A Floral AFFAIR: Oriental

As much as I'm loving floral at the moment with my latest post about Bec & Bridge's Falling Poppies, what I'm loving more is Oriental. Now you may think they're pretty much the same thing but I consider Oriental prints to be more so inspired by the Japanese kimono prints or the regal and colours of Chinese Imperial Palace or dynasty designs with exotic floral prints. For now I won't be brooding on too much of the digital prints because I want to dedicate a post just for that, for a particular designer that deserves all the credit.

Below I've attached a picture photos that I took from a Chinese fashion magazine (might be Chinese Bazaar) for some inspiration and to capture how lovely Oriental prints are.

 A bit away from Oriental but the edgier, safari/jungle print is also an option considering tribal prints are becoming increasingly popular

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Especially the coat on Sarah Jessica Parker by Giambattista Valli Couture and the blazer by Malene Birger (I always have a penchant for blazers)

 A compilation of fashion bloggers rocking their Oriental prints

Local Choices:

In terms of local designers, I find that Zimmerman is a good place to start I think their prints are lovely and they come in various forms whether you're in need of swimwear, a top or pants, above I'm wearing the one skirt in a smart office look, casual and even casual-et (you should be able to tell them apart)

Shona Joy's Winters Bloom Print from their Winter Collection 2013 is another good choice (or at least it has my seal of approval) and because it was a last season item it is quite hard to find them but I do know that you can still buy the jeans from Jade & Belle and The Iconic here & here.

ASOS options:

Mango Oriental Print Chiffon Blouse

Link to Buy

Warehouse Oriental Print Playsuit

Link to Buy 

In Australian Shops:

Forever New

Papper Scissors

Finally, a few of my own Oriental pieces

Blazer: Vintage Valentino- Miss V

'Celine Me Alone' Top: no brand

Pants: Cameo 'Poison Tree'

Bag: Vintage Gucci

Don't ask about the picture on the left, felt like taking a selfie but I tend to pout a lot. A lot.

Personally when I wear this blazer in particular I tend to wear it on top a neutral base or a softer black and white pairing because that way the blazer gets all the attention (as it should) with all the colour coming really from it and it alone. I would also recommend a few pops of colour such as adding a pair of red heels or a different coloured bag, for me I continued the black-white scheme as I wanted to direct all the attention to my Valentino blazer.

Blazer: Vintage Mink Pink (material- velvet)

Top: Ralph Lauren

Pants: Zimmermann

Bag: Salvatore Ferragamo

This time I went for the neutral base to accentuate the contrast that the blazer brings and even though it's made of velvet you can hardly tell from the pictures (it surprised me as well when it came in the mail). And because this look stems from a neutral base, accessories including the bag should also be softer in colour in this case pastel or whites would work well. Also instead of belts, I find that Summer lends itself more towards 'belting' by using ties, ribbons or just some fabric instead to exude a more careful vibe that attaches to my image of Summer whereas the belt is more reserved for colour blocking or adding something heavy for Winter.

Lastly, I wonder if anyone has caught on to my trend of wearing lots of white because I'm finding it popular in both hemispheres at the moment with the Winter Whites of the North versus the Summer Whites with pops of colour.

Ethical Fashion

Moving away from the image of sweat shops, cheap child labour is Swiss clothing giant H&M and you really have to applaud them for their initiative- I think it's great to see some Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in action after learning about it all of last semester. Basically, H&M has announced that their prices will rise in accordance with higher wages for their Bangladesh workers so they can at least earn a liveable wage than what it currently stands at. For more information read the Huffington Post here.

Grill'd Meatwave Week 1

Last week was the free burger offer and this week any of their burgers will be $10 and with that they'll throw in a free Stone & Wood Beer; to see if you're state can claim this offer check http://meatwave.grilld.com.au

Left: Summer Sunset RRP $12.50
Grilled grass fed lean beef, avocado, crispy trim bacon, golden pineapple, salad, relish & herbed mayo.

Absolutely delicious, personally I prefer my burgers on a sour dough bun- I just do but you can opt for the traditional bun with the sesame seeds on top. If you're the type that is particularly awkward when eating burgers which should apply to just about everyone (not counting those stingy-not-even-classified burgers from the likes of McDonalds and co) then feel free to ask them to cut the burger in half, it doesn't detract from the taste in fact I think it lets you enjoy more as you're no longer concerned with how to fit the whole burger in your mouth or how to deconstruct it without seeming like a kid playing with their food. AND if you're too shy to ask (because I know that there are people like that out there just don't know if you read my blog) then Grill'd has made a lovely addition to their table utensils, knives are on the table now alongside the napkins so you can DIY, I'm guessing that that is their purpose otherwise you and I should be concerned as to why such sharp knives are readily available.

Hoping to go through a run of fashion posts soon, till then~

Gelato Messina at Sydney Festival 2014 Review

This year Gelato Messina ran a stall at the Sydney Festival channeling a carnival theme, at a glance any gelato fan for that matter would be excited with their wonderful  if not colourful and eccentric offerings as expected from a carnival.

 Hyde Park in front of St Mary's cathedral is the recreation of the Stonehenge only this time as a massive jumping castle.

 Gelatoffee Apples- Green apple sorbet with a  caramel milk chocolate glazed candy apple red finish $7

Initially I thought this was going to be the best but as they say don't get your hopes up and this was the case. There was nothing wrong with the caramel milk chocolate coating, at first you don't taste the caramel but then after a few bites you can definitely tell that it's there. The green apple sorbet tastes nothing like a sorbet- if anything it tastes like a bad pink lady or any ordinary pink lady apple (I'm a fuji apple person) so I detest the mushiness and that's exactly what I got served. To be honest the sorbet was just really unpleasant- a disappointment.

 Food whore

 Yeeah Dawgs! A twisted hot dog- A milk chocolate gelato hot dog, served in a warm finger bun with essential condiments passionfruit 'mustard', raspberry 'ketchup' and buttercream 'mayo', and coconut 'onions' $9

First things first, where is my buttercream 'mayo' and coconut 'onions' that might have been why I felt that this hot dog was lacking something. I loved the idea, thought it was really innovative and the milk chocolate gelato hot dog was lovely but I thought that it didn't really gel well when you eat it in conjunction with the finger bun and the double dose of sweetness that you get with the passionfruit 'mustard' and raspberry 'ketchup'- that might be why it was just way too sweet without the 'mayo' and 'onions' which I would have loved to have particularly the 'onions'.

 Messinaweiener! AKA The Pluto Pup- A baton of maple syrup gelato coated in pancake batter, del fried & crispy- Dipped in plum sauce $9

I hope I don't sound like someone who has a vendetta against Messina because I really love their gelato and creations from the Creative Department store in Darlinghurst but I think that they had an ambitious menu that didn't get executed the way that I know they're capable of doing so. As for this one my call is too much batter, the oil really comes through and unfortunately the maple syrup gelato does seep through a lot. 

Bondi Pizza Parramatta Review

Remember that post I wrote up a while ago about the $20 gift voucher you get by joining Bondi Pizza's VIP list. I'm not sure how the link was perhaps flawed but I received my gift voucher whereas some of my friends did not. My snapshot of Bondi Pizza would be decent food with an over the top price tag.

Arancini Balls- Fried risotto balls with Fontina, tomato, herbs & fetta served with garlic aioli $9.95

Ever since I tried arancini balls at high tea at Hyde Park Barracks I've been craving them ever since. For anyone who hasn't tried them well you simply must , would've thought that fried risotto in a ball would taste so good. For those that really love this stuff there's a grocer/deli in. Surry Hills called Crown St Grocer and they have gigantic arancini balls for around $8 and considering how the plate above was just under $10 it's well worth the trip there, I'll try it soon and get back to guys on how it tastes. The garlic aioli that came with it was absolutely delicious, we used every last bit of it even though the arancini ball was tasty on its own.

Grilled Chicken Tandoori Pizza 15inch- marinated tandoori chicken, cucumber, diced tomato, finished with mango chutney & cucumber yoghurt dressing $25.95
Since it's called 'Bondi Pizza' you cannot go without choosing one of their signature pizzas right. There's nothing much to complain about when it comes to pizza unless it's horridly made. Chicken was heavily marinated but that was nice, I would like for more vegetables though.

Shoe string fries served with tomato sauce $8.95

As my friend put it "tastes like McDonald's fries" which was quite true without all the oil nor salt which made the fries eatable.

Grilled Atlantic Salmon Salad- grilled Atlantic salmon, crispy capers, cos lettuce, rocket, baby roma tomato, avocado, cucumber, kalamata olives, fetta, beetroot & balsamic vinaigrette served with a side of creamy Caesar sauce $22.95

One thing that I enjoyed about Bondi Pizza was their sauces, they were so appropriate and really complemented the dish that they were served with. Like the garlic aioli, we loved the creamy caesar sauce.

Dessert after at The Chocolate Room which is a franchise alternative to the likes of Lindt Chocolate Cafe, Guylian, Max Brenner and San Churros. Personally, I only decided to give The Chocolate Room a go at the suggestion of my friend who told me to try their tiramisu ice-cream featured below ($6). First of all, I thought it was quite ingenious seeing the ice cream shaped in the form of a cake that was ultimately made me decide to eat here. For the taste itself, it appeared whilst grainy and as you can see from the picture below there were quite a bit of ice crystals on the top alarming to say the least that none of the staff picked up in that point. 

Grill'd s Meatwave

Admit it who doesn't like free stuff- with the weather making it definitely feel like Summer, Grill'd Burgers have decided to launch a new promotion one that I think is quite quirky and will definitely have everyone tracking their social media outlets and the upcoming temperatures for that matter.

Basically, all you have to do is go to Grill'd Facebook page or click http://bit.ly/MEATWAVE and register your details, an email will be sent with an unique code which you take to a Grill'd restaurant to receive the Meatwave card. Once you've done that, pay attention to their Facebook page where they'll release the requisite temperatures needed to receive whatever it is they're offering, first one is a free burger as for the rest well that's undisclosed as this point.

Attention all Zumbo fans

To celebrate summer we have a sweet giveaway for Sydneysiders this weekend – free scoops of our handcrafted ice cream! Visit our Rozelle cafe between 1pm and 2pm this Sunday and the man himself will be handing out scoops of our irresistible ice cream. Flavours on offer will include raspberry shortbread, salted butter popcorn and gin and tonic. 

Date: Sunday, 12 January 2014
Time: 1pm til 2pm
Location: Adriano Zumbo Patissier - 114 Terry Street, Rozelle 

*Limit of one scoop per person applies. Available at our Rozelle café only.

Bec & Bridge Falling Poppies

 2nd Post of the Year, I hope I'm off to a good start guys by giving you guys a fashion post. Gosh it has been so long since I've written about fashion but after spending time reading Chinese fashion magazines aka Chinese Bazaar and Cosmopolitan I'm fresh new topics to talk about but before that I wanted to spread the word about a brand that I love: Bec & Bridge- they are the geniuses behind my favourite print; Falling Poppies. In the past I haven't been much of a floral person, I still have a slight aversion towards it but that's probably because I was exposed to hideous prints that should never have been made into clothing let alone worn. Enough of that, if you find a good floral print then wear it proud!

Bec & Bridge's Falling Poppies combines two of my favourite colours and colour combinations, it's like this print was purposely meant for me <3. 

White is a must have staple, I mean who doesn't own a plain white top (if not run out to buy one the next time you're in a shop). What irks me the most about most floral prints is that they can be quite solid and blocky but with this design we can a gradual transition and it's this fact that I love the most. This is an incredibly important fact for jeans because it is so easy to go wrong because a fine balance must be achieved otherwise it becomes and eyesore like many before. 

Below is a picture of me showing off my Bec & Bridge Falling Poppies Jeans with a white SES buttoned top, Michael Kors Rose Gold Watch, Talbots black leather belt and Rene Caovilla heels.

For cooler weathers I initially found it hard to find colours to pair nicely with these jeans, my advice don't wear other bright colours, stick to either a white, black or a contrast it like I did below with khaki. 

 Rene Caovilla heels, I think I'm in love with Italian heel makes. Giuseppe Zanotti of course is best.

If red outer soles are to Christian Louboutin then gold glittery soles are to Rene Caovilla

Next Look the Bec & Bridge Falling Poppies Shorts

Got to love them versatile simple white tops

These shorts also have that skirt effect

 Pierre Cardin vintage sunglasses

Accessories: 

Bag- See by Chloe

Shoes- Stuart Weitzman

Sunglasses- vintage Pierre Cardin

Watch- Michael Kors

Final Look adding the Bec & Bridge Falling Poppies Blazer

Now if you know me personally then you'll probably consider me to be quite short. The blazer pictured here is a size 6 and despite being the smallest size available it is also quite long and by 'quite' I mean just above my knees (unfortunately). So plan is to get it tailored by bringing it up but so far I haven't the heart to cut the lovely material and print with it so I'm just wearing it as an oversized blazer by draping it over my shoulders.

 My shock expresses it all I know the blazer is massive.

As Chriselle Lim once said: Rules are meant to be broken. 

Yes it is quite often correct to not match prints with prints especially of the same kind but with a little thought you can so break this rule. From my prior look, I replaced the top this time with a mint green top instead because had I stuck with the white top it would have been too match matchy in which case the rule applies. However add a different colour top and you employ some colour blocking which helps you to create so distance when you pair two of the same prints together as you can see below. I hope you guys appreciate my artistic self and enjoy a lovely picture of the entrance to my house.

 See the contrast

And because I DIY everything enjoy my shameless selfies

What I'm wearing:

Blazer- Bec & Bridge

Shorts- Bec & Bridge

Top: Finders Keepers 'Let it Rain' playsuit, I just wore the shorts on top of the playsuit

Watch- same as above

I first caught onto this print when I saw Aimee Song of Song of Style wear this, at one stage I was contemplating buying the top that she's wearing as well but I decided against it for my wallet's sake and considering that I would rarely wear it but you have to admit that she wears it pretty darn well.

Anyhow that concludes the first fashion post in a long time. Hope you enjoyed reading and viewing the photos, look forward to more !!!

Reuben Hills Review

If you've heard about how great Surry Hills is for food then surely Reuben Hills was mentioned in that same conversation... if not consult that friend or person again. If there's one thing that I remember Albion St for, is its hills, Chur Burgers and Reuben Hills (whoops that's 3 things). Portion wise, Reuben Hills doesn't seem like much but this cafe surely proves that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover because surprisingly enough you may actually find yourself quite full or at least I do. Also, the food is amazing if that's not enough reason for you to eat there. 

Lime & Coconut Shake $8.50
One of the most satisfying drinks on the menu has got to be their thick shakes, one simply for their size and two flavour- my gosh you actually find yourself chewing on the coconut. The texture to it is quite pleasant and thanks to the lime you don't lose yourself to the dairy-based ingredients.

Expected to plants in not so miscellaneous places, the first time I was here one was in the bathroom, second time it wasn't.

French Toast with caramelised banana, coffee custard and pecan praline $16

If you're new to my blog then let me tell you that I love my french toast served sweet, it makes no sense to me to see it served with a rash of bacon so when I saw this new addition to the menu my eyes lit up in joy and I knew I just had to have it- I simply cannot turn down an opportune moment to have french toast. Whilst the serving was quite small (I warned you all), that doesn't really matter for french toast as it usually quite buttery and eggy so if you get a large slice of bread you really can't finish it. My overall verdict is that whilst the french toast was nice, I have to say that I've had better ones, flavour combination was quite interesting, I loved the coffee custard in the jug and drizzled it generously over my toast but it wasn't as buttery as I would've liked. 

the NOT reuben wagyu salt brisket, pickled slaw, manchego & horseradish cream on rye $16

Though this may fit in the palm of your hand, the wagyu is so tender it makes it oh so worth it and when paired with the sides you'll wish there were seconds.