Life in Photos: March 2014

It's already April with Easter around the corner, and Summer officially over and I'm sitting at home on a dreary Sunday seeing the rain just literally fall all day long. But I love the guilt-free feeling of staying indoors when the weather is crapola and what better time to catch up with some reading and blogging!

So March was actually quiet for me, but I still managed to do some fun things to enjoy the last of the beautiful Sydney Summer.

I had one last beach trip - and the ice cream boat stopped by!

Have any other Sydneysiders noticed the beautiful colurful sunsets we've been getting lately? I took a walk after work a few weeks back and this was my view - I'm sad that daylight savings is over now because the days will start getting shorter and shorter!

Case in point - beautiful colourful sunset! Again, excuse my dodgy iPhone photos. I've been lazy to upload my actual photos recently!

Recently I went to Larder at Woolloomooloo - it's a pop-up as part of Otto restaurant and we got a 50% off deal which was amazing value. Not only that, the prices at Larder are actually really reasonable to begin with, especially given you get an amazing view over the water while you enjoy your meal. This was the prosciutto starter to share and it was fabulous!

Last weekend was beautiful. I went to see Alain de Botton speak at the Opera House which was really entertaining.

Our seats were side view but right by the stage so we were amazingly close, even though we coudln't see Alain front on. He's a really engaging speaker which made the time fly by!

And since the weather was so beautiful I couldn't help but head down to the Rocks to my favourite tea and scones place - The Tea Cosy. I love it there. Their scones are amazingly fluffy and their tea is also fabulous. The only downer was that one of my scones had hair in it - as in it was baked into the scone and I try as I might I just couldn't get the hair out. They apologetically rectified the situation and gave me a replacement plus one extra though others were expecting I should get my money back and a fresh scone. But I still love it there!

And this week I tried out the hard-to-get-a-reservation at Riley St Garage. The food was fab, the decor is amazing, and the menu is just so easy to order from. They have a set menu for $68 which had a huge selection of food and I definitely am keeping that on my agenda for any group/special occasion meals in the future. This is a blurry/badly shot photo of their miso salmon and truffle mash which were both hearty and flavourful.

What should I do now that it is Autumn and the days are getting shorter?

Life in Photos: February 2014

How is it already March? With February being a short month and being hectic (it is my birthday month after all!) I didn't get the chance to get back to blogging. Well here you can see some of what I got up to :)

I got some beautiful long stemmed roses for Valentines Day - but my favourite has to be Morgan the monkey that accompanied the gift.

I went to Canberra for a wedding - I literally ended up going to Canberra twice in the same month after not having visited for literally a decade! Anyway, we decided to visit Old Parliament House which was actually quite cool and interesting. An awesome piece of Australian history.

A straight view into the House of Representatives at Old Parliament House. How beautiful is beautifully aged wood?

On the suggestion of some canberra based friends, we visited Brod Burger, apparently a Canberra institution for amazing burgers. These were seriously huge! Tasty definitely, but the most amazing burger ever? Probably not. But definitely a cute place to check out.

I finally visited Vapiano which opened in Sydney late last year. I'd been in Brisbane a few years back and used to eat there a fair bit when I lived in the US. I'm glad its finally opened in Sydney because we definitely need that kind of eating space - easy for big groups, perfect for fussy eaters who can eat what they want, easy to get a table, and just good tasty pasta. Yum yum!

I never really get presents for my birthday, but this year I was spoilt with a small but decadent gift - amazing Godiva truffles. Some of my favourite! I'm still trying to eat my way through the box, but how beautiful is it just to look at?

I regularly brunch at Bitton cafe in Alexandria as its always easy to get a table and the food is reasonably priced and awesome. This was my omelette the other day - perfect Sunday morning brunch.

This is a terrible photo, but one of my birthday meals was at Waitan a newer Asian restaurant that is well known for its extremely expensive fitout. It is really relaxing dining there and the food is reasonable quality, albeit on the higher end of pricing. That said, the peking duck is actually quite well priced for the two courses, however not really traditional Peking Duck as much as it is roast duck. Still, good, clean tasting food with attentive service and a beautiful decor.

So as usual it turns out most of what I did in February was eat! Hmm...as a result I need to get back onto the treadmill!

Life in Photos: July 2013

Where has this year gone? I'm almost halfway through to my next birthday and its now more than halfway through the year. Insane!

Anyway, a few random snaps from July, with some being the end of my whirlwind holiday before I flew home :(

I love Pinkberry. London and US trips are not complete without being able to have as much Pinkberry as possible. And NO, it isn't just any froyo. No other compares. Though they sadly didn't have one of the toppings I usually get.

I didn't get to Paris this trip (a huge bummer for me, I've been to Paris every other Europe trip because its one of my all time favourite cities in the world). Anyway, if you haven't already noticed from my blog Pierre Herme is one of my all time favourite things in the world. At least I got to get my fix in London (again, another must do when I'm in London or Paris!). You haven't had macarons until you've had Pierre Herme.

Pret A Manger sandwiches never disappoint, right? Mine is the middle one - Falafel and Haloumi. It was warm, gooey and just fabulous for the weather in London at the time.

In case you didn't notice, I love haloumi. I had an amazing haloumi wrap when I was at Glastonbury and I'm craving it I tell ya! I will have to find somewhere at home that compares. This was my quick and easy lunch the other day - haloumi grilled on a really hot pan for all of 1 minute, then tossed over some fresh greens. Love!

I had a week off work and the weather was glorious one day so I went and sat at the beach to read. There was (as usual at that beach) a couple taking wedding photos. So beautiful! And the sun was casting beautiful light over the water.

This is my favourite yoghurt - extra thick vanilla - and I added some freshly cut strawberries because they are no longer uber expensive! Yay! But they don't compare to Spanish strawberries which were so tasty and so cheap!

Oops I apologise, I just realised practically all the photos are food related haha!

Life in Photos: May 2013

So these are going to be reallllly food oriented because well, that's all I've been doing lately. Eating! Which is terrible because a) I need to have a beach ready body for my holiday and b) My holiday means I should be saving $$.

Anyway, here comes an overload of photos :)

The Rook
I really loved the vibe and setting of The Rook - its high up in a office building so you have to know it to go there. It means the vibe is uber chilled, its not crowded, there is music that is loudish but not so much that you can't have a chat over drinks, lobster rolls and burgers. Here's one of their burgers with truffle fries

Lynns
Lynns is a great place for Peking duck, dumplings and other tasty morsels. They're great because the food is authentic, without the grungy Chinatown feel and with great service which is non-Chinese-speaking friendly (definitely a must for me!). Other places will make dumplings and Asian food overly greasy but they do it healthily and to a reasonable quality considering the price. They also have an awesome Friday special on their Peking Duck ;)

And now for some randoms - I made scones recently, they were uber tasty. I <3 fluffy scones (though I've been using this new recipe which is never really that fluffy, though uber easy to make)

When I was in the UK I was introduced to Mr Kipling. It's awesome, and has recently been introduced in Australia. Only thing is, as with all things imported, its ridiculously expensive here so of course no one bought it and it went on uber sale! This is my sister's stockpile from making the most of the sale.

Life in Photos: March 2013

Oh my its already April and I never even got round to doing a Life in Photos March post! In fact I probably didn't even do a Feb one. Anyway, its already one month into Autumn, the weather is cooling down and I'm already depressed at the thought. But I have friends who are really good at trying to get out and about to do things so here are some pics of those things...

I went to Bitton Gourmet which is a really cute cafe that I quite like because its easy to get a table, service is great, every single item on the menu sounds amazing and the prices are decent. Not to mention it feels like you could sit there forever and they wouldn't hassle you out!

Here's the club sandwich I had, and then they were so lovely they were giving everyone mini creme brulees as we all finished our meals <3. Such a nice gesture and I love a good creme brulee so thumbs up from me!

Then I went to Soda Factory the other day which is one of the 'new' cool places around Sydney. Its quite popular for their $1 hot dogs on tightass tuesdays but I didn't go that day. Anyway I like the decor, the laidback feeling and the ability to just rock up have a meal/drink with a friend and chat the night away.

That's the $5 shake and $5 royale burger. Pretty delish and you can't go wrong with an easy $5 specials menu on Wednesdays.

Meanwhile, March also saw me eat at a few awesome fine dining locations so stay tuned for my posts about my visits to Quay, Movida, Universal and China Doll (I know right, thats a lot in one month!). Actually I lie, my trip to Universal was in late February, I just never got round to posting about it! Where is this year going?

Life in Photos: January 2013

I already feel like the year is zooming past and its only Day 13! I'm already thinking of things happening in March, planning my holiday in June and then before I know it I can just tell it will be Winter again.

Anyway, on the topic of seasons, how crazy has Sydney weather been lately? There was that scorcher of a day on Tuesday and this was the temperature in the car at 6.30pm at night! Not to mention the weirdness for me that this time last year, I was living through 40 F weather and now a year-on I'm living through 40 C.

So of course I did what anyone would do - go to the beach at night! I live right near a few beaches which are in walking distance so I went to my favourite. It's suddenly been 'discovered' by people all across Sydney so it was packed! At 7pm at night! Insane. But it will still be one of my all time favourite Sydney spots. I'm not telling you where it is because I want to keep it my little secret to avoid more people overcrowding it!

On the same day there was this beautiful sunset...magnificent.

And who's had a chance to go and see the giant duck? I'm dying to see it up close...will have to find time in the next few weeks! In the meantime, this is the view of it from the firestairs at my work. There are actually windows closer by that would get a good shot of it, but I didn't want to look like that weirdo taking photos from around different parts of my office. It is so adorably cute!

How is everyone recovering from the festive season and the daily grind of having to be back at work? I'm sure not enjoying it - I want holidays again! Le sigh.

Life in Photos: November 2012

You might recall a while back I blogged about being invited to a wedding? So I ended up attending that wedding last week - it was a really beautiful personalised wedding which was great. I wore some of my fave net-a-porter purchases - YSL Arty and black Miu Miu metalasse clutch. My sister decided to copy me and wear my nude metalasse with her Chanel ring.

On Sunday I decided to go to The Grounds again for takeaway brunch - an amazingly tasty and gourmet chicken burger with fries. The fries were fabulous, but I am on a detox and health kick to try and get my body in beach body shape before my trip to Bali in a little under 2 weeks time! =o Gotta get exercising...

A few weeks back my friend from London came back home for a visit so we went for a girls dinner at Jamies Italian. It might shock some people that I still hadn't made a trip there mostly because I was away for 5 months of the year, but also because I could never be bothered lining up. I love good Italian food, but queueing for hours never really seemed to make sense when there are so many other food choices in Sydney!

I wish there weren't so many queues because the food is fab. I didn't take a picture of my main meal (ravioli, my fave, of course!) but I did take a pic of my amazing Eton Mess. Anyone who reads my blog should know my love for meringues and Eton Mess so this was a must have me. Too bad all the berries were raspberries (I'm not a big fan) but this was such good value for $10!

And then to round off Good Food Month a few weeks ago we went to Sofitel for their Sugar Hit. Look at the thing! Spectacular, right? I wish I had taken my good camera with me because this iphone picture doesn't really do it justice.

Where has the year gone?

Am I the only one who cannot believe how fast this year has gone? Did you know its roughly 10 weeks til Christmas? Crazy!

Anyway, on the topic of crazy, that is an appropriate description for my week. I'm going to Melbourne this coming week for work so I've been badly trying to get everything in Sydney done before I go away, plus on Wednesday I went to one of ASOS's launch party events (a post on that will come soon I promise!) and had work events and birthdays on Thursday and Friday.

Because I love my pics and I'm lazy...some pics for your viewing pleasure!

I went for lunch at my favourite quick eat Malaysian place in North Sydney - nowhere (well, very few!) places do this Prawn Noodle dish as well as To's!

This how I spent one afternoon this week - on an island near Drummoyne fishing! The weather somehow held out (it literally poured all morning and cleared in the arvo) and it was so blissful looking over Sydney Harbour with a glass of champagne in hand just chatting with friends.

This is a terrible photo but on Friday night I was at The Star and who was performing randomly at the bar but Jessica Mauboy! So random! But there was no mistaking that powerful voice.

And because I was uber lazy today and woke up at 11.30am (very unusual for me but I'd had a really big week and haven't had a sleep in like that for literally months!) I went for a yummy late brunch at my  normal haunt bills but this time at Woollahra. I alternate between going to Woollahra and Darlinghurst depending on what I need to get done during the day but after the shocking service last time I went to Darlo I'll definitely just keep going to Woollahra. I went to school in the area many moons ago so I love going there and just wandering!

Weekend out and about!

A few random pics from my weekend/week:

The weather on Friday was AH-MAZING in Sydney, and so as I headed to dinner I walked along George St and these vintage buses from the Sydney Bus Museum were shuttling people around as part of Art and About which kicked off on Friday.

Aren't they so cool?

Then I was at the Rocks and there was an outdoor pop-up dinner type thing. It's not quite October so I don't think its part of Crave but I was just thinking to myself what perfect weather for an outdoor dinner. Beautiful!

And this one is a bit random, but during the week I visited one of my clients for work and they decided they would feed us (only 4 of us) some pastry treats! This was after some were already consumed actually so no we didn't finish them. Trying to be good, you see :) Yum I love me a good pastry!

Actually this is from the weekend before, but I did a spot of shopping (will post about my buys when I get round to it!) and stopped by at Danks Street Depot to refuel.

I ordered the pulled pork + corn toasted sandwich. It was tasty, if a bit dry, but not amazing. It definitely needed some relish or a light sauce to counteract the dryness.