butterflies, sunshine and macarons

The following news should excite both foodies and fashionistas - the launched of Laduree, delivered straight from Paris!

Laduree is now available in Sydney (Westfield Sydney, near Mulberry). I'd give it a few more weeks for the hype to fritter away, otherwise, be prepared to line up for a good 30-45 minutes!

On another note, the boy lined up for just under an hour and surprised me with 2 Laduree boxes and my favourite candle scent from diptyque.

Oh, and the picture above was captured on Sunday - after a nice sunny brunch at Bill's. 

x

the 4th powerpuff girl.

Stepped out to high tea in this outfit on Sunday. I think it's the only outfit I've ever worn with no designer pieces - even accessories! Puffy sleeves top acquired from Vietnam, skirt from a vintage store, shoes from a random place, clutch from Asos, bangles from local market + H&M!

**disclaimer** statement made above excludes contents inside the clutch =P

arm-mour.

Stepped out to dinner in this outfit.

I used to always say - "if you wear cheap clothes, you gotta dress it up with expensive accessories".

Let's face it, good designer accessories can easily cost $300+ a pop! With the increasing influx of chain stores imitating trends and selling for a fraction of the price - is it really worth spending $1,000+ on a Herve Leger dress or would you prefer spending a measly $190 on a bodycon dress in Kookai identical to a Herve? Anyway, my personal answer would be "no" because it's always best to have the real deal, especially something that is "signature".

Nonetheless, in order to avoid the "cheap chain store look", dress it up with expensive accessories - bag, shoes, ring, necklace, bracelets, earrings....anything!

Also, if you're planning to be more "frugal", don't wear what everyone else is wearing - try to find that bargain piece that's different from the rest and/or from a secluded boutique and not a chain store.

Wearing; Bardot off the shoulder top, Maxi skirt (with split), wedges and orange clutch are all from an online Korean store, gold cuff, 2 x Disney Couture bracelets, vintage belt and Asos ring.

enter the dragon.

I'd like to wish all my fellow Lunar New Year celebrants a happy and prosperous new year! As always, the occasion involved too much eating, some red-pocket-receiving and lots of family fun.

Christmas celebrations (and feasts) only go on for 2 days - this, lasted the entire WEEK!

So, here are some of the food highlights. Please note the operative word is "highlight" - impossible to post every single dish up!!!

Wearing top to bottom; Acne denim shorts, Zimmermann black top, yellow satchel bag, custom-made shoulder padded top, zara black shorts, Asos spotted skort (shorts but look like a skirt), Bardot black blazer and gold metal belt

blooming red.

Stepped out to a wedding last night in this outfit - wearing; Showpony Fashion dress, 3.1 Phillip Lim clutch from net-a-porter, 2 x silver cuff worn on both arms, Asos chain-link ring, Lovisa red necklace and red wedges from overseas.

welcoming 2012

Happy New Year lovelies! Sydney's fireworks lived up to expectations (and costs considering how much was involved in making it happen)!

Hope you all welcomed 2012 with a bang (literally). It was a casual celebration for yours truly, sitting on the lawn amongst wonderful friends, snacking and sipping away as we count down to the 9pm and midnight fireworks. Couldn't ask for a better view, thanks to my dear friend for being so conveniently located in McMahon's point where our view was the one and only Harbour Bridge!

Wearing; (casual) Zara glittery gold top, vintage high-waisted pants, Asos skinny belt, yellow satchel bag, Marais USA Gladiator sandals from Solestruck 

easy, breezy.

Armory Wharf Cafe - Newington, Sydney

Food captured above:

1. Garlic prawns served in a ceramic pot with casa panotte
2. Pork and pistachio terrine served w/ Heidi Gruyere (Tas), cornichons and panotte bread
3. Chorizo, diced octopus & olives baked and served in a ceramic pot with lemon & parsley
4. Seasonal Sharing Plate with Italian casa panotte bread - mini saffron arancini balls, Baked ricotta blended with olives & grapes, Caprese salad – tomato, basil and boconcini 
5. Confit duck Maryland w/ star anise and blood orange sauce served with roasted sweet potato salad
6. Pan fried (seared) john dory fillet w/ fennel, orange and walnut salad

One can only imagine the kind of joy and excitement I had when I first discovered this cafe - a gem amongst the rough edges. Located within a short distance from the Silverwater Juvenile Detention Centre, how can there possibly be a family-friendly scenic cafe- right?

Wrong!

Armory Wharf Cafe is not only family-friendly, it caters to the need of all demographics.

Situated next to a busy children's park and by the water (it's on the wharf - duh!), this is the perfect location for breakfast and brunch/ lunch for the family, couples, friends....or whatever floats your boat- even by yourself (and your best friend ipad or maybe a book).

Quick Rating Guide:
Food - Breakfast 7/10, lunch 5/10 >>>> it's not the best food, but it's decent and edible.
I had the duck and every time I see the words "confit duck and orange" in the same sentence, I imagine the famous orange marinated duck at Bills. Unfortunately, it's nowhere near as good.
Service - 6/10 >>>> the waiting time can be ridiculous, even with a booking
Location - 8/10
Ambience - 8/10
Parking - since it's located next to a busy park, parking can take up to 30mins
Downfall - it's weather permitted, I can't imagine the place to shine on a dull rainy day
Advice - book in advance on weekends
Advantages - a funky unique eatery closer to home, you won't have to trek all that way to Surry Hills or Darlinghurst just to have a decent brunch. This is also a great venue for capturing photos ;)

Short review/post because currently experiencing writer's block, heck I don't even know if I'm making any sense. I'm too busy thinking about the Christmas menu for Sunday and salivating at the thought of pan-fried scallops mmmmmm

xx

Wearing; Red Asos skirt with belt, Topshop bow suspenders stockings, Wedges and tote from a Korean store in Chinatown, Third Millennium silk blouse, Fendi bracelet, Pop Up Shop necklace, Fox tail faux fur key chain

sunday affair.

 

I'm not going to do a full review - I'm going to make this short and sweet considering my last post resembled an essay!!! - see I'm blabbing on already!

Had lunch with the girls on Sunday at the Gazebo Wine Gardens - Elizabeth Bay, the perfect venue for a girls' day out to celebrate our Christmas lunch and exchange KK gifts! 

I know I'm a little bias with the Winery/Gazebo family but I cannot think of a better venue than this for a girls lunch. It has the food, the decor, the right drinks - white sangria all the way! The price is spot on, although we did manage to spend $70+ (excl tips) and that might be considered a little dear for "lunch", however, I wouldn't consider our appetite "normal" - 4 starters, 4 mains and 4 desserts + 3 jugs of sangria and pimms between 4 girls??? That's a bargain! So if your appetite is a lot smaller than ours then you'll be fine! ;)

The sun came out to play for a few hours so we were all dressed for Summer. Regardless of the horrendous weather, I won't be defeated and will continue to dress as if it's 30 degrees for the next 3 months!

Enjoy!

ps- I left the SLR at home so excuse the poor quality pictures!
 

(Wearing; Mustard Showpony dress, Sass & Bide purple bag, River Island booties, Asos hat and a few Tiffany & Co bracelets)

sunshine and lollipops.

Okay, so I've referenced my birthday in a few of my previous posts: All Aboard

Finally, last Saturday, on a glorious sunny day, I had my birthday boat trip with some of my favourite people.

Here, are a few snapshots from the day - the highlight was obviously the amazing cake created by Thu McKay from Cakes 2 Cupcakes!!! I was curious one day and upon my curiosity (stalking) on facebook, I came across a fan page for Cakes 2 Cupcakes. Now, as mentioned in all previous posts, I am dead set a savoury lover, nonetheless, I was intrigued by the amazing cupcakes creations. I've seen friends and others post photos of baking adventures and whatnot, however, I've never seen such a creative AND innovative take on cupcakes before! I sent Thu a picture of some red wedges and asked her whether it'll be possible to have these instead of the heels she'd normally create as they are "more me" and voila, she delivered the goods :)


I'd highly recommend anyone who is thinking of ordering a cake for their next big event (engagement, birthdays, christening, weddings etc) to contact Cakes 2 Cupcakes or at least check out her fan page on facebook! She is not only creative, she craves challenges so will cater to any personal requests!!!

a giant strawberry cupcake surrounded by  yummy red velvet mini cupcakes

The personalised red wedges!!!

each mini cupcakes featured either a Chanel bag, a dress or shoes...all very me ;)

with some beautiful friends on a beautiful day out in Sydney x

we had BBQ onboard and all!

wearing; Asos orange kimono/cape/kaftan thing with Mink Pink black slip worn as a dress, gold chains, Adidas watch and Marais USA Gladiator from Solestruck

with my special man, thanks for everything!!! x

 

 

ps- This is only part 1...I celebrate throughout November ;) Check out next post for part 2 xo