Hello, would you like to visit a great online shop with me? UGUiSU is chock full of lovely Japanese goodies and I'm trying to resist a shopping spree there (they ship worldwide).
Love, love, loving these beautiful pleated and crumpled Eco-Bags. Stylish. Tick. Functional. Tick. And green. Tick.
I just have to have some of these lovely paper napkins.
Naturally UGUiSU stocks a big range of Japanese masking tape: wide and thin, patterned and plain, in packs and single rolls. And if you use your tape for gift wrapping you can also get some stunning wrapping and origami paper to compliment it.
How beautiful and simple is the apple and pear card?
With the Aussie dollar so strong now it's hard to resist shopping online.... but I must. I just bought a pair of boots and a pair of shoes! Ooops.
Enjoy your weekend. I hope you get to do something you really want to, whether it's having a big night out or a quiet night in, being surrounded by lots of family and friends or chillaxin' on your own. Whatever it is, enjoy! See you Monday.
I've been meaning to blog about Elkhorn since I bought one of their gorgeous tangerine feather cushions last year. I know, the number of cushions I have is an ongoing joke amongst my friends... they realise that I'm a bit obsessed with them.
Too many cushions?! In my defence, this is a very cheap affordable lounge and it's not that comfortable, so I tell myself the cushions are a necessity.
Image Source: Elkhorn
I love the extra detail of the white feathers on the back of the cushion. It's the little things...
Image Source: Elkhorn. Photos: Jillian Leiboff
Aren't the colours in the scarf delicious!
Elkhorn silk screened homewares are the work of Monique who lives on the NSW Central Coast. Monique's diverse past working life includes graphic design, horticulture and fashion retail... which all seem to have had an influence on what she is creating for Elkhorn. Her products feature beautiful colour palettes and natural fibres which are allowed to take centre stage with Monique's pared back aesthetic.
I'm disappointed that I missed Finders Keepers last weekend (we were suffering from bad colds and just couldn't drag ourselves out) because I would have loved to see all the Elkhorn goodies. You can find them in the Elkhorn Etsy shop and see more of Elkhorn on their blog.
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Hello, did you have a lovely weekend? We're down with colds and flu here at the moment, but sitting in the lovely autumn sun makes me feel a whole lot better. I wanted to share a a mixed bag things that I've seen and loved lately.
On Wednesday night I was lucky enough to be a guest at a masterclass with Tetsuya Wakuda at his world-renowned eponymous Sydney restaurant.
It was a really lovely night which started with a tour of Tetsuya's MasterKitchen which is a design triumph of Carerra marble, Electrolux
technology and beautiful art. Tetsuya then cooked 5 delicious dishes for us which he made look so easy and achievable - ah the techniques of a master! They were the 5 courses we ate beforeour 11 course dinner.
Image Source: Electrolux
The MasterKitchen: a meeting of aesthetics and functionality, designed by Tetsuya in collaboration with Electrolux. The painting by Julie Harris is one of many works of art in the restaurant. It's scale and colours worked perfectly in the MasterKitchen.
Tetsuya is an avid collector of art and he apparently owns thousands of pieces.
All of the dishes Tetsuya demonstrated for us were made in one or two saucepans. He is big on dinner parties being about socialising and spending as little time as possible in the kitchen.
I am going to try Tetsuya's chicken tagine next time I have friends over for dinner. You don't need a tagine to cook it in, it's a one saucepan dish that he made for us and it's so good. Here's the lowdown:
You can see more of Tetsuya's cooking demo videos here, including his signature dish of Confit of Petuna Ocean trout with Fennel Salad.
Tetsuya is such a lovely and funny man who's passion for cooking is undeniable. He's also passionate about his Electrolux kitchen, particularly the induction cooktop. And now I want one too! I could almost get by without the expanse of beautiful marble, the tap-less sink (you press a pad with your knee to turn on the water), and the fancy ebony fridge... but seeing how awesome, efficient and responsive that cooktop is... it's just moved to the top of my maybe-one-day wish list.
My view of the working kitchen
After the masterclass we sat down to our degustation dinner. Our table was close to the open working kitchen and we got to watch the staff (about 6 to 8 of them) skillfully and efficiently preparing the food which is a fusion of Japanese and Western cuisine. I have eaten at Tetsuya's before, so I knew what to expect: it's a truly amazing experience. Each of the 11 courses had wine to compliment it and I seriously struggled to finish. But as the last 3 courses were desert how could I refuse?
Image Source: Tetsuya's
As I ran out the door on Wednesday night I grabbed my DSLR and realised the battery was flat.
Unfortunately my little camera was hopeless at capturing the food.
So apologies for the lack of yummy food shots.
I sat with lovely interior designers Jo, Camilla and Jennifer and when we weren't boring the guys from Electrolux with blog talk I learnt some interesting things. I was interested to hear about the design process of Electrolux products and the trends in Europe verses Asia Pacific. I also discovered that they manufacture their ovens in Adelaide and fridges in Orange, NSW. And there's good coffee to be had in Orange! Who would have thought that an energy efficient fridge consumes the same amount of energy as a 40 watt light bulb?
I had a great night and staggered (from too much food... I was moderate with the alcohol!) out of Tetsuya's at close to midnight with a full stomach, a copy of Tetsuya's cookbook and a lust for an induction cooktop.
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