Streets of Saigon - Westfield Sydney

My weekend adventures around Sydney city usually stir up a decent appetite. So, I try to discover new delicacies on every visit.

Today I wandered in to Westfield Sydney, level 5, to Streets of Saigon. From what I understand, the owner is of Vietnamese origin and aimed to create a dining experience authentic to her home cuisine. And it certainly appeared authentic to me - plenty of menu options for rolls (cold rolls, spring rolls, variations on each of these at $9.90 a serving), Pho, rice and noodle dishes.

I opted for the Bun Cha Gio - spring rolls on a bed of lettuce, mint, cucumber, carrot, rice vermicelli and associated dressings. At $13.50 a meal, I was pleased with the serving size. The spring rolls had plenty of flavour, being able to taste the prawn filling. And they weren't deep fried to a total crisp which kept them light and able to absorb the vinaigrette. The self service cutlery bar also has plenty of fresh chilli and bean shoots to add as extras to your meal.

Bun Cha Gio, $13.50

Overall, a lovely meal, quick service, simple surrounds and good value for money.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to sample any other delights from Streets of Saigon, but first impressions will definitely call me back for seconds another day!

• Westfield Sydney, Level: 5
• Store: 5004
• Phone: (02) 8072 7050

Tea... for two... T2

I've always been a tea drinker. And in my family household it was never "dunk a bag in a mug" kind of tea. Even if it was teabag tea, the bags were always steeped in the teapot (the Royal Albert Old Country Roses set) and the cups were served with the appropriate saucer below (and usually a home made chocolate chip cookie on the side!). I purchased a Breville Tea Maker for my parents a few years ago. It soon became the best appliance in the kitchen, and subsequently one of the highlights of my own kitchen too. The beauty of this tea maker is the ability to set temperature and brew time as appropriate to the tea leaf type, and even the timer-on and keep warm functions get their fair use.

There's a regular supply of Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Orange Pekoe and green tea (China Siaou Chu Pearl and Sencha) but for something different I have taken to stocking up on fruit tisanes from T2. My current T2 favourites are:

• Pumping Pomegranate - apparently the PP lovers of the country went in to meltdown when T2 ran out of all stock!
• Spring
• Fruitalicious
• French Earl Grey
• Honey Vanilla
• Southern Sunrise
• Ayurvedic Passion
• Lemongrass and Ginger
• Toasty Nougat

I make a full pot of Spring, Fruit or SS and keep it in the fridge as iced tea. I find it easier to drink than plain water, and it can be flashed up with some slices of fresh fruit and berries in a pretty jug to serve to guests.

I also like the "T2 all sorts two" box. It is a collection of loose leaf teas which are packaged in individual bags. The flavours include Melbourne Breakfast, French Earl Grey, Gorgeous Geisha, Brisbane Breakfast, Oolong, Red Fancy Fruit, Sleep Tight and Sydney Breakfast. It provides a gentle introduction to flavoured teas, green tea and rooibos blends and I cannot recommend the mixed packs highly enough for convenience and variety.

Water marbling - nail art

Since moving away from Queensland, my nails just haven't been the same. My new salon in Sydney charges a fortune for any art (even if I provide the materials) or coloured acrylic. Consequently, I've had to resort to maintaining a simple French manicure style. I have changed the nail shape - from a big chunky square edge to a more refined point/oval - but the essence of my daggers remains!

I've been in search of a way to use my large collection of nail lacquers and art materials to brighten up my precious talons. After discovering the water marbling technique via various nail blogs and YouTube videos, I decided to give it a shot for myself. I had seen several examples with similar colours and shades with a melding effect but I wanted something more bold and bright.

First attempt: Groovy Swirls
OPI The "It" Colour (yellow)
OPI A Roll In The Hague (orange)
OPI Purple With A Purpose (purple)

I'm quite fond of this colour combination, but the opacity of the yellow started to bother me, being able to see the white French tip underneath.














Second attempt: Pelagic Patterns
China Glaze Four Leaf Clover
OPI Teal The Cows Come Home
OPI Blue My Mind
China Glaze White on White

I thought the blue green hues would add a nice blended effect. Using white in a marble can be quite hit and miss - dark colours (such as black) can bleed in to the white and create a grey tone, or, the white can be so thin and translucent you simply lose the effect altogether. Again, the white French tip is visible with this combination which detracts from the effect. Oh, and it's been commented that these colours make it look like I've smooshed toothpaste on my nails!


Third attempt: Pink Candy
OPI Cha-Ching Cherry
OPI Ate Berries In The Canaries
China Glaze White on White

I really am a girly girl when it comes to pinks lately. The slight variation in pink and red hues here blend very well, and the white adds that crisp pattern. You may notice too that my acrylic infils have been done entirely in CND's Warm Pink (Opaque). I figured there was no point paying that $10 extra per month for French tips when I'm only going to be covering over them. Plus, they look fine on their own without any other colour.










HINTS AND TIPS:

• always use filtered water in your marbling, just to ensure it's as clean as possible
• vaseline around the finger seems to be the most effective way of preventing all the excess lacquer from sticking to the skin. Also, a very thin layer is sufficient (as opposed to the massive slick I applied when first testing out the method).
• don't topcoat the nail too soon after marble application - it will cause the lacquers to melt and bleed
• metallic lacquers do work but not as well as a solid colour. I'm yet to try any glitter lacquers but I can't see they would work well at all

The cheat's Tiramisu

Last week I reinvigorated my cake decorating skills to make a three layer (single tier) birthday cake for two colleagues. There was plenty of left over sponge, and that sponge which had been trimmed to level off each layer. So, rather than waste it, I froze it, figuring I'd find something to make with it at a later day. Well that day came today.

I've always been a fan of a rich, strong Tiramisu, but I rarely have the time or inclination to make a full dish from scratch. So if you're like me and want to find the quick and easy way to make things, here's the recipe (minus quantities as I do!) for you!

Brew some good quality coffee and allow it go cold. Mix in some Frangelico and Kahlua to taste.

Tear off a chunk of the sponge and place in the bottom of the bowl/glass. Pour over some of the coffee mixture to allow the sponge to go nice and soggy. Add some crumbled bits of Milk Coffee biscuits on top (I was hoping this would add some crunch to the Tiramisu but it just added to the sponge density with the absorption of the coffee - oh well).

Using Philadelphia Cream for Desserts, spread a nice even layer over the top of the sponge/biscuit. Pour a little coffee mixutre on top to ensure the flavour is strong.

Repeat the process starting with another layer of sponge, and finally finish with Cream and some crumbled biscuit and sponge bits.

Dig in and enjoy!