A little bit of sass

Spice Girl Wedge
Sunglasses: Sportsgirl
Necklace: DIY
Dress: Shakuhachi
Watch: Swatch
Shoes: Max's Shoes

I was lucky enough to score a A/W '13 sample from Shakuhachi. Normally I steer clear of sparkly dresses and chiffon but instead of dressing up this party dress I dressed it down.

The dress is a quirky design. It is a shoestring strapped silver sequin mini dress with a beautiful white chiffon cape attached to the shoulders which flows down the back of the dress. It crosses over the front leaving a key hole opening between the V-neck of the silver sequin dress and the chiffon. This creates a beautifully flattering and interesting neckline. The white cape flows out from the fitted dress when you walk creating a magical illusion.

I have dressed it down with platform silver, studded sneakers and my big black and white rose necklace which sits perfectly above the key hole. This way you feel expensive and edgy but not too girly. After all, Shakuhachi is all about being a little on the quirky side!

Over the Easter Long Weekend break KJ and I visited the fairly new 'Balkan Bake' cafe in Balmain. The already extremely popular cafe is situated in close proximity to popular Balmain cafes such as 'Cafe Berlin', 'The Little Marionette' and 'Zumbo'. So what makes this cafe different? They serve authentic Balkan burek along with fantastic coffee.

The fit out of the shop is fairly simple as it is quite small. White metal chairs are paired with wooden tables inside and out. Outside there is seating for about half a dozen people and inside you have the choice of sitting at the long communal table or the smaller table for four. The food and drink menus are written on large rolls of brown paper and hang on the wall behind the counter.

The menu is simple. You would be silly not to order the star of the show, 'burek'. There are meat, vego and dessert burek options. You also have the option to pick a salad from the counter display to have on the side. Other than the burek there is a sweat cabinet located at the back of the shop. You are able to see the chef needing, throwing and twisting the burek before it goes in the oven. He is located at the front of the store and is pretty much on show for the passers -by through the window.

Meat Burek $12.5

Ajvar $7

We shared the 'meat' burek - half pork, half veal as they are huge. It was very traditional and according to my Serbian father it was exactly how it should be! It was tasty with a nice tang of herbs and spices.  We dipped the Burek into traditional 'Ajvar' relish which is a combination of roasted red peppers, eggplant and paprika. It was made in Croatia and shipped over. The owner told us that they had tried many different brands before settling on the 'Mamas' brand. They also serve 'Double Roasters' coffee from Marickville. Our lattes were smooth and silky with a nutty flavour - and slightly cheaper than the average coffee too! Delicious!

Reg Latte $3.3 Large Latte $3.6

Overall, it is definitely the first of its kind in Balmain and is obviously doing those with a Balkan heritage proud on Darling Street!

Balkan Bake
297 Darling Street
Balmain, NSW 2041

Overall: 7/10
Ambiance: 6.5/10
Drink: 8/10
Food: 8/10