Neelam Restaurant Review

It’s a shame that I rarely take on Indian, it’s such a great cuisine which unfortunately I only really get to experience when I am fortunate to visit my friends’ houses and have their parents whip up a feast. Part of the reason why I have it on so few occasions, is because I just don’t know where to go. Think of it this way, I’m Chinese so I can point you to a decent, and authentic Chinese restaurant, that knowledge eludes me when it comes to Indian and Sri Lankan. 

This posts actually marks the second time that I’ve been here, the first time it was for a work lunch, this place recommended by an Indian colleague and it is always a bonus when they know the owners. We ordered like crazy the first time around and unfortunately I have no photos from that time, I figured that since it was a work lunch, it wouldn’t be that appropriate for me to snap photos at everything before we ate despite everything there at least knowing to some degree of this blog. 

Garlic Naan $3 each

Butter Chicken- Marinated chicken fillets, smoke roasted in tandoor and cooked in a special mild sauce $15.90

Kerala Prawn- A popular South Indian dish from the coast of Kerala cooked with coconut cream flavoured with exotic spices and mustard seed. $17.90

For a casual dinner for two (mum and I) we opted for a curry for two and a naan each (each piece is then cut into two).  After having it already, I just simply couldn’t overlook their delicious and fluffy garlic naan, in fact why have normal naan, or even butter or cheese naan when the option of garlic naan exists- so worth your while. I also prefer naan with curry rather than rice because I have eat more than enough rice at home and who doesn't like eating with their hands. 

I would have to concur with my mum's opinion on how expensive curry is. For what you pay for, you basically get a few pieces of meat and loads of sauce. I admit that a lot of effort goes into making the sauce and the sauce is the tastiest and most important part but somehow I also find it hard to justify the small serving size.  All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed both curries, it's not something I have often, which is why the price, for me is a minor qualm.

My love for luxe handbags

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

I must confess that I'm one very crazy bag lady. I know that shoes may be a weak spot for many women out there and that there are countless quotes about how shoes > bags and thereabouts anything else we can indulge in but no, I like my bags- a lot more than your average person. These photos were actually taken a while ago when I tried to enter a Sunglass Hut competition with the theme, 'Make it Reign'. Alas, I didn't win (I would have mentioned it otherwise) but I did use it as an opportunity to pretend that my house is a photo studio- sadly I don't have the space to cater for one. 

If there is one thing a girl need that instantly boosts their confidence and transforms a look from plain to chic, it would be a good bag. It doesn't have to come attached with a huge price tag but you know if (and only if) it is within your means then it wouldn't hurt to spoil yourself or others with a coveted bag. And because I covet bags, far more so than I should, I've shown a few from my (expanding) collection below. 

Lemon Cafe Review

Look for the Giant lemon and you'll know that you're in the right place. I haven't brunched in ages and yes my Breakfast/Brunch and Cafe tag is probably gaining cob webs if they existed on the internet. Admittedly, this post was never even supposed to exist, my friend and I actually had plans to go to the fish market again but as always buses are enemies (not friends) and so we spent a good 15 minutes waiting for it to come before jumping ship and walking it to Surry Hills from Railway Square. You should know that at this stage, it was 1 o'clock and we hadn't eaten at all and so severe hunger pains were kicking it. Note to self, if you ever decide to abort your plans suddenly don't turn back because it is then that you'll regret your decision-in my case it was seeing the MIA bus.

So we wanted to go to Chur burgers since it has honestly been forever since I last went but they don't open on Sundays (I wished you guys would change that). Another note to self, look up the opening hours before making your way to some place. Plan B was Reuben Hills but waiting for a table didn't sit all that well with me, I'll have you know that I can become very cranky and crabby when my stomach demands food. And so it was Plan C, Rustic Pearl, and if that failed then Plan D; Bourke Street Bakery because that was the direction we were heading to at least. A 45 minute lunchtime wait on a weekend for Rustic Pearl !#=+*% No thanks. Keen for food, we settled for the closest available place- the Lemon Cafe which is strangely quiet in comparison to the other Crown St cafes. To be honest, I'm not that surprise, you find the food to be nice and affordable but with Sydney's burgeoning cafe culture, we have come to expect nice as being below average. Our standards have raised dramatically in the last year or two and so we will only eating the best but the best carries with it absurd waiting times like 1hr for a table at Brewtown Newtown.

Trying to hone my aerial brunch flatlay photos.

This is also the only photo I bothered to make look decent, the two below were just victims of my need for food. It was a case of okay here's a photo of the food in case I blog about this and yeah the rest is history because 'I'M HUNGRY- rawrr'

French toast with banana, ricotta, cinnamon & honey $12.50

It has honestly been ages since my last French toast, I think we would have to step back in time to when I went to Three Williams at the beginning of this year. Unfortunately it is a tough act to follow what is arguably one of the best and prettiest french toasts in Sydney and I adore my french toasts minus their contribution to my waist line. It may or may not be evident in this picture but there is an insane amount of honey on the plate, too much even in light of my sweet tooth. It would have been a better idea had they put the honey in a jar for you to pour yourself to your liking. Because there was so much honey, there was no escaping it really and so each bite was incredibly sweet. The toast itself was good, not brioche but good enough to meet my french toast expectations. It would have also been better if there was more ricotta and banana to balance everything. 

Salsiccia Trio- Chorizo, chicken and lamb sausage medley served with scrambled eggs, sweet onion jam and sourdough toast $15.50

Not quite a big breakfast but a step towards that direction. First of all the sourdough was buttered, I'm on a diet here and butter is public enemy no.1, would have much preferred butter to be on the side as an option rather than having the bread dripping with butter. My favourite would have to be the onion jam, I mean I love onions and I think it takes real skill to ruin onions and thankfully that was not the case. More so sweet and slightly tart but still retaining the signature taste of onions. The eggs were very light and delicious and went a long way to helping to chew the dry chorizos- these were a big disappointment. I wish I had better things to say about the meats but they were very ordinary.

Look for the Giant lemon, if not, it is practically right next door to Gelato Messina. All in all, there are so many great options in Surry Hills, that this place shouldn't be your first pick. 

Dress to Remember

A night out deserves a little more attention than that day look because (hopefully) your nights out should be fewer than your day time appearances. And so we think twice about getting dressed. Dresses get scrutinised 720 degrees over and we question each and every single thought we just had. If you're a very practical person like me then those thoughts extend to the bag that you bring as well as the number of layers that you will need. Admittedly I carry a lot of stuff, I don't know why but I just seem to always a rather large bag for all of my essentials, which makes me the worst person when it comes to a night out clutch. I am also the one that wears cardigans and sweaters in the heat of summer and spring, the person that you shake your head at for being too insulated, and so for this night out I opted for a jumpsuit (I like the comfort and warmth of pants). I think that jumpsuits are going through a rebirth, it is now more and more common to see people wearing them casually or at more formal functions (a la red carpet).

I've told you to call me plum crazy and I shall ask you to do so again because black, white and plum has got to be my favourite colour combination of the moment. I would strut my stuff out each and every single night in this outfit were it not for me being concerned about how clean my clothes are. Also, if you, like me, feel a bit insecure when wearing bustiers or cleavage baring dresses/outfits then throw on a blazer for a more sophisticated and conservative look. Trust me, it does wonders and makes you look so much more polished and stylish for that matter.  

Mostly importantly have a good time.

Details:

Blazer- Bought off Ebay (sorry can't help you here)

Jumpsuit: Cameo the Label 'Run to me' in Black

Shoes: Rene Caovilla

Bag: See by Chloe Small Cherry Crossbody bag

Lipstick: Tom Ford 'Bruised Plum'

Outlet Shopping in Sydney

With Christmas fast approaching, I don't think you need any reminder of that date. Christmas is usually an intimate and low key celebration at my household without any Christmas presents. We run on a strange present schedule with no presents on birthdays or Christmas but instead random days throughout the year. But even with my own muted celebrations, I love to shop and I thought I'd do a quick write up of Outlet Sydney destinations. I hope to add to this post after I visit more places that I want to cross off my list but for now please settle with a tentative list in the making.

Note: This list is restricted to those retailers of clothes, shoes, bags and accessories

So one of my all time favourite spots to nab a designer bag at a fraction of their RRP all year round is the Bally Outlet Store in St Peters. At last month's Sydney Food Bloggers Picnic that I attended, I actually met a person who bought the exact same bag as I did except in black and we bonded over how great the deals were at this place. Not to be missed if you're looking for that first luxe purchase that carries with it a smaller hit to your bank balance. In neighbouring suburb, Erskenville is the Jo Malone Head Office, I'm told that it is mainly for corporate buyers but they do have a shop on site where you are able to buy their perfumes, candles, cremes but again like the Bally store they usually stock last season's goods and they only offer a limited range. If you plan on going to Jo Malone give them a call first jus to confirm this information because I would hate to pass on the wrong information.

Jo Malone                                   Bally Outlet Store
165-175 Mitchell Rd                  8 Canal Road
Erskineville NSW                      St Peters, NSW
(02) 9381 1200                          (02) 9519 2433

When it comes to outlet shopping it is hard to go past the two juggernauts in Sydney- Birkenhead Point and DFO Homebush.

Starting with Birkenhead Point: Photos are my biases

Camper! 

I adore their wacky and cute shoes and to the best of my knowledge this is their only outlet

DFO Homebush:
Sadly I don't come here enough. Just a few weeks ago was the first time that I went back to DFO since their renovation. It has now become a one stop including more homeware retailers- furniture and BBQs included. The renovation has also attracted fashion houses to set up their own outlets, this was the news that I was more concerned about.

Love the new look Ralph Lauren, reminds me of their stores in QVB and Chatswood Chase

Armani

Beautiful Armani coat that I wish I could call mine but for the fact that it's expensive and its 5 sizes too big. Did I mention that it was 50% off

Sadly their range of Trench Coats is very limited and I am withdrawn to going to the US for when I make that elusive Burberry coat purchase (one day)

I love Max Mara coats, they just didn't have much, if any in stock but I suppose that is given since I went in Spring/Summer 

Salvatore Ferragamo

Expect discounts on their bags and shoes

Biggest surprise. Would have stocked up were it for the fact that I have already stocked up.

Pappa Rich Broadway Review

Tucked away in my backlog for a good few months, Pappa Rich was the place that I never seemed to be able to will myself to write (there are a lot of these places) but with me overseas and writing these posts all in advance before I fly off, I decided to resurface these images and my thoughts along with it.

Clockwise:

Pappa deep fried chicken skin $6

Teh Tarik + Jelly (Milk Tea and Jelly) $4.90

Ipoh Koay Teow Soup with Steamed Chicken $13.50

Flat rice noodles in Pappa Rich's freshly boiled daily chicken soup and prawn head broth. Topped with spring onions and bean sprouts and served with steamed chicken

It would be unwise to think that every Malay noodle soup is laksa. I would have preferred it if the broth is more stronger, the chicken soup didn't come through as much as I preferred though I was surprised at how sweet it was. Personally, I like my soups to be full of more strong and vibrant flavours so this one is better suited for those who prefer the delicate ones. 

Upon seeing the deep fried chicken skin crop up on every food blog imaginable, I knew that it had to be something that we ordered contrary to the 'Are you kidding' faces I received from my dining companions. In this instance, the 'Are you kidding' face was rightly used. I'm sorry if you disagree with the greater opinion (you're welcome to differ) but I really didn't like these. They were incredibly oily, the taste kind of felt stuck in your mouth and they were rather chewy and really only a few mouthfuls is more enough. Funny how I was the one who had to take the rest home (because I ordered this) only to meet another disapproving eye- this time my mother. 

Looks better than it tastes in my opinion.

Succulent and tender chicken, I thought it was a good deal- noodle soup + chicken- yeah why not!

So good, especially for those wanting to start off with the most classical Malay drink you can. The drinks are also massive and be prepared to be amazed at their drink selection, it'll take you ages before you settle on the one you want. 

ABC $7.90

I'm terrible when it comes to being a walking glossary for Malaysian food. Probably prior to writing this, I should have consulted my Malay friend who was there that night to walk me through everything again. This is pretty much a formed of shaved ice with sweet corn, red beans, raisins and peanuts on top. Definitely something to be shared and to be eaten quickly because this melts ridiculously fast. I actually really enjoyed this, it tasted more like barley sugar and definitely seemed to be healthier because of the natural sweetness to it. 

Emergency Supply of Chocolate please

Do you read the Sydney Morning Herald? I wouldn't blame you if you didn't and preferred a different source of news. To be honest, I still feel rather jaded by a lot of news outlets, election or no election. They cover what they want and that is the end of it.

Enough of that tangent because that is a point of discussion for a different day, today is reserved for a very important matter at hand that concerns the world, that is, the global supply of chocolate. Of course the information in the article (read here) is debatable but I, for one found it to be incredibly shocking. I guess it doesn't particularly help when I buy enough chocolate to feed a family for a year whenever I go back to China (already there when you are reading this).

I should not have to explain myself any further, I am a serial shopper with Lindt and Connoisseur being victims of my grocery runs. As per usual, all of these were bought on sale because I like a good deal. Please do not ask for prices because too many chocolates were bought for me to remember. 

The List

7 boxes of Ferrero Rocher 36 pack

5 boxes of Lindt Lindor balls 400g

1 pack of Lindt Lindor balls- special edition 600g

6 blocks of Cadbury chocolates roughly 220g 

13 bags of treat size chocolates ranging from Mars, Boost, Picnic, Timout, etc.

5 packets of beef jerky

+ small assorted chocolates

Note the above does not even include the 3 boxes of Favourites (I think the size was 600g) and about 1kg of macadamias.

Do you go crazy with gifting chocolates (or other foods) when you visit relatives overseas. Let me know because I cannot be alone in this, or at least there must be someone crazier than me. Anyhow, if you believe that article then maybe now is the perfect excuse to stock up on those chocolates you've been craving before a inflation and a price hike hits.

Hermes- just some orange box love

Leather is practically my drug and both my parents can vehemently testify to that but it appears as if Hermes is taking that literally and heading straight to the bank- only for them it was unintended. So it has been an awful while since Page Six released news of a batch of Hermes leathergoods smelling like- god forbid- marijuana. Yes, I didn't get that wrong and neither did Page Six when customers of Hermes (some owning Birkins- so jealous of these people) started to complain of a foul odour coming from their designer and very, very expensive bags. They thought they were delusional because has Hermes is renown for its impeccable quality control, but sadly they were crazy and yes that pungent smell is your 5 figure designer handbag (time to break out the tissues, I know I would). 

Even in light of that, I still stand behind Hermes, it is a brand that I absolutely adore and I will take any opportunity to get my greedy hands on their goodies, if my wallet and bank account permits of course. Hermes' response to the situation was swift and appropriate, they recognised that there was a batch of leather that had issues, and promptly recalled all affected products from their owners so that they could be replaced in their HQ in Paris. Unlike many other fashion house, since their inception, the still largely family owned company has continued to keep all of their production in-house at that famed Paris address.

So for my first (lavish) Hermes purchase -all Hermes purchases break the bank- was an agenda so that I can somewhat reorganise my life. Designer agendas are expensive. End of story. Yet, surprisingly, Louis Vuitton's Epi Leather or Taiga Ardoise Agenda, on its own without the refills, costs more than Hermes. Comparing Hermes and Louis Vuitton is NOT like comparing apples and oranges. Yes, Togo leather feels very different from Epi or Taiga leather but there is a difference in where they stand on the hierarchy of leather; one of the many reasons why there is a such a big difference in their price points. I'm not sure if I really regret this purchase, don't get me wrong I love it but sometimes I wonder if I would have been better off sticking to Louis Vuitton.

One of the reasons why I was so keen to buy this is because I adore Togo leather, I've been reading it about it for zeons and I finally wanted to lay claim to it myself. The other reason is because someone else was eyeing the shade of red that I picked out and because the Sydney store has limited stock (i.e only 1) in each style. Lucky for me (?), I am a shopaholic by nature and so I didn't give that guy the chance to steal my agenda from me (muahaha). 

Orange box galore. 

Did you know that #orangeboxesmakemehappy is a legitimate hashtag on Instagram. I am not alone when I say who needs love when you can have orange boxes instead.

Couveture Chaier Ulysse PM Veau Togo Colour Red $285

Those horizontal lines you see along the spine weren't there originally but rather from the paper inserts.

When you buy the agenda, it is only sold as the leather cover, as with Louis Vuitton.The cover for Louis Vuitton is dearer but the refills are cheaper. That said, almost everyone buys independent refills and saves money that way. Hermes is a tad bit more difficult to find refills for because (see below) of its (tad bit) irregular shape and the binder it requires.That said, I think the Office Works A6 refills may work, I'm going to find out next year when I try to see if it fits so if you're curious then check back in 1/2 months times when I'll have the answer for you.

Recharge Cahier Ulysse Agenda Perpetual PM Pier $110

This is where the prices start to kill you, at $110, this may quite possibly be the most outrageous thing I've ever bought. I was shouting expletives in my head when I heard the price, the cheaper option is to just get lined paper but why would you buy an agenda if you don't fill it with a calendar. But in saying that there is a premium attached. Hence why I am so desperate to find alternative refills, if you have any suggestions then I am most definitely all ears.

I have my doubts here and there about whether this was the best one for me but I've come to accept my decision. I will say that if you expect to be rough with your agenda, then stick to Louis Vuitton because Epi/Taiga Leather is a harder leather (you're looking to pay around $460 for the cover alone, at least thats the size I wanted). But if you don't expect your agenda to be damaged in your endless bag of things with a bottomless pit (aka my school backpack) then go to the closest Hermes store near you, try it out and if you fall in love then just accept and embrace it.