut of the front of the booties are slightly curved, and not simply just cut straight across, which I personally feel is more flattering on anyone, especially for a chubby girl like myself. :) And the best part? This baby was a mere $19-$20 AUD! Loveeee


Then today I went back to Chaddy again and tried testing the booties out. Turns out they were absolutely comfortable on, especially given that I spent a good 3-4 hours of walking and standing and shopping. I was on the lookout for a new bag that was big enough to fit all of the things I need for uni in, chic/classic without the brand name price tag, and goes with everything in every season. And fell in love with one from Colette.

Ready?

Isn't this beautiful? Now I took the paper stuffing out so the shape's slightly different than the one on display, as it's usually a bit more 'puffy' but I love this! The nude and black colors are classic and can transition into any season. The gold detailing is great and adds a sense of luxury. The latch isn't too flimsy (a problem which I had with my other Colette bag - a review to come soon). The faux snake/crocodile skin makes the nude not too boring. The size is not too big, not too small for me. 

It also comes with a large strap so you have the option of hanging the bag across your body with the strap.

The lining on the inside was pretty well-made, and there were partitions or dividers inside the bag, which makes it easier to find things and be organised.

Here's the back - 

I'm seriously loving this bag! It was $49.95 AUD, which isn't cheap but nor was it unbelievably expensive. (Sorry for the clutter in the background - I'm currently re-organising my room).

Once I actually use it, I might do a full review of how it performs in real life. For now though, I'm very happy with both of the purchases I made.

xoxo

Seoul Metro, Lonsdale Melbourne CBD

Back with another food post! This actually composes of two separate visits to Seoul Metro, a Korean restaurant on Lonsdale in Melbourne CBD.

The first visit my friend and I ordered Makkeolli (not quite sure if that's even how it's supposed to be spelled...). It's a milky alcohol which is slightly sweet and goes down very easily even without any food to go along with it.

The alcohol comes in a cold kettle, which I personally thought was cute. The drinking glasses were more round, wide and not as tall as the soju glasses.

For my main meal, I had the Seafood Bibimbpap. The portion perfectly satisfied my craving for this Korean dish, and each of the ingredients mixed in together were yummy. I was glad they didn't use the 'Marinara Mix' stuff with feeble pieces of seafood - here they used squid and scallop pieces mostly. Not bad, but don't expect anything fancy.

As always though - as the dish cools down I often find that it can get bland and I find myself reaching back for more and more of the red Kochujang mix sauce. I was very happy that thy left the sauce bottle on our table, so I don't have to ask for it at least 3 or 4 more times. I think by the end of the meal I had finished a whole 2/3 of the sauce bottle. Oops. The Thai in me needs stronger flavors and seasoning!

Now for the second visit to Seoul Metro, we had Soju.

And to go with that, Budae Jigae (Large)

The large size comes with up to four bowls of rice, but there were only three of us, so we didn't really need the fourth bowl anyway. I liked this dish and wished there was more of it to go around!

Overall, I think Seoul Metro is a good place to fix the Korean food craving and isn't over-priced. It certainly does not boast 'best Korean restaurant in CBD' so don't expect anything fancy or out-of-this-world-delicious. It's simply a nice family-owned, cosy little place :)

Nail Swatches + Review - Bourjois 27 Beige Glamour

Some time towards the end of 2012, I posted about a Bourjois Haul at Priceline which included a nail polish called 27 Beige Glamour.

Well, let me just say this. I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEE IT!!! It's absolutely incredible. Here's a picture from the Haul:

So Laque! Nail Polish in 27 Beige Glamour

And a more close-up look:

This s a very pretty, office- appropriate shade. It's a mix of pink and beige - my favorite colors! The brush (may need to take a picture of it some time soon and then update this post) picks up a good amount of product and the application was very easy. The formula of the polish was beautifully creamy.Without a base and/or top coat, this polish still looked very pretty. Of course it won't last near as long though, especially since I work in a restaurant and I always wash dishes, clean things, take orders, etc. etc. i.e. I'm not very careful hehe

But seriously. Every single time I wear this polish, I get compliments on it. My friend said that it made my hands look very nimble, complemented my skin colour and was a very sweet touch to my outfit overall. 

Here are some swatches. These pics were taken from my iPhone 4 camera, with no filter or effects added. Pictured are two coats + top coat.

This was taken outside in the shade.

And here's a close-up.

Isn't this just pretty?? I'm in love. This is my go-to nail polish and is in my number 1 nail polish of 2012. Cannot get enough of this! If you can get a hold of this polish, and are looking for something that is girly but classy, I would totally, thoroughly, absolutely recommend this polish.

xoxo

A Thai style Seafood BBQ Christmas in Melbourne!

Merry (belated) Christmas and Happy New Year!

For the first post of 2013, I wanted to share another yummy adventure I went on with my colleagues from the restaurant I work at. What to do on Christmas day? Well, how about a seafood ONLY BBQ near the beach? Heck yes!!

We were actually quite surprised by the number of people that came out on Christmas Day to have BBQ on the beach and in outdoor parks. The weather was  sunny, not too windy though slightly more cold than the usual summer day in Melbourne - just the right combination for an outdoor BBQ. I slept over my boss' place along with my other colleagues the night before (Christmas Eve). We watched Dark Shadows right before bed  - a very entertaining movie if you ask me - and the following morning I woke up to the sound of the stone mortar pounding the Thai style Seafood dipping sauce for the BBQ!! 

Without further ado, here are the pics to a STRICTLY "LOW-CARB" BBQ lol

The view near one of the BBQ sites - sadly there wasn't any space for us :(

The view at one of the BBQ places (which was way too packed - such a pity) was amazing! The mountains in the background and the color of the water was very calming.

Wahhhhhhhh so pretty!

Okay, now onto the food - now I didn't even get to take photos of everything we ate because they were too fast at eating - once something was 'ready', I swear the food disappears so fast haha

That was the trial round when we simply 'tested' the BBQ grill..

Well, well, well.

Grilled Prawns and Squid - nothing overcooked but just right. 

Meanwhile I was ...

Yeah.

We're not through yet.

Here are the mussels steamed in herbs and stock - 

Okay keep 'em coming!

Man, the mussels were sooooooo good!! The herbs kept the fishy smell away, and the stock just brought out the mussels' natural sweetness. I cant empty that whole pot myself if I had the chance :)

Oppa, Thai Style (dipping sauces) hehe

We made all of the dipping sauces ourselves. The One on the left is one made of fish sauce, sugar, fresh chilli and shallots. This was was to accompany the grilled fish (not pictured- could not compete with hungry colleagues and they dug in before I could even take the phone from my pocket haha)

The other dipping sauce is called the "Seafood dipping sauce" - yes, absolutely genius. This is made of lime/lemon juice, fish sauce, chilli, garlic, and sugar - super spicy and tangy! Amazing! I dip the prawns, calamari/squid, mussels, and fish in this. But wait a minute, aren't we missing something?

But how could we forget.

Oysterssssssssssssssssssssssss I have not had these since I came to Australia almost a year ago, so this was a treat for me. Squeeze in some lemon juice or half a spoonful of the Thai dipping sauce before chucking them down - either way is equally delightful. I still prefer the Thai dipping sauce though. 

After all that, we actually also had a pot of soy sauce fish stew and rice as well. 

The best meal since coming to Australia for sure!

Off to bed now - I'm writing this at 3am in the morning and it's making me really hungry. Not good. lol

xoxo