Paramount Coffee Project, Surry Hills

It's no secret that I love brunch. It's borderline lunch time but you get to have your breakfast fix. Nothing cheers me up quite like it, I must admit. Paramount Coffee Project has been all the rage lately. I see people posting picture after picture of it on Instagram. The place is immaculate.So obviously, I just HAD to check it out.

Routine calls me to start off with a long black. This was undeniably a good cup.

This is a soft shell crab po boy! YES, I had it for breakfast. But no, I didn't finish the entire lot, I did however split it with my friend. I have a soft spot for soft shell crab. It's just dang tasty without the hassle of trying to yank things out of their shells. The batter was crunchy, there was coleslaw in there which I'm never really a fan of. It could've used something with kick, dibs on SRIRACHA! Came with some chips and pickles. The chips were waaay too salty. After one or two, you won't be keen for another, sadly.

The BEST Lamington.

In the past, I've never been too big a fan of anything that had coconut desiccated coconut. But OH BOY, times have indeed changed. Living in Sydney has changed my preferences towards certain things.. like DESICCATED COCONUT, duh. 

Lamingtons are a BIG THING in the land down under. I've had my fair share of them, they're usually just a dry piece of sponge to me. But NO, not this one. 

Nomama

My family and I tried Nomama back when they were very new.

I remember I had just recovered from laryngitis at the time and had lost 5 pounds, along with the use of my voice!

Jazz City Milk Bar, Darlinghurst

I love how diner-y and vintage the whole place feels.

So, here's the thing, I didn't know there were two "Jazz City's". There's a milk bar and there's a diner. I'm not 100% sure but I've heard the diner is temporary closed. But in any case, I was at the milk bar earlier this week. And boy, it did not disappoint.

Peanut Butter Malted Milkshake- $8

Kicking things off with a peanut butter milkshake. So thick and scrumptious. I had a hard time slurping it up the straw. Oh goodness. After a few sips, I was set. I can't take that much sweet and dairy. Waaaay too much for me to handle. My friend had the rest!

Yabu, House of Katsu

I'm sure y'all have heard of (and tried) Yabu by now, but here is my review anyway! :) 

My sister and I mega mega mega love Yabu. It's always our post-F21 (yes, shame of shame, I REALLY LOOOOVE F21!!!) pigout place!

Condiment tray. Love the piggy-looking piece!

Excelsior Jones, Ashfield

Last Saturday was such a miserable morning for me. I was given a new shift at work which is definitely something good, but NOT if it was around 13C degrees out and the heater in the pool is broken. It felt like the longest 4 hours of my life. Yes, seriously. After that, I got warm and cozy, then dined at Excelsior Jones. Excelsior Jones definitely made up for my sad sad morning. 

Someone seems to be shocked.

That place was packed and we had a short wait before we got a table. This is considering we rocked up at 2pm, imagine it during peak hour! The decor was really simple, minimalistic, and straight forward. There was an old, diner-y feel to the place. I thought it was great. 

Soy Cap- $4

Started my meal with a soy cappuccino- something that hasn't been on my regular list as of late. I've been leaning towards shorter drinks. It's not bad though. 

A Healthy (But Faaaaaar Too Oversized!) Brekkie

A breakfast I had sometime in May 2012 (yes, my extremely long backlog really is extremely long). At that time, I was really conscientious about my food and trying to eat clean BUT it was during this time that I started packing on the pounds because food became a bit of an obsessive problem for me, and I was too lazy to exercise (it's true what they say - inactivity breeds inactivity. And there is no inactivity quite like unemployment inactivity).

Belgian Bier = Good Times

That is what's left of my bucket of mussels, chips, and beer. By that point in time, I was really happy. I must admit, the Belgian Bier cafe is one of my favourite places to have a good dinner with friends. Mind you, we always end up going on Wednesdays because they slash the price of the bucket of mussels in half. There's also a huge selection of food to choose from so.. it really does end up making everyone happy. 

I've loved cider since I've had my first schooner. They're always a bit sweet, then slightly sour. It's not so much bitter, some of my friends actually disagree that it's a "real" drink. But what the hell, it's delicious so I'll have it. 

Tsim Chai Kee, Hong Kong

On my last day in Hong Kong last January, I didn't really have lots of time before I had to board my flight back home. I was just wandering around central, waiting for the shops to open so I could do a bit of last minute shopping. So, there I was in the backstreets of Hong Kong. I passed by a lot of markets and restaurants. I was actually trying to find a particular Yum Cha place, but things didn't go as planned. 

Jordan: Mosaic 101

Looking at these pictures sure make me wish I had been interested in art and home decor earlier (at this point in my life, when I was in Jordan, I didn't give a hoot about either)! I'm glad, though, that there are photos to look back on and relive the moments through....

What I ate before going to look at how mosaics are crafted...

Bebek Bangil, Bali

As you probably already know from reading Jakarta x Bali Photo Diary and Mucking x Eating x Travelling Around I travelled to Bali over the summer holidays. Bali is like nowhere I've ever been to, there are a lot of historical sights and yet you get chill time at the beach too. We went further inland, a fair bit away from the beaches to Ubud. Ubud is popular for being the backdrop for Eat, Pray, Love.

Rice patties in Bebek Bangil. 

We had dinner in one of those small hut things. The place was so peaceful and quiet, the rice fields were all around. We also watched the sunset from there, it was quite the experience.

This is what Bebek Bangil is popular for, their fried duck. It was paired with the traditional yellow rice from Ubud and an array of other condiments. Wash that down with some Bintang!

Jordan: The Food Never Ends

The amazing buffet they served us at the Movenpick hotel in Jordan:

Muffins galore

Bread-y things which I did not eat

Donuts!!!

Jakarta x Bali Photo Diary

Jakarta

Instant millionaire. 

This is how they do street food. Lots & lots of cheese.

Gado gado: a vegetable & tofu dish doused with lots of peanut sauce!

This has got to be one of the BEST views of Jakarta. Picture taken from the top of Monas.

Bali

So glad to see lots o' blue.

The Forrester's, Surry Hills

Lunch or dinner after uni classes is a regular routine for me and my friends. There's this place in Surry Hills called The Forrester's, they serve decent pub food at decent prices, and a good atmosphere too. Also, they have daily specials during lunch time where they just punch down the prices a fair bit.

Crushed Apple Cider- $7

Waiting for the food with a glass of Monteith's Crushed Apple Cider. I'm a big fan of cider, this one is on the sweet side but still a tinge sour and crisp.

Chicken Schnitzel Parmigiana- $12

3 THINGS that make me so HAPPY.

Just thought I might talk about 3 THINGS that have made me very happy the past few days.

Macchiato- $3

My mornings have just been better lately. With one stop at Workshop Espresso on my way to uni, it makes all the difference. Dem mornings just seem less bleek. It's always between piccolos & macchiatos, I'd say, depending on my mood. It definitely gives you that boost you need to get through the day. Make sure you have some blue Pulse gum after, that's a must. Combo does wonders.

Meet The Greek, Brighton Le Sands

Meet the Greek is undeniably one of the best restaurants I've been for Greek food. I'm in love with the cuisine but it's just that there is no Greek place near my house. It's such a shame. This quest for Greek food brought me to a part of Sydney that I have never been to before. Definitely a bit freaky at night. But the food was totally worth it. 

Inside, the whole place was packed out. So glad that we even had the chance to snag a table. Everyone was white or Greek or Lebo, yes, for once I have felt out of place. 

Taramosalata x Melitzanosalata x Tzatziki x Skordalia

All good stuff. Ditch whatever preconceptions you may have coming from those tubs you get at the groceries. This is definitely nothing like it- so freeeeeeeeesh. 

Hemingway's, Manly

Hemingway's is one of those precious gems that I wish I would've found earlier. It's located in right on Manly beach, undeniably one of my favourite beaches here in Sydney.* That's why I just had to bring my good friend Heish over when she visited Sydney. We were fumbling around Manly, undecided where to go for brunch. Then I remembered this place right opposite Manly beach, pretty cool and chill.

Taste and See: HK December 2012 Trip (Part 3)

This is the last installment on my 3-part blog miniseries about our family HK trip. (To read about the previous two, please click here and here)

I discovered the true meaning of Boxing Day -- a day for which you box up all your Christmas decorations! So stupid of me, but I actually thought that "Boxing" was some sort of old-fashioned voting/democratic term or ideal that the Brits decided to celebrate and assign a holiday! They were actually boxing up the Lego Christmas village (which was the cutest thing ever) at Times Square.

Fell in love with this window display at Hermes. I'm a sucker for jungle themed anything and the colours here are just divine.

We received the most thoughtful presents from our aunts! Jo Malone is my new favorite perfume.

Exercise Vendetta

A short break from my travel posts, to discuss another thing Chloe and I have in common: an understanding of the importance (not necessarily a love, haha) of exercise.

WHY I WILL DO MY INSANITY WORKOUTS OBEDIENTLY AND CONSISTENTLY:

1. I do not want to end up with someone who does not exercise, i.e.*, someone who has flabby arms and a fat potbelly. A disciplined man, e.g.*, person who gets up at 5:30 AM everyday to beat his body and make it into his slave is not going to be with a continuously
eating pig who refuses to budge (me, at the moment).

2. I've observed that successful** people are those who rise and grind. Of course, it's not like a person who does not exercise=a person who is not successful. It's just that I don't know of a single person who gets up damn early daily to exercise before going to work who isn't successful. I think it's because being able to discipline one's self physically is a baby step to being able to master self control. CS Lewis said something like men are animals, and what our bodies do, our feelings and thoughts tune into and go in accordance with. People who exercise even if they don't feel like it at first have probably realised that emotion follows motion (that quote is not mine): you do it, then you start feeling like doing it, and not the other way around.

3. Having a healthy and fit body helps you LIVE A FULL LIFE

3.1 BEING ABLE TO DO YOLO-Y STUFF Sports and other recreational activities (i.e., surfing, hiking, etc.) all require a certain fitness level. You can't do play-all-you-can when you're overweight and taxing your heart triple time.

3.2 BEING ABLE TO WEAR NICE CLOTHES Being fashionable and wearing beautiful, stylish clothes also require a decent body! It's sad how being fat forces a person to limit his/her sartorial choices. :(

3.3  HAVING HAPPIER AND BETTER-REGULATED MOODS Endorphins released by exercising makes people happy and less insane. (Even Elle Woods knew that).

3.4 HAVING BETTER SKIN

3.5 HAVING A BETTER CHANCE AT SUCCESS Also, I think people (subconsciously) respect you more when you look good. This I know because I studied and aced*** social psychology, where I learned that tall men and pretty women tend to get paid significantly more than their less attractive counterparts. And cute children were thought by their teachers to be better behaved and smarter than not-so-cute children. (My slightly premature) conclusion? Being smexy will get a person a better paying job and a better shot at a good life.

Making Pizza at Home

Best thing about making your pizza is that everything is ultimately customisable. Though my dough needs a little more work, I was rather content with the toppings and combos that I came up with. Obviously I made quite the mess, but it's all good fun. 

Your typical hawaiian pizza except with turkey bacon. Our house definitely can't live without this flavour- both my sisters demand it. They however don't like bell pepper, but that's for my grandpa anyway. 

Smoked fish x caramelised onion x mushroom x fried eggs. This is what I'd call the Filipino Sinangag Pizza. Tinapa is definitely one of my favourite filipino things, it's smoked milkfish. It tastes rather different from your typical smoked haddock or trout. 

Well, that's it for my pizzas. I'll be putting up the recipe for pizza dough once I've perfected it. This is one of those things that I will be making a couple of times over until I'm fully satisfied. 

x

chloe

Thailand Photo Diary

I went on a holiday with my family to Thailand. It's somewhere that I've been wanting to go for quite a while now. 4 words for me to describe Thailand- great food, rich culture. There's way too much for me to say- so I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.

Midday traffic in Bangkok

One of the many icy desserts we had

Thai take on the oyster cake

Crispy roti with condensed milk- so good.

Taste and See: Hong Kong Trip 2012 (Part 2)

More photos from our family trip (read about part 1 HERE) :

We kept eating at this super fantastic, long-running and authentic noodle house called Mak's. THE. BEST. BEEF. WONTON. NOODLE. SOUP. EVER. (We ate there like 2x over the 4 day trip! Visit them here: 麥奀記 Wellington St., Central, +852 2854 3810, open Monday-Sunday 11 a.m.–8 p.m.)