Renovated and refurbished, The Pool Cafe is back with a stunning new look, feel and menu. Opened May 2015 – that’s right so if you see bad reviews online that is pre ‘awesome reopen,’ – the pool cafe serves it’s guests an all day breakfast! Need I say more?
If that isn’t enough they also have an extensive lunch menu, serve quality and healthy food and drinks (without compromising on the taste might I add), all the while providing guests the ultimate ‘breakkie by the beach’ experience, with stunning views of the Maroubra rock pools.
Setting and Atmosphere
Rating: ★★★★★
I have to say that this cafe has been one of my favourite cafes to shoot and eat at – it is beautiful inside and out. The interiors are reminiscent of a ‘beach shabby shack’ vibe with modern finishings that are accented with a brilliant baby blue. Add this to the beautiful blue water view and you can’t help but want to sit and eat here all day. The view is gorgeous, the food is gorgeous and it’s not too noisy or crowded. A perfect cafe to go to if you’re looking for a quiet, relaxing, summers day.
The food here I guess best reflects a modern Aussie breakfast, with bits from around the world thrown in. Naturally it all together equals tasty so that’s all that matters. My dukkah toast was delicious with my baked eggs and gave the dish that extra oomph needed to class this baked eggs dish over others I’ve tasted. The avocado stack with poached egg, seems to be a well-earned crowd favourite, and it’s no wonder with all elements combining delightfully on the palate.
The only disappointment of the meal was the berry smoothie (the mango one was delicious!) it was just a bit on the bitter side – possibly because frozen berries were used – but a dollap of honey should fix that right up – so make sure to request it!
Service
Rating: ★★★★★
Although the place was busy, service was fast and pleasant! No complaints.
Pricing and Value for Money
Rating: ★★★★.5
Great value for money. Not too expensive. Delicious meals with good portion sizes.
Co-ord: Calla Collections Macquarie Centre | Shoes: Forever21 | Bracelets: Korea | Rings: ASOS
Beach Time!
Ahhh!! I can’t contain my excitement these days. The weather is actually warm which naturally means…BEACH TIME!! I. love. the. beach. For this shoot we spent the day in Maroubra by the pools/baths and the rocks – it truly is a beautiful summer location.
I’ve been patiently waiting for a co-ord I actually like to come along and finally I found one! It’s not too flashy and just what I like, very simple but with unique detailing. For me, clothing is all about the small unique details. I absolutely love the white embroidery featured on the outfit as well as the white lace trimming. It’s the little things!
The best thing about summer fashion is how effortless it is – you don’t need to add 1001 layers to ensure you stay warm. Coordi’s make it this even easier – no more wondering what to pair your bottoms with.
Brunch. This trendy meal of the day has Sydney-siders constantly talking about the most vogue places to get your weekly dose. And well, they may be right, Foodcraft Espresso, Three Williams and Brewtown Newtown are brilliant! But I may have found a hidden gem in my neighbourhood that could trump the competition!
Welcome to the little corner cafe that is Gertrude & Petunias.
Setting and Atmosphere
Rating: ★★★★
Let your inner Marie Antoinette run free in this Rococo Haute Couture x Victorian Tea House cafe. Think intricate detail, elegance and glamour. Every aspect of this cafe adheres to the theme and you can’t help but feel a little upper class when you step inside.
Don’t be fooled by appearances though, the food is classic with a modern influence and the crowd a mixed bag of delightful elderly couples (sure to cheer up any day ;) ) to modern day hipsters (yes this also includes groups of skinny jeaned guys – you never would have guessed!)
Overall the cafe is small, cosy but not too overcrowded and most importantly, filled with a good bunch of people – the kind that aren’t too loud to ruin the experience.
Food
Rating: ★★★★★
I can’t fault the food I’ve had here. I’ve been on numerous occasions and every time, everything I have is absolutely delicious. Basically it’s good food with great flavour combinations. Browsing the menu, you’ll fall in love. Everything sounds divine.
My Recommended Dish To Try: Corn Cake Stack
Corn Cake Stack: Bacon, Avocado and Tomato Salad, Poached Egg and Maple Syrup || $16
I can’t even begin to describe how perfect this dish is with its winner ingredient tying everything so perfectly together – maple syrup. Yes, avocado, bacon, tomato and corn stack explode with flavour once maple syrup is added. Don’t knock it til you try it. Think chicken waffles vibe, but healthy…er.
Strawberry French Toast with Ricotta and Honey || $14Egg Breakfast: Poached Egg, Avocado, Tomato and Ricotta served with Toast || $12
A standard breakfast. Great price.
Pulled Beef Pie: House made || $8
Flakey Pastry, home made and well-seasoned filling. What more could you want from a pie?
Mocha: $4.20
Served in a gigantic tea cup, this mocha will satisfy your cravings. Not being a coffee fan myself, Gertrude and Petunia’s mocha has the perfect balance of chocolate and coffee. Rich and decadent.
Service
Rating: ★★★★
Fast, easy service. Gertrude and Petunia’s it was a pleasure!
Pricing and Value for Money
Rating: ★★★★
Compared to most brunch menus, Gertrude and Petunia’s is really reasonable with most dishes setting you back around $12. The portion size fills you up and the food is excellent quality.
Jacket: No brand from Japan | Cardigan: Hollister | Crop Top: Forever 21 | Pants: Forever 21 | Shoes: Randa (Japan)
Ahhhh oh my gosh! I almost can’t contain my excitement for Spring!
I absolutely love this look – it’s super girly and colourful and I get to have a sneak peak of florals announcing “spring is here!” Yes!! Spring is finally here!!
Unfortunately though, it’s still a little chilli and the transition seasons are always hard to get the balance between keeping warm and keeping cool just right. Especially since Australian weather at this time varies drastically throughout the day – the mornings are winter freezing and the day heats up to almost summer temperatures.
So what do you do? You layer! Layering is probably my favourite thing to do with my outfits because it always ends up looking stylish. Plus an added bonus – you can always take the layers off as the day heats up!
Nestled in the bustlingly chic Westfield CBD, is The Tea Salon best described as a shoppers whimsical haven after a morning of intense retail therapy with the best friend.
Through August, The Tea Salon is to be hosting the Katherine Sabbath High Tea, deemed the most Instagrammable High Tea to come to Sydney. With imagery like this in it’s advertisements, we were nothing short of excited to sink our teeth into it:
All girls know that conversations over food naturally progress to updates on all things awkward in ones life, particularly those concerning men. “So how’s things going with that guy you’ve been seeing?” your friend asks, leaning closer. “Finally” you think to yourself, the question you’ve been dying to have her ask all day – you need someone to talk to.
You explain that while this guy seemed great at first, and is still really nice…it’s just not working, and now you have to awkwardly tell him.
It’s unfortunate to say this, but our experience with the Katherine Sabbath High Tea was like an awkward “friend-zone” conversation.
Setting and Atmosphere
Rating: ★★★
Just like when considering a potential partner, we’ll start off with assessing the looks. Now, The Tea Salon isn’t as immaculate as other High Tea places I’ve been to with the pretty gardens or antique buildings nor is it as quiet and tranquil (?). However, considering it’s located in the middle of a major shopping centre, it does it’s best with what it can and cleans up well, looking quite cute. The crockery is on point being exceptionally pretty and it also matches one other delightfully.
Overall The Tea Salon is no Johnny Depp (or insert preferred hot guy here). But often the looks aren’t the only thing that matters and to be honest we were quite happy to continue our date with the Tea Salon at this point.
Food
Rating: ★★.5
Unfortunately the food is where everything went downhill. Layer by layer as we got deeper into the date things got worse, almost to the point of no return. Let’s weigh out the positives and negatives. Things started off great and the highlight of the food was definitely the savoury options, the scones were delish, as were the pinwheel sandwiches and the savoury tartlets were divine.
From Left to Right: Rosemary, Leek and Parmesan | Lemon, Pistachio and CurrentPinwheel Sandwiches: Smoked Salmon, Rocket, Lemon and Capers | Cucumber and Dill Butter. Savoury Tartlets: Beetroot, Goats Cheese and Caramelised Onion Jam | Pumpkin Feta and Pesto
BUT this was the Katherine Sabbath High Tea and the sweets were suppose to be the highlight. The advertisements for the sweets deemed that the Katherine Sabbath High Tea was to be the most “Instagrammable High Tea” and it looked amazing in the advertisements. We couldn’t wait to sink our teeth in (after taking photos of course).
After devouring the savoury layers and pleasantly happy w so far, we moved on to the last layer of the high tea – the Katherine Sabbath sweets. Unfortunately our high hopes were crushed and the sweets were the lowlight.
Rose and Pistachio Pannacotta with Persian Fairy Floss | Lemon & Raspberry Zig-Zag Gumball Donut | Chocolate Brownie Koala Donut | Banana Cupcake with fresh Raspberry Cream Dark Chocolate & Orange Fudge Tart with Salty Toffee Shards
The Rose & Pistachio Pannacotta with Persian Fairy Floss, was probably the best of the sweets, albeit too overpoweringly sweet that it made it difficult to finish the tiny portion of it. The Chocolate Brownie Koala Donut tasted dry and cold but worst of all was the Lemon & Raspberry Zig-Zag Gumball Donut which was cold, doughy and flavourless. I didn’t even know that it was Lemon and Raspberry flavoured until I read the menu for this write up!
The gumball center of the donut was also a poor choice. Besides the fact that at the time, Siree and I thought the gumball was a jawbreaker because it was too hard for us to bite, you don’t really want to be chewing on gum during your high tea experience. Especially if you’re sampling a little bit of everything, you don’t want to have to discard an old piece of chewed up bubble gum on the side of your otherwise elegant plate. I think it would have been smarter if the gum ball was changed to a truffle type, jaffa coated chocolate.
It is unfortunate to say that it was at this point that I knew the Katherine Sabbath high tea was friend-zoned. Gone was the excitement I felt upon looking forward to the most “Instagrammable High Tea” and gone was the addictive need to taste the rest of the food in front of me, that I had felt with the savoury elements.
Service
Rating: ★★★
Good service and friendly staff. They kind of stay out of your way, which is something I prefer. It would have been nice if the waitress told us what each of the sweets were upon service – we found ourselves asking a lot of ‘what’s this?’ questions.
Pricing and Value for Money
Rating: ★★★
Pretty good value for a high tea at $43, usually most are 50+, however overall I was a bit disappointed because I expected more of the Katherine Sabbath High Tea.
The Details
Where: Westfield Sydney Level 4 (Designer Gallery), Cnr Pitt Street Mall and Market Street, Sydney NSW 2000
If there is anything I find myself slightly obsessing over these days it’s lipsticks. I don’t know if it’s a coming of age thing now that I’m past my mid twenties but seriously, give me them all. I have no time for sticky glosses, only a one time intense affair with colour, thank you.
Whilst I feel like a complete poser in the above pout shots, it’s really all for your benefit. Behind the above illusion are naturally thin lips and no one wants to see that in a lipstick review. Just be thankful I didn’t go all Kylie Jenner on you. Besides dear readers, I’m wearing lipstick, let me flaunt it!
Colour: ✩✩✩✩
Intense colour that lasts. A good matte finish but not as good as my MAC Ruby Woo.
Texture: ✩✩✩
Love the light velvety feel of this formula, it’s a pleasure to wear and glides on with ease. My lips feel soft and moisturised, which is refreshing for a matte lipstick.
Unfortunately, this formula is unforgiving if your lips are not perfectly smooth, tending to gather in cracks or dry skin and accentuating them. This formula lacks the coverage that some other lipsticks provide.
Packaging: ✩✩✩
I think the packaging is really cute and funky, and definitely suits a younger vibe well. Whilst I prefer to carry a more elegant looking lipstick on my nights out, there is a nice, casual, everyday feel about this packaging.
My bag tends to be a permanent home for my favourite lipsticks and they are often mistreated in and abouts the other items thrown into my bag. It really is a game of survival for my lipsticks and I typically prefer a magnetic cap (not a feature of 3CE lip crayons) to ensure the lids don’t fall off.
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