More Wedding Pics

We finally got the rest of our professional wedding pictures back so here are the rest of the highlights, hopefully without giving too many faces away ;)

Out With The Old, In With The New

I was getting a little bored with the format over at Typepad and so I decided it's time for a change. But I'm still navigating my way through things so please bear with me while I continue to explore all that Blogger has to offer.
Before I get any further behind than I already am I must share my most recent restaurant experience, this time at Cottage Point Inn in the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. Mr Ng and I had originally planned this luncheon with one of our favourite double-date couples at Berowra Waters Inn but unfortunately this restaurant seems to have followed the path of a number of famous Sydney restaurants and closed its doors late last month due to bad business. It seems that the list of closures just keeps getting bigger too with Becasse and Quarter 21 the most recent to go bust, although the saddest one for me personally would have to be Bilson's where Mr Ng and I celebrated straight after getting engaged.
Anyways, back to Cottage Point. We actually found out about this place through an Amex concierge who said that it was probably as close an experience to Berowra Waters Inn as you could get and he was probably right:

We were so lucky, it honestly could not have been a more picture-perfect day. Now, onto the food:

Although beautifully presented, the food didn't really blow my mind so as much as I'm glad we tried it I probably won't go back. However the view alone made the trip worth it - the location of the restaurant really makes this place one of the most beautiful dining spots any of us had ever experienced in Sydney. And the gentleman at the table next to us obviously thought so as well since he proposed to his girlfriend right in the middle of our lunch! Although geez we are a cynical bunch, as soon as she said yes we started discussing things like how high the divorce rate is, how soon they would have their first fight now that they had a wedding to plan, lol..what is wrong with us..

Bistro Moncur

A bit of an overdue post but last month I went to Bistro Moncur at the Woollahra Hotel with my mum for lunch on her birthday and I probably say this alot but it was a very nice meal indeed. The restaurant does not take bookings but we arrived quite late at around 2pm on a weekday and so were seated immediately.

 The atmosphere was relaxed yet elegant and the food was not only presented beautifully but also uber yummy:

I actually would have never known about this place if my mum hadn't wanted to try it, but I'm glad she did. This place gets two thumbs up from me! 

Mr Ng's Birthday Dinner At est.

Another year older for Mr Ng. And being the good husband that he is, he didn't complain when I decided I wanted to try est. to celebrate the occasion even though I know he prefers casual to fancy restaurants (yes, he spoils me..) But it was a brilliant choice even if I do say so myself ;)

This was our very first time here and everything from the atmosphere to the service to the food was really good. A seven course tasting menu is offered as well as an a la carte menu but we went for the four course chefs menu:

Mr Ng's sashimi of ocean trout, cucumber, pomelo, salad burnette, verjus jelly

my salad of spanner crab, jicama, lime, apple jelly, elderflower ajo blanco

my grilled white scallops

Mr Ng's steamed murray cod fillet

Mr Ng's duck breast

my John Dory special (just a little too overdone for my liking, but tasty nevertheless)

my passionfruit souffle, omg best dessert EVER - and big as well (no babe, that's not what she said)

Mr Ng's valrhona chocolate delice

Forgot to take a picture of it but I thought it was a nice touch how just after we were seated the sommelier came around to ask us if we wanted to start with a glass of champagne, so we chose the Veuve Clicquot Rose Vintage 2004 - first time we've tried this and it is so much nicer than the Brut.

Just finally, one of the waiters was telling us a new Merivale Chinese restaurant will be opening in the old Tank nightclub location in three weeks. Aptly named Mr Wong, it sounds as if the restaurant will be offering a fine-dining type of yum cha and authentic Cantonese cuisine (not fusion yay!). And according to Short black it looks like there will be no shortage of talent in the kitchen with Eric Koh of Hakkasan fame being the most recent chef to sign on. This place is definitely going to be one to try.

 

 

Dry Skin Solutions

We are officially in the middle of Winter now as evidenced by the extremely cold (by Sydney standards) weather we've been having this week. And along with the cold comes super dry skin due to those dang heaters and air-conditioners we just can't seem to live without at this time of the year.

So let me introduce you to a handful of products that I've especially been loving this week to bring a little moisture back into my life:

Beginning from the left, Kiehl's Creme de Corps in its original formula (as opposed to the Light-Weight one). I only recently tried this cult product after reading somewhere that it was one of Sarah Murdoch's beauty essentials, and I'm a total sucker for celebrity must-have products. But that aside, it has really proven to be a saviour for my skin this winter. It smells great, feels a little greasy upon application (which I actually love) but sinks in nicely. I've already got a 1L bottle of this ready to go once this 250mL one runs out lol.

Next is Pai's Lotus & Orange Blossom BioAffinity toner for dry, sensitive skin. I actually bought this back in February after the rave review it was given on A Model Recommends but honestly actually forgot about it until I started searching through my products for a more moisturising alternative to my Avene thermal water. I've heard and read from numerous sources that moisturisers penetrate better on damp skin which is why I always spritz my face before applying my moisturiser, and I think this toner gives that little extra moisture which my skin needs right now. It smells yummy too, which is a nice change to fragrance-free Avene.

Probably my favourite of the bunch now, Pai's Rosehip BioRegenerate Fruit and Seed Oil. I've previously used this stuff to sucessfully cure itchy, dry patches both on my face and my body however I stopped using it for a bit when my facial skin went all hormonal and could hardly tolerate anything except Avene products. But last week I was starting to notice my face getting more red than usual (think I was wearing a little bit too much makeup on the weekend) and so I switched to using just this oil on my face at night. And as I suspected it would, my redness has really diminished. And because it aborbs so well, it is moisturising without feeling greasy. Love it.

Now that the temperature has dropped a little more today though, I feel like my face needs a bit more protection which brings me to Weleda Baby's Calendula Weather Protection Cream. This has a really thick balm-like texture which puzzled me at first considering it is specifically formulated for babies' delicate skin (including facial skin) but a little goes a long way and only a tiny amount is needed. I've been warming a small amount up in my fingertips and applying on top of the Rosehip oil to areas I think need a little more TLC. Smells a little medicinal but it's so super moisturising that it's worth it.

Finally Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream - absolute heaven for dry lips. I pretty much use this every single day of the year, and never travel without it. Absolutely nothing compares. And it really does last for eight hours!