Saturday, March 17, 2012

High Tea

Today I was privillaged to be invited to Jaime's 30th Birthday today! It was a High Tea at The Sassy Cookie in Victoria Park.  It was a lovely experience and a lovely way to spend an afternoon. The cafe was elegant and very appropriately decorated to suit the experience. It's definitely a place I will go back to with my mum.

There were 4 courses, consisting of sandwiches, savory pastries, scones and yummy decedent desserts. Plenty of different teas to choose from and quite a few different options per course.


Chai Infused Truffle


Table Setting


Beautiful Napkin Holder


1st Course


Tea anyone?


My beautiful cup and saucer


2nd course


3rd course


Final Course




Raspberry cake



If you like or want to experience high tea, I would definitely recommend The Sassy Cookie.

Vive!!

Friday, March 16, 2012

BALI BALI BALI!!!

Selamat Datang!

Well in the past 2 weeks, I've had not ONE BUT TWO trips to Bali, Indonesia. I was very lucky to go on my new team ET Carousel's Team Getaway over the long weekend in March and then 3 days later, I got to again with my boyfriend James, my 2 best friends Chenoa and Poonam and their partners Will and Nunzio.

I had 2 AMAZING trips with lots of laughs and lots of fun!!

I've put together a review of things I have done whilst I was in Bali.

Oceans 27:
This is a trendy little recipe on the beach with tables and chairs that are also set in a few inches of water. The food was pretty good, but I thoroughly enjoyed the tapas we had as entree.



Stadium Sports Bar:
Great place to stop and have a cold Bintang, watch some footy and have a quick bite to eat.  Located near Kuta Square, the share platter we had to share was great for a small bite to eat.


Bali Deli:
One of my favourite places to eat, and thanks to Kristen for introducing this place to me.  At the front, it's a supermarket, with a great selection of cold meats, cheeses, fruits and veggies, and OMG they also have a cakes and pastries counter where they have truly AMAZING desserts.  At the back of the supermarket, is a great little restaurant which is quiet and private.  The food was great and the prices were great, so cheap for everything!! It's located in Seminyak and most cab drivers know where it is! Definitely worth the drive if you are staying in Kuta, will definitely go back there again!!!



McDonalds:
Ok well yes we have it in Australia, but trust me when I say this, go and have a Double Cheeseburger!! They taste different in Bali than back home and they taste awesome!!!  Had one on my 2nd last day and I wanted more.  They also serve the fries with Chilli sauce, definitely worth a visit for a laugh :)


Kafe Batan Waru:
This restaurant is located at the front of Bali Garden Beach Resort.  They serve a vast variety of food but their Indonesian food is AMAZING!!!  We ate their twice because Will enjoyed their duck so much!!! The food was great, and the service was pretty awesome too. On Sunday nights, they have Chilli Crab night, unfortunately, I don't eat seafood but everyone else enjoyed sharing a couple of Chilli crabs.  Another MUST if you enjoy Indonesian food.


Flapjacks:
If you love pancakes and all things sweet, then this place is for you.  Located also near Kuta Square, next door to the Stadium Sports Bar.  They have a range of icecreams as well as a HUGE list of different desserts, especially pancakes.


Bubba Gump:
Ok this is my favourite restaurant in Bali, and this is because Forrest Gump is one of my favourite movies.  This restaurant is a MUST! The novelty is worth the higher prices (prices are more Australian restaurant prices) If it's your birthday, the staff will come out and sing to you.  The food is pretty amazing, I recommend the Southern Style Chicken.  Also located in South Kuta, opposite the Bali Garden Beach Hotel.



Matahari Department Store:
Normally I don't do a lot of shopping in Matahari, but this last trip, we pretty much went there everyday.  Definitely great to pick up better quality products especially shoes, handbags (my lovely boyfriend bought me a Guess bag from here), clothing (kids clothes were cheap cheap cheap), wallets, sunglasses etc etc the list is endless.  Definitely also worth coming here to stock up in food supplies like coke, water, snacks, biscuits (recommend the double stuff Oreos) Located in Kuta Square.


Kuta Art Markets:
Definitely go here if you want cheap anything!!! Sarongs, dresses, t shirts, shorts, kids clothing, sunglasses, fake handbags and purses, etc etc again this list is endless.  Also just worth a walk through and watch everyone try to drag you into their stores. Not a place to browse in peace but worth it for the fun of bartering!


Discovery Shopping Mall:
Located next to Bali Garden Beach Resort, this place is a multi level department store which sells a huge variety of things.  Somethings are cheap but other stores are Western priced items, such as the Guess Store. BUT the Skechers store does seem a lot cheaper than Perth.  I managed to pick up my Skechers Shape Up Sneakers for $60.00 instead of around $160.00, definitely happy with that!  Another reason to visit Discovery is BREAD TALK!! Trust  me, visit there and you will not be disappointed!!!!!


Waterbom Park:
A great day out can be had at Waterbom Park.  We spent a whole day there.  There is plenty for everyone to do.  Personally I am definitely NOT a fan of waterslides, but I was managed to be dragged onto a couple.  My personal favourite there is the Lazy River, I could spend hours floating around there.  There is a restaurant there, you can hire cabanas around the park, which makes a great meeting place for a group of people to come back to.  I'll definitely go back there again especially if I go back with my boyfriend, he LOVES Waterbom Park.



These are just a few of the places I have experienced on my trips to Bali recently.  There are hundreds of thousands of great little places to experience!!

Terima Kasih!!!