Jamie's Italian, Sydney

It's been a while since I've wanted to try this restaurant. I love Jamie O. Initially the lines were absolutely long but since it's been open for a while it's eased up. My friend and I went for a really late lunch and we were starving.

I absolutely like the feel of the place. It's a bit narrow but it feels like you're in the streets of Italy. Posh streets. I haven't actually been but that's definitely what I envision it to be.

Meat Plank- $13.50/person

Famous planks that Jamie is popular for. I've got a thing for cured meats. Too good. I'd always have it in my sandwich if I only could. Peppers and olives are some of my other favorite things too! And that crunchy shred salad was awesome sauce, so fresh and minty!

Mt Pinatubo

Some photos from an impromptu Mt Pinatubo trek my friends and I went on a few months ago!

This is so random (and soooo dramatic) but I am so tired of always worrying and being afraid! The day before we went on this trip, I was so afraid of all the things that could go wrong, and kept pestering my friends for assurance! I was worried about:

1. Flash floods and getting trapped on the mountain and having to face starvation/wild beasts

2. Unsafe buses that might kidnap us

3. Surprise volcanic eruption (honestly, "you can never can tell")

4. Getting lost/separated from the group and perishing somewhere along the way

We had to wake up BEFORE DAWN and met up at the bus station where I grew even more apprehensive because it was so dark (WHAAAT?) and I have never taken an unsupervised and not-super-well-planned bus trip in my life. But when we got to the mountain, I was so happy! It was so beautiful.

Queenie's, Surry Hills

Well, you know there's nothing better than a little bit of celebration after an exam. Admittedly, my exam yesterday wasn't my last but I'm still pretty dang relieved. So we trekked the city, shopping and what not on a massively hot day and walked all the wall uphill to Surry Hills just to go to Queenie's.*

The atmosphere was very 80's, I guess. The whole place was heaps chill and reggae music was pumping like there's no tomorrow. 

Jerk cucumber

They gave us some complimentary jerk cucumber to try. Nothing too special- just a some cucumber with a hit of spice.

UHH.. I forgot what it's called &Jamaican Sangria- $10/each 

Well-mixed cocktails make me sooooooo happy- there's nothing quite like it. These ones were phenomenal. They hit the spot. They were so refreshing. Quite the bomb! I could seriously spend a day on the beach, reading a book, working my tan and sipping on these. It would make my day. 

Prawn, Mango, Ginger Bammie- $10

Pulled pork & Pineapple Bammie- $10

Basically, I'd say this is tropical translation of a taco. They're small handfuls that are definitely worth having before having the mains. So fresh and gutsy at the same time.

The Best Brownie

Y'all gotta try this recipe. It is LIFE CHANGING because:
A. It is very easy to make (4 INGREDIENTS ONLY)
B. It is good for you (non-cancer causing!!!!!!!!!!!) as it is RAW and full of ANTIOXIDANTS

You will need:

End of Sem Part 1: The Fish Shop, Potts Point

The BEST way to end a semester is to have a smashing night out with friends followed by a sleepover and brunch the next day. 

No pressure, no stress, just pure chilling. #YOLO

Ps. That's probably the reason behind my atrocious food photos as well. 

View from Potts Point

Clearly, I wasn't able to take a picture of what The Fish Shop looked like outside. But obviously, as you can see, the decor was very beach-y in the most American-beach-shack way, I reckon.  I thought it was fantastic though. 

Who knew this could be so tastyyy?
Drink for the night! 

Five Fall Musts

Ever since I started doing my shoe business I have become really conscious of seasonal trends. Which is sad and cool at the same time -- sad because I feel like it hampers my personal style, and cool because it makes everything make more sense (did that make sense?!).

Here are the things that I feel are going to be my style staples for this season:

Studded/glittery/bejeweled sandals

After Ines de la Fressange wrote about how it's so much more chic and French (and I do try my hardest to be French! If only I wasn't so darn Asian) to wear flat sandals when partying instead of heels, I've been keeping an eye out for party-worthy sandals. I haven't managed to find much that I think are good buys (Zara has released some really, really, really nice sandals that are perfect for nights out, but at 6,000 Php per pair, I totally passed on them. 6,000 for high street shoes is just too much!!!) so I'm still on the prowl!

My Go-To Food.

Well, I must admit, I do love dining out*, however, I can't always do that cause: 

1. It's EXPENSIVE

2. Normally, it's not healthy

3. It's time consuming

So.. Here are some of my absolute favorite things to chow down when I'm at home or at uni.

BREAKFAST

Poached Eggs on Wholemeal Toast

I was never a lover of poached eggs up until I had a fantastic salad with poached eggs on top at Cafe Sopra with Daryl. There's something about it, soft, silky whites with a oozy center. It's delish! Definitely a must to have bread or some greens with it to soak up all that goodness. I do variations of this with some smoked salmon, spinach, or harissa tofu on side. Sometimes, I also dribble sriracha on the top.

LUNCH

Salad

That picture above shows what a typical meal for me would be at my uni. Basically, this place called Stock Market mixes up some salads according to your specifications. You start with some salad leaves, pick 7 toppings and a dressing then the salad mixologists toss everything together for you. I frequently have a salad with eggplant, double serving of pumpkin, feta, olives, sundried tomatoes, and pumpkin seeds! Salad+eating on the lawn makes my breaks more satisfying, and uni more bearable.

Milk Bar by Cafe Ish

Monday afternoon, when studio class is over, it only means that it's time to have lunch. Rory is always my lunch buddy, he's only the one that is just as keen as I am for lunch. Last week I was an indecisive mess that we ended up eating some sausages at the Snag Stand in Westfield. But.. they were pretty good. Anyway, this week Sarita joined us and we head to The Milk Bar in Redfern. I came with expectations cause people were raving about how good the cheeseburgers were.

I'd say the whole milk bar idea is probably inspired my Momofuku in New York which is absolute genius. The place was very casual and American if I might say in terms of the menu.

Miso Caramel Milkshake- $7.00

Sarita and I split a milkshake which was pretty smart! As you can see, the portions were huge! We had an oddball milkshake combining Miso and Caramel. Well, you ain't getting that anywhere else in Sydney! It was surprisingly tasty. When I took my first sip, I thought it was sweet. Then by my third sip, I realized that there was something really nice and savoury about it. YUM, all those calories.

My new face essentials

I think I've come a long way in terms of my makeup journey: in high school, I'd use Benetint and Clinique moisturizer every day. During my first year in college, I'd just wear concealer. Then I discovered foundation and piled that on every day (it was disgusting, heavy, liquid foundation!!! EEW). Come junior and senior year, I got introduced to the whole lineup: eyeshadow, eyeliner, blush. And I piled it all on! Everyday! To school!

And the worst thing is that I made time to put all this gunk on my face but skipped the SPF. Talk about skin suicide. Towards the end of senior year, though, I realized that the overly made up look was really gross (especially for school! What was I thinking!?) and stuck with just mascara, eyebrow pencil, and nothing else. And when I started working (in June), I became REALLY lazy with makeup and went to work with nothing. I think this must have had my late grandmother (she was all about grooming) absolutely rolling in her grave. But now I think I have a face routine that she'd be proud of and commend for being age appropriate! :)

Here are my new obsessions (L-R, top to bottom): 

MAC Sheertone Shimmer Blush in Peachykeen

Dinner Circuit Nights: Teeff's House

My friends and I are really into this new thing - dinner circuit! We take turns throwing dinner parties at our houses, and each party has a theme! It's TONS of fun and I don't know why we took so long to come up with the idea.

Here's what we had at Teeff's (the theme was date night):

An Restaurant: So Pho, So Good; Bankstown

It's hard to get over such a good bowl of Pho.

They say its the best Sydney has to offer.

Apparently, the ones in Vietnam are the same, except dirtier.

Dirtier+environment= more authentic.

See that bowl of pho? 

That large large large bowl of hot pho?

That's all you need to see. 

That's what we all had at the restaurant. 

That's what they're popular for. 

Office Fantasy

I'm so bored in the office right now. I've done everything I could/can think of doing. There is just nothing left to do anymore at this moment (okay, that's not completely true). I just don't see the point in having to be chained to a desk for 8 hours/day. Can't we just do what needs to be done and run out of the office and be free (to look at the Zara sales again, for the nth time?!?!?)?! But I'm not complaining, I love my job. I just wish I could go home and...

EAT A HUGE STEAK, LYING DOWN IN BED

Grounds of Alexandria, Alexandria

This place has been getting a lot of attention lately. I'm not 100% sure, but, I think they do roast their own beans in store. Well, this was the stop right after my friends and I hammered the 2 hour marketing exam. 4 essays, 2 hours, NOT enough time. My brain fully melted after. 

They've got this charming yard outside. But then, everybody is cooped up and dining indoors.

This table of pastries would greet you once you step into the cafe.

Sunday Pigday

So I'm back on another one of my diets. This time, I'm STICKING TO IT! I was supposed to be perpetually on a low-carb diet, but my definition of low-carb had become pathetically skewed: chocolate, being rich in antioxidants, is not a carb. Any bread, upon displaying characteristics of crusty chewiness, also loses any carbohydrate content. Milk, since it has lots of calcium, also has zero carbohydrates. Do you see where this was headed?

I gorged on meat, cheese, and fried pork skins, since they had zero carbs. And chocolate, bread, and milk as well! It was a solution for failure and fatness and now I can't fit into my jeans. Last Friday, I sat my self down and had A Serious Talk. If I didn't lose weight and lose it soon, I would have to subscribe to a 875 Php/day South Beach Diet plan and eat tuna loaf out of a plastic container. SAD!

And it worked! I've pretty much stuck to my diet and am on the road to recovery! Except for last Sunday, when I cheated just a little bit....(sounds familiar and dangerous?)

Mixed tempura

Bag of Beans, Tagaytay

A few days after touching down in Manila, I went to Tagaytay for a quick trip with my mum. She was furniture hunting and she never stops until she finds the PERFECT piece. Bag of Beans has long been in Tagaytay, its a cafe that offers really simple food, they have a couple of different pies to boast about, and good Barako* coffee.

Though it is located on a main road, there is a dining area down a flight of stairs. It automatically transports you to a serene dwelling. It's quite airy and native, if you will. 

What's a day without a good cup of coffee? Of course, I had mine black.

Bangkok & Cambodia, Part 1

Random eats from our Bangkok & Cambodia last April; I stole all these photos from my beautiful friend Karyn! :)

McDonald's. My friends love the wings!

Pad Thai, soooo goood

Shi Lin

So I checked out our blog and realized we hadn't updated it in a month! Can't believe it's been so long.

When we started this blog, we were really into it! I used to take photos of practically every meal I ate. Chloe even toted around a (heavy, hardbound) notebook wherein she wrote down all her notes about the stuff she ate. We also subscribed to a pretty strict scheduled that outlined post deadlines. So it makes me really sad that this blog isn't really being taken care of! :( It's such a pity because we've both been eating with such graceless abandon. Chloe is back from Oz for a bit and we're going to have a serious meeting about this blog before she leaves. 

Anyway, I was looking through my computer's pictures (yes, it's a slow day at the office) and found an album covering a meal I had at Shi Lin, in the Podium.  I was with Vince that day! (He is now in the States!!! I cannot wait for him to come back home. Why are my friends always leaving!!!!!!)

I didn't want Chinese food, so I got grub from Subway.

Dear Bizu

Lately I've become obsessed with Bizu. Whenever friends want to go out to eat, I always suggest (or maybe some of my friends would find the use of the word "demand" more apt than "suggest") that we eat in Bizu. The food is affordable (compared to Mamou and Summer Palace), isn't drowned in MSG (I have an intense MSG allergy -- I get really bitchy because my head hurts like !@#$% after I eat anything with MSG), and tastes delish!

Here are some photos I took of the time I went there for brunch with my sister from another mister, Nicole:

I like my breakfast with dessert

I am the biggest egg eater ever. I can eat around 5 a day (not joking).

I love having my eggs omelet-ized with shrimp, onions, and mushrooms. I'm really blessed that our maid is really good at cooking -- I can order practically anything from her.

My sister loves her eggs with a side of deadly preservatives (AKA Spam). Hahaha

Gnome, Surry Hills

Brunch at a cafe is always good.

Last Sunday, I had a rather spontaneous brunch with two of my good mates. Generally, it's not very often that we get to hang out cause the stress from university work is sometimes just too much to handle. You should see Surry Hills on a Sunday, every single cafe is packed regardless of how big or small it is. There's a waiting line for every single cafe, and when you're a fair bit pressed for time, it might not be the best choice.

We were eyeing one of my favourites, Four Ate Five but the place was really swarmed with people. There was a small cozy cafe right across the street that seemed pretty good as well. There weren't a whole lot of things on their menu, just pretty much the basics were present. And on SUNDAY, they serve all day brekkie! 

Skim Cap, my thing.

Adara's Green Tea

Saz's Ice Coffee

Coffee and tea to start. When it comes to brunches and the cafe lifestyle sort of thing, you need some good coffee, duh. Sadly, this wasn't quite up to scratch. The coffee lacked that fantastic pungent aroma.

CAKE

In case you still didn't know, my sister is a baking genius. She can bake anything -- cinnamon rolls, brownies, cakes, cookies. 

The other day, she decided to make a cake to celebrate my two lovely Canadian cousins' visit! :)

Three pans of chocolate cake

Fluffy and dark

Brandy, sugar, butter

Reuben Hills, Surry Hills

Icebergs!

Bondi that sunny morning!

During a much needed break, my friend Adara and I first headed to Bondi for a swim at Iceberg's. It's such a lovely place and the weather was absolutely terrific. The thing was.. the pool was so chilly even though it was sunny, it was so cold it made my whole body numb. And it hardly went away even after swimming a fair number of laps.

I love how industrial the feel of place is.

After that gruelling swim, we went to Reuben Hills. It's the place to be these days! A lot of people will term the place hipster- it's hip and happening.