Australian Love

Simple
Dress: Christoper Esber
Handbag: Kate Spade
Shoes: Shakuhachi

Christoper Esber has quickly become one of my favourite Australian designers. I love supporting great home grown talent. His lines are feminine, sleek and sophisticated. His pieces are classic with a modern twist and immaculately refined tailoring. The quality of his fabrics are amazing. They are perfect for 9-5 work life and after hours partying. I am in love with almost every piece in his A/W '13 collection.

I purchased one of his sheer organza black cocktail dresses the other day and could not wait until the weekend when I could wear it! I have tried on many sheer organza, cut out dresses lately but this one is definitely one of a kind. The cut is extremely elegant, interesting and flattering. It gives the illusion of a mini dress but is in fact far from one. The hem on the neckline, sleeves and bottom of the dress add a little more edge. The material is extremely delicate, soft and lovely on the skin.

It can be worn as black tie with your hair low in a bun with pointy black heels or dressed down with boots. The dress speaks for itself so little to no accessories are needed but a smart red lip never goes astray!

During the week I finally had the chance to catch up with my dear friend JJ (note: that is not JJ above) and have a lovely mid week dinner at the newly refurbished 'The Bourbon' in Kings Cross. 

The new, expensive fit out has completely transformed the once 'Bourbon and Beefsteak' restaurant/bar. It is now home to an extremely elegant and classy restaurant. It is inspired by the New Orleans circa 1920s-1930s which is evident in both the interior decorating and the menu. 

The space is quite large and its position on the iconic Kings Cross 'strip' is hard to miss. It has three dining areas - one at the back of the space near the open service area, a main indoor dining area with huge bar and an almost alfreso area on street level. The lovely open area at the front of the restaurant makes it hard for the passer by to keep on walking. Even though it does not typically flow out onto the street the large open, almost floor to ceiling windows give the illusion. The decor relies heavily on deep tones and dim lighting. The wood furnishings which are dark and ominous, are paired with lush dark blue leather couches, yellow suede chairs and complimenting yellow leather bar stools. Period artwork and books line the tiled walls and shelves. To add to the New Orleans vibe a live band is set up in the main dining room every week night. The real standout however, are the bathrooms! I don't want to bore you with the details of the lavatories but let's just say you walk down a grand set of stairs into a communal powder room with a huge fountain in the middle which has been converted into a massive sink. I almost expected to find "Moaning Myrtle" in one of the cubicles!

Hatted head chef James Metcalfe is in charge of the kitchen. The menu represents New Orleans flavours with a modern twist. If you aren't careful your meal could easily blow your calorie count for the day as lots of the dishes are fried or coated in gorgeous butter! Of course you don't want to miss out on this goodness altogether so you just have to choose wisely! JJ and I started with 250g of the 'Grilled Alaskan Crab Clusters' with lightly spiced butter. Wow, the crab was deliciously creamy, meaty and succulent which, when combined with the butter were scrumptious yet quite rich. We were offered bread to soak up all of the extra butter but decided to pass (we didn't think we needed to consume the left over butter). Totally worth the mess and effort it takes to eat crab but probably best to share it with someone you aren't trying to impress! 

Alaskan Crab Clusters - 250g $19

We are both great fish fans and the 'blackened tuna steak' really appealed to us. Sorry, I don't have another main to review as neither of us were prepared to budge on our choice! We ordered the 'succotash' to share on the side which, is a combination of peas, corn and spices. We were extremely surprised to find that our tuna came with a tomato relish on top as well as a very generous side salad of crisp fennel, mixed leaves and apple with a cider flavoured vinaigrette. It is so rare these days to order a main and receive something other than the meat on the plate! The tuna steak was cooked to perfection. It was coated with a lovely mixture of spices and was tender on the inside. We both finished off everything on the table so not doubt we found it all extremely tasty! 

Tuna Steak $28

Succotash $8

We were tempted by the s'mores and the 'Bourbon Tasting Plate' for dessert but as JJ has just come back from a six month work trip in the USA he is still a bit American desserted out! Oh well, that gives me a great excuse to return sometime soon :) 

The Bourbon

22 Darlinghurst Rd

Kings Cross 2011

Overall: 8.5/10

Ambiance: 8.5/10

Food: 8.5/10