Shining Star.

Black by Ezard at THE STAR!!!

Sydney has always been compared to Melbourne- the city of arts, crafts, culture and apparently good food (I have a lot to say in regards to this ongoing debate between the two cities but for now, let's just sum it up by saying I am totally team Sydney). Despite my disagreement with the idea that Melbourne is comparable to Sydney, I'd hate to admit that their Casino, Crown, is way better than our Star City. At least, when it was Star City!

Star City, or what it was formerly known as, has been reborn and given a new name - The Star! Not just in its name, The Star offers a fresh new look with new restaurants and high end retailers such as Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo and Bottega Veneta are just to name a few.

However, this post is all about the FOOD!! There are a lot of expectations for the new signature restaurants at The Star. These includes; the famous Momofuku Seiōbo by David Chang, Stefano Manfredi's Balla, Black by Ezard, Sokyo and Golden Century!

I, as a food lover have been anticipating and dying to try one of the new signature restaurants.

Last night, finally, after months of anticipation, I dined at Black by Ezard.

I can't recall the last time I had such an amazing dining experience (I'm running out of new places to try). Yes, amazing will be overly used in this post.

From the staff welcoming to the actual seating - the entire experience was pleasant. From the waiters, to the food runners, to the bartender to the Maitre D', all extremely friendly and helpful!

The food, well, what can I say? Every dish was (pardon me for the mediocre language) "licked clean".

From the free Brioche bread to the starters to the mains to the sides to the desserts, every bite was a party in my mouth! Expressions around the table were "oh my god this is so yummy"!!! I think the only non-amazing taste we had throughout the entire experience were some of the cocktails. But hey, the blame is on us for being weak drinkers ;)

The verdict:
Price = affordable. Mains are $40+, entrees $25-30, Sides $10- $20, desserts $18-$22 and cocktails average around $18. Between us 4 girls, we had 2 entrees, 2 sides, a main each, a dessert each and 2 cocktails each and worked out to be only $120+ per person. I'd say that's a bargain for such great quality!!!
Ambience = unique dining experience, modern elegance, intimate and romantic. A combination of fine dining with great service.
Food = Contemporary Australian Grill with fun seafood dishes.

Overall, yes here it is again, AMAZING!!!

The Ipad cocktail menu

Entree 1 - Spanner Crab
Avocado, butter lettuce, apple remoulade, parsley ginger meringue

Entree 2 - Oysters
Crème fraiche pearls, fresh lemon

AMAZING bread! It's Brioche which according to the fabulous waiter is baked with extra additions of butter and egg which allows it to be puffy in texture. Tastes like croissants :)

King George Whiting - pan fried, spinach pudding, mushroom salad with champagne sauce

Lamb Rack - warm spring bean cassoulet with black garlic, cooked medium rare

Veal tenderloin - crispy sweetbreads, asparagus, wild mushrooms

Side 1 - Asparagus, quail eggs and fried prosciutto

Side 2 - COS with cos salad, chorizo and shaved cheese

Dessert 1 -  warm couverture ganache, banana ice cream, hazel nut mousse

Warm chocolate poured on top of the ganache for melting effect

Dessert 2 Apple Pound Cake - Calvados Ice Cream, walnut crumble with golden raisin syrup

Dessert 3 - Honey Crunch: Clover Honey Parfait, ginger biscuit, honeycomb and cinnamon

Dessert 4 - Passion-fruit cream, macadamia financier, mango sorbet and dried coconut

the wedding diary.

Diary? Okay, not quite. However, considering the amount of weddings and engagements I have coming up within the next few months, I have to start thinking of what to wear!

I'm borderline OCD (self-proclaimed of course), therefore I like processes and orders in place in everything that I do, including outfits. This is rather contradictory as I have a tendency for liking the "messy-cool-just-thrown-on-celebrity-on-their-day-off-caught-by-the-paparazzi" look!!! Thus, when I say I'm OCD about outfits, it simply means that I have a few rules set in place:

1. Don't wear the same dress in photos twice, at least within 12 months. 
2. Don't wear any statement tops/outfits twice in photos, at least within 12 months
3. Able to repeat some pieces of clothing whilst on holidays
4. It's okay to repeat jackets, bottoms, some basics in photos! However, don't overdo it because there are crazy people out there (me) who will remember everything you've worn in photos - annoying, I know!
5. Dress by location. This rule helps explain the piles of unworn, brand-new-with-tag clothing I have in my wardrobe/s. I sometimes have the mentality of "saving" outfits for certain events/occasions etc and as I continue to buy new things, these "saved" outfits are long forgotten...

Anyway, I have prepared two outfits which I would wear (once, again, if I have ****loads of money) to a wedding. One is for the daytime ceremony, a little more sophisticated and mature. The other, a more edgy yet flirty look for the evening reception.

Enjoy! Real wedding photos from my sister's wedding to come...soon...

Daytime; Ellie Saab shift dress, Chanel bag, Louis Vuitton Shoes, Chanel vintage statement necklace and Mawi Cygnet cocktail ring.

Evening outfit; Alaia velvet dress, Halston bootie, Tiffany and Co. bone cuff, Alexander McQueen clutch and Pamela Love spike ring

For the Ladies.

Afternoon indulgence; the ladies :)

High Tea

So google (and common knowledge) tells me that High Tea (or Afternoon Tea as referred to by some), was traditionally considered to be a ladies' social occasion. Call me traditional, but I think this is the one tradition we should stick to.

Now, I wouldn't regard myself as a High Tea expert, however, I've been to one too many to be able to identify which is good, which is better and which is just plain, erm well, plain.

My top 3 high tea destinations in Sydney are:

• Sir Stamford Circular Quay
• Westin Hotel
• Observatory Hotel

As above, since high tea is considered to be a ladies' (of leisure) social event, on the occasion of my sister's hens, we (the Bridesmaids) organised a lovely high tea session for 17 ladies at Sir Stamford Hotel, Circular Quay!

As I generally prefer savoury over sweet, I tend to judge my High Tea experience by the finger sandwiches. On all occasions I've had high tea at Sir Stamford, I've never been once disappointed. The sandwiches are freshly made and are always full of flavours. What's also good about high tea at Sir Stamford is the constant change in menu allowing guests to experience something different every time they come back for more. I recall my first experience, the eggplant sandwich was divine!

Last week was no different, after a few (5) of those shaved ham sandwiches, I kept wanting more despite how full I was getting!

Sandwiches:

• Sandwich 1; Poached egg, chive & bittercres
• Sandwich 2; Roasted chicken, mayonnaise & rocquette on whole meal
• Sandwich 3; Shaved leg ham with seeded dijon mustard
• Sandwich 4; Smoked Atlantic Salmon with 

Moreover, notwithstanding the fact that I prefer savoury over sweet, the scones at Sir Stamford continues to win as the clear favourite. From countless anecdotes from friends and family who've been to Sir Stamford for High Tea, the scones always seem to rate extremely high with them. I guess it's due to the fact that it feels buttery soft and baked fresh, coupled with the sweet jam and double cream, it's a damn party in my mouth!!!

This is probably also the reason why Sir Stamford is more highly regarded than the others. Yes, the amazing scones!!!

The sweets;

• New seasons mango and yoghurt demitasse with mint and caramel shards (in the small cups with the fire looking thing sticking out) - I enjoyed this one!
• Black forest mini cup with chocolate mousse and cherries
• Glazed strawberry tarlet with mascapone creme patisserie
• White chocolate cupcake with ganache and dried raspberry
• Pecan, pistachio and butterscotch cannoli

 All in all, always a great high tea experience at the Sir Stamford. Be sure to check it out if you're in Sydney and/or planning on visiting Sydney!

This is my sister (the Bride-to-be) at Sir Stamford for her hens last weekend. What she wore for her "black & gold" hen's theme; a custom-made off the shoulder gold/white dress with a black fascinator!

Golden Hue.

 L-R starting from top: Dior, Tom Ford, Prada, Gucci, Alexander Wang, Karen Walker, Miu Miu, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Linda Farrow, Victoria Beckham, Tom Ford, Oliver Peoples, Prada

Speed of light.

Owning a piece of luxury designer item is what some would define as "lucky". As times are getting tough, and we are nearing yet another (possible) economic crisis, consumers need to be more savvy with their spending.

Purchasing a pair of designer sunglasses will take both factors into consideration; owning a piece of designer item and spending wisely!

Some astronomical/scientific facts for you;
1. The sun shines approximately 300 days in Colorado (USA)
2. During 90 days of summer, the sun shines approximately 54 days in Australia.
3. UV Rays from the sun are harmful, sunglasses helps protect your eyes from these harmful rays.

As always, these answers are from google, if you're planning on using these answers on some millionaire quiz show, I'd advise you otherwise =P

Back to the point, sunglasses are a good investment as you will utilise its full potential by wearing them almost everyday! It is by far the most valuable, practical and cheapest option to owning something designer!

If only I practice what I preach *sigh*

Nostalgia.

Potato on a stick!!! Literally chips with a twist ;)

heheheh Blue Bear! Yes peace sign and all, gotta act truly Asian to fit the brief

salt and pepper calamari and deep fried Asian food

Kebab sticks

Late night YUM CHA!!!!

More Kebab sticks + Fish/meat balls on skewers 

Crowded market

Typical Casual Friday after work, wearing; Mustard oversized knit, black leggings, River Island ankle boots, Burberry canvas bag, black scarf

Chinatown - Friday Night Market

Apart from the shopping and the yummy (not to mention extremely cheap) street food, the one aspect that most Asian expats surely miss about being in Asia is the idea of a night market/late night shopping!

Thankfully, Western countries such as Australia welcomes multiculturalism which in turn, positively embraces the cultural differences by accommodating means to allow people to feel "at home". A perfect example of this would be Chinatown.

Every Friday night (well, don't quote me on this), there's late night markets in Chinatown, Sydney. At the markets, you will find food options such as fish/meat balls on skewers, deep fried snacks and even late night YUM CHA! They cost about $3 each and some are extremely good. My favourite would have to be the fish balls soaked in chilli oil, I am salivating at the thought as I am typing this post!

If you haven't already done so, head to the Markets this Friday. It's the perfect family night, couples night or just a random fun night out!