Exploring Chatswood

We were given gift certificates to use at Oriental Spa six months ago for a photography gig we did for a friend.  Since we had 3 days off from work this weekend (today being a public holiday in celebration of Labour Day in NSW), we booked an appointment for our Aromatherapy Massage on Saturday.

Oriental Spa is located in Chatswood, a suburb in the north shore of Sydney.  I've been here a few times but only to have lunch or shop but have never really explored the place.  There's a certain homey-and-cool vibe about Chatswood.  They have quite a busy CBD for a Saturday morning with lots of cafes and shops bustling with people. 

Good thing we booked our appointment with Oriental Spa early as the moment we stepped out of Chatswood train station, we found out that there's a lot of things we can do while we're here.

But first, we had to be in Zen mode at Oriental Spa.  I missed having spas, it's been ages since I've had a massage. 

The statue of Quan Yin can be seen as soon you enter the lobby of Oriental Spa.  She is the goddess of compassion, mercy and healing. 

The staff welcomed us with Ginger and Lemon Tea.

I love little details.

This was outside our room.

We had the Aromatherapy Massage.  For one hour, our body were treated with long stroke massage techniques combined with aromatherapy oils.  It was soothing and relaxing to the body.  We totally enjoyed it.

After our massage, we went straight to Westfield Chatswood and had lunch at Soban The Grill. 

Soban The Grill is a Korean restaurant that specializes in skewers and fresh-from-the-grill dishes.  There's another Soban restaurant in Level 6 of Westfield Chatswood that serve traditional Korean dishes.

The Husband taking a photo of me...

..while I take a photo of the restaurant.

They served garlic bread while we waited for our food.

The Husband's Pork Skewers with rice, green salad and mashed potatoes.  Mild barbeque flavor of the pork, not as tasty as it looked.  But their mashed potato tasted great.  We wanted more of it.

My Chicken Cordon Bleu with rice and green salad.  Chicken was crispy outside but tender inside.  I loved that they used asparagus and sundried tomato as fillings for the chicken.

The next time we visit, maybe we'll try the other Soban on Level 6.

Too full from lunch, we went around Westfield for a bit then moved on to Chatswood Chase (the other mall a few blocks away) and checked out the Apple Store there. 

Before we went home, we had dessert at Hello Happy, a Korean cafe and bakeshop.  We got intrigued by the name of the cafe (it sounded very positive!) and we wanted to try an authentic Korean cake.

Fresh and packed breads available for customers wanting to take home their products.

Their cakes looked yummy.

Little cakes for just one serve.

We just had hot chocolate drinks and a slice of their Strawberry cake.

It was delicious.  It's the kind of cake that I want: light, not too sweet and the icing not too overwhelming.

We decided to buy a Mocha Roll to bring to a party we attended that night.  The guests loved it too! 

A reminder from Hello Happy...

...and just because I love almost everything Korean....

Saturday was such a great day and exploring a new suburb is so much fun.  Because of this experience, we plan of going to suburbs that will catch our fancy once in a while. 

Oriental Spa - http://orientalspa.com.au

Soban Korean Restaurant - http://www.soban.com.au/

Hello Happy - http://www.hellohappy.com.au/
Chatswood branch: 345 Victoria Ave, Chatswood NSW 2067
Strathfield branch: 22 The Boulevarde, Strathfield NSW