Love

When in Paris, people watch from here

Posted on by Eatlovego

Observations of local Parisiens generally amount to descriptions such as stylish, elegant, effortless, artistic, dog-lovers…the list does go on and there are many places to people watch throughout Paris to reach these common conclusions. Watch the romantics in Les Jardin des Tuilleries, watch the thoughtful and pensive as they mull around Rodin’s The Thinker, watch the sun lovers bask on the banks of the Seine, watch the modern day gypsy-like artisans at Montmartre. I discovered one more place to people watch on my last trip to the city of lights and the people I watched here were the locals scurrying or strolling past self-absorbed and oblivious to their own beauty. At the end of the Pont Louis Phillippe bridge – Marais side is a chic French bistro called Chez Julien. It was on recommendation that I came to this place. What I didn’t know at the time was how much I would fall in love with one destination on such a short stay.

Chez Julien is located directly opposite the bridge and its tables spill outside where diners can be watched and in turn watch their surrounds. The waiters who come to serve me sparkling water look like they have just stepped of a Paris catwalk and blend right into this picturesque scene. The tan shoulder bags that they wear across their bodies are not just fashion accessories but a means to hold euros that they collect off satisfied patrons. The food is mouth-watering. The chicken dish I order is filled with terrific yet simple flavours and it epitomises French cooking in one go by showcasing that it does not take a raft of ingredients to make a spectacular meal. I sit here for the rest of the afternoon and digest every detail. The next day, I come back with two hours to spare before flying out, feeling like a local who frequents this bistro daily yet laughing at myself because I am a tourist who should be experiencing something new while I am only here for three days.

When in Paris, people watch from here and eat nothing but copious amounts of divine French goodness.

1 Rue du Pont Louis-Philippe, 75004 Paris, France‎ – 01 42 78 31 64‎

Go Alfresco

Posted on by Eatlovego

This phrase actually reminds me most of year 9 Italian class with Mrs Rihani when she asked us to think about how many Italian words were actually already immersed in the English language….

Today, however I am actually talking about Alfresco, the wonderful store on Pittwater Road, Collaroy Sydney. Alfresco is a store I regularly go to when I have a spare moment to browse, forget about time and dream about all of the beautiful things that I could buy from Alfresco to have in my home.

From the moment I park my car and go through the side entrance to wander past the fresh flowers, through their corner store where it’s ever so tempting to buy some Barefoot Contessa to stock up the pantry with and into the Emporium of all of their major goodies, time stands still for me and I love this feeling.

Alfresco is situated on the corner of Pittwater Road and Ocean Grove, Collaroy and looks like a big Hamptons-style house with a large carpark at the front – perfect for impromptu drop-ins! It rivals Peters of Kensington as a superstore of goods offering a wide range of affordable brands; both wide-spread and exclusive. Where it differs from Peters however, is that it is always visually appeasing to the eye so no matter what display they have in the front window, it always transports you immediately to the vision that they have laid out before you. Last week for example, their furniture display was a combination of old-world safari meets tropical island Bahamas; there was a unique leather bar cabinet which I imagined I could use to just whip up a mojito to sip on and home fragrances from Sicilian brand Ortiga to ferry my senses to a faraway place. As you turn and walk a few steps away the mood changes and you find yourself looking at clean, white finishes and texturised fabrics and the style instantly becomes more country home-esque.

Alfresco’s kitchen range is hard to out-do and the owner of the store obviously has a love for baking as their range of bakeware, aprons, mixers, blenders, utensils and specific icing ingredients is extensive. One’s eye can never go past the rainbow of colours that Kitchenaid make their mixers in and the other thing that happened to take my fancy last week were a cute range of aprons titled “Kiss the Cook“.

Alfresco also stocks a terrific range of books, mostly coffee-table types and a noteworthy one for me last week was a book dedicated to A life on Pittwater and its beauty (given my wedding will be located up there in 12 days). There is also a gorgeous range of silver jewelery, lovely smelling candles and staff who are helpful, knowledgeable and care to stop and have a chat. Additional stores are also located in Mona Vale and Cherrybrook, Sydney.

So whether you are buying a gift for someone or spoiling yourself with a “just because”, go to Alfresco and get whisked away and feel time slip on by.

Moroccan Morning Glory in Surry Hills

Posted on by Eatlovego

OK, yes I realise this is my second Moroccan-inspired post this week and I am feeling a third post coming on as I ate at Souk in the City on Friday night but I will leave that for later.

I love Sundays as more often than not there is time to get creative in the kitchen and make more than a piece of toast before rushing out the door. And I love when I look at a recipe and discover that I don’t have all of the correct ingredients so am able to improvise and see what the result is. Inspired initially by a recipe in Made in Morocco, 20 minutes later and the result was Moroccan morning glory. This recipe serves two lucky ducks.

ingredients

1 cup orange juice

zest of a lemon

1 Tblsp olive oil

2 Tblsp slivered almonds

3 tsp cinnamon and

3 ripe figs sliced thickly

1 cup instant couscous

2 Tblsp greek yoghurt

3 Tblsp honey and more to drizzle

2 slices mountain rye bread

1 Tblsp fresh mint (torn into pieces)

method

Preheat grill to high. Combine orange juice and lemon zest in a small pot and bring to the boil. Add honey, 2 tsp cinnamon and whisk to combine. Put couscous into a small bowl and pour hot liquid over it. Cover bowl immediately with a tea towel and leave for 10 minutes. Put almonds on baking tray and grill for 3 minutes (watch carefully as they can quickly go very brown). Set aside and mix through couscous. Place mountain bread under grill. Spray lightly with cooking oil spray and grill for 2 minutes. Sprinkle remaining cinnamon over grilled bread and break into squares.

Fluff couscous with a fork and put two equal amounts onto each serving dish. Put one dollop each of greek yoghurt on top. Place figs on top of yoghurt and scatter mint over this. Drizzle with remaining honey and serve with mountain bread on the side.

Alisdair scored me a 10/10 on this piece of morning glory…enjoy!

Sami and Sita

Posted on by Eatlovego

A lot of girls have either experienced this moment or witnessed this moment from afar.

You’re out one night at a party or a restaurant or at a wedding. You feel great in your new dress. You love the colour, the style, the detail. It’s a brand new purchase. Across the room you spot the same colour and your initial gaze turns into more of a longing stare. The same colour is on another girl and as she turns around you realise you may as well have a mirror in front of you as you both have the same dress on. Sometimes, this exact moment can be awkward or won’t be much of a bother. Other times, depending on where you are one of you could turn into a bit of a nasty person. No female ever really wants to be in this situation. When you go out, you want to be an individual and be the only one wearing what you have on. It is usually a blessing in disguise when you have spotted a dress in a catalogue or seen it in the window and ask for it in your size, only to be told that style has sold out. Shops like Country Road and Witchery are great for basics but they will make “that gorgeous red dress with the large bow on the right side” at least 500 times and eventually you will see someone else out in it and honestly for me, it’s a bit of a turn off.

I discovered Sami and Sita by chance in 2007. I was on a bit of a hunt to find a dress to wear to a Christmas party so in my mind I was thinking at least red so I looked a bit festive. I left Sami and Sita that day with a purchase and have been back several times most notably last November as I found my bridesmaid dresses there too.

The next time you’re in Paddington, Sydney go to William Street. It’s a little street that runs off Oxford Street and currently the Paddington Inn pub and French Connection are the landmarks on the corner. Not far down on the right hand side is the boutique Sami and Sita. They will often have dresses blowing in the wind that hang from the door to entice you in. I love going to Sami and Sita to buy dresses because they rarely make more than one size of each style so it minimises the risk of running into your twin out there. They have dresses in beautiful fabrics, prints and colours. There are minis, maxis and dresses to wear to the races, weddings, a night out with the girls, a hot date or dresses just to wear to make you look and feel great! Their prices are reasonable and on par with the larger retailers so if you have bought a dress in Cue or Country Road you can afford to buy a dress at Sami and Sita. This is me in the “Christmas dress” and you will notice it’s not a wallflower dress but a pretty bold red and white stripe print. It certainly fit the bill as I felt more than a bit festive that night and most importantly I still have yet to come across my twin in red and white.

Time in a bottle

Posted on by Eatlovego

It’s no secret that I’m in countdown mode as in 18 days, I will be saying “I do”. A couple of people ask me everyday, “How’s the organisation going?” or “What have you got left to plan?” and the truth is zero. I am a known organiser, a quasi-event planner some would describe me as, who loves to organise anything and everything and in 7 months with my man, I have planned a 100 person Sydney based wedding with not one bridezilla moment or really even breaking a sweat. And all that’s left to do now is to mark each day off with my blue texta on my calendar and look forward to the day with excitement and anticipation.

I looked back on the 7 months today and reflected on one of the parts that I really loved doing and that was finding one of the readings that would be read out in the ceremony on the day. I had already chosen one of my sisters to do the reading and began my research quite early on as I wanted to find something that was well written, unique but personal, not long-winded or soppy and bottom line about love.

It seemed like an easy task to do as there was plenty of wedding readings, love quotes, love lyrics and love letters around. I read poetry by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, looked at sonnets by Shakespeare, heard lyrics written by John Lennon but all in all, I could not find the reading that felt just right. I visited abebooks – a site dedicated to rare books and looked at love letters that men had written to their loved ones in the 17th century while they were away at sea and I even looked at the Oxford dictionary meaning of love to see if the reading I was searching for was to be derived from the most basic meaning.

I finally narrowed my search down to three potential readings; one from a well known book, one which I discovered from watching a movie and one randomly found from a google search. All three readings had purpose and in two minutes were each able to give meaning and translate to the love that was shared between my man and I.
One night, we sat together on the couch and read and re-read out loud each one trying to decide which one it was to be.

This isn’t the reading we have decided to go with but I feel it is necessary to end this post by sharing it with you as regardless it is still a reading that I love. It’s called Time in a Bottle by Jim Croce.

“If I could save time in a bottle, the first thing that I’d like to do is to save every day ’til eternity passes away, just to spend them with you. If I could make days last forever; if words could make wishes come true; I’d save every day like a treasure and then, again, I would spend them with you. If I had a box just for wishes and dreams that had never come true; the box would be empty, except for the memory of how they were answered by you. But there never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do, once you find them. I’ve looked around enough to know that you’re the one I want to go through time with.”

I love the real thing

Posted on by Eatlovego

And no, this is not about coca-cola which is a like but not a love.

Yesterday’s post threw me into a thought frenzy as I received some comments from friends asking if me if you can buy Christian Louboutin shoes online. The answer is yes, you can but the cautiousness in me always asks “Are they the real thing”?

Not long ago, I was in Hong Kong and was wandering through the must-go-everytime-I-visit Harbour City (Kowloon side for 700+ shops to tickle your tastebuds and tempt your mastercard with). Harbour City is one of those shopping malls that you just don’t get in Oz, no offence Mr Westfield but it is an endless maze of super-brand stores; big and small ones, unique HK cult-brands, Joyce (the iconic HK department store), quirky Chinese bakeries, gold-gilded restaurants serving endless banquets and salivating Shanghainese dumpling joints and bottom line is, it just doesn’t compare to or come close to BJ, the Chase, Chadstone or Indro.

While wandering aimlessly through the mall, arms already laden with goods (of course), I suddenly came face to face with the superstore Manolo Blahnik. I didn’t even have to walk into the store to spot the shoes I wanted yesterday. As I walked in and went straight for the blue shoes with little square jeweled piece made famous in the SATC movie because Big proposed to Carrie with one (yes, you know the ones I am talking about), I had to refrain myself from doing a little “oh my god” dance, I was that excited. Again, it just wasn’t meant to be as they didn’t end up having my size but I left the store thinking to myself “I must hunt those shoes down!”

At home in front of my laptop, I googled blue manolo blahnik and up came an array of results. I clicked through to an ebay link and saved that search. I looked at Neiman Marcus and net-a-porter.com and even had a girlfriend say she would have a look for me as she was off to the U.S. in a couple of months and could bring them back. I seriously contemplated the ebay link and found that they were not only in electric blue but also in black and hot pink. The ebay buy it now options were averaging around the $270 mark and it was at that moment that I stopped my hunter mindset and week-long obsession since I had landed from Honkers to realise that these shoes on ebay were not the real thing but had to be fake. I had seen the price tag of the shoes in the Manolo Blahnik store and had silently gasped at the $890 price (actually I almost had a coronary from the HK dollar price which was something like HKD$5,340 before realising I needed to convert to Aussie dollar first) so these $270 ones must not be the real thing. And so my hunt halted.

I have plenty of girlfriends who love the real thing and only buy the real thing. On the other hand I also have plenty of girlfriends who have bags and sunnies that look like the real thing, feel like the real thing but they then tell me over lunch how much of a bargain it was and they have more of where that came from! Girlfriends from both camps are very stylish people nonetheless and the thing that’s hard is that sometimes it is so difficult to the naked eye to really tell a fake from the real thing without opening the zipper and peering inside. I myself have a mantra that if I can’t afford the real thing, I don’t buy it. That’s not to say that I have never bought a fake but after buying a tan Mulberry satchel from a pokey little store in Phuket only to have the handles fall off two months later, it’s just something that I choose not to do anymore.

So yes, you can buy Christian Louboutin shoes online. But I would trust Nieman Marcus before I would trust a site like this but that’s just me.

Buying a fake is an accepted social practice but then it also can be a bit of a taboo and the reality is that not everyone can afford the real thing but that’s what makes them so special and described as jewels.

I have put a poll up today on my blog in light of this post as I would really like to hear from you on what you feel is important? I look forward to hearing your thoughts…

Christian Louboutin; my bittersweet moment

Posted on by Eatlovego

I love Christian Louboutin.

Now this could be taken as a misconstrued statement of sorts especially as  I will be saying “I do” in 20 days.

Maybe I should re-phrase in saying I love Christian Louboutin shoes and I am not in love with the actual wonder-man from Paris who designs these shoes. I love the detail of his shoes whether it be the fanciful bows or the explosion of feathers or the sexy leopard prints which make me pick one up and drool. I love the line and shape of the heel. And most of all, I love the glimpse of the red sole and how boldly it defines the shoe amongst others and love love love the history behind it as Christian painted the sole with his assistant’s red nail polish just because at that moment, something was missing! And is it just me or when you look at the branding of Louboutin on his website; does the twinkle remind you of Bewitched as  quite literally that is the effect that these shoes have on me!

I went to Paris (another love) last August and dragged my man to 68 Rue du Faubourg Street, Honore 75008 in search of his boutique. When we discovered the store, we or probably I took a deep breath and then walked inside and in that first second I honestly felt like a child in a candy store and I believe this feeling of shoe-awe was shared by my man. This boutique is very boudoir-like with large, plush round ottomans, thick padded carpet, high dramatic ceilings, floor to ceiling mirrors, a central spiral staircase leading up to more shoe heaven and of course walls of the shoes. Christian Louboutin has described his shoes to be “like sculpture, objects, jewels” and it was with this in mind that I picked up each shoe with the utmost tender loving care. After exploring every centimetre of the boutique I finally settled on two pairs that I wanted to try on; an electric blue suede pair of round-toe heels and a pair of black satin peep-toe sling-backs with a demure bow. The reflection of me in the mirror wearing the electric blue pair made my calves curve in the right place and they were the type of shoe that I felt could stop traffic if I walked out onto the highway in them. And unfortunately the black satin bow ones were not to be as I heard the dreading “We do not have them in your size”; however this was not to be the bittersweet moment as that was to take place a couple of weeks later walking around Knightsbridge, London.

For whatever reason in Paris, I did not purchase the electric blue shoes and I felt safe in this choice because I knew that I would have a second chance to find and secure my first pair of Christian Louboutins in London. I sought out the address of 23 Motcomb Street, London SWIX8LB and found it fitted in tremendously well with the day’s plans as it was around the corner from Harrods and was an area I thought I knew well. Motcomb Street turned out to be a very tricky street to find as it did a loop on itself and I think it may have had something to do with the bewitching air that had me walking in circles! However, I glimpsed what I thought was the store up ahead as I could just make out the shape of the heels in the window and as I got closer and closer I started to make out bars across the windows. Not yet close enough, my initial thoughts was that this was a ground-breaking visual merchandising showcase but as I got to two metres away and realised that the boutique was just a little too dark for 1pm and the bars were actually a security measure, it dawned on me that I would not be taking home a pair of Christian Louboutins this trip and that despite finding the address on his website, I had failed to notice the extra detail below of the boutique’s opening times in that it was not open on Sundays. Bittersweet.

The range in Australia is not great and at the very least is quite basic. We have not yet been blessed with one of his boudoir-boutiques so instead of settling for a pair which would find me walking home with the shoes in a black and white houndstooth bag I wait in anticipation for my next adventure to Paris, Hong Kong or Geneva where I can take another deep breath and find the perfect pair.

It was a bittersweet moment on Motcomb Street when it dawned on me that Sunday 13 September was not going to be the day when I bought a pair of Christian Louboutins however I wait patiently in awe and admire from afar the most exquisite jewels that will be mine to own one day.

Go and Ugg Boot – the puzzle explained

Posted on by Eatlovego

Shoes.

Most females love them, collect them, have them in many colours. My male has an obsession with brown ones, loafers in particular. Some like flats, some just wear heels, others wear boots year round. Christian Louboutin paints his soles red, Jesus has sandals named after him, Imelda is known for her masses, Big even proposed to Carrie with one (a damn beautiful one). All in all and I’ve known this for a long time but SHOES are a big deal. They mean something for so many people and at the very least protect our tootsies. And the best thing about shoes is that even if you’re having a fat day and you can’t even squeeze into your favourite jeans, most probably you can pull your best shoes from the wardrobe, put them on and it will make your day!

Well, what does my shoe collection look like now that I’ve spent the last paragraph leading up to this? Well at my 21st, shoes rated a mention in my speeches and at that count I believe my best friend counted out 60+ shoes. The collection has grown and shrunk and grown over the years and I now have a still relatively big but vast collection of shoes in many colours, fabrics and styles. I would probably call myself a chameleon of shoes as I’m not just a stiletto-girl or a thong-girl and ugg boots only come out in winter and in the comfort of home and never up to the corner store. Whenever I go away I like to buy at least one pair of shoes from a city or place to remind me of where I’ve been.

To wear a pair of shoes is an experience for me as is eating at a restaurant or cafe. Which is why I am going to pair the two together. Huh, I hear you ask???

Recently whilst dining at The Local, my girlfriend announced at the dinner table that if she was ever on Death Row and she had the requirement for a “last meal” then this would be it. Big statement, HUGE. Think about it; what would yours be? I’m still sitting on this one. 

So, if you haven’t yet been, you need to get yourself off to The Local Taphouse, Flinders Street Darlinghurst quick smart. Why? Because I want you to try a paddle of exotic beers that go really well with the mussels and chilli frites. Or if you’re a burger type, you won’t want to go past the lamb burger – trust me! There’s beer and cheese nights and the what-should-be-a-religion Host-a-Roast which is the simple equation of inviting maximum 12 friends and starting the ultimate decision making. Step 1. will it be lamb, beef, pork or chicken? A choice of vegies? Potatoes how do you like them? Gravy or is it sauce as an accompaniment? And are you a berry or apple crumble type? Apple crumble won the majority vote for this crew. Take all of these components and put them in a private dining room where you are surrounded by empty bird cages that adorn the ceiling, dark polished floors and intriguing black and white photographic wallpaper and you have Host-a-Roast. God, I hope they repeat it this winter!

So to sum this up… to me the experience of going to the Local is an ugg boot. Basically I’m not into stars or hats to rate or recommend to you where you should go, I will leave that up to the Good Food Guide or the Michelin Guide.

SHOES is my game. Therefore to me an ugg boot is comfy, warm, toasty, a stayer that will continue to live up to expectations year in year out. It’s Aussie but has character and I can’t wait to put them on this winter. In saying that, The Local doesn’t have to be just a place to go for winter, it’s definitely an all-year rounder but when it’s an especially cool Sydney night and you want somewhere warm that will serve up a hearty meal that’s mouth-watering head to The Local.

As you read on, I will use other shoes to describe restaurants and my experiences as I go on so it gives you an idea of how good it really is or where it may fall down and need a band-aid. I’m sure there will be a few stilettos (a great night out with the girls and terrific atmosphere), lots of thongs (excellent outdoor area, a fail-safe for summer) and a couple of wedges (a fabulous place that’s comfortable too). From time to time there may even be a Jesus sandal. Not my favourite look but may best describe somewhere I go.

I’ll leave that interpretation to you.

Welcome to eatlovego; a work in progress

Posted on by Eatlovego

eatlovego

Pull the words apart, I think put the words together. Either way these three verbs are synonymous with me and why not talk about them daily? Well that’s the question I posed to myself on Friday just gone.

To eat; strawberries, Ben and Jerry’s chocolate fudge brownie ice cream, fresh squid ink tagliatelle and banana fritters immediately come to mind. To love; recipe books, new Midas velvet shoes, David Austin roses, farmer’s markets and weddings are current adorations. To go; Morocco and Turkey are alluring, Tassie and Queenstown are booked but oh how I ache to go back to Paris and dine at Chez Julien at the end of the Pont Louis Phillipe bridge on the Marais side.

Put the verbs together and you are touching the silver lining of this blog.

So taste something new this week, go to Xage in Surry Hills and see how it stacks up against Phamish and live life like Cole Porter, “Let’s do it, let’s fall in love.”