Malaysian delights at Mamak

Last week I got to indulge my tastebuds in some Malaysian delights at the very well known Mamak restaurant, Chinatown. I must say it's a favourite of mine when I'm down that side of Sydney city.

Dining for two, we could not go past the Roti Canai. Mamak is known for it's fluffy and crispy ball of roti, and it's a true show watching the chefs create this masterpiece.

Roti Canai $5.50

I've never been a fried rice fan, even if you call it nasi goreng! But, I've been through most of the menu at Mamak over the last couple of years so I figured it was time to try this item. There was a nice zing in the rice and the lime really added a kick to the flavouring.

Nasi goreng $12

Rojak - I tried this on my previous visit and was instantly addicted. The prawn chips on top have a unique twist where they have whole baby shrimp encased in them. The yambean and cucumber strips add a lovely fresh crunch with the sweet satay sauce. And the coconut cake within the salad is just incredible.

Rojak $14

Mamak - Chinatown
15 Goulburn Street,
Haymarket, Sydney
T: (02) 9211 1668
No reservations
lunch 11:30 - 2:30
dinner 5:30 - 10:00
supper til 2am (fri & sat)

Making up for lost time

It's approaching 12 months since my last blog post. Yes, I got slack, but the lack of audience was disheartening!

So, my tendrils have stretched a little further in to nail and food circles during the past year, so hopefully this time, the word spreads and encourages me to keep blogging with the four F's - fun, fitness, food and fashion. I guess my nail posts (trust me, you'll be bombarded with them) fit in the fashion category - or I could say fingernails!

Anyway, a quick overview of months past:

• I passed my Certificate II in Nail Technology early this year. Whilst it's not developed in to a little part time business, I have more than sufficient quantities of products to do so if required. Plus it means I have all the toys to play with on my own nails.
• I'm still cooking and doing cake decorating. I recently undertook a full day course for a Novelty Cake at Planet Cake here in Sydney. It was a massively long day but well worth it in the end, especially since I scored the class at half price! I'll put a post up shortly about the end result and all the lessons learned during the course.
• The fitness part of the blog may be lacking somewhat. I let my gym routine slip. Actually, it's effectively non-existent these days. I did get in to Body Pump class for a while, but then the instructor left and I lost all interest. I also had a few sessions with a new PT, but then she went on maternity leave. I'm hoping she's to return to training soon because I felt like it could be a very beneficial relationship. I have kept up some of the weight training, and my last leg press session saw me get to an 8 rep set of 320kg.

Hope to see a few more faces on board here in the coming months.

Nail art updates

After yet another hiatus in posts, I thought I'd present a compilation of my recent nail art attempts so you get to see them all in one go.

Christmas water marbling. As with the previous water marbling post a three colour marble was achieved using China Glaze "Four Leaf Clover", China Glaze "White on White" and OPI "MINNIE RANGE RED." I make note of a very important point here - the China Glaze "Four Leaf Clover" causes significant yellow staining on my acrylic nails, despite the nails being sealed with CND's Shellac UV Top Coat.

China Glaze "Mrs Claus"
This is a beautiful colour - one coat is a sheer pinky glitter, two coats and it turns a deep salmon red colour. I've not attempted a third coat to see just how red it can turn, probably because even at two coats it's near impossible to remove (since I don't want to use an acetone polish remover because of the acrylics.)

This is one of the few acrylic enhancements I've received from the salon I go to in Sydney. I was eligible for two free nail arts because of the client reward system, so I extended the 2 nails to all ten. This is CND's latest release called "Additives". The fine gold powder is gently pressed on to Shellac UV Top Coated nails as they come out from under the lamp. The thicker the powder, the more solid the colour. Another top coat was applied over the Additive.

Base acrylics - CND Warm Opaque Pink.
I found some old Revlon decals in my nail art stash, so I tipped each nail with them, and then lightened up my ring fingers with some lacquer dots.

China Glaze "White on White" with an OPI "Black Shatter" overlay. I loved this effect - stark, bright and bold. And matched pretty much any outfit.

OPI "A Roll In The Hague" with OPI "Black Shatter" overlay. This combination didn't turn out as bright as I'd hoped, but it would  make an excellent pattern for Halloween.

Because of the wide stiletto tips I have my nails filed too, I thought about adding some art to highlight the shape. And what better feature than little strawberries on the tips! This shot is from the first attempt and I have tried a few times since with neater results. But you get the idea! Just note, this used that horrid China Glaze "Four Leaf Clover" green, so when I removed the lacquer I had yellow stain marks on the acrylic. I cannot emphasise enough how disappointed I am with this colour.

I think my inner child guided me to this nailart - it was Easter long weekend and upon reflection, these seem to look like something which would have appeared in the Cadbury Joyville advert! Base colour is OPI "Purple With A Purpose", white dots are achieved using a dotting tool and China Glaze "White on White."

If you know anything about me, you'll know I have thing for leopard print. So, I couldn't resist attempting painting my own leopard pattern. This was achieved using China Glaze Magnetix "You Move Me" as the base, and just a cheap black lacquer I found in my stash!

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