Lobby Lounge Take 2

In a world where we are increasingly reliant on Instagram and eating with our eyes, we must all have our fair share of WTF moments where what you see is far from what you got. I had that with Kanzi Fashion Cafe and till this day it will forever remain as my sad bingsoo story. I guess if anything it was a good lesson on not judging a book by a cover or in fact the reverse to this idiom. The disappoint was on a very different degree when it came to Anna's Mess, the product of Shangri La's executive pastry chef Anna Polyviou. After seeing it on her Instagram account and others for a while now, I finally found the perfect excuse or cover for me to justify running to the Lobby Lounge. For the record it looks much bigger in photos than in real life.

L: Anna's Mess approx $10

R: Citrus tart approx $5

Unfortunately that day I didn't take a photo of the menu and price list so this is all from my memory but the prices that I have written down are very accurate, if anything I'm $0.50-$1 off.

First of all, minor faults aside, the desserts are to die for. With regards to the citrus tart, I wish the cookie base wasn't as hard. I mean it was a two-person effort to cut through the base to ensure that pieces wouldn't go flying. Other than that I was loving the the citrus flavour with the lemon and grapefruit pairing.

Anna's Mess is a bit more reserved for those who harbour a big sweet tooth. I personally found the white chocolate (dome included) to be a bit on the sweet side but really in the scheme of things it is really trivial when you consider how much I loved her Rose and French Vanilla tea mousse. I would have like the rose to be more pronounced but I appreciated the subtly of the rose as well. Other notables that went into this beauty- a joconde sponge and a white chocolate and feuilletine crunch. 

So beautiful, surely this is enough of a reason to run off to Lobby Lounge right? 

Also please ignore the small cutlery mark on the side the OCD side of me is doing circles at the moment.

My mango, pineapple cocktail ($10)  because I was in need of a drink minus the alcohol. I think photo accurately captures the size disparity between the tall glass and the desserts.

Bills (Surry Hills) Review

I don't know about you but these days I feel really out of touch with Sydney's cafe scene. Maybe it's because I'm as excited about cafe food as I used to be. Is it my old age? I mean, I am turning 20.

Let's just blame it on my crazy workload this semester at uni and so my taste buds have taken a hit. So for my first cafe trip post-China, a friend suggested that we eat at Bills in Surry Hills. Don't kill me but I had no idea who the celebrity chef behind Bills was, I just knew that the place was always really busy. Honestly speaking, I thought the food was decent but definitely not worth the hype nor price given the small portions.

Ricotta hotcakes, banana and honeycomb butter $20

One of the classic all day items and so coming into Bills menu-blind this is your go to safe option. My friend was also the driving force behind what we ordered so it was good to take the passenger seat. As expected the hotcakes were super light and fluffy, so glad that they that gave us maple syrup in a jug because the last time I had french toast (Lemon Cafe) it was generously poured onto the plate- I was scarred from too much maple syrup. The honeycomb butter was a lovely addition, not too buttery because of the sweetness of the honeycomb. All-in-all, a great reminder of why we love to frequent cafes but if I were asked to pay for it again, I would probably opt for somewhere else. 

Flat white $3.90

Where's my $3.90 worth of cafe art!!?!! At least give me a heart

Coffee is standard, wasn't spectacular but wasn't bad either

Zucchini fritters, deep fried egg, haloumi, parsley salad, tahini yoghurt and pickles $23.50

First of all, I have to mention how deceiving the title of a big plate is because in my dictionary a 'big plate' is not what is pictured here. Other than that, I was contempt to just shut up and eat my food. 

Waiting for that yolkporn moment

Only to be disappointed but I guess I brought it upon myself since a running yolk wasn't mentioned at all

Stealing your Grandpa's PJ Pants

Been a while since I showed you guys some outfit photos and this set has been siting in my photo library for a while now, think December 2014 to be precise. Looking back at these photos now, I have confirmed a very serious first world problem- I need to visit a Benefit Brow Bar ASAP to get my brows reshaped. Forgive for what may perhaps be such a inconsequential issue but in my all too skeptical and unforgiving eyes, my brows are like caterpillars. Enough of that! 

So what I'm wearing is actually vintage, not really belonging to my grandpa (because that would be really weird) but this set was actually my mother's and she wanted to throw them away- cue in me berating her for not asking me if I wanted to take over as the new owner. I've never been a crop top person, in fact I bought my first one recently but there's just something about this one-two combo that has me singing praises. Maybe it is the PJ like stripes, which makes it fun that contrasts against the smart cutting for a touch of elegance and capped off with the high cut for a sneak peek-a-boo of skin. I don't know if that just made sense to anyone but I'm in!

Top and Pants: Vintage from my mother's closet 

Hat: Lack of Color Spencer boater

Shoes: Giuseppe Zanotti (though not visible)

Pu'er Review

I don't know about you but I struggle to name Chinese tea houses in Sydney. Japanese ones seem to come to mind a lot easier but as an avid Chinese tea drinker, I applauded the respect that Pu'er afforded to tea by making it relevant to a contemporary Australian market yet still paying homage to the cultural significance of tea.  

1995 Loose Leaf Premium Yunnan Pu'er $9

Pu'er is a very signature, traditional tea and it's very different from your English teas, green teas, etc. It's a much more complex taste- it's a thick, dark earthy taste with a sweet honey finish- but the more aged the tea, the more intense and developed the taste. And so if you order Pu'er, do your tastebuds a favour and go for as top shelf as possible. 

Sui mai- chicken, prawns & corn, seared scallop $8

They may not be three peas in a pod but they are certainly just as cute especially with the scallop on top. If I'm am just stuffing myself contentedly then I suppose that is the best compliment right?  

Crispy har gow- prawn dumpling $8

I think this dish really embodies the fusion concept behind Pu'er, yes a crispy pastry is totally unconventional but who can say no to something wickedly fried. For those vehemently against change, fret not because the inside is still that loveable har gow that you order at Yumcha. 

L: Hong Kong mini burgers- panko pork, house smoked chilli paste, hoisin, baby cres, golden mantou $15

R: BBQ duck tacos with house mayonnaise, shaved cucumber, spring onion $16

These share plates were hands down my favourite thing out of the entire meal and it wasn't the pork/duck that won me over. No- it was the mantous/bread. The golden mantou in the Hong Kong burger was deliciously crunchy and sweet and in the end I opted for a deconstructed burger just so I could eat the mantou on its own- yeah that's how good it was. Perhaps the Mexican 'taco' is misappropriated here because whilst there may be similarities drawn, the 'taco' is really a bao - a very good bao for that matter. Again, you can sing praises for how succulent the duck was but the highlight for me was the soft bao (can I get the recipe?). 

Three cup drunken duck with Shao Xing wine, slow cooked with shiitake and fresh basil $26  

To say that the meat is practically waiting to fall off the bone is an understatement. Tenderness of the meat aside, the flavours were equally as outstanding with infusion of the rich shaoxing wine. I have to add though that the wine is quite an intense flavour so keep that in mind when you order this. 

Caramelised Berkshire pork belly with Pu'er  and spice infused tea eggs $24

Who can resist a good pork belly? I may not buckle at the knees at the thought of eating it but my response will be nothing short of jubilee. Such is wonder of Pu'er's pork belly and tea infused eggs. The tea flavour is a bit muted in comparison to the Pu'er in the pork belly but if you've never had a tea infused egg then this is the perfect start for you.  

Lemongrass panna cotta, black sesame & peanut soup, smoked watermelon $10

This was a great way to finish a meal full of classic Chinese flavours but reinterpreted for a contemporary audience. Dinner at Chinese restaurants is usually finished with fruit or a sweet red beab soup and so unsurprisingly, Pu'er has upheld these little traditions that have come to be apart of the Chinese culture. Thought you should only smoke poultry meats? I did. But I have definitely reconsidered this after having their smoked watermelon, you're still eating an ordinary watermelon but for the undercurrents of the smoked smell and taste. And since all good things come in trios, I have to mention how on point the panna cotta especially together with my childhood favourite pairing of black sesame and peanut. 

The Gourmet Couture dined courtesy of Pu'er

Travel Diary- Hengdian

It's Easter long weekend which happens to coincide with my university mid-semester break and that means I can finally give myself a long overdue break. I warned you guys that blogging this year would take a hit, blame uni, an internship and a side project that I'm starting (more on this soon, like hoping 1/2 months soon-fingers crossed). For the next month the posts should be more regular because I aim to write like 5 posts tonight, which shall be released each week to keep you guys busy as I stress over uni assessments and exams. 

Back to the diary...

After visiting like 9 cities this summer (yes it was a really long time ago I know), I would have to say that this place was hands down my favourite. I have to admit that I am a very biased woman, I am an absolute sucker for Ancient China and the respective culture, etc. and so I would describe the experience as akin to that of kid in Disneyland or Universal studios- yes such a parallel can and must be drawn. Hengdian World Studios is unfortunately-and sadly- in the middle of nowhere, but it is the place where all the Ancient Chinese drama/film productions are shot and there is the off chance that you might be able to catch a glimpse of a star filming. Unfortunately I picked the worst time to visit as no one I knew/liked was filming but I did get some good photos so enjoy~

Oh I should also add that everything in Hengdian is man-made; it was literally farmland before some Chinese entrepreneur had a brilliant idea of making life-sized replicas of Palaces and what not. Now the guy is like a millionaire/billionaire so I guess he did pretty well. 

Old Guangzhou/Old Hong Kong (广州街 香港街）