Off With Their Heads! 

"Yes, that's it!" said the Hatter with a sigh, "it's always tea time". 
Dress: Ksubi
Shoes: Windsor Smith
Clutch: Peter Alexander
Sunglasses: Sportsgirl
Ribbon: Hand Made

I am not usually a huge Ksubi fan. I love their stuff but it isn't generally my look, however, lately I have purchased several pieces. I loved quite a few pieces in their 'Bad Sports' collection and of what I have seen of their new collection I am loving it! 

After putting my name on two Ksubi lists three months ago for their 'boyfriend jeans' they finally arrived on Thursday. Hallelujah! However, they only stock one in each size so I had to be quick and snap up the ever so popular 24!! That is another story though. The point was of course they had to come in when I was attempting to save my money and then I splurged on more Ksubi on the weekend. The deals were so great I couldn't resist! I am officially now banned from shopping (we'll see how long I last). 

I live close to the 'Birkenhead Point Outlet Shopping Centre' and I am there at least a few times a week (mainly for food). I hardly ever go upstairs to the fashion area but as I was walking past the Ksubi outlet on Saturday I innocently walked in! 

The first drop of their new collection hit stores on Thursday and therefore lots of their 'Bad Sports' collection was shipped straight to their Birkenhead store. So much of their new season line was more than half price. I had seen it in stores for full price only days before! Winning! I purchased a lovely white denim dress and a simple denim skirt for extremely good prices. I tried on more than half a dozen pieces and could have purchased them all. Unfortunately, it is official. I cannot buy anymore clothes! Hey, at least I look good right!?

I have made it very clear that my favourite Sunday activity is going to High Tea. This weekend I went to afternoon tea at 'The Westin' in Martin Place. I had to get in quickly before the 'Crave Sydney International Food Festival' deal ended. The deal was either the 'Westin Heritage Afternoon Tea' or the 'Mad Hatter Afternoon Tea' with unlimited tea and coffee and a glass of sparkling wine for $45. Good deal! Generally it is more expensive and does not come with sparkling wine. I also think that it was great that it included any type of coffee you liked. They usually just offer tea and coffee is extra (not that I needed coffee with all of the rich food). 

"The Westin' itself is extremely pretty. I have never been inside before and was quite amazed. It is located in what was the old Sydney General Post Office building in Martin Place. The huge lobby is located in the old courtyard and is surrounded by beautiful sandstone walls. The fit out is quite modern with an atrium enclosing the old sandstone walls which in the afternoon was lovely as it allowed the sun to shine through. There is a gorgeous old staircase which leads up to the hotel rooms. You are also able to see the old GPO clock tower in Martin Place through the glass. 

Afternoon Tea is served daily from 12pm - 6pm in 'The Lobby Bar, Lounge and Room'. The dining room spans two areas of the foyer and is decked out with big, modern, plush, black armchairs and quite low modern tables.

'Heritage Afternoon Tea' and 'Mad Hatter Afternoon Tea' $45 each

Both options for afternoon tea offer modern twists on the classic high tea. KJ and CC both chose the Westin specialty 'The Heritage High Tea' and I chose the limited edition Alice in Wonderland 'Mad Hatter's Afternoon Tea'. 

They offer a selection of 'Jing' teas. CC chose Earl Grey while KJ and I had English Breakfast. During the afternoon we received many replenishments of tea which came in lovely modern clear glass cups, saucers and teapots. The sparkling wine was deliciously sweet and a great accompaniment to the food. 

The 'Westin Heritage Afternoon Tea' was delivered on a two tiered chrome and ceramic rectangular cake stand. 

The bottom layer consisted of savoury items. The first of which was a 'smoked salmon triple stack sandwich on flavoured bread with caper berries'. It was like a finger sandwich with salmon in-between three layers of bread. The next delicacy was a 'crispy green salad and ocean prawn boat with crostini and lime'. This was a standout. Two ocean prawns sat on top of a bed of lettuce and cherry tomatoes with a lovely crisp crostini on the side. The lime dressing was tangy and complemented the prawns well. The 'slow cooked chicken and pickled bell peppers on a spinach toast roll' was exquisite! It only consisted of one finger of bread twirled around the chicken filling. The last sandwich was a simple sliced 'double smoked ham, cheese and cucumber' sandwich however it came wrapped in a finger of tomato bread and was presented in such a quirky way. It was defiantly not your average ham, cheese and tomato sandwich! 

The 'Mad Hatter Afternoon Tea' came on a round chrome and ceramic two tiered cake stand. As I do not like beef roulade, when I made the booking I asked for it to be substituted with something else. This was no problem at all. They did not even have to be reminded on the day. The two small roulades which I did not have were called the 'Tweedledee and Tweedledum' and consisted of 'roasted beef and fresh asparagus on mini laugen'. My salad boat was aptly named the 'Caterpillar' and consisted of cherry bocconcini and tomato on a fresh green salad bed'. Once again this was extremely refreshing and I thoroughly enjoyed it! My last savoury item was known as the 'Alice In Wonderland'. It was made up of 'Alaskan crabmeat salad on double bread wrapped in cucumber'. I received two of these instead of one and thank goodness because it certainly was the stand out for me! A finger of white bread and a slice of cucumber wrapped around a delicious and generous filling of Alaskan crab and mayonnaise. There isn't a better word to describe it other than delicious! 

After we had finished our savoury items our steaming scones were delivered. It was so lovely that our scones came out hot rather than sitting on the cake stand while we ate our first layer. We received two bite size scones accompanied with 'home made strawberry jam, raspberry chocolate jam and clotted cream'. Always good to see clotted cream instead of whipped cream. Both jams were very nice, very sweet! We could have done with a larger serving of strawberry jam, it wasn't quite enough for the three of us! 

The sweet layer is always the most exciting! The 'Heritage Afternoon Tea' was made up of three mini desserts. The first was a 'crunchy profiterole with dark Belgium-chocolate cream filling' and a lovely mini chocolate wafer through the middle. As it was only mini the filling was not too rich and there wasn't an overwhelming amount of thick pastry. The 'glazed caramel mousse with fresh berries and raspberry gel' was scrumptious. A nice, generous dollop of rich caramel mousse which was cut by the fresh berries. The last dessert, which was my favourite (I did steal half on KJ's) was a classic 'vanilla creme brûlée with a sweet nutty biscotti'. Unfortunately, the toffee on the top did not crack but the inside was smooth, rich and delicious! 

The 'Mad Hatter Afternoon Tea' sweets were a real treat! They looked so good you did not want to eat them! 'The Queen of Hearts' consisted of layers of raspberry buttercream and chocolate ganache in between layers of sponge cake with a raspberry jelly on top. It was cut into a heart shape and was extremely cute. 'The Mad Hatter's hat' was a rich dark chocolate mud cake incased in chocolate then covered in green icing complete with the '10/6' sign. The mud cake was deliciously rich but the icing was a bit hard and turned my teeth green! The winner of the three desserts was definitely 'The White Rabbit's Pocket Watch'. The edible watch face on the front of the purple macaroon with a blueberry cream filling was copied from the clock in Martin Place (cute). The outside was crispy and the filling was gooey and oozy and mouth watering. It definitely tasted like a blueberry! 

Overall, KJ and I consider ourselves almost High Tea connoisseurs and as far as we are concerned this is up there with the best. It was a lovely modern twist on the classic afternoon tea. The addition of the salad boat and the sandwiches which consisted of more filling than bread were extremely refreshing as you weren't overwhelmed by the amount of bread and pastry! It was great to see the scones come out steaming and there were just the right amount of sweets without it being overpowering. None of us left feeling like we had eaten too much. It was great! Definitely the best way to spend a Sunday afternoon! 

Afternoon Tea at The Westin Sydney
1 Martin Place
Sydney NSW 2000

Overall: 9/10
Ambiance: 8.5/10
Drink: 8.5/10
Food: 9/10

Crossing The Line

Living On The Edge 
Sunglasses: Sportsgirl
Top: Born In June
Skirt: H&M, New YOrk
Shoes: Windsor Smith
Watch: Swatch Watch

I recently bought this over the top, poofy, flowery, cupcakey, boxy white top! Now all of those words I just used to describe it make it sound horrible and unless you are careful it could go terribly wrong! I spotted it in a shop with KC a few weeks ago and asked her if it was too much. I often pick up things that are way over the top and ask if they have crossed the line. She assured me this one had! Back on the rack it went! 

I was back in the boutique last week and I looked at it again. KJ was with me this time and gave me a very strange look when I picked it up. This time however, I had a vision. I told her to give it a chance and let me try it on. Of course it looked a million times better on than on the rack. The trick was you could only wear it with something simple, you had to have a small frame, be daring and not be afraid when wearing it. Otherwise, yes, you will look like an over the top wedding cake! 

I stewed on it a little longer while I walked up and down Oxford St but ended up back in the shop to buy it. When I entered the shop a middle aged woman was trying it on. It was skin tight on her, pulled across her bust and had it on with flared jeans which she intended to wear it with. It was so very wrong. Totally age  and body inappropriate. She did not make it look stylish! Anything but! Overall, I would say she looked like an old hippie slash cowgirl. It was not pretty. 

KJ assured me that it did not look like that on me. The shop owner/designer also agreed and commented on how good it looked on me. She designs all the clothes in 'Born in June'. Her build is similar to mine and her vision for what the top should look like was exactly how it looked on me. Thank god! 

You have to be daring and push the edges but sometimes it can go drastically wrong. There is such a thing as 'going too far'. I have to be careful, I am sometimes a victim of these things! 

Last night KJ and I went to the newly redone 'Newtown Hotel' to have a nice Greek inspired meal at their upstairs restaurant, 'The Animal'. 

As the 'Newtown Hotel' is owned by 'Key Stone' the owners of Gazebo, The Winery, Manly Wine, The Loft, Bungalow 8, Cargo Bar and Kit and Kaboodle just to name a few the expectations for decor were high. It did not disappoint. I won't go into detail about the awesome retro decor downstairs, the cute courtyard or the great ambiance because this post will go on for years! Let's just say the crowd agrees with me, it was extremely packed for early on a Thursday night! Upstairs was also quite busy. The wrap around balcony was full of people sharing Greek tapas dishes and enjoying a cold drink whilst watching the sunset. 

When you walked up the stairs to 'The Animal' you were greeted by a large leopard type creature with a big sign that read 'don't feed the animal'. Once you arrived at the top of the stairs you were greeted by a hostess and escorted to your table. It is quite a large restaurant and at 7pm was only one third full but by the time we were leaving there was a line winding down the stairs. You are only able to book for tables of six or more. It looks great for a function with a big private party caravan available, equipped with its own stripper pole. Alternatively you can also choose the private cinema room. 

The mood is dark and ominous with extreme mood lighting (you could actually hardly see what you were eating). The furnishings are dark and accented with dark leather or animal print. Each table featured hanging industrial lights overhead. The bar is definitely the main attraction with a big neon pink sign on the brick wall behind the bar which reads 'animal'. Cute. 

The menu is quite large and designed to share. It features small bites, then shared starters and salads for entrees. The mains are defiantly a shared affair with a large selection of whole roasted communal dishes, all of which are meats. Just going by the title this restaurant is not really one for vegetarians! 

I say you can always tell a good Greek restaurant by its 'taramasalata dip'. KJ and I ordered their 'real taramasalata and breads' with 'olives' for starters. Unfortunately, the tara was a huge miss. KJ was so disappointed with the dip it almost ruined her meal! It was not its usual pink colour but instead cream with a huge mountain of oil sitting on the top and without much flavour. The pita bread which accompanied the dip was even more oily than the dip. You could hardly eat it as it was so saturated in oil! The olives were a standard mix of green and black heated up and marinated in coriander, garlic and thyme. They were served with an empty tuna tin to place your pips in which was a quirky addition. I feel crunchy white bread would have been better as it would have absorbed the oil better.

Top Left: Olives $7
Top Right: Taramasalata Dip and Bread $12
Bottom Left: Whole Spring Chicken $21
Bottom Right: Braised Green Beans $12

We ordered the 500g 'whole spring chicken' butterflied and rubbed with fennel salt and thyme. It was extremely reasonably priced at $21. A side of green beans was chosen to accompany it. They came in a tomato puree and although nice was not my choice of how to best take advantage of such a crisp vegetable. They ended up becoming quite soggy and there was too much tomato which was quite overpowering. We would have been better off with the 'Greek Salad', it looked yummy! The roast chicken was tasty but really no more tasty than the roast chicken we cook at home! It was crazy that our main came in at under $30 altogether. 

Purple Onion Private Caravan 

Overall, Greek is my favourite cuisine and I wasn't overly impressed. I enjoyed the environment and would definitely return for a drink and probably a snack but I am not raving about the food. It has been open less than a week. I feel they are still trying to find their feet. Hopefully they find their way. It has the potential to be such a hit! 

The Animal
174 King Street
Newtown NSW 2042

Overall: 6.5/10
Ambiance: 8.5/10
Food: 5.5/10

Crustaceans 

Summer Holiday
Shirt: Topman
Sunglasses: Shakuhachi, Bali
Shorts: Country Road
Shoes: Topshop
Watch: Swatch Watch

My new obsession (of course) is crustaceans, insects, etc on clothing. I am instantly drawn to a dress with crabs on it, skirts with spiders and anything with lobsters! My 'Topman' lobster shirt is the perfect example. P.S. while we are on the topic of 'Topman', it is totally awesome and so much better than the girls section! Moving forward, this tailored shirt is a nice crisp white with bright orange lobsters all over it. So perfect for a sunny spring sunday! Paired with my white tailored shorts and my favourite, super comfortable red jellies from 'Topshop' I am set to relax over a glass of wine and a seafood platter by the water. I almost feel like I should be on a tropical holiday! 

I love my red jellies. They take me right back to my childhood and I am loving it! 90s revival. So excited! Meanwhile, I feel like everything I have been wearing lately is from 'Topshop'! Maybe I should become an ambassador, just joking! 

I love Sunday night treat night. Last night I ventured to Chinatown to try out the much talked about 'N2 Extreme Gelato'. It has been on my list for a while, before the hype started but, as I hardly ever venture into Chinatown it has taken me a while to get there. It resembles more a scientific laboratory than an ice creamery. Totally new age and nothing like I have seen before! 

They specialise in liquid nitrogen gelato and making gelato on order. So fresh, it is crazy! Once you order your flavour from the board, or 'submit your flavour online' the milk and the fresh flavour are combined in a mixmaster. The liquid nitrogen (dry ice) is poured from a test tube into the mixture and with a lot of smoke 'bam' your icecream is scooped out and served to you    at -6 degrees Celsius. It really is quite an impressive procedure. 

The icecream shop is modern, simple and quirky at the same time. Out the front a strip of fake grass has been laid with a lawn mower, stools and a big icecream sign. I don't really know how icecream and lawn mowers go together but hey I liked it! The store inside is like a huge science lab. Bringing back memories of high school science classes there are big beakers everywhere and test tubes, lots of smoke and gas cylinders. To top it off the staff wear stark white lab coats, black glasses and totally fit the science geek criteria (this is in no way to be taken offensively). 

When you choose your order from the board (about a dozen wacky flavours) you place your order with the cashier who then types it into his iPad, naturally! Your icecream is then made to order on the spot! 

River Caramel $6 a scoop

If a version of salted caramel is on the list I can't go past it so naturally when I saw 'River Caramel' - milky caramel with Murray River salt gel' I had to get it. As did KJ. GJ on the other hand went with plain 'cheesecake'. Unfortunately I did not get a photo of the 'cheesecake gelato' as GJ gobbled it up too quickly! I would have loved to try the 'Chocolate' - sour cream chocolate gelato (that apparently does not taste sour) but it is so popular it is constantly sold out! My salted caramel was deliciously creamy and the caramel was not overbearing. The positions are very generous (and should be for the $6 price tag). I love that on the price board it said '1 scoop: $6, 2 scoops: you won't need it'. Truth! The only negative I have is that GJ asked for a cone and he received his icecream in a cup. He was so eager to eat it he did not bother complaining! 

The owner was extremely chatty and had a lengthy conversation about his favourite flavours and not so favourite - cough medicine! They have a flavour archive on the wall. The 'me so happy' flavour intrigues me! 

It was a fun, out of body, very enjoyable experience. I think these mad scientists have started something revolutionary! 

N2 Extreme Gelato
43/1 Dixon Street
Sydney, NSW 2000

Overall: 8.5/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Ice-Cream: 9/10

A Theme A Day Keeps The Fashion Police Away

The More The Merrier
Sunglasses: Sportsgirl
Jacket: Vinnies
Singlet: Sportsgirl
Skirt: Valleygirl
Watch: Swatch Watch
Necklace: Diva
Shoes: Kazui
Handbag: Forever 21, Los Angeles
Lipstick: Nick Minaj for Mac

Today I received a compliment about how great it is that every day I dress in a different theme. I have never really realised that every outfit I put together reflects a theme. I then asked a reliable source if they thought the same. They agreed. Then I asked the question of how can you not dress in theme? They replied, "Well I'm just wearing shorts and a top, you would never just wear shorts and a top". It got me thinking. I do wear shorts and tops but, no I suppose it is never that simple. The shorts and top would be part of some theme e.g. sports luxe. A white tee and denim shorts just isn't me I suppose! 

Today is a great example of my 'theme' issue. Comics and cartoons all around! Comic jacket, ka-boom top, outrageous leopard print sunglasses that are totally appropriate, big pineapple stand out necklace ... check, check, check! 

Last night I had a sunset dinner in Hyde Park at the 'Night Noodle Markets' which are a part of the 'Crave Food Festival Sydney' that is running for the month of October. 

It really is such a great experience. I have been for four years in a row now and each year it keeps growing and growing. This year they have really out done themselves. Gone are the days of sitting on your blanket in the park (well you can still totally do that). It is quite upmarket now, real tables and chairs (and lots of them), VIP areas, several bar areas and entertainment. 

It truly has quadrupled in size! There are now four rows of eateries to choose from, a number of bars, eat art food trucks and much more! 

Garlic and Pepper Edamame from 'Umi Sushi' $5

The whole atmosphere is amazing. I have come to the conclusion that they don't operate on weekends because the city crowd is different during the week. It greatly appeals to the after work crowd, groups of friends enjoying a quite wine with their noodles and families soaking up the atmosphere. No rowdiness. No fights. No vandalism. Watching the sun go down and the fairy lights lighting up the park is beautiful. 

Now to the food. It is also a great opportunity to sample some of the best Asian Sydney has to offer. Top restaurants such as Umi Sushi, Jimmy Liks and Longrain are among those who have stalls. The best part is you can sample one signature dish from every acclaimed restaurant! 

It was highly recommended that I try the 'garlic and pepper edamame beans' from 'Umi Sushi'. I was unaware that soy beans could taste that good. Don't get me wrong, I am always eating and praising soy beans but these bad boys really took it to the next level. I had to go back for another bowl. I cannot stress enough how amazing they were. No lies! I also shared some freshly grilled scallops which were dressed with chopped peanuts and placed back in their shells from 'La Mint'. I always think scallops look so pretty when plated in their shells. Lastly, I shared the '$15 mixed platter' from the 'Dim Sum Station'. It was great to have such a wide variety - vegetable, prawn, scallop, chive and mushroom dumplings, two steamed dim sims, a pork bun and a delicious crispy vegetable spring roll. I saw people walking around with amazing looking 'san choy bow' but I unfortunately did not come across it.

Grilled Scallops from 'La Mint' $10

Delish! I really enjoy my experience at "The Night Noodle Markets' ever year. I can't wait to see what they do next year. According to social media I am defiantly not the only one that has been enjoying my fair share of noodles ... it appears that the whole of Sydney are making the trip into the city to get their little taste of Asia! 

Mixed Platter from Dim Sum Station $15

Night Noodle Markets
Hyde Park 
Sydney NSW 2000

Overall: 8/10
Ambiance: 9/10
Food: 7.5/10 

Texture Baby 

Quilted Goodness
Bomber Jacket: Zara
Skirt: JW Anderson for Topshop
Boots: Wittner
Handbag: Forever 21, Los Angeles
Sunglasses: Sportsgirl
Watch: Swatch Watch

I should always go with my gut instinct when it comes to fashion choices. I fell in love with the 'JW Anderson for Topshop' quilted midi skirt with the spider print the moment I saw it. 

Unfortunately KJ did not and would not even let me try it on! On my second visit to 'Topshop' I actually tried it on and it was definitely as cool as I thought it would be however KJ once again was not convinced nor impressed in the slightest. One week later and I was still lusting over it. I decided that KC might have a more positive attitude towards the skirt. Thank goodness. She loved it! As did all of the sales assistances who convinced me to finally buy it. I know it is their job but they all seemed genuine! KC loved it so much that she bought it in black. It was a bit of a bold purchase for her. I was proud! Not going to lie I want it in black or the swirl print as well! 

Since purchasing the skirt I have seen it in two magazines, three people wearing a version of it and at least half a dozen people have commented on how they were thinking about buying it. Seeing it on me has convinced them to go and get it! 

Lesson of the day: You should always listen to Eloise! 

I frequent 'Gelato Messina' in Darlinghurst way too often but visited the Crown Street store for the first time on the weekend with KC and AB. I have been meaning to go for a while, not that there is a huge difference but I always end up at the original! 

It was exactly what I expected. Mouth watering gelato, crazy flavours, lines for days and a whole crowd of people spread down the street sitting on any object they could find while they enjoyed their scoop or two of deliciousness! 

Thank goodness I got in just before they took their specialty 'Cremino' off the menu. I don't think anything quite beats their 'Salted Caramel' but 'Cremino' might just do it. Salted caramel mixed with meringue, crushed amaretti biscuits and nutella. Need I say more! It was one scoop of that and one scoop of plain salted caramel for me. Surprisingly I wasn't salted caramelled out! I could eat it by the bucket load! 

Two Scoops $5

What I love about the 'Crown Street' store is that besides being slightly less crowded (I mean slightly) it is easier to park (again slightly). Although there are time limits, the parking is not metered. Hooray! 

I might just have to pop by for their latest creation 'Fior Di Latte' - jersey milk fior di latte gelato with hazelnut cream and chocolate sponge. 

Overall: 9.5/10
Ambiance: 8.5/10
Ice-Cream: 9.5/10