Hartsyard, Newtown

I've dined at the uber hip and happening Hartsyard twice in the last 3 months or so, which is quite an achievement given it is so popular now it can be ridiculously difficult to get a reservation (even on a weeknight!)

The first time I went was just as a table of 2 which meant I wasn't really able to try a lot of the dishes, which are designed to be shared as a 'seed' and 'feed' approach for dish sizes which roughly line up with an entree and main type size. We ended up overordering and walking out stuffed.

Last week I went again but this time was smarter about it, dining with a group of 4 and trying not to overorder so that I could at least try dessert this time, which is their signature! And who am I kidding, I love me a good dessert. Their smaller 'seed' sized dishes are my favourite, with each and everyone sounding amazing. Here are some iPhone pics (I've been lazy lately haha!)

School prawn popcorn with espelette pepper and sour cream and lemon

These were finger licking good and such a good 'appetizer' type starter - great to start the meal with some light finger food while we chatted away.

Oyster po-boy with englihs muffin and old bay mayo and slaw

Yummy, crispy, perfectly balanced flavours. Need I say more?

Fremantle octopus with potato skins, white corn and piquillo peppers

This was a gutsy dish which I actually really enjoyed, with the octopus perfectly crunchy (not chewy!)

Crispy pig tails butter milk dressing, pickles and hot sauce

So this wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but still tasty. Would I order it again? No, but it was definitely well executed.

Dessert special - lemon meringue pie with popcorn icecream and caramel

This was AMAZING! Perfect mix of soft and crunchy meringue, a zesty lemon curd with the popcorn ice cream absolutely amazing too. Every single item on the plate was well presented, and accompanied every other element on the plate perfectly. 

Soft Serve of the day - red velvet, baked cheesecake and chocolate coating

This was also amazing - I mean these are their signature desserts, just with the soft serve flavour changing regularly. The camera has been put in the photo in the background as reference for just how large this was! It was definitely better to be shared as the red velvet ice cream was a rich dark chocolate that came out looking bloody because of the inky red velvet colouring and slight flavouring.

As you probably already know, desserts are my weakness so any restaurant that can nail a good dessert is a winner for me. I would definitely suggest you try Hartsyard if you get the chance, but make sure you go with a group! Their cocktail menu is also great, and I don't think Hartsyard is uber expensive either so that's definitely a plus :)

Kirribilli Markets Stall this Saturday!

Once again I'll be having a market stall at the uber awesome Kirribilli Markets this Saturday 23 November from 7am to 4pm! If you've ever had a market stall before you'll understand why I've been so busy lately - clearing out stuff to sell is hard work!

Anyway I have a whole range of designer clothes, shoes, accessories, bags, make up and homewares. Denim brands include Tsubi (the original tsubi with a T!), Sass & Bide, Marcs and paperdenim&cloth. designer label threads from Marc Jacobs, BCBG, Wayne Cooper, Sass & Bide, Alice McCall, Akira and a whole host more cheap buys.

It is all stuff I just have never worn or won't wear so I will be clearing them out at cheapo prices so if you're in the area stop by and have a shop :)

Time Out Sydney even lists the Kirribilli Markets as amongst the best in Sydney, so maybe you'll find some other stuff there too!

Beyonce "Mrs Carter" Show

In the midst of the hecticness of life (I'm working on a deal at the moment at work which has the shortest turnaround and is consuming all my energy), I went to see the Beyonce concert a few weeks back. I've seen Beyonce many a time now - twice with Destiny's Child and again in her solo tour in 2007 when she still played at the smaller Entertainment Centre which I love. One of the Destiny's Child times was an up close and intimate filming for top of the pops where I was literally 3m away from her as she sung to a room of 100 people. When it came time to buy Beyonce tickets I wasn't going to, but all I kept on seeing and reading was everyone raving about the Mrs Carter tour. Well, I just had to see it for myself, right?

I'm glad I did, because while I wasn't as wow-ed as I thought I would be, I was glad to finally get to see her sing Single Ladies in the flesh. It made me wish I had gone to Glastonbury when she played - its just unfortunate I went to Glastonbury the year after. Anyway, here are my fave pics:

Awesome costumes for the opener!

Bey loves her pyrotechnic waterfalls! She did the same in 2007 too!

OK so I did like the screen imagery

How awesome is that second stage lighting to the right? From my knowledge of teching some shows, there was some serious $$ spent on that lighting and rigging!

Serenading us in a blue glitter jumpsuit, as only Bey can

To the left, to the left!

I was expecting more from the set than just digital screens actually - as awesome as they were, it was the only element of the whole set besides the second stage which I absolutely LOVED! 

Make Up Sale

So I've been spring cleaning a lot lately which is partially why I haven't been blogging as much as I should be! Does anyone else take ages to spring clean? I'm not even halfway through! Anyway, part of that is clearing out my wardrobe, shoes and make up stash. I did so well with saving in October and for November, I can't justify new purchases unless I clear some space and stuff.

So with that said, here are some things I've found that I really don't need seeing as I have never used them! Before they make it to ebay, I thought I would blog in case anyone was interested :)

A few points:
- All items are brand new in boxes and never used!
- Prices don't include postage which will be added on top based on your location
- All sales are final, and only within Australia :)

Guerlain Terracotta Lipgloss Trio $25
Three Guerlain neutral toned lip gloss trio - amber sun, nude sun and beige sun.
3 x 5ml, Made in France

Lancome Eyeshadow duo wet or dry $20
Gorgeous blue jewel tones - full sized eyeshadow duo palette.

Lancome Eyeshadow duo wet or dry $20
Same as above but pink/brown shades - full sized eyeshadow duo palette.

Lancome Quad Palette "Bronze Captive" $35
Neutral tones for a perfect daytime look, plus a pop of aqua colour for contrast. Can be used wet or dry and this is a fairly sizeeable palette.

 

China Glaze Ridge Filler $5
Self explanatory really - never used!

Contact me at ashoeaffair@gmail.com if you are interested or have any questions/need further photos!

Bridge Room, Sydney

I'm finally getting round to post about my experience dining at Bridge Room in Sydney. With an ex-Rockpool chef at the helm and two Good Food guide hats, I was definitely expecting a great meal and they didn't disappoint. Not to mention the service was impeccable, but still casual, which is what I loved.

I wish I had better photos, but my dining companion isn't one to appreciate my snap-happy nature!

We shared this entree which was a raw wagyu shoulder, robata smoked enoki mushrooms concoction - and they knew we were sharing so it came out in two half portions so no plate sharing necessary! :)

Ash grilled duck, organic prunes softened in banyuls

Aerated passionfruit, roasted nougatine, passionfruit ice cream

The dessert was a highlight for me because I chose passionfruit - one of my favourites. Light and easy to stomach after a big meal, yet punchy flavours and some meringue for good measure.

Anyway, we each had a main and dessert and shared an entree and a glass of wine, and it only came to $160 which I think was really good value considering the cost of restaurants in Sydney is skyrocketing. I mean, even a casual mexican meal at Mejico can set you back just as much once you add a cocktail each!

Sculptures by the Sea 2013

Last weekend I took the glorious Bondi to Bronte walk to once again enjoy Sculptures by the Sea like the rest of Sydney has been doing over the last week or so! I have to say, I was lucky, as it wasn't as crowded as I had expected but perhaps it was because the weather looked overcast (though it was absolutely crystal clear in the end!) and it was fairly early on a Sunday morning.

Anyway, I used it as a chance to whip out my currently quite neglected NEX for phototaking. These are some of my favourite shots of the day.

Loved this 'bottle caps' carpet - must have taken the artist ages to accumulate!

Along with everyone else, this was my favourite, and you could tell as it certainly was the 'it' sculpture that everyone was flocking around and everyone keeps posting pictures about on facebook!

Does anyone else think Sculptures wasn't as good as last year?

And I couldn't help myself but take obligatory Bondi Beach shots - <3 Sydney!