the p life

11/21/10

matteos

Was hanging out with B one day and talking about visiting the Met store on Collins to see if anything new has been released,

when I was hit with sudden random inspiration.

(that can sometimes happen when studies drive me crazier than a dingbat.)

We decided to have a dinner to celebrate Faberge's genius!

Wooo!

The idea became known as having an 'egg dinner'

and in my excitement, i retrieved all the Faberge jewellery i own

and made a booking for Matteos.

B looks exceptionally gleeful here, must be the bread and butter arriving! i, on the other hand, was grumpy as i had seriously overestimated the time taken to travel to Matteo's and had been waiting for a full half hour. No traffic to Brunswick, who would have thought?!

B's Faberge jewellery.

My Jap seafood plate, with 1.Semi-cured Hiramasa kingfish, prawn remoulade, shiso Japanese basil sauce, 2.Teriyaki glazed smoked eel on rice crusted tofu, pickled plum & bonito mayonnaise

3. Petuna ocean trout tataki, oroshi grated daikon radish, Yarra Valley salmon roe.

the kingfish was my favourite, usually have it raw but curing it imparted the most extraordinary texture! To be honest this dish was packed chockful of ingredients, some palatable some not so much, it became sensory overload by the end! Was delicious though, and i enjoyed every bite.

My main was the wagyu beef. Slightly disappointing as it was served cold. Have had much better wagyu steaks and the pairing with the butternut pumpkin puree and 'red curry' seemed a tad disjointed. Silverbeet was good, but doesnt say much about the dish that the silverbeet was its saving grace! Also ordered the miso eggplant as a side, which i liked. Chef was heavy handed with the garlic and miso paste, but that made the dish very flavourful. Think i might have been the only eggplant fan on the table though!

Matteo's Cspot- dark chocolate ganache tartlet, which was great. Was so full by the end of dinner that this was all the dessert i managed to squeeze in, though i tried some of the other desserts. B's cherry & honeyed apple, custard crumble, and coconut gelato was really good! Coconut gelato in particular was so impactful it tasted like frozen coconut milk. Genius pairing with the tart crumble!

Had one of my favourite dessert wines that night, 2006 Partricia, almost finished 3 glasses by myself but boy, was it good.

Henny with her Golden Gaytime dessert.

Yay for Faberge! it rhymes! haha.

My DSLR has died, the SD card slot is broken.

Thankfully its 3 days before the warranty expires,

so will send it off to be repaired soon.

Finally retrieved the SD card and was looking through the photos and found a couple from Kat's birthday celebration last month

our valiant attempts at cake decorating

it only looks passable because i zoomed it all the way in!

hahah but its the thought that counts yes Kat? ;)

p.s you totally dont look impressed, i dont blame you!

spice temple

Had dinner at David's and Spice Temple a few days ago

A welcome relief after exams (though they re technically not over yet, i m kind of celebrating prematurely!)

Brought Mum to David's in Prahran to celebrate her birthday

not much to say about David's, yummy as usual!

Didnt have to foresight to remember my camera, and food reviews without photos are no fun,

so might skip talking about David's.

Went to Spice Temple the following night to celebrate the last of my written exams

I was completely taken aback from how different ST looked to Bistro Guillaume

where BG was cream walls and chandeliers and the like, ST was all dimly lit and oriental incense.

Was a tad early so had a drink in the bar while waiting

Ordered a Dragon from the zodiac themed cocktail list

(lemongrass and rose petal soda with gin)

Delicious, would have ordered another if i could stomach that much alcohol!

But i knew we were having wine so through heroic efforts, abstained.

The other (with the mint sprig) is a Monkey, which tasted of ginger so strongly i was sure all motion sickness would be kicked out of me forever.

Yeeuch. Not a ginger fan for sure.

The cocktail list can be viewed here

Definitely want to try the Rat next!

We then moved upstairs to start dinner.

Ordered quite a few dishes, but hey, i was hungry!

Can see the menu here

Started with tingling prawns and lamb and fennel dumplings

We are huge spicy buffs, i thought that the prawns, being bolded in red on the menu, would be spicier than it actually was, though the green chillies gave it an adequate kick.

The dumplings were good, nice skin! Couldnt really taste the fennel though. Was paired with a nice chilli sambal style sauce. Sommelier recommended a riesling (sat back and left wine decisions to him so not sure what we had), though i have to say, they went very nicely together!

my favourite dish of the night! Hot and numbing duck. Despite the name, this dish was not spicy, but the duck was succulent and tender, the skin ,fried to mouth watering perfection and the sauce, tangy with just the right amount of sweetness. This dish was good! Also had chinese broccoli and rice, but no photos, as really, you all know what that looks like!

This was a Guangxi style pork dish, and i was disappointed. Entirely too much coriander, and the pork was overly chewy. Crackling was alright but would have been better if the dish was sweeter to balance the bitterness of the coriander and spanish onion!

Funny story, while waiting for dessert, i looked up and because of how the restaurant was lit, i hallucinated that everyone was glowing, like angels! Was totally trippy, laid off the wine after that haha.

Had a orange cupcake with a jelly centre. Topped with persian fairy floss! More of a novelty dessert rather than anything else, but was pleasant none the less. Sponge was light and fluffy, and the texture of the jelly provided a nice contrast!

Chocolate and peanut parfait. With salted caramel! Is it sacrilege if i say that this is better than Il Fornanio's Snickers? Was looking forward to this all night, and was very happy with it, not too sweet, surface broke with a satisfying crunch, creamy, cold and altogether perfect! If i had to be picky about anything, it would probably be the presentation (as you can see above), but really, i could have finished this all by myself.

Spice Temple was lovely, looking at neighbouring tables (they were closely placed)

i saw a positive plethora of dishes to try next time. except for the guangxi pork dish, the food were good, service was attentive and solictious, and i loved the concept of free flow of sparkling water. Think it was about $8 or $9 each for the endless San Pelligrino, very handy if the dishes are a tad spicy for your taste!

Going to vent a little now before going back to the books

oral medicine, sigh.

been on the hunt for tea lately

for Serendipitea's Passion and Envy

searched everywhere for it since their Prahran store has shut down

and neither Caffee Moravia nor Cafe Dior had them

Caffee Moravia was absolutely appalling

never returning if i can help it

ordered a foccacia and tea

both times, they brought out the wrong thing

and far from being apologetic,

the server was almost inclined to blame us for their error.

Terrible. never going back if i can help it.

Lettuce was wilted and brown (BROWN!)

And do be careful if you order tea

they might be careless and offer you a Twinings teabag in hotwater instead of the Serendipitea

which is really rather unacceptable considering the price.

Cafe Dior, on the other hand, was lovely

and are even ordering in the tea for us.

Really now, just thinking about Caffee Moravia is getting under my skin!

10/5/10

brisbane

Was lucky enough to be part of the Melbourne University team
who took part in the Health Fusion Health Care challenge 2 weeks ago up at the University of Queensland
the competition basically involved forming a interdisciplinary team
(we had neuropsych, social work, nursing, physio, med and of course, dent on board+ and invaluable team manager)
and presenting a management plan for a patient case.

really was a great learning experience, can honestly say i had never thought about a treatment plan out of a dental aspect before this. Kinda feels like filling in the blanks, you know?
And, to top it off, we had a fun time in Brisbane

Team iStorm, like the NRL Melbourne Storm. Get it, get it? Stands for interdisciplinary students taking on real management.

Meet and Greet

A summary of our case stem

Preparing to film our live interview with the 'patient'. Amazing actor btw, was taken aback by how realistic his performance was!

Presenting!

Griffith university won the competition, was really impressed with how well they answered the questions posed.

Went clubbing with the team after dinner at the nifty little club, it had 3 levels, live music, house music, and hip hop, and a TV screening the footy quarters. The name of this place has slipped my mind, but boy, that was fun!

The next day was time for some R and R, did a bit of shopping near the Brisbane Flyer at the Sunday Markets

Had breakfast and Denim and Co

And had cupcakes for our debrief. cupcakes!! from mysweetopia on Southbank Q. this was a turkish delight one, sponge wasnt great but the icing was yum. enough rosewater to be flavourful, but not overpowering.

then met up with godsis!

rest of team went back to Melbourne, but i extended my stay.

Jin drove down from sunny coast and we went to buy groceries so i could cook for her that night

not really very domestic, either of us, but we were craving some hot pot,

so rented a serviced apartment with a full kitchen.

stayed at the M on Mary, place was so big we had rooms to spare!

cute balcony with the floor to ceiling glass panels but shocking room service. had to wait over 2 hours, not impressed.

guess she s a little camera shy haha.

Hotpot was delish, though rather spicy. might have been a bit too heavy-handed with the chillies opps.

almost ashamed to blog this photo of the coffee table with our insane amount of snacks. Stayed up late watching horror movies and then shopped the next day away.

ahh this is life.

Jin, if you re reading this, i miss you!

my holiday was really too damn short. :(

10/4/10

dental ball

some photos from the recent Dental Ball!
was a fashion themed event,
and I took the opportunity to showcase a few things from my label, in conjunction with Sleep Couture, Precious Love and Karlina
great night, really hectic but everyone did an amazing job
might have gotten a parking ticket
(thanks Melbourne City Council)
but at the end of the day?
worth it!

venue was Maia in Docklands

rather pretty place wasnt it?

Josie and Kim for hair and make up did a fantastic job!

Esma, Corry and Steff

Emily is wearing the pink floral headpiece, which is one of my favourite pieces from the collection, took me ages to make as i wanted the blossoms to sit properly, but i love the end result!

another favourite, the yukata and onyx coral necklace

the neckpiece didnt quite stay on properly, but at least i know now what to do to fix it, a few more darts here and there and this should be ready to go! anyway Christian was good-looking ; he managed to pull it off!

<3 the models, they did a bang up job! was nervous as hell, since this is my first runway show for Limecraft, but was very happy indeed. :)

the photos brings back so many memories from the night!
Partying at Alumbra
throwing chocolates at Joe's car
and of course, struggling to put on stolen scrubs and having B videotape the whole damn thing, which went viral to Lee and Clare in 20 seconds flat.
ahhh, besties, what would you do without them.

really craving corncakes from Izakaya Den all of a sudden.
had the most lovely macaroons from zumbo this afternoon
which Kev and Jia brought back from Sydney
and now i am in the most peckish mood. might try my hand at making lavender custard

nom!

9/30/10

shopping

shoot i am having a major guilt trip

i ve been doing so well up to now, resisting major impulse shopping

and being all domestic and buying groceries to eat in

and saving and not going shopping and all that good stuff

then today i got up early

decided to do a bit shopping before my doctor's appointment in the afternoon

(long story, another time)

and then i totally lost the plot from there.

bought a pair of Givenchy shoes and a cheapy pair of leopard heels cause Myer was having a sale

felt guilty as Mum told me not to impulse buy before she left, so returned the Givenchy pair

felt all superior and sanctimonious from there.

then i promptly walked into LV and picked up a scarf

its the same one, but in red and gold.
i dont even like the monogram but the sales lady said it looked good and like a sucker i fell for it

and then I WALKED UP COLLINS ST

@#%^&@#&%$

so now i m the proud owner of a Sonia Rykiel top, Bettina Liano bustier and assorted cheapies. and a misshappen maxi dress because i bought because of a free belt

part of me is all fuzzy, looking at my bags and bags of shopping
(i dont why everyone needs ck, just shop for the rush, seriously)
another part is EATEN UP WITH SHAME AND GUILT
i have no self control
NONE
i promised myself i would not buy anything else as every house is packed to the brim and i am filled with shame when friends come over
but i did it
i lost the plot and my mind and my finger was manically keying in the pin everytime my card was swiped
I BINGE SHOPPED.
its like friggin bulimia, but with credit cards

and half the stuff i buy are going to end up at the Salvation Army again with tags still on them, and my friends are going to give me grief.
one of whom will calculate it in terms of air tickets
' oh Phoon, you ve shopped away a ticket to New York today'.
pause.
'or a ticket to Shanghai'
bollocks.

i cant do this, i have RENT to pay now.
somebody's gonna eat only cabbage as a penance for the rest of the month.

oh and i popped by Subway to eat (!) and picked up a box of chocolates (!!) while shopping!

seriously can this day get any worse?

oh wait
i received notification that my appeal for the parking fine has been denied
and i lost my birkin lock
and parents are uncontactable in some corner of the world

great.
dies.

post shopping shame attack anyone?

i feel like this

growing up sucks.

p.s yes i am well aware this is my own fault, but i ve had a bad day so i would like to whinge unashamedly,thank you v much

9/12/10

MSFW

Melbourne Spring Fashion week is over!
Had great fun, was an insanely busy time as the dental ball was just round the corner.

thats over now of course, but man, that was a hectic few weeks!

A quick recap of the events

Attended Fashion Escalation at Collins 234, standouts for me were the Braun Buffel accessories and La Bella Donna dresses. Not a long show at all, but i guess i understand the technical difficulties of takng photographs of models on moving escalators! Can see the article here

http://stylemelbourne.com/2010/09/fashion-escalation-2/

Also attended the Girls' Day Out event, to watch the Makybe stakes
was sent a lovely ticket for the VIP area in the fashion marquee
there were magnums of Krug on the tables
and i was given Bobbi Brown makeup and Voodoo legwear
which more than made up for me losing on the favourite.
Dont mind admitting this, i m not a huge follower of the races
i usually just put money on the favorite or a horse whose name i like, haha.

didnt bother stepping out of the marquee to watch, was too cold and rainy! All the usuals were present at the event,

the ambassadors
the WAGS and also a couple of footballers.

they had the best desserts, my favourite were these baby sorbet cones!

And to keep in the spring races theme, also attended the Caufield Races launch party.

was held in the Peninsula, and that, my friends, was a party i never wanted to leave. you ll see why in a second. the place was made up in an incredible fashion.

just occured to me i shouldnt give too much detail in case i ever want to throw something similar! hee hee

Gorgeous isnt it?

the Caufield cup

Roving mannequins on the night

event was sponsored by BMW so there were a few Beemers around as well.

Reasons why i didnt want to leave.

1. S Pacific oyster bar.
2. Freshly made mini pancake bar with fresh strawberries and chocolate sauce

3. Event was partly sponsored by Schweppes, so there were Agrum cocktails aplenty. If you look closely, the bartender is scorching the lemon rind before dropping it into the martini glass. Picked up something new for my party repertoire!