Chai Heaven with Rawr Chai tea

As my sister and I are both tea lovers, we were very excited to get our hands on some Rawr chai tea. Handmade in Perth, the Rawr chai tea comprises of a concoction of ceylon tea leaves, chai spices and coconut sugar. It also contains no gluten, dairy and nuts and is 100% honey free. The brewing instructions recommend using soy milk for the best flavour making it vegan friendly as well.

Chai lattes from cafes can be a hit or miss depending on your preferences. They vary from sugary syrup based ones, to mild and milky or strong and spicy. I personally prefer the flavour and strength from chai lattes brewed from tea leaves but also slightly sweetened which I find chai tea lattes generally lack. Following the clear brewing instructions yielded a delicious chai latte with the perfect proportion of chai spice to match the hint of sweetness from the coconut sugar. With my ideal flavour profile, this Rawr Chai will have to be a staple!

Of course I couldn't resist having some fun and 'spiced' up my morning oatmeal by infusing it with the Rawr chai tea before topping it with a sweet, chai spiced poached pear to accompany my freshly brewed chai latte. Chai on chai on chai! I think I'm obsessed with this porridge combo now as its spicy, creamy, sweet flavours complement each other so well.

Oh so creamy chai infused oats, sweet chai spiced poached pear and a freshly brewed chai latte

They also have a new range called Rawr fusion for 'bold, unique latte flavours' which sounds rather enticing. I'm thinking some chai infused baking will have to happen very soon.

So tell me, have you tried Rawr Chai? How do you like your chai lattes? Would you try chai infused oatmeal?

Serena

Wishlist: Pink & Gold Ballerina Edition

One of my favourite Christmas traditions is to watch a ballet in December and this year it was fittingly the Nutcracker. It was such a beautiful performance and a treat to see some of the younger ballerinas dance as this was the first performance I've seen with children characters. The costumes were beautiful with lovely fur coats, beaded dresses and the stunning, sparkly Sugarplum fairy costume. As Christmas draws near, I've compiled some ideas for last minute gifts or your wish list *wink wink* for anyone who loves anything girly, pink, gold or ballet inspired. Tulle skirts are so twirl worthy but can be hard to put an outfit together without looking too over the top ballerina. The rose gold accents add a modern twist to a feminine outfit and ties in my two favourite colours: pink and gold/rose gold!

1. Repetto perfume (eau de toilette) 
From the well known French ballet shoe company, comes this graceful perfume which is the perfect thing to spritz on your way out to the ballet. The floral, woody musky fragrance opens with a sparkling burst of pear, cherry blossom, satin rose, orange blossom with final notes of amber and vanilla in a pretty pink bottle.

2. Kate Spade on pointe ballet slipper pendant
A dainty gold necklace to flaunt your love of the ballet.

3. Luna di seta silk camisole (champagne)
A delicate camisole made from the renowned Italian silk company 'Luna di Seta'. The v-shaped neckline showcases the necklace while the adjustable straps and the feminine cut ensures it will accentuate most figures.

4. Amara knee length tulle skirt
The perfect party skirt that adds a bit of whimsy to your look.

5. Ted Baker: Dian bag
The prettiest pastel pink bag you ever did see! The rose gold miniature bow details and clasp make this the perfect accompaniment for any cream, light coloured outfits. It also comes with an adjustable shoulder strap so you can wear it as a bag or a clutch so it's like two bags in one.

6. Essie polish: Satin Slipper & Essie polish: Lace Me Up
I have always loved the quality and pastel colour selection of Essie polishes so when they released the ballet nudes collection, I just had to include them in this gift guide. Satin slipper is a champagne ivory and Lace Me Up is a light rose pink.

7. Miss Guided gold heels
To complete the modern ballerina look, these satin pointed toe heels in a shimmery gold hue will add a sparkle to your step.

Serena

Dining with the Pair: Vans, Cottesloe

Walk into Vans and you'll see that this is not the usual Napoleon St café.
Fake butterflies hang off wires stretched across the ceiling in an unexpected decor move and the breakfast menu continues this subtle otherworldly vibe.  It has an interesting mix of spicy, sweet and classic brekky dishes with Asian flavours worked in such as mango and coconut chia pudding, son in law eggs and a Indonesian fried egg dish with lap cheong and sambal.



Our food:

Buttermilk pancakes with apple and strawberry compote and whipped maple butter ($19)

The pancakes unfortunately lacked flavour and were drenched in maple syrup. Now I'm not averse to a good drizzle of maple syrup but there was so much syrup that the pancakes had begun to disintegrate in its sogginess. The sweet strawberry purée and honeycomb butter made this a sugar overload even to me and my love of sweets. A small carafe of maple syrup or perhaps some cream instead of the purée would have toned down its sweetness.

Mushrooms on toast with Fremantle life cycle mushrooms, goats curd, 63 degree egg, truffle oil and grilled gluten free sourdough ($24)

The mushroom dish was executed well and had a good combination of textures with the crusty bread. They thoughtfully supplied us with a sharper knife for this dish to cut through the harder sourdough.

Open egg white omelette with stir fried blue swimmer crab, broccolini, pea tendrils, coriander, green chilli nah jim ($26)

The whipped egg white elevated the normally hearty omelette into a very light and fluffy dish. The crab meat portions were generous and well spread so you got a good chunk of juicy crab in each bite. The cilantro, chilli and oil gave off Thai flavours but perhaps a lighter hand on the oil would have made this perfect as it got slightly too greasy near the end.

We didn't take photos of our drinks but the hot chocolate would have been a real winner if only it had been served at a hotter temperature. The milk was not hot enough to melt the dark chocolate and marshmallow leaving a clump of solid chocolate at the bottom. The chai latte was brewed with real chai tea and unlike the majority of tea leaf based lattes it actually had a good balance of mellow sweetness provided by the honey.


Overall
The service although slow was friendly. Not including the pancakes, Vans is worthy of another visit but I'd probably stick with the savoury options.
Dishes for next time: Roast cauliflower and manchego fritters with romesco sauce, soft poached egg, endive and avocado.
Rating: 6/10.

Until next time my fellow foodies,

Serena

Notes

~ Breakfast, lunch and dinner available

~ Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options are available

Vans

Open 7 days a week

1 Napoleon St, Cottesloe

http://www.vanscafe.com.au/#welcome

The 2015 advent calendar list (and ones you can get in Australia)

Hello lovelies,

It is finally December, which means we can finally put those textbooks aside and focus on getting ready for the festive season. A must have item for Christmas is an advent calendar because not only is it a fun way to count down to the big day but who needs an excuse to get a little treat every day? I've compiled my ultimate advent calendar list for everyone who hasn't gotten one yet, it's not too late!

The beauty advent calendars 

These usually are quite rare in Australia but this year I've noticed a lot more beauty calendars popping up in Australian stores though at slightly higher prices.

Benefit Big 12 Party Poppers ($78, valued at $93)

This calendar is the perfect treat for make up lovers, with 12 days of sample sized Benefit products including favourites such as they're real! mascara, lollitint lip and cheek tint and POREfessional pore minimiser. It also plays an original 'Bene-song'  jingle when you open it but beware it is also light sensitive so when you open the curtains in the morning don't get scared when it suddenly starts singing!


Myer beauty box ($160)

I was so excited to see Myer offering this beauty box because I think it's one of the first major Australian department stores to do so. Although, it's on the pricier side it does contain make up and skincare products from brands like YSL, Lancôme, Giorgio Armani and Kiehls as well as a few mini perfume bottles. They only have 2000 of these for the whole of Australia so I would order one as soon as possible.


Loccitane advent calendar ($70)

A more reasonably priced beauty calendar with 17 beauty products, the majority of which are foot/hand creams but also including oils and eau du toilettes. It also has 7 Provençal gifts, which are miscellaneous items like gift tags and stickers. Although I like the price of this calendar, I think I would have preferred it to contain all Loccitane products instead of the little crafty bits and pieces.


Body shop advent calendar (Standard: $129, Deluxe: $199)

Deluxe version

There are two versions of this calendar: standard or deluxe. The difference between the standard (green) and the deluxe (red) version is mainly that the deluxe calendar is much bigger in size because it contains more larger/full sized products and a few more make up products instead of skincare. The green one seems to be selling out very quickly probably because of the cheaper price. I recommend looking at the contents list on the body shop website if you don't mind the spoilers as the calendars do contain different products from each other.


12 days of Lush ($99.95)

Completely vegan with a decent haul of bath bombs, body lotions and bubble bars in popular festive scents plus two exclusive Oxford St shower creams, this is the perfect way to make the lead up to Christmas more relaxing.

Charlotte Tilbury Book of Magic

With a mix of 12 sample and full sized beauty products and featuring the new Magic Night Cream, exclusive to the advent calendar, this one is a firm favourite with make up gurus.

Adore beauty advent calendar ($199, valued at $369)

This calendar has 24 deluxe mini products from a variety of popular brands such as Benefit, Essie, Lancôme, La Roche-Posay, philosophy, SK-II and St Tropez. It's similar to the Myer Beauty box but has more types of products (nail polish, primers, moisturisers, body oils...). Note: there's free shipping to Australia :)

Chocolate advent calendars

Moo free advent calendar (Prices online are quite expensive but I got mine from Target for only $5, what a bargain!)

Organic, dairy free, gluten free, soya free and vegan. What I love about this calendar is that it contains tasty dark chocolate and doesn't give me that intense sugar rush I get after eating the chocolates from those generic grocery store advent calendars.


Lindt advent calendar ($25)
Contains classic Lindt milk and dark chocolate truffles. I cannot find an image on the Internet of this but it's white and gold and I've seen these in David Jones and Myers.


Hotel Chocolat- Advent Calendar for Two

I absolutely love this calendar because behind each window is two baby truffles so both you and a friend get a fancy chocolate at the same time. Each truffle is uniquely flavoured including Pecan Gingerbread, Cinnamon Praline and Salted Caramel Cream. They also have normal advent calendars which comes in white, milk or dark chocolate which is perfect for those with a preference to a certain type, which can be harder to find in the grocery store.

I hope this helps you score some last minute advent calendars especially to my fellow Australians where it requires some research. The calendars I've listed are still available as I'm writing this but as expected they are are disappearing off the shelves fast so go, go, go! Are there any that I'm missing from this list? If so please spread the Christmas cheer by mentioning it in the comments section below ;)

Serena

Dining with the Pair: Sugar and Nice, Inglewood

Sugar and nice is a sugar lover's paradise. If you're needing a bit of a sugar kick, this bakery has got lots of baked goodies and an interesting selection of vintage trinkets to peruse in while your food is getting ready. Glass jars filled with childhood favourites like fruit loops and sherbet cones mixed with the accompanying scent of sugar in the air were enough to get me feeling like a kid in a candy store. So when I saw the crowded counter topped with cupcakes, cookies and brownies (oh my!),  my excitement level had peaked. Despite the small seating area, we managed to get a table straight away, giving me some time to snap some photos and deliberate some more over what I should try from the cabinet next time. Apologies for the lower quality photos, the place was quite dimly lit and it was getting dark outside but hopefully you get the idea :)

Our drinks:

Chai latte

Milky and topped with cinnamon sugar (how could they not?). The chai flavour could've been a bit stronger as after eating all our sweet treats I needed something to balance out the sweetness. Intrigued by the pretty pink liquid, Sara ordered the rose lemonade (on the drink shelf in the first photo) and although I'm personally not a fan of carbonated drinks I did try a few sips. The rose flavour was strong and I can imagine this would make the perfect summer picnic drink. While we were trying our drinks, the man on the table next to us asked if he could use our sugar pot for his coffee so perhaps there needs to be some sugar packets or pots available on every table?

Our food:

Cookie dough cronut

Coated in a icing glaze, white chocolate drizzle, a sphere of egg free cookie dough then finished with a sprinkle of crunchy granulated sugar on top; this cronut was definitely more exciting then the usual filled ones. The inside revealed lots of golden flaky layers and a surprise lighter cookie dough flavoured mousse which helped to emphasise the flavour in every bite. There were lots of different components but they all worked together without being overwhelmingly sweet.

Raspberry and white chocolate blondie

A good sized slab of buttery, crumbly goodness with bursts of chewy dried cranberries and a slight saltiness from the pistachios, this was a blondie done right. Blondies tend to err on the too sweet side since they are made from white chocolate especially when there's dried fruit involved but this blondie had a great balance between salty and sweet.

Overall

A great tea time place with a large selection of tempting treats. My only suggestion would be to have a drink menu on display so people are aware of prices and what's on offer before they reach the counter. Also a glass of water would have been nice to accompany the food just to wash down the sweetness a bit. Other than that this place is worth a visit to try their creative cronut flavours, I guarantee your sweet tooth craving will most definitely be satisfied!

Dishes for the next visit: Mac and cheese (my all time favourite!),  the cookies and cream slice and the milo and fruit loops cronut 

Notes

~ Small breakfast/brunch/dessert options but mostly cabinet food

~ Vegan, nut and dairy free options available

Serena

Sugar and Nice

Monday - Friday (7am - 5pm)

Sunday (8am - 5pm)

882 Beaufort St, Inglewood

https://www.facebook.com/sugarandnice882

Dining with the Pair: Pixel Coffee Brewers

There's something magical about going out early in the morning when the city is not yet awake and everything is so peacefully quiet that even a casual breakfast becomes an exciting adventure, a reward for dragging yourself out of bed. Today, this reward came in the form of Pixel Coffee Brewers.

Arriving in Leederville just a few minutes past 7, the usual hustle and bustle of the brunch food strip was absent and everything was dark apart from an inviting glow coming out from a tiny little store with mismatching blankets and little succulents out front. Walking into Pixel, you instantly feel a little at home with it's grand total of four tables and a counter, fresh flowers on every table and quirky mermaid prints on the walls. Even though the area was so small, it's not claustrophobic as the white walls and long wooden tabletops do well to open up the space. I was surprised to see people already ordering coffee and food from the cabinet but with just the right amount of quiet chatter, no noisy coffee machines and the smell of food cooking; I can see why this cosy café makes the ideal early morning hang out.

Menu

The menu is just as minamilist as the decor with only seven dishes on the breakfast menu however I still had trouble deciding on just one. I was a bit sad that the pix plate was off the menu.



Our drinks:

Chai latte

Not very sweet and topped with a thick layer of glossy foam (as in one quarter of the drink was foam!) and my favourite crusty cinnamon sugar top. It had a good amount of spice and tasted more authentic then those chai lattes made from pre-made powder mixes and syrups favoured by most franchises. Something I liked was that it was served at a good warm temperature since I always am too eager to try my drink and end up with a burnt mouth.

Queen Rose: A blend of organic Fujian (China) white peony and rose petals ($5.60)

A light colour with the most delicate, floral perfume, this tea tasted just as dainty as the smell. The tea leaves come in a porcelain strainer and you can ask for more hot water for free top ups, which is good value for your money.

Flat white ($4.00)

I don't drink coffee but it certainly looked beautiful in the pale blue crockery.  D ended up ordering a second cup of coffee in a different blend to have with the cake and said that it was just as good as Typika.

Our food:

Pumpkin plate: Wood fired organic sourdough, roast pumpkin, two poached eggs, herbed cream cheese, maple almonds and herb salad. *grain or rye available ($17.50)

I tend to choose the sweeter breakfast options but today I felt like a savoury egg dish. The poached eggs were slightly firmer than expected but thankfully still had a runny yolk. The pumpkin was quite hard making it tough to cut through but tasted nice with the soft cheese and crunchy nuts and seeds scattered around the plate. The herbs were fresh and helped to lighten the dish despite it's hearty elements. Maybe I was a bit more hungry than usual but I felt like it could've done with another slice of bread especially as the slices were on the smaller side and there was enough toppings to eat with it.

Stormy mushrooms: Soft polenta, two poached eggs, mushrooms, parmesan and kale chips ($20.90)

As suggested in the name, this is an ideal winter dish with the rich yolks from the egg mixing with all the crispy crunchy elements served on a bed of smooth polenta. It looked delicious and stands out against the usual mushies dish served with poached eggs, tomatoes and toast.

5 grain porridge: Quinoa, brown rice, millet, buckwheat, amaranth puffs, pistachio, maple, blackberry poached pear and flowers *gluten and dairy free ($13.90)

Sara ordered the porridge, which is totally out of character since she is firmly against ordering porridge and museli out (unlike me who loves a good café porridge). Luckily for her, she was very pleased with her choice and found it just as filling as a traditional hot breakfast although she thought the pear was a bit too hard. I also had a taste and loved the natural sweetness and nutty, oaty blend of grains used.

I know you're thinking, 'Cake for breakfast? Really?' but once you've scrolled through pages of photos of their made in house, beautiful whole cakes topped with flowers, meringues, fresh fruit and dripping with icing on their instagram page; we could not walk out of Pixel without trying some. Since we were there so early, there was only two half cakes on offer: lemon raspberry cake and hummingbird cake.

Hummingbird cake

A thick slab of carrot slice with a nice layer of cream cheese frosting which was so moist that it didn't become a crumbly mess when you cut a piece. Mixed into the cake were pecans for an added crunch, pineapple, carrot and then it was topped with freeze dried raspberries for a slight tang and the obligatory flowers. I was very impressed with the serving size and taste of this cake.

Raspberry, pistachio and rose water slice

Totally instagram worthy with its pretty pastel layers, this slice was definitely the best looking thing on display this morning. Served cold, the flavours were subtle with an almost icey texture and would make a great treat in summer. Like most raw treats, it wasn't too sweet. I personally preferred the hummingbird cake better but Sara loved this slice particularly the base.

Overall

It was easy to see the thought that went into the presentation with a simple bowl of porridge jazzed up with a sprinkle of seeds and colourful flowers. Even though we walked in almost right on opening time, the staff were friendly and prompt; bringing us menus straight away and showing us to our seats. They were also well informed on the taste of the different coffee blends and gave us helpful suggestions on which foods to try from the cabinet. Thanks for a great start to the morning Pixel!

Dishes for the next visit: Stormy mushrooms, acai bowl and more cake (hopefully the vanilla and rose cake)

Rating: 8.7 stars out of 10

Notes

~ Limited seating (4 inside tables, bar counter and outside seating)

~ Orders are taken for and paid for at the counter

~ Breakfast is served daily until 2:00pm

~ Vegetarian and gluten free options are available

~ No bookings

Serena

Pixel Coffee Brewers

Monday - Saturday (7am - 3pm)

Sunday (8am - 3pm)

2/226 Oxford St, Leederville

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pixel-Coffee-Brewers/796134963789800?sk=timeline

Dining with the Pair: Sapore Espresso Bar

Red velvet pancakes? Gourmet thick shakes? Yes, please.

Sapore Espresso Bar is a trendy cafe located opposite the Belmont Forum Shopping Centre on Belmont Avenue. They incorportate seasonal local ingredients in their dishes and make their own baked goods, sauces and sides including baked beans and granola. Their dedication to making good tasting food and gorgeous pictures of their pancakes, it made it onto our must-try brunch places list.

Arriving just before lunch time, it was pretty quiet so we chose a cosy table in the corner. The breakfast menu is two pages long and full of interesting sounding dishes so we were spoilt for choice.


Our drinks:

Choc-peanut butter shake ($8.50)

I ordered the choc-peanut butter shake which was served in a glass mason jar with luscious swirls of chocolate sauce on the side of the glass, a mountain of whipped cream, vanilla ice-cream and topped with chocolate coated peanuts. Even though drinking out of mason jars seems like a trend of the past, it was perfect for appreciating the layered elements of the drink. With a light chocolate flavour and a hint of salty peanut butter, it tastes like a more creamy and less artificially sweet tasting reese's peanut butter cup.

Choc-peanut butter shake (left) and caramel popcorn shake (right) for $8.50 each

Sara had the salted caramel popcorn shake which was also topped with ice-cream and cream but with caramel popcorn instead of the peanuts. The flavour wasn't as strong as the chocolate peanut butter one and tasted like a slightly buttery version of salted caramel. The popcorn topping was crisp and tasty unlike the popcorn you can get at the supermarket that is thickly coated with too sweet caramel, which would go all soggy when used as a decoration. Both drinks were thick and creamy, not too sweet and well worth the price.


Our food:

Red velvet pancakes ($18.90) 

~ with cream cheese ganache, berry compote and vanilla ice-cream

These pancakes are the ultimate birthday pancakes. They're more of a dessert but included on the breakfast menu so as we both have a love for all things sweet, it didn't take any convincing to order this. It is on the breakfast menu 

The pancakes were thick without being dry and dense with a slight cocoa flavour. Overall the pancakes weren't that sweet so the ice cream added that note of sweetness which complemented the slightly sour berry coulis and delicious cream cheese ganache. I could not get enough of the cream cheese ganache! I just need a jar of that goodness and I'm set for life. The picture of utter decadence and beautifully presented, it tasted just as good as it looked and I highly recommend you giving it a try.

Red velvet pancakes (front)

Corn fritters with tomato avocado salsa and two poached eggs ($17.50)

A staple at many cafes, the humble corn fritters dish is not always done well. Thankfully, that was not the case today. Three well sized corn fritters that were packed with corn and not at all too doughy (a tragedy that occurs at many cafes) were also perfectly seasoned. You know it's a good dish when you can eat individual elements and it still tastes delicious. The fritters tasted even better paired with the fresh salsa and the smooth yolk that ran out from the poached eggs. Another stunning dish.

Overall

The service was friendly and efficient, the atmosphere comfortable and spacious and the food generously portioned and stunning. Like true food lovers, we finished everything we ordered. Altogether, this led to a satisfying brunch that left me well stuffed and put me in a good mood for the rest of the day. I'm already planning another visit to try those truffle scrambled eggs and the breakfast board that I had my eye on today.

Notes

~ Orders are taken for and paid for at the counter

~ Breakfast is served daily until 2:00pm, lunch is served daily from 12:00-2pm

~ Vegetarian and gluten free options are available

~ Toilets are available inside the cafe and are clean and well equipped

~ Free wifi inside :)

Serena

Sapore Espresso Bar

Open 7 days a week

4/275 Belmont Avenue (corner Fulham Street), Belmont

http://saporeespressobar.com.au