"Sweeten Thy Soul" (Dinner & Desserts with Girlfriends)

Ended the month of January on a happy note as the Husband and I met up with good friends Meds and Charyn for dinner. 

The plan was to try out this family restaurant in Westmead but it turned out that they were closed for the evening due to an event (oh well, maybe next time). So we trooped down to Parramatta to have dinner there instead. Thanks to Charyn's suggestion, we got to try mouthwatering pizzas, a comforting risotto and a decadent sticky date pudding at Restaurant 317.

I started off with a refreshing glass of Mojitos with lots of fresh lime wedges. It was so hot that day and this made it all better. 

Got ourselves a Cheese and Olive Starter Pizza made of Provolone Cheese and Olive Tapenade.

For our mains, we had the Margherita Pizza and Italian Sausage Pizza.

All of us enjoyed the Chicken Risotto in creamy sauce, mushroom and shallots. I loved this.

The pizzas and risotto were very filling but we can resist but order their Sticky Date Pudding. It's too sweet for my liking but since there were four of us that shared this, it wasn't overwhelming. It had a lovely butterscotch sauce and delicious vanilla gelato which made the sticky date pudding more enjoyable.

 A few steps away from Restaurant 317 is Chocolateria San Churro, one of my favourite dessert places in Australia. We came here to have a hot Spanish chocolates and some churros. Our Spanish chocolates that night: the original and thick Classic Spanish chocolate, the Madrid Mocha which had a shot of espresso (I recommend this to coffee lovers) and the nutty Avellana which has a hazelnut flavour.

"Sweeten thy Soul" is what you see in every cup at Chocolateria San Churro. Very fitting phrase to describe why it's important to me to be with loved ones. As good food nourishes the body, it is the people we love who feed our soul. :)


Restaurant 317
317 Church Street, Parramatta
Phone: 1300 317 317

Chocolateria San Churro
287 Church Street, Parramatta
Phone: 02 9633 1566

Style Musings: Finding a Fascinator

One of my fashion dreams came true last month as I found a simple and classy fascinator that went well with my black lace dress. 

A fascinator is a headpiece, a style of millinery. The word originally referred to a fine, lacy head covering akin to a shawl and made from woolor lace, but mostly feathers. In the modern usage, it refers to a woman's alternative to hat for formal attire; it is usually a large hair decoration on a band or clip with elaborate trimmings and decoration like a formal hat and it can incorporate a base to make it a miniature hat. (source)

I found this fascinator at French Connection during the end of year sales. I tried it on due to curiosity and when the Husband saw me, he complimented, "That looks good on you." I checked the price and it had a very huge discount so I took that as a sign and bought it.

Other reasons why I love my fascinator:

• Other than being simple and classy, it's very dainty. 
• It wasn't loud and too conspicuous. 
• It's something my petite frame can easily get away.
• It's a headband fascinator so it's very easy to wear.

A few tips:

• If you're buying a headband fascinator, make sure that it fits your head perfectly.
• If you want a fascinator that you can wear to more than one occasion, choose neutral colours such as black, white, beige, etc.
• In Australia, the best time to buy a fascinator is usually after Melbourne Cup season (or any horse race event), end of year sales or Boxing Day.

Food Find: Nutella Yogurt

And I thought nothing can top finding Salted Caramel Yogurt but I was wrong. Last week, I passed by Yogurt World and they offer new flavours which included Nutella! Yup, the delicious and nutty goodness of Nutella transformed into yogurt. 

I had no plans of snacking while at the mall last week but my curiosity pushed me to grab a small cup and fill half of it with Nutella yogurt and the other half with Salted Caramel. I just had to taste it.

And I loved it! Their Nutella yogurt tasted similarly to the real Nutella spread. It's sweet, nutty and had a very faint sour flavour of yogurt. It's like eating frozen Nutella ice cream.

Here's another reason to love Sydney...we have Nutella yogurt! I say it's a must try if you're visiting this lovely city.

Yogurt World

Level 5, Westfield Sydney

Pitt Street, Sydney NSW

Birthday Dinner at Mizuya

One of our group of friends organized a birthday dinner for me (awww thank you dear Hanes!) and it was held at a Japanese restaurant and karaoke bar. It was my Husband and I's first time at Mizuya. We always pass by this establishment on George Street but thought it was just a karaoke bar. We discovered that it was also a good place to catch up with friends while enjoying great Japanese food.

We went there solely for dinner so there was no need to book a private karaoke room (maybe next time?), however, eating at their dining area felt exclusive as each table looked like little rooms/cubicles. I should have taken a photo so you can see what I'm talking about but never worry as Hubby and I will be coming back there soon to eat again so I'll take photos then.

Each cubicle has a touch-screen monitor where we get to order what we like. The monitor showed the name, amount and photo of each of their dish. This is so convenient and non-fussed. Once we tapped on the dishes we liked, the orders came arriving at our table. 

We had a feast that night as the food just kept on coming...and vanishing into our tummies LOL. 

Garlic and Chili Edamame

Silverfish with Seawood Salt

Seaweed Salad

Soft Shell Crab

Tonkatsu

BBQ Salmon Steak served with bean sprouts and broccoli.

Spicy Karaage (my favourite!)

Spider Roll made of cucumber, avocado, crab stick, egg omelette, soft shell crab and topped with chili powder.

And of course we had noodles!!! 

Mizuya offers great desserts too. 

The Mizuya Dessert Trio: Japanese Cheesecake, Green Tea Brulee and Champagne Jelly.

The Shiramata Sundae made up of Green Tea sundae and Sweet Red Bean.

Everything was soooo good! The seafood and sushi tasted fresh and the meat dishes were perfectly cooked. Every dish was tasty and flavourful. The desserts gave us that sweet finale which we all loved.

Mizuya Japanese Restaurant and Karaoke

Basement, 614 George Street

Sydney NSW 

Phone: 02 9266 0866