WINTER = LAKSA

There is nothing better on a cold & windy day to eat a big bowl of Laksa for lunch. I'm slightly obsessed with them and feel there is no one better to judge 'Sydney's Best Laksa' than me (of course). I'm torn because there are variations of Laksa depending on origin. There is Malay Laksa, and depending on which region from Malaysia the Laksa vary greatly. The Penang Laksa is traditionally made with a type of sweet and sour fish stew. There is Thai Laksa, Singapore Laksa, Chinese Laksa... list goes on. My favourite is the Chinese-Malay Laksa with a beautiful creamy rich coconut broth, egg noodles, lots of veggies and tofu to soak up the soup YUM! Best Laksa in Sydney for me would have to be HAPPY CHEF Sussex Food Court in China Town, I've been going there for 15 years now, the owner know my choice off by heart! Then I would have to pick the North Sydney Plaza Food Court, top level there is Thai takeaway shop, does the sweetest Laksa I've ever had, very unique. Then third at the Pavillion Food Court on George Street, these guys win the most variety of veggies in a Laksa!!! Yum, I think I'll have another one tomorrow...

SIROCCO HOME

Thank goodness someone was paying attention when they travelled to America. The best furniture store I've seen to date for children (baby - teenagers) has to be Pottery Barn for Kids http://www.potterybarnkids.com/, just the inspiration alone to create a beautiful creative space for your child I just LOVE! So imagine my joy when I found a store in Sydney that compares to Pottery Barn. Sirocco Home is based in Willoughby on Sydney's North Shore http://www.siroccohome.com.au/ the range is fantastic!!!! Now we have some very close friends with twins on the way - do I need to say anymore :) xxx

PALM BEACH HOME

Palm Beach Home is based in (obviously) Palm Beach but also another location in Castlecrag. It has some really great brands in this store hard to find on the North side, brands like Marimekko, Kartell, Missoni, Eames, Diptyque and more. It has the key designer brands but also some really lovely one off art pieces, jewellery, fabrics and fashion. It's a great store to wander around and grab some inspiration. Visit them online http://www.palmbeachhome.com.au/

STOP THE PRESS!!!

Fratelli Fresh http://www.fratellifresh.com.au/ (CAFE SOPRA) to date is my favourite cafe/restaurant in Sydney. If I could go anywhere right now to eat it would be there. Even better news is that they now have 3 locations not 2!!! Wooohoo! Danks St is their biggest and original venue, great inner city location. Potts Point is just a dream (if you can get a park) the location is perfect for people spotting. But officially the Walsh Bay cafe is my favourite, the location is perfect (ample parking), the interior is divine, exposed sandstone walls with industrial feel design, fits in perfectly with the surrounds of Sydney Theatre and Dance Company. The ox heart tomato and buffalo mozzarella salad melts in your mouth, it's a great way to start your meal there, then even though they do fish and meat very well, you can't go past a great big bowl of freshly made pasta. I'm still a huge fan of the orecchiette with scallop, lemon, chilli, garlic & pangrattato (so simple so fresh). Try the Walsh Bay cafe then go for a walk around the area, it has really changed in the last few years and has to be the best 'redevelopment' in Sydney. Bon Appetit! PS Thanks to http://simonfoodfavourites.blogspot.com/ for photos.

ON A RAINY TUESDAY NIGHT...

What to do on a rainy Tuesday night in the CBD. Sis and I decided to have a little adventure of our own, we started at Grasshopper in Temperance Lane. It's actually pretty easy to find, most blogs say it's not, but it's directly across the road from Dymocks and tucked away behind the lane way next to RM Williams. We love that Sydney is embracing the small bar culture, we need more of them. Grasshopper has a warm Melbourne-like atmosphere with a restaurant upstairs. We got there around 7pm and it was nicely packed, drinks menu is great as is the bar and restaurant menu definitely worth a visit....

Then after a drink we felt a bit peckish, so we headed to the old GPO www.gposydney.com to Sosumi Sushi Train, I still think their prawn tempura rolls with rolled egg are the best in Sydney CBD. The old GPO has so many dining/drinking options, it's the perfect place to get away from the rain and cold and just take it easy, enjoy your time - have a pizza, eat some sushi, have a cocktail, perhaps end with a cheese platter - it's all there.

Then to end the night, no other place is better than Pendolino Level 3 of the Strand Arcade www.pendolino.com.au . By the time we got there it was around 9pm so perfect time to have coffee and dessert. Sis enjoyed a Latte whilst I had the Moroccan Mint Tea which perfectly complimented our trio of fresh sorbet (Hazelnut, Passionfruit & White Peach) all with the surround sounds of new jazz, the strand arcade is amazing during the day, but watch it come to life at night.

TIKA

http://www.tika.com.au/ is a unique website company that is a collaboration between two groups of women - one native to Lima Peru and the other from Sydney Australia :). The aim of this website is to combine the Peruvian women's traditional knitting techniques with a Sydney local design skills... hence TIKA is born. Why can't more companies create initiatives like this, I think the greatest example was Anita Roddick founder of The Body Shop... here's to more companies like this - support if you can.

NAP TIME

My friends are very talented!!! When Cassy's daughter started Kindy, she soon realised there really wasn't a good quality product out there that her daughter could use as an all in one sleeping bag/bedding for nap time. Cassy wanted to give them the comfort of home on the road. So voila, she came up with Kindy Kamper, an all in one bedding product, which has in-built pillow, sheets and mattress which quickly and easily rolls up into a carry swag, with name labels and carry handle - genius! It's easy to wash and comes in 6 fun designs to cater for all types of personalities. Great gift idea. Visit http://www.kindykamper.com.au/ for more information

IN FORME

Whenever I'm down in Melbourne for work I always try to stop into Forme on Chapel St in South Yarra. I'm yet to find a store in Sydney that stocks all these items in one place. It really reminds me of a store in Paris http://www.fleux.com/ which we found on our last travels. I love that I can order everything online and their service is just outstanding. I have quite a few pieces around our home from this store. Here are some more of my favourite items, visit http://www.formeaustralia.com.au/ for more information, happy shopping!

ROVIN RAVEN M.I.A

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately - we've been rovin Hawaii :)

Let the blogging begin once again... stay tuned.

PRETTY LITTLE LARK

How gorgeous is this site? http://www.larkmade.com.au/

Lark was conceived in England in 2005, today Lark is based in the beautiful Daylesford area in Victoria run by Allison Jones and her husband. Majority of the items are designed and made by Allison, and she also supports the local community craftspeople. Lark was nominated as Home Beautiful Australian Designer of the Year! Very cool. Nice to see some local work getting strong praise in the design category. You can visit Lark online or in their pretty showroom in Daylesford.
Here are some items that caught my eye....