Fine Dining Restaurants: Nel.

Hello!

Hope you're all going well.

This week, we're getting back to fine dining restaurant reviews!  Tara & I skipped one last year, so we did 2 really close together to catch up.

In today's blog, we visit Nel. Restaurant, in Sydney's CBD.

Tara popped up to Sydney one weekend in March & we took the opportunity to get my (belated) birthday dinner in.

I think the thing that I love the most about Nel. is that they have a menu that changes regularly throughout the year.  It not only keeps the environment relaxed & lovely, but also makes you want to keep going back for more!

You can check out their current menu here - at the time of writing, they are on their 'Once Upon a Time' Disney inspired menu!

We were treated to their Australian inspired menu, which we matched with wines (we did a weird thing where we shared one matching wines... because my body is doing something weird with some wines & I didn't want to risk a migraine... anyway).

Here is the delightful menu that we enjoyed.

We started out with a cocktail...

Then got stuck into the selection of appetisers...

Beetroot nest, whiting schnitzel 

Fine dining Bunnings sausage 

Tin can bread

We then got stuck into the main event...

Avocado on toast 

Skippy kangaroo 

Fire spiced kingfish 

Mary had a little lamb

Dessert then rounded out the evening beautifully...

 Fairy bread

Lamington 

Tim Tams (with birthday sparkler)

So what did we think?

I really loved it!  Incredible food & wine aside, the atmosphere & the service was just perfect.  Even though it is a fine dining restaurant, it just felt so relaxed & lovely.  Our server was really chill about the fact we wanted to share the matching wines (lol) & was really knowledgeable & passionate about the menu.  It really was just a delightful experience.

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Fine Dining Restaurant Mini Review:

Was it worth the money ($118pp for the degustation, plus matching wines): yes!

Did I love every dish: I did!

Favourite dish: Way too hard to choose... Maybe the kingfish actually, but all of them were incredible

Matching wines: Would recommend.

Anything I didn't like: Nope - loved it all

Would I go again: Yes!  This is actually one of those I see myself visiting multiple times, spurred on by the themed menus.
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See you next week for Eureka 89!
Hx

Wedding Wednesdays: The 2 - 1 Month Checklist.

Hi!

Here we go with another wedding checklist.

I am 2 months out from my own wedding right now - we are really getting down to the pointy end of the planning now :).  There are quite a lot of little things to be done!

1. Make sure you have applied for your marriage license

Number 1 priority for sure!  Our celebrant is doing this for us - just make sure it is more than 30 days out (Australian requirement).

2. Touch base with your vendors

Check in with all confirmed suppliers, just to make sure they are still good to go!

3. Print programs, menu cards and other stationary

Now is the time to print all required stationary for the day.  I actually printed only invitations & am foregoing all other printing, because it is a cost that adds up & ultimately ends up in the bin.  If you really want to print everything, then go for it - if not, pop all of your details on your wedding website, or consider using chalk boards to let your guests know what is happening.

4. Have your final gown fitting

I would do this about 6 weeks out - close enough to the day that you likely won't change shape too much, but far enough out that there is time to alter if required.  When you go to the fitting, take your shoes & accessories with you so you can see the full final look.

5. Create playlist/plan songs for the day

If you have a DJ or a wedding band for the reception, you don't have to worry a whole lot about this.  But don't forget to think about the music situation for the following times:

• Processional (walking down the aisle)
• Any music before or during the ceremony
• Music for during the signing of the certificate
• Recessional (back up the aisle)
• Cocktail hour
• The first dance song
• Dinner music
• Any specific songs you want to be played

6. Finalise the run sheet

Lock in exactly what will happen on the day & when.  On top of that, tell your guests!  I am posting my runsheet on my wedding website for all guests to read - guests hate it when they don't know what should be happening & when etc.  A whole post coming on this soon - wedding runsheets.

7. Finalise numbers for the caterer

Find out from your venue/caterer exactly when the cut off is for final numbers & let them know on time.  Your RSVP due date for guests should be 2 or so weeks before this date, so you have time to chase any stragglers.

8. Choose gifts for your bridal party etc.

Gifts for your wedding party aren't super necessary, but I think it is nice to thank them for the time, energy & money they have poured into helping you get to your wedding day.  Don't go something generic - these people are your nearest & dearest so actually think about it & give them something meaningful.

9. Hen/Buck parties

You shouldn't have to do anything for these other than show up!  Definitely discuss dates with your wedding party before plans get under way.  I would recommend doing this a few weeks out from the wedding if possible (although my hen night is 2 weeks out because my maid of honour's schedule).

10. Book beauty needs - hair cuts, mani-pedi etc.

Think ahead of time about all of the extra things you might want in time for your wedding day.  Are you spray tanning?  Are you whiting your teeth?  Do you want a manicure & pedicure, or perhaps a facial?  When did you last cut your hair?

I booked my haircuts for the first half of this year in December, in preparation for wedding - my final haircut is 2 weeks out from the day.  I have a mani booked along a couple of days out from the wedding.  I am going this close to my wedding day because I am a disaster when it comes to keeping my nails looking good!

11. Wedding rehearsal arrangements

If you are planning a rehearsal dinner, get these plans locked in.  I don't think it is really expected anymore to essentially host another event for everyone before the wedding itself (& even if it was, it is such a huge additional expense that isn't that necessary!).  I would, however, recommend at least having a catch up with everyone who is playing a part on the day to make sure they know when they need to be wear, what order to walk down the aisle, what song to play when etc. to ensure the day runs really smoothly.

12. Break in wedding shoes

There would be nothing worse than getting blisters on your wedding day!  Be sure to walk around the house or office or wherever wearing your shoes in so they are super comfy ahead of wearing them at the wedding.

13. Ensure you have accessories, underwear, tie, handbag etc.

Make a list of everything you need/want to wear & make sure you have it all - all jewellery, shoes, underwear/lingerie, handbag, tie, shawl/gloves.  Pack it all together so you know it is ready to go.

Once all of these things are done, there isn't much left!  That way, your last month leading up to your big day should be relatively stress free.

Here you go for pinning - contact for PDF.
Hx

Mega Meal Prep: Moroccan Spice Chickpea Bowls

Hello!  Welcome to the last mega meal prep blog in the series.

I am finishing up on a really flexible, really delicious (if not really spicy) dish, that can be served any number of ways.

For this one, we simply prepped the chickpea section as per the below instructions & then did everything else to order.  You can serve anything with it at all, but we have suggested one really yummy option for you here.

Enjoy!

Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Bowl | Serves 12

Ingredients to meal prep ahead of time:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 brown onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp chilli powder
2 tsp tumeric
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp sea salt
Cinnamon & cayenne pepper to taste
4 cans chickpeas
4 cans fire roasted diced tomatoes

Ingredients to serve later:
Cucumbers
Couscous
Mint, parsley, coriander
Yoghurt or hummus
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Toasted pita wedges

Method:
Step one: heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
Step two: add the onion; sauté until soft.
Step three: add the garlic, spices, salt, and chickpeas – stir until very fragrant, then add the tomatoes (undrained) and simmer for 20 minutes
Step four: cool before portioning & freeze

With the above ingredients, you would then need to cook the couscous, chop the cucumbers & herbs before arranging all of the ingredients in a bowl to eat.

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That's it!

Another meal prepping series over.  We are anticipating August for the next big cook so watch this space.

Also check out our NEW meal prepping venture - Shitload of Food.

With so many people asking us to help them do what we do, we thought the best way to do that would be to start a little business - so definitely keep your eye out for that as we start to roll that out.

In the meantime, you can follow us on socials to keep updated!
Facebook @shitloadoffood
Insta @shitloadof_food
Twitter @shitloadofood
Pintrest

See you soon!
Hx

Mega Meal Prep: Chicken Spring Rolls

Hellooo!

I hope you all had a great week.

We're getting close to the end of the recipes for this meal prep series!  Today, we tackle how to make your own spring rolls.

We opted to make quite large chicken spring rolls this time, which are perfect as a lunch, but you can go for any filling & size you like when you make these.

This is definitely one to get creative with your fillings - there are so many great spring rolls recipes out there.

Chicken Spring Rolls | Makes 24

Ingredients
2 tbsp. crushed garlic
4 tsp. minced fresh ginger
2 tsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. olive oil
1kg chicken mince
2 cup finely shredded green cabbage
4 spring onions
2 cups enoki mushrooms
4 tbsp. hoisin sauce
24 square spring roll wrappers

Method

Step one: put the garlic & ginger in the sesame & olive oils in large fry pan & cook over set a medium ­low heat.
Step two: add the chicken mince to the pan & fully cook. Add the mushrooms to the pan & cook until just wilted.
Step three: remove the pan from the heat & drain out any liquid. Stir in the green cabbage, spring onions & hoisin sauce until thoroughly combined. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl & let it cool.
Step four: this is where we assemble the spring rolls!  We found it easiest to take one spring roll pastry sheet at a time, keeping the others under a damp tea towel to stop them drying out.
Place 3 to 4 tablespoons of the chicken mixture in the centre of the pastry. Fold the 2 opposite corners into the middle, then roll the wrapper around the mixture.. Wet the last corner before finishing the roll, so the corner seals the spring roll shut.
Step five: freeze the spring rolls at this stage & then cook (either in an oven or deep fryer) when you are ready to eat them!

If you're like me, a visual of what you are supposed to do is sometimes helpful - writing the assembly of these spring rolls was hard!  We tackled video for the first time with this one - hopefully this helps!

Little pro tip: we actually weighed our spring rolls out, so they were all the same size.  Obviously, not required, but super helpful when portioning out meals.  For guidance, ours were 65 - 75g each.

How do we feel about video instructions? :)

See you next week!
Hx

Mega Meal Prep: Apple Pie Bites

Hellooo!

We're taking a break from the huge dinner recipes for a little dessert we have made a couple of times now - apple pie bites.

So simple & so delicious!

Apple pie bites

¼ cup packed light brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg
3 tbsp butter
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored & sliced into 8
4 sheets frozen puff pastry

Method

Step one: in a small bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon & nutmeg. Set aside.
Step two: melt butter and toss apple slices in butter.  Set aside.
Step three: cut your puff pastry sheets into 4 pieces (I recommend doing this one at a time)
Step four: put a teaspoon of the sugar mixture onto each puff pastry square.
Step five: place 1 apple slice on the sugar & fold into a triangle
Step six: freeze at this stage, or bake for 10 - 12 minutes until golden brown to enjoy immediately.

Such an easy, delightful snack, or dessert!
Hx

Mega Meal Prep: Mongolian Beef

Hellooo!

Today we turn our attention to a new recipe - Mongolian Beef.

For this one, we made the decision to try out the fast slow cooker, made by Breville.  I do not regret this decision!  Gorgeous, tender beef in a delicious sauce, in under 1 hour - yes please!

I don't appear to have a photo of this dish, so here's a picture of our meal prep at the end haha.

We might be getting better at documenting our cooking, but we are still not 100%!

Mongolian Beef | serves 12

Ingredients
2kg flank steak
¾ cup corn starch
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tsp crushed garlic
2 cups soy sauce
2 cups water
2 cups brown sugar
3 cup grated carrots

Method
Step one: cut flank steak into thin strips. Coat steak in corn starch.
Step two: add olive oil, minced garlic, soy sauce, water, brown sugar & carrots to slow cooker. Stir ingredients. Add coated flank steak & stir again until coated in the sauce.
Step three: cook for high 2-3 hours or on low 4-5 hours until beef is tender.

This recipe is for a slow cooker; if you want to give the fast slow cooker a try, follow the same steps as above, but put the ingredients in the fast slow cooker & set to the correct setting as per the instructions.  The cycle goes for about 45 minutes, plus 10 minutes to depressurise at the end.

Serve over rice with spring onions - so good!
Hx

2019 Life Update #2

Hello!

I hope you are all doing really well.

This week's Wedding Wednesday is being replaced by this little life update, mostly because I have run out of scheduled wedding posts & don't have time this week to write more!  I hope you have been enjoying them so far & normal service will resume next week.

So.  It's May.  I say this all the time, but how fast is the time going!?  This year is just crazy.

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March started out relatively chilled.

I went to Orange with one of my bridesmaids, for my wedding hair & makeup trial.  For those of you that don't know, Orange is a wine region about 3 hours from Sydney.  We made a bit of a weekend of it, so we headed out on the Saturday morning, then spent the day just eating cheese & drinking wine.  Really lovely!  Stayed in my first ever Airbnb (yes I know I am a little late to that party haha) - it was really nice!  Had a dinner at the local pub & then spent the evening doing wedding things; predominantly writing a list of all of the things left to do, along with folding my napkins.

On the Sunday, we went for breakfast before going to the trial.  My lady is amazing!  So chill & just really great at her job.  Fun fact - it actually worked out cheaper for me to pay this lady to travel from Orange to my wedding than it was for me to use anyone locally for my hair & makeup.  Totally insane.  

We went for a quick lunch before driving all the way home on Sunday afternoon.  Such a gorgeous way to spend the weekend.

March also saw me start getting back into the gym.  I might talk about this separately another time, but for now, the short version is that, with my new job, using Virgin Active as a gym was no longer feasible.  Which was super sad because I freaking loved it there!  Once I settled into my new role, I joined the gym at the University where I work.  It might not be as awesome, but it's pretty good... & it's definitely a lot cheaper haha.  Loved getting back into training - I had forgotten how much I loved it.  Now I just need to find a new yoga studio & it will be perfect.

On the 16th, I went to a cheese making class with Kat & Court.  It was actually a mozzarella & mimosa class - in the morning on a Saturday.  Haha.  It was so good.  I really enjoyed making cheese (making my own cheeses has actually been on my list for ages!).  I drove, so I didn't get really stuck into the bottomless mimosas, but it was awesome.

The second last Sunday in March saw me finally head back to an old favourite of mine - Shelly Beach.  I haven't spun in a long time & I really enjoyed getting out there again.  Not only do I miss it, but Mack & I want to spin at our wedding, so the time was definitely right to get back into it.  It's funny how hobbies come & go; how some things just fall by the wayside whilst other things take over.  Despite being seriously busy, I think this is one that needs to weave its way back into my regular schedule!

On the 29th, I went with my sister & Dad to see Tim Minchin.  I am thrilled he is back on stage doing his sarcastic, topical, relatable musical comedy!  I have seen him play a predominantly musical show on the steps of the Opera House & I have seen Matilda, both of which were freaking amazing.  But I missed the boat in seeing his old school shows live.  Now I have - & he did not disappoint.  Such relevant, slightly dark humour haha.  It definitely helps that a lot of my views & opinions align somewhat with his.  My Dad & sister hadn't really seen much of him before, so it was lovely to enjoy that with them.

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Before I knew it, it was April, where life went from busy but chilled to full on manic.

Mack's boss sent Mack & I, along with his parents, on a Harbour cruise lunch, as a thank you for his parents helping him out at work.  Which is super lovely!  It was nice to head out on the harbour for a degustation lunch & just spend some time together.

We also caught up with a couple of friends of ours at Korean BBQ.  We don't see these friends enough, but when we do, we usually go for KBBQ haha.  It has become somewhat of a tradition!

I finally made it up the coast to see my parents new house (they have lived there since December!); I also got to hang out with my sister & gorgeous nephew, as they have now moved up there as well.  It was literally a weekend of walking along the beach & eating food & just hanging out.  I definitely don't do this enough with my family.  Dad did rope me into a beach bootcamp on Saturday morning though - really fun, but also really hard work.

Mack & I finally got around to going for a morning walk over the Easter long weekend; something we haven't done for ages & we would love to get back into it.  We just went to Lake Parramatta near our house, but instead of walking, we opted for an hour on the lake in a pedal boat.  Something we have never done as a couple before, so that was cool.  It was really lovely - such quiet time together.

Both March & April involved fine dining experiences!  Tara came up from Melbourne in March & we got in my belated birthday dinner from February.  I headed down to Melbourne on the last weekend of April & we got her belated dinner in there (from October... lol) as well.  Keep an eye out for the fine dining reviews on both of the restaurants coming soon - Nel. & Eureka 89.

My weekend in Melbourne was really fun.  Tara & I got our nails done, had brunch, went for dinner, stayed up too late, went op shopping all day, went for dinner again, stayed up too late again & then I went home.  Haha.  It was just a really, much needed break from normal life & just time to hang out with my best friend!  For once, we didn't have to be anywhere, we didn't have to cook 6 months worth of food.  It was just fun quality time - loved it!

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April sounds just like any other month - it is busy, but should be pretty chilled.  Something which happened during this month, which I'm not going to talk too much about here, is Mack & I have been part of the crew which is building an installation for Vivid 2019.  If you knew Mack well (which isn't likely that you do haha), you would know that it has been a goal of his for years to do the LEDs for an installation for Vivid, so I am thrilled he finally gets to do that.  I am just hired hands for this one, helping build this creation with many other talented people, but it is pretty much taking up all of our time.  If you don't know what Vivid is, check it out!  If you're in Sydney from May 24 to June 15, come & check it out.  I will share pics of our install next time.

See you then!
Hx

PS last month also saw me girl up a little bit... I bought my first ever makeup brushes, along with the Morphe x James Charles palette.  Such a pretty palette, I love it.  Tiny, irrelevant side note, but I'm a bit proud of myself hahaha.