HOLY DESSERT!

I went to Holy Basil in Canley Heights yesterday for the boy's birthday dinner. I know Thai restaurants are a dime-a-dozen but that doesn't stop me from saying no to Thai food. 

If you live in the wild, wild West, Holy Basil has become a bit of an institution around those parts. So well known, that even on a Monday night, we still have to write our name down to get a table (sadly they don't do any bookings) and Friday nights there are hoards of people wanting to get in. They focus on Laos cuisine which has subtle differences to Thai food. It was actually occupied and ruled by the French so Laos food is known as fusion cuisine.


The usual suspects on the menu are there of course, and we ordered the Green Curry, the Pad Thai - for some noodley deliciousness. But a lot of their menu was seafood focused so we lapped up some friends of the sea. The Salt and Pepper calamari is one of the best I have tasted - and the four other people I was there with concurred. It was fresh and piping hot with a crunchy crust and came with a firey dipping sauce. Another winning dish that I will gladly order and eat myself was the Holy Basil Chili Mussels. I'm so-so with these chewey critters, however I could have easily eaten the whole bowl. It was smoky, spicy, tangy and..... well you'll have to go there to try it out yourself as words cannot describe!

They have also got some adventurous dishes like Chicken Feet Salad and Ox tongue, which is grilled and then served thinly sliced with Holy Basil's special dipping sauce. And it's something that I'll pass on, but their Ox Tongue actually got a mention in The Forkleys - which are awards to recognize superb food and dishes in the industry. So it must be pretty damn good - if you head over to Holy Basil and try it, please let me know what you think.


One thing I love about this place is they go nuts on the chili - you can actually choose how hot you want it, but if you want it spicy, you get it. I can handle my heat but the chili's they added to the food burned (in a good way).


Now if you are a Holy Basil fanatic/disciple then you'll know that people go there for one thing only - their Fried Ice Cream. Forget your spherical donut-tasting outer shell and a heavy dose of caramel sauce. This is the bees knees of Fried Ice Cream! Holy Basil have deconstructed it and use filo pastry, and serve the ice cream on a bed of roasted coconut and raisin muesli. Flaky, sweet and absolutely moorish, my sister and I were fighting over the last bit. I should have gotten one all by myself. 

I highly recommend this and the only image I managed to take was of the dessert, as I was too busy eating the mains as they were so delicious!

Two minutes and this was an empty plate

Got any restaurants that you think can trump Holy Basil? Shoot me a comment and let me know!


http://www.holybasil.com.au/index.html

 

FANCY FRESH LUNCH

There's sandwiches, and then there's sandwiches.Whenever I am in Penrith, Sydney, I get a craving for Vietnamese pork rolls from a bakery off High St. Run by a great family they, without a doubt, make the best one's ever.

 Bánh mì, as they are traditionally called actually is a term for different kinds of bread and the baguette was introduced by the French during its colonial period.

There are actually many other ingredients that can go into a  Bánh mì apart from the steamed pork belly. You can also have Vietnamese sausage, grilled pork patties, spreadable pork liver pate, pork floss, grilled chicken, chicken floss, canned sardines in tomato sauce soft pork meatballs in tomato sauce, head cheese, fried eggs, and tofu. Phew!

Forget about the humble ham, cheese and tomato, Vietnamese pork rolls are an explosion of textures and flavours one mouth full at a time. 

The tang from the vinegar-laced carrots, the crunch from the cucumber, spring onions and coriander, the sweetness of the pork and the fire from the chili just make my mouth water (actually just writing about it makes my mouth water).

I can polish on off pretty quickly now and when the man and I head down to the bakery, we've been asking for three (one each and one to halve!). They also do a version with hot barbequed pork which has me standing at the shop trying to make a decision on which one I want as a whole and what I want as a half (yes, the difficult things in life).

And it seems I'm not the only one in love with Vietnamese pork rolls. Banh mi" was added to the Oxford English Dictionary on March 24, 2011!

Do you love these torpedoes of deliciousness? Have you got a favourite place that makes Vietnamese pork rolls? Do tell as I would love to find out more venues, especially in Sydney. 

 

LIGHT AS AIR

My friend Aimee asked me to be her model for her Airbrush Foundation course over Easter weekend. Makeup and me? Live together in harmony. Song references aside, this was my idea of heaven!

Aimee and I love makeup - the more the better we say! We travelled to the Sutherland Shire to have a one-on-one tutorial with Award winning makeup artist Jenny Pulfer. Jenny was the perfect teacher, and very knowledgeable not only with airbrush foundation but also anything else we needed to know about makeup. She said with the rise of hi-def television and photos, that airbrush provided a better coverage and a longer-lasting look not only for television, but also for photo shoots and weddings as well.

Jenny has used many Airbrush machines throughout her career but has touted IWATA as the best brand for the best results and equipment.

 

Jenny emphasised that Aimee needed to get used to the feel and weight of the airbrush tool, as that was a crucial step in making sure she applied it correctly and in an even manner. As with anything, Jenny stressed that 'practice makes perfect', so she had Aimee practice on paper (with acrylic paint) first, rather than my face. She started out with going across the page and the aim was to get a fine, even mist rather than seeing an actual line. Aimee had to do that five times over to correct and refine her technique. 

 

 Jenny then had Aimee drawing circles, her name and lines to gain control over the air flow and the amount of foundation used. Jenny also taught Aimee to mix colours so they matched perfectly with the skin and also hide blemishes, pigmentation and dark under-eye circles. Hurrah!

Aimee's first and last attempt - look at the difference!

 

Then it was my turn to get blasted! All I felt was a gentle, slightly damp breeze on my face and once the foundation had settled, you couldn't even tell it was there - that is how fine the application is. Jenny, who is also an artist, said that airbrush was also used to apply tattoos (Home and Away comes to mind) - so she gave me one that looked freakishly real (and scared the hell out of my folks when I showed it to them).

BEFORE - self shot

BEFORE - in natural light

AFTER -excuse the blemishes - I was having a bad skin day :(

AFTER- In full sunlight - you can't tell it's there!

The fake ink

The look lasted the whole day and night - it did not budge. And unlike some foundations which can feel cakey, or sticky, I forgot that I had it on. It was such a beautiful finish.


If you want to learn more about airbrush foundation, I highly recommend Jenny Pulfer. Not only is she an amazing makeup artist, she is generous with her knowledge and a great teacher.

http://www.jennypulfer.com/






 

RING A DING DING

Apart from waiting for a shiny, dare I say, diamond in the future - I console myself with buying as many costume rings possible - pieces that will do some damage if I punched someone (which I won't). I love rings, dainty or boulder-size. They are an accessory that can accentuate a colour in your outfit, or provide a great contrast.

When I purchased this ring from Bondi markets a couple of years ago, I thought that I bought a great 'Art Deco' style piece. I loved it for its monochromatic look and that I could pair it with pretty much anything. This ring is one of my favourites.

It wasn't until I wore it to work when the guys asked me why I was wearing a Decepticon on my finger. Turns out, that's exactly what it looks like. They do say 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'. :)

Robots in Disguise

My other new obsession is this guy I picked up at an internal 'Shop Till You Drop' sale. While everyone else was going crazy over sample pants and jackets, I got my 'magpie' on and zeroed in on the table of jewellery. I swooped upon this chap, that I christened Bullwinkle and couldn't wait till I wore it out. I did, a week later, and as I went to put my hand in my bag, one of his antler's fell off :( 

 

Bullwinkle is now antler-less, and awaiting fixation. He'll get his moment, soon.

Anywhere that you know of that makes quirky pieces? I'm always on the hunt for strange and creative jewellery - let me know your thoughts!

Mish_Mash x 

THE SKIN IM IN...

Having Indian skin means I and my fellow Indian gals are permanently tanned. Yay. However I am also subject to a mish mash of skin tones, dark under eye circles and pigmentation. Not yay. So searching for the perfect foundation is important and it took me a while to find the perfect shade. So you can sense my outrage when my friend B, who was up from Melbourne, told me that Chanel wasn't stocking her foundation because 'there wasn't a market for her shade'. Excuse me? I was flummoxed. With all the artificial brown/bronze skin and the influx of Indians into Australia, how on earth could they not provide for ladies of all colour?! Chanel, you are a global brand! OK, rant over. Which brings me to the point of this post - I would love, love to know what brands are kind to and cater for Indian skin. I currently use two foundations (one for nighttime and one for day) that I am happy to stick with, but any suggestions on what else works and why would be fantastic - so if I ever get the line 'there is no market for you, hunny' I will be able to have an assortment of backups. 

The two I use and find that they work for me are my MAC Studio Fix Liquid Foundation (in NC42, in case you're innerested) and Maybelline FIT ME Foundation (Shade 310)

I am a fan of MAC, simply because they have so many shades on the deep end of the scale. What I like about this foundation is the coverage that it gives - it glides on without being cakey, settles nicely on to my skin and gives such a good base for all my other make up. The package is also practical - it's a pump bottle - and since I use this for night, it goes the distance until I wipe it off. It also looks great in photos! The only thing that gets my goat is that it is tres expensive. Which brings me to....

 

Maybelline FIT ME Foundation. I stumbled on this when I was trying to find a reasonably priced foundation to wear during the day. I liked the fact that they had yellow-based foundations so I ended up trialling it (surreptitiously at Priceline) and fell in love, simply because it blended in with my skin tone. I find it a tiny bit watery, but since I use it during the day it gives me just enough coverage. I suggest to apply this with a foundation brush and blend, buff and blend for an even coverage.  BUT, if you have oily skin, this ain't the foundation for you. I had a bit of a read from other users and the main gripe was that if it was used on oily skins, it made you breakout. I have combination skin, and so far, clear skies. 

What are your favourite go-to foundations? I would love to know any suggestions, be it high-end or chain store. Once I run out of these two, I'm open to trying something new. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Sharing is caring.


xx MISH_MASH