Since I was younger, I’ve always found something very wrong with the whole “real women have curves” concept. Naturally, I have always been very skinny. Yes I know, I’m one of those “lucky people” that can eat whatever they want and not gain weight – and don’t get me wrong I’m definitely grateful I have this quality – but I wanted to shed a little light on the other side of being naturally thin.
My whole life people have always assumed that when I reject food, it’s because I’m trying to lose or maintain my current weight or that I’m afraid of gaining weight. But actually, I reject food because of the same reasons as everyone else. I’m just not hungry or I don’t like what’s being offered.
But back to the real women have curves thing, more than once I’ve been caught up in conversations with a group of girls all chatting about “real women having curves” and that men want a “real women” with a bit of meat they can grab onto. In these situations there’s just me and my petite self, standing there awkwardly, feeling like I shouldn’t be there.
So how does this all link together? Well, I actually shot this outfit last year but felt too self conscious to post it. When I wear an outfit like this in public I feel like I’m judged because I am skinny. Skinny shaming is a thing that for some reason, seems to be more socially acceptable than fat shaming. It’s receiving comments like “I feel like I could snap your legs in two” or saying that I look like a chihuahua because my head is bigger than my body (yes, that has happened), or simply judging me for not feeling hungry or wanting to go to the gym.
So I guess my gripe with the “real women have curves” movement is that it’s not empowering to all women. It still excludes women based on an appearance requirement that decides what a “real woman” should look like. Females of smaller stature shouldn’t be considered less of a women and undesirable to men just because they are skinny.
So girls, next time you’re trying to empower each other and talking about how you’re “all about that bass” and that men “like big butts and they cannot lie,” maybe consider talking about how all women are real women that are beautiful as they naturally are – fat, thin, both, neither and otherwise.
Have you been judged based on your appearance? Let me know in the comments below :)
You know what they say, good things come in small packages and The Tiny Giant is no exception. Yet what the cafe lacks in its physical size – there is nothing giant about it – it makes up for with its food. The breakfasts here aren’t for the faint hearted, packing a giant punch whether it be with interesting flavours or in sheer size – so ladies and gents, be sure to bring your giant appetite!
SETTING AND ATMOSPHERE
Considering the size of the cafe, I was wondering how the ‘Giant’ in the cafe’s name fit into the equation and upon arrival, it all became clear. The line of people waiting outside to get a seat was GIGANTIC and in hindsight, Saturday morning was probably not the best time to visit The Tiny Giant. Luckily, we had made a booking which meant we didn’t have to wait too long for a table.
Inside the cafe was busy, crowded and there was a wee bit of an uncomfortably tight squeeze getting in our chairs to sit at our table. It’s loud, bustling and quite chaotic, so if you’re looking for a peaceful breakfast getaway this is not it – instead try visiting on a weekday.
Apart from being really tiny, the cafe is quite nice with it’s white walls, industrial vibes and rustic finishings. To complete the look, the cafe is decorated with lush greenery and terracotta pots.
Food
Three words. ALL. DAY. BREAKFAST. #WINNING
The food at The Tiny Giant is beautifully decorated and visually striking. It was a gloomy Saturday, and wanting some vibrance and colour we naturally gravitated towards the “Famous Brioche Toast”. A mammoth sized sweet breakfast, you get a whopping four slices of thick brioche toast, topped with Persian pashamak and a generous scattering of fruit. Definitely a dish for two. The flavours were delicious, but the overall sweetness of the dish did get a bit overpowering after a while.
Needing something savoury on the palate, the “Pea Smash Parmesan” caught our eye. A unique breakfast dish, the saltiness of the prosciutto is perfectly balanced with the sweetness of the peas and the burrata cheese adds a lovely creamy texture to the dish. Topped with a parmesan crisp, the dish is finished with some much needed crunchiness – I only wish we had a little more crisps!
Lastly, craving some homestyle cooking, we ordered the “Baked Hot Pot” and added some chorizo for some extra heat. While this dish was visually beautiful, it was unfortunately a little overcooked and dry – I would have loved to be able to dip that gorgeous piece of sourdough into the pot and soak up the aromatic stewed flavours.
Our Famous Brioche Toast – served with strawberries, mixed berries, canadian maple, salted caramel, mascarpone and Persian pashmak | $17.50Pea Smash Parmesan – sourdough toast, burrata cheese, aged prosciutto, basil pesto, parmesan crisp and micro mint | $18.90Baked Hotpot – slow cooked tomato sugo, common mushrooms, onion, danish feta & two free range eggs baked in an iron pan | $16.90 (added chorizo for an additional $4)
SERVICE
Staff are friendly but extremely preoccupied, likely due to the huge demand of crowds.
Value for money
The Tiny Giant is on the pricier end of brunch cafes with majority of the dishes costing upwards of $15. For some dishes, such as the Famous Brioche Toast, the pricing is fair considering the size of the dish, but I felt that the “Baked Hot Pot” wasn’t worth the price tag.
If you haven’t been able to put your finger on what type of cuisine is served at Mekong, the answer might be hidden inside the restaurant’s name. Like the Mekong river, be prepared to be taken on a culinary adventure that drifts down from Burma cloud country, across the Lao border, strolling along the turquoise waters of Thailand’s beaches, gliding on a Cambodian pagoda and wading through the rice paddies of Vietnam. For a travellers adventure through the Indochine Provinces, the fusion flavours at Mekong will take you there in one mouthful.
Setting and Atmosphere
Located in Kensington Street, Sydney’s newest and most innovative lifestyle destination, by-pass the glowing lanterns of Spice Alley and ascend the stairs to find Mekong.
Away from the bustling noise of the Hawker style diners below, Mekong takes you inside a secluded bamboo thicket, adorned with lavish greenery and ceiling and lighting decorations that pay homage to the fishing baskets and nets used along the Mekong river.
Overall, Mekong provides a sophisticated, dimly lit, romantic getaway perfect for a first date or a low-key dinner with friends.
Food
The food at Mekong is sophisticated, nuanced and elegant. The Indochine flavours of Mekong’s cuisine are fused together so elegantly, that you often can’t quite put your finger on exactly what country a particular dish belongs to.
To start your evening, you can’t go past the Chef’s Platter for Two. This entree combines a number of stand alone entree options on one platter, which means you get to try a bit of everything and save some money too. While all dishes on this platter were delicious, the Rice Flour & Squid Ink Cups were a definite stand out that perfectly combined fresh, zesty, yet sweet flavours all in one mouthful. Delicious.
For main, we ordered the lavish Confit Duck Red Curry. The depth of flavours in this curry were outstanding, and the duck was juicy and succulent with a delightful crispy skin. Perfect!
Refreshing the palette, we tucked into two deserts, both equally as good as eachother – the Egg Floss and Taro Custard, and the Vanilla Mochi. I particularly enjoyed the flavours created when combining the rose icecream with the egg floss and taro custard and the Vanilla mochi was a delightfully refreshing way to end the evening.
Pineapple Caramelised Daikon – Roasted Peanut | $6Chef’s Platter for 2 – School prawns, scallops, pork belly in betel leaf, ink cups | $35 (breakdown of dishes on this platter below)School PrawnsRice Flour & Squid Ink Cup – Chicken, blood orange, peanut | $15
Confit Duck Red Curry – Grilled pineapple, basil oil | $34Vanilla Mochi – Coconut, pistachio, dark sugar granita | $12Egg Floss & Taro Custard – Mung bean, rose ice-cream | $12
SERVICE
The service at Mekong is very attentive yet manage to find the perfect balance between quality service and giving privacy when needed, which suits the restaurant’s intimate setting perfectly.
VALUE FOR MONEY
The food and pricing at Mekong is definitely great value for money. The restaurant provides delicious food that is presented beautifully with unique and innovative flavours. The restaurant manages to create the feeling of a fancy and semi ‘fine dining’ experience without it having to cost an arm and a leg.
“Tell me the story
about how the moon loved the sun so much…
…that she died every night, just to let him breathe”
A twist on Hanako Ishii’s quote
She was the type to fall in love with the sun and everything that was beautifully unreachable. She’s not bubbly like the sun, for life has brought too much sorrow. A sensitive soul that experienced too much before it was ready, her smile no longer reaches her eyes.
“Can you truly smile again after such sadness?” she asks, “can you light up the day like the sun?”
I’m not a bubbly person. I am complex, deep and sometimes withdrawn and because of this, I wouldn’t say I could be described as bubbly all the time. Yes, I feel happiness, excitement and all those feelings, but overall I am more melancholic.
I think everyone feels these kind of insecurities every so often and as corny as it sounds, you just have to accept being you and focus on the positive things you can bring to someone’s life. So instead of shining like the sun for everyone, I muster up whatever light I have and shine like the moon for the special people in my life, quietly in the background to light up their darkest hours.
From India with love… When it comes to Indian food if you had to subscribe to one thought, opinion or theory, consider subscribing to Masala Theory. What is Masala Theory? Simply put, imagine tasting the exotic mix of an ancient past and the contemporary present all in one mouthful; with an oompf of flavour, a pizazz of spice and an enchanting sprinkle of tradition. Welcome to Masala Theory.
SETTING AND ATMOSPHERE
While nothing says ‘hip’ like a terrace house restaurant on Crown Street in Surry Hills, Masala Theory blew me away left, right and centre with its hipness and overall cool vibes.
Dining at Masala Theory is a sensory experience that starts upon entry, where an infusion of spiced aromas and incense fill the room and the vibrant colours set the mood for a fun, light hearted night as well as an equally colourful culinary experience. Up on the wall hangs a hot-pink neon bicycle and Indian pop art with the interior as a whole having an overall look and feel reminiscent of the brightly coloured tuk tuks that roam the streets of India. It’s casual and pretty rad and manages to squeeze all the colours of Bollywood into one restaurant.
FOOD
Welcome to neo-Indian cuisine. If you haven’t guessed from the décor, the food at Masala Theory is anything but typical. While maintaining the traditional integrity of Indian Cuisine, Masala Theory reinvents Indian food by shaking things up, pushing the boundaries and exploring progressive ideas and concepts. What you’re left with is a hip, creative and fresh new take on Indian food.
Oh- and if you’re a creature of comfort, don’t worry, all the signature stuff is still available on the menu.
My experience at Masala Theory was made even more unique when we were served a complete Gluten Free menu. I had bought a friend with me that cannot eat gluten, and I was surprised at the number of options available to us. Even with a gluten free menu, Masala Theory’s motto “taste above all” still rung true.
For entree we started with the Masala Dosa, the Kalonji Chicken Tikka and the Bollywood Bhutta. The Masala Dosa had great flavours and is gluten free so long as you don’t eat the chutney’s that come with it, instead, order a raita for an accompaniment. The Kalonji Chicken Tikka in particular was super succulent and juicy with a great kick of flavour.
For main, the Butter Chicken was delicious. The Eggplant Bharta was also tasty, but a little bland in comparison. We washed it all down with a Lavender Lassi – I was very happy to find this and many other unique lassi flavours on the menu – and a rose lemonade.
To finish off a wonderful night, we tucked into a traditional indian dessert with a modern twist – the deconstructed Motichoor Ladoo with saffron rabdi and dried fruits.
Masala Dosa – Rice and lentil pancakes stuffed with spiced potatoes; served with lentil broth and coconut chutney | $16
Bollywood Bhutta – Corn on the cob, butter, chef’s special spice and lime | $6Vegetarian Dhansak – Traditional Parsi dish of lentils and vegetables; served with traditional Parsi brown rice, it combines elements of Persian and Gujarati cuisine | $22Butter chicken | $25Lavender Lassi & Rose lemonade | $5 & $6 respectivelyDeconstructed Motichoor Laddoo – with saffron rabdi and dried fruits | $13
SERVICE
Prompt, quick, polite and most importantly, very educational. You can tell that all staff are very passionate about their food and they take the time to really explain every dish to you in detail – wonderfully delightful for a foodie like me!
Value for money
A little pricier that some Indian places but still very reasonable especially considering the location and quality of food.
The Details
Where:
545 Crown Street Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia
She’s a traveller. A wonderer. The winding canals pique her interest to discover every hidden corner of this beautiful town. She gets lost amongst the artisan markets, the boutiques, French cuisine, a smiling face, the blooming flowers.
Where someone gets lost, they open themselves up to being found and just like that the winding streets and gushing canals start calling her, leading her. As she follows, a calm walk breaks into a brisk jog as the pull gets stronger, faster.
A sudden stop. She’s here and all is silent. A wide open space where rolling mountains frame an aqua lake that disappears beneath the fog and into the horizon. There’s nothing but the sound of rowboats lapping the waves. It is peaceful, it is still.
Suddenly she’s not lost. She is found. She is free.
Welcome to Annecy
Okay, so if I’m being really honest I went to France with the hope of being swept away by a romantic French boy and living happily forever after, sailing on a white yacht along the Côte d’Azur.
Turns out things didn’t happen that way, but instead my heart was beyond fulfilled with other things.
When you think of France, you tend to think of Paris and whilst Paris is beautiful, there is so much more to France than just Paris. France surprised me and kept me guessing but most of all, it was beautifully picturesque in it’s every facet.
Annecy is no different – it’s absolutely gorgeous and relatively unheard of which means less tourists! Bonus :D
How to get there
If you’re travelling from Paris, getting to Annecy is really easy. There is a direct TVG from Paris to Annecy which takes approximately 4 hours.
I on the other hand came from Cassis, which is a slightly more complicated journey. Even though Cassis is closer to Annecy than Paris (I recommend going by car if you have one, it will save you half the time) there is no direct train, which meant quite a few train transfers:
Cassis to Marseille St Charles
Marseille St Charles to Lyon Part-Dieu
Lyon Part-Dieu to Annecy
I recommend you book via Trainline – it will work out the entire journey under one ticket, plus you can download the app and have everything stored on your phone in one place; super handy when you have multiple tickets from travelling all over Europe/France.
The trip in total took approximately 4.5 hours and cost €51, but the earlier you book in advanced, the cheaper!
Where to stay
I had booked a place on AirBnB for my stay in Annecy which was adequate for one night, but I probably wouldn’t stay there again. My main reason for this was that the apartment was located outside of the old town and even though it was only a 10-15min walk into the old town, it just wasn’t the same. I highly recommend finding a place inside the old town.
WHat to discover
I only spent about a day in Annecy, which was definitely not enough. In any case here are my recommendations:
1. Vieille Ville – Located on the Thiou river, the old town of Annecy is gorgeous with it’s historic medieval architecture, canals and blooming florals. I encourage you to discover every nook and cranny of the little passageways and admire the beautiful architecture – remember to take pics! On Tuesdays, there is a fresh food market adding an extra burst of colour to the streets, along with numerous boulangeries, patisseries and artisan food shops.
2. Palais de l’Île – Possibly the most famous landmark in Annecy, I was so so so sad that it was under construction when I visited. Regardless, you must go and take a photo – this spot is one of the most photographed spots in France. Through its history, the Palais de I’lle has been a palace, prison, warehouse, barracks and today it exists as an exhibition space detailing the history of Annecy’s architecture, so you can have all sorts of fun browsing old courtrooms, dungeons, cells and a chapel.
Under construction :'(
3. Chateau d’Annecy – Due to time constraints, I didn’t get a chance to go inside the castle, but I made my way up to admire the terrace views. If you’re wondering what’s inside, you’ll find a museum depicting the lives of the rulers of Savoy.
4. Lake Annecy – Possibly the most beautiful lake I have seen in my life so far, Lake Annecy has crystal clear waters and is framed by snow capped mountains. Surrounding the lake is a vast expanse of parkland, where you’ll find numerous groups of youths chilling and playing sports by the lake. Next time I plan to ride the little paddle boats across the lake.
5. While you’re strolling around Lake Annecy, make sure to visit the Jardins de l’Europe. During my walk through the gardens, I stumbled across a beautiful building which ended up being a hotel called L’Imperial Palace.
If you’re able to spend more time in Annecy, there are many water sports, lake/canal cruises, hikes in the mountains and a number of other activities to do by the lake.
View of Chateau d’Annecy from the Jardins de l’Europe
6. Eat!! I will continue this in the next section, but there are just so many good thing to try around every corner. Just eat everything.
Where to fill the belly
Lunch – L’auberge du Lyonnais
Overall Rating: ★★★.5
Nice food, absolutely beautiful location, friendly and prompt service – wait staff speak English.
DINNER – L’APPART DU DIX-SEPT
Overall Rating: ★★★★
Nice homely food – desert was particularly delicious! Funky interior with it’s own vibe going on, the restaurant itself is hidden, located up a staircase inside one of the beautiful old town buildings – it was great to be able to go inside of one! Friendly service – wait staff speak English.
SNACKs – Glacier artisanal La Fabbrica di Gelato
Overall Rating: ★★★★
This place instantly stood out for me because of the creative ways in which they sold their gelato. The display was so cute that I couldn’t go past these gelato pops!
Run by two travel and lifestyle bloggers, The Hidden Thimble focus’ on creating truthful and in-depth travel guides, food & beauty reviews. Enjoy drool-worthy photography from around the world!
