Designers For...

Karolina Kurkova in Roberto Cavalli for Target

This Wednesday Roberto Cavalli releases his range for Target Australia. I like the look of the short suit above & the white pants. I think the rest of the collection is aimed at an older audience. I still wear pieces from Stella McCartney for Target & Josh Goot for Target, the quality is good and the cuts are timeless. 

 

      SJP & Mena Suvari at the launch of Maison Martin Margila for H&M

Usually in Australia we don't miss out on much fashion wise, especially nowadays with the interweb. Last week however Maison Martin Margiela, an iconic French label teamed up with H&M which doesn't filter it's way down here unfortunately. They have also done collaborations with Marni that would have been amazing to get your hands on. 

Shirt I bought, Karl Largerfeld for Macy's

Luckily for me when I was in New York last year I (accidentally) coincided my time to be there to buy a few pieces from Karl Largerfeld for Macy's and be at a Target store in Brooklyn at 8:30am for the Missoni for Target items. I really enjoy these 'designers for' as it give some accessibility to these world renowned designers clothes/home wares. Usually that which would be unattainable. 

A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum

Thanks again to my friend at Channel 9 for tickets to the Preview night of "A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum." I didn't know much about this stage show except that it had Geoffery Rush and Magda Szubanski in it and it was supposed to be funny. Funny it was! Geoffrey Rush was perfect for the part & an extraordinary actor. I was very surprised/impressed by Hugh Sheridan who is an amazing singer & we got quite a few glimpses of his perfectly toned 6 pack through the sleeves of his toga. The storey is set in Rome and is quite difficult to explain. I will say go and see it to find out! Get tickets here.

Stage

Hugh Sheridan

Some *bests in the Melbourne restaurant world

400 Gradi

400 Gradi is arguably one of the best pizza restaurants in Melbourne. We trekked all the way to Brunswick to test it out, I wasn't disappointed! The Margarita was amazing, the dough was superb & the cheese fresh and delicious. 

Fitzrovia

I would nearly go so far to say that the setting/view at Fitzrovia is one of the best in Melbourne overlooking Albert Park & views of the city. It was a sunny day, which I supposed helped! I had the bacon mozzarella and pear relish toasted sandwich which was huge but tasty, unfinishable though. 

Donovans

Again up to the individual church goer, but Donovans is a Melbourne restaurant institute on St.Kilda beach. The setting is picturesque and I love the French provincial decor. We were sat in the 'library' which looks out onto Luna Park as it was my work colleague's birthday celebrations. What a lunch it was! I had the tasting platter - superb, the steak - huge but perfectly cooked and shared the 'after dinner mint' for dessert. The service is incredible, wine glass always full. In hindsight this probably wasn't a great idea though!  

Argo-eff yourself

Argo looked like a great movie from the trailer. A great cast lead by Ben Affleck and a very interesting story. A covert operation to rescue 6 Americans who escaped the Iranian take over of the US embassy in 1972. Not knowing the end of the true-story had me on the edge of my seat for a good majority of the movie. It was dramatic, gripping & absorbing. The friend that I was with had to stop me from googling the ending - I was very very tempted to! Some sweet 70's get-up, a few laughs (title of the blog post) & an insight to CIA back in the day added to this great film. 

Iran

You know what ELSE everybody likes? Parfaits!

It seems like everywhere you go there is a parfait on the menu. It had me questioning - what is parfait? The only recollection I have of this dessert is from Donkey in Shrek! Parfait is a French dessert made from sugar syrup, cream & egg. A creamy ice-cream like texture. It is usually layered with other ingredients. 

At The Sharing House I had a peanut parfait with raspberry coulis  & caramel snaps. A perfect combination. 

Touché Hombre served up parfait in an ice-cream sandwich between 2 chocolate & chilli biscuits. This made it rather hard to eat, but parfait sandwich, yes please! 

Our server explaining our desserts at Golden Fields

According to the Age Golden Fields serves up the sweetest dessert, peanut butter parfait with salted caramel & chocolate. This is by far the best parfait I have tried. Never having been to Golden Fields before, the waiter also explains what everything is and how it is made. It is easy to see why it is one of the best restaurants in Melbourne & home to the best chef 2012 Andrew O'Connell.

Photography by Ben Dearnley on taste.com.au

I am considering trying to make my own Parfait at home. I found a good recipe on taste for Coconut & Strawberry Parfait. 

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Channel 7 Media Launch 2013

Picture from the Herald Sun

I felt quite privileged to be going to the Seven West media launch lunch  at Peninsula this week. Usually people on my lowly level don't get to go! Channel 7 has always, quietly, been my favourite channel. Probably because I am in their target audience, it is also the most popular network compared to other free to air stations. It does help that it shows the Footy & Australian Open each year. 2013 looks like it is going to be another leading year for Seven with new shows House Rules a home renovation show, Celebrity Splash a diving with the stars show, The Mole - culture clash will also be interesting. Favourites from 2012 are returning; My Restaurant Rules,Once Upon a Time, Revenge & Mrs Browns boys. I was on a fun table, great food (surprising!)saw some of the Channel 7 talent & Damien Bodie told me I look like Jessica Maubouy. Winning all round! 

Celebrity Splash, Picture from SMH

Manu & Pete from MKR

Once Upon A Time

Lawless Looper

This week I have had the pleasure of seeing 2 movies. You have to do something when you are having a 'quiet weekend!'

                             Lawless 

My initial thoughts on Lawless was that it was incredibly violent, there was lots of blood, like lots. It had the recipe of being a great movie with the fantastic cast of Tom Hardy (babe town) Shia Labeof & Jessica Chastain and a great story of the Bondurant family during the Prohibition era where they were bootleggers. The story seemed a little all over the shop and in my mind quite ridiculous at points. Guy Pearce did an excellent job, he was utterly despicable. 

                             Looper

Looper had a lot going for it from the get go, watching it in Gold Class with champagne and popcorn. Not really knowing the story before I went it, it was well explained during the opening scenes. Time travel, killing criminals, taking drugs & spending bars of silver. The future really does look bleak. What goes around comes around in this movie and what I got out of it is violence doesn't solve violence and there are personal consequences for your decisions. I really liked Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt & Emily Blunt (girl crush since Devil wears Prada!) The 'mothers love can save you' feeling from the end of the movie reminded me of my favourite book - good old Harry Potter. 

Best* burger in town

I don't claim to be a burger expert, but honestly who doesn't like a burger? I have tried quite a few this year off some of the 'best burgers' list; Andrew's, Cafe Vue, Jus burgers & Barney Allens. All have positives! Below are a few I have tried in the last couple of weeks just to add to my burger-tise. 

Huxtaburger

I know I am very late on the huxtaburger bandwagon - it takes a bit to get me to the other side of the river. But I surely was missing out. This burger was amazing, chips decent and rose hit the spot. If you are passing through Collingwood do not miss this place. Take-away would be easier as you have to fight for a table out the front. 

Big Boy BBQ

Big Boy BBQ has had some great reviews & spiked a fair bit of interest in the office. We made the journey deep into Caulfield & I order the 'Carolina,' pulled pork sandwich**. I don't think I will be making the journey again. I know somebody that definitely would not have enjoyed the sogginess of the bun! Fries were amazing though. 
**I have included this as a 'burger' but I am told that technically it isn't as it didn't have patty.

Grill'd

No 'best burger' list can be complete without a mention of the old favourite Grill'd, well it is a favourite of mine. I usually go for the Simon Says, I just really appreciate the freshness of the ingredients & the herbed mayo. The fact that you can go to a Grill'd anywhere and get a great burger also helps. 

A Champagne task

Sieur d'Arques Aimery Grande Cuvée Aimery 1531

I was given the difficult task for our Derby Day carpark of finding a good champagne/sparkling wine that was less then $15. I must say I a took the task with gusto and off to Dan Murphy's I went. I have taste tested quite a few, Sieur d'Arques Aimery Grande Cuvée Aimery 1531 was the winner!

I am not sure if my love of champagne & French things are co-dependant on each other. When I was in France I didn't get a chance to go to the Champagne region, another thing now on the must-do list. While trialling the sparkling wines I got in the mood & read a book based in Paris. For those who like an easy read, with lots of twists and turns in a French families life 'A Secret Kept' by Tatiana De Rosnay is for you. I also bought my bedroom a new little french inspired vase & flowers. Ahh to be French. 

My Favourite Robert Doisneau Photograph

GP turned 40

Oscars 2012

There has been a fair bit of talk between my friends & I about Gwyneth Paltrow turning 40 at the end of last month. I mean she looks amazing! She only really grabbed my attention this year at the Oscars, where she blew everybody out of the water with her Tom Ford cape. I was then directed to her weekly newsletter, blog & website www.goop.com. Oh the things I have learnt about cooking, restaurants, cities, packing & my favourite to date - flower arranging. She has even made me re-consider the brand Coach... well I still won't buy anything from them, but I look at the ads now. She has also dated the biggest movie stars, married Chris Martin, won Golden Globes, released songs & is a mother. What a lady!I can only hope to look half as good at that age.

Newsletter

School Food

School of 7 Bells

School of 7 Bells is in a perfect location for me, next to Windsor station on chapel street. I thought I would try something unusual from this new little cafe as the menu was quite interesting. My red velvet pancakes with poached pears & pistachio ice cream was a perfect pick me up after a hectic weekend! It was gorgeous inside & we had perfect seats at the front to people watch. 

                         Touché Hombre

This was the last Mexican place on the list after this year trying Newmarket, Radio Mexico, Mamasita, Chingón Cantina y Taqueria and Fonda. It wasn't what I was expecting. The atmosphere was electric, the wait staff all had different coloured hair (pink, purple, blue etc.) there was even a DJ in the corner of the tastefully graffitied walls! The usual mexican fare food was good, the ribs a must try. I will definitely be back in summer as they have just opened a courtyard. 

                        Parlour Diner

Well aren't the guys from Parlour Diner a cheery lot! Friday lunch for my besties birthday, who is an American Diner food fan - Parlour was the perfect choice. I shared the Miss Saigon burger & Pork slider burger. Both amazing and the others really enjoyed their fried chicken(great spices), curly fries & onion rings. 

Bucket List - Bait 3D

A friend and I were talking about our bucket list the other day & swimming with the sharks has always been on mine. Mainly  because is scares the bejesus out of me and I find the Great Whites so fascinating. They are such loners! Of course I had to go and see Bait 3D, I love a terrible Australian movie. Add a tsunami, the entire ex-casts of Home & Away/Neighbours & man eating sharks into a supermarket - a winning combination. The accents were terrible, Xavier Samuels was the babin' hero and even Julian McMhaon got a gig. Definitely worth seeing for a laugh and a few jump in the seat moments. The other top-of the bucket list item is going to the Great Barrier Reef, hopefully before all the coral dies...

Gift of Giving

Housemates 25th Birthday Present

In my circle of friends it has been birthday season! How I love buying a perfect present, (well in my opinion,) cute wrapping & celebrating. Etsy has been a treasure trove for me this year, as you can see in the pictures below. One must always keep in mind delivery times. Happy Birthday girls! 

Love Necklace

Alphabet Prints