Monopole | Two Hatted European-style wine bar in Sydney

 

It's been around 3-4 months since lockdown 2.0 was re-introduced in Sydney as the Delta variant started to spread across our nation. Luckily a couple weeks before the lockdown was reintroduced, my friends and I were super lucky to have squeezed in a nice dinner at Monopole. Monopole serves modern European food, cheese platters and has over 500 wine selections, with an elegant atmosphere and establishment in the heart of Sydney CBD. Now with restrictions easing, and everyone coming back out again, the only challenge will be getting a table!

Lifestyle Skincare Routine | Haruharu Wonder , Black Rice Collection

 

A new Korean skincare brand is on the rise, Haruharu WONDER, safe for all skin types which uses plant-based ingredients. They boast the repeated experiments on their range in their laboratory have allowed them to develop products where their effects are fully optimised, bringing your skin the best outcome. Haruharu means "every day" in Korean, making it the perfect lifestyle skincare brand to use in your everyday life, whether you're traveling into the office or working from home.

Kuon Omakase | One of Sydney's Most Expensive Omakase

While Sydney is going into a two-week lockdown, about two months ago, I was finally able to head into Kuon for their omakase. With the careful planning and execution with the help of my friends, we were able to secure a spot at Kuon Omakase via their website. 

Sixpenny | Modern Australian Fine Dining

Last month, my best friend and I had a girls' night out at Sixpenny to celebrate the both of us getting new jobs this year. We started with the complimentary entree's which consisted of the Smoked Eel Croissant, Pecorino Doughnut, Macadamia & Capsicum Tart, and Pai Tee with Tuna. 

Sticky Fingers | Modern Rustic Australian

I've finally gotten round to try out Sticky Fingers, a cute modern Australian cafe that I recently have been on my radar as I've been seeing posts about them a lot more on social media, specifically Instagram. This cafe is located in Darlinghurst, tucked away from the busy main streets with tall windows on one side of the building allowing all the natural light to warm up the space, along with their simple modern yet rustic decor. 

Jung Sung Contemporary Korean 🍷

It has 3 months since I've last blogged, and I blame this on the fact that I started a new job and have been quite busy over the weekends with friends and family. However, earlier last month, I organised dinner with a bunch of friends, where we went out to the new Korean contemporary fine dining restaurant, Jung Sung. 

Maku Beauty - One Stop Asian Beauty & Skincare for Australia & New Zealand

Maku Beauty, is a one-stop online Asian skincare and beauty website, created by my friend, Angela. As you know getting Asian skincare and beauty products in Australia doesn't come easy or cheap! The product is either more expensive than its usual price or it takes multiple couriers/websites to find that one product that will ship it to Australia. 

Maku Beauty brings you a huge range of Asian skincare and beauty products at an affordable cost whilst shipping to all of Australia and New Zealand! They believe that everyone should feel beautiful in their own skin, and made it their mission to help all people as no skin goal is too small or too big. I was sent a few products to try out, Angela knowing that I love trying out new skincare.

SON & PARK - BEAUTY WATER 340ML

This 2-in-1 beauty water is a cleansing water and toner which gentle exfoliates the skin with willow bark extract to remove dead skin cells and hydrates the skin with green tea extract and lavender water. It doesn't have a very strong scent which is great as I don't like very strong aromas in my skincare products. 

PYUNKANG YUL - BLACK TEA TIME REVERSE EYE CREAM 25ML 

Another year, another age and maybe another fine line appearing....The skin under our eyes are very delicate and tends to show our age faster if you don't take good care of it. The Pyunkang Yul eye cream contains fermented black tea and mulberry extract to brighten the skin under the eye. It also has shea butter, macadamia seed oil, hyaluronic acid and ceramide to reduce the appearance of fine line and leaving the skin feeling hydrated, fresh and dewy.

I'M FROM - MUGWORT ESSENCE MINI/TRAVEL

The Mugwort essence is great for sensitive skin types as the mugwort extract has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory features while deeply moisturising the skin. 

BEAUTY OF JOSEON - GLOW SERUM: PROPOLIS + NIACINAMIDE 30G

The Joseon Glow Serum is a must have over summer to keep your skin looking fresh and glowing from within. The niacinamide supports the skin barrier, increasing its resiliency, improves texture and makes pores look smaller. Also, the propolis has anti-inflammatory properties, easing the redness of the skin and soothes the skin. 

Head on over to Maku Beauty today to check out what they have to offer and treat your skin to the best! 

Ducking Yum Time at Sekka Dining 🦆

Last week, I went out to dinner with a few of my friends for ramen night at Sekka Dining. Located north of Sydney in St Leonards, Sekka is right across Charlie & Franks cafe and is well known for their Hojicha smoked duck ramen. This place was recently added to my "to feast at" list, especially after hearing about their duck ramen.

As per usual, upon entering restaurants or cafes here in Sydney you must sign in as part of the precaution actions of tracking any new or lingering COVID cases to keep our community safe and healthy! My friends and I started off our evening with a few entrees, including the Tuna Ceviche and the Wagyu Tartare. The ceviche was fresh and light, whereas the tartare was unexpectedly rich and dense! I could really taste the cheese as well as the truffle aromas with every bite! It's not like any other tartare I've had and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

As for ramen, we ordered the Tonkotsu Spicy, Hojicha Smoked Duck, and the Cold Mango ramen. The great thing about their ramen is that you're able to order a mini size, meaning you can choose more than one flavour in one seating if you have the stomach space for it all! 

The Cold Mango ramen consisted of a soybean vinegar base, fried mushroom and a cucumber mango salsa. Honestly one of my favourite dishes of the night as the flavours were refreshing, tangy and delicious! The mango may sound odd at first, but the combination of flavours and ingredients make this the perfect summer dish. 

The Hojicha Smoked Duck Ramen was sitting in a broth made of a 16-month-old rooster, topped with hojicha smoked duck breast, umami egg, bamboo shoots, green sansho, coriander and lime zest. I did feel like the amount of sansho they provided did take away some flavours from the beautiful broth, however, it was an interesting zesty and peppery flavour overall. The duck breast was cooked perfectly, and the smokiness was very strong that I wasn't sure if I tasted the hojicha flavour at all.

I ordered the Tonkotsu Spicy, which was made of chicken and pork broth, topped with pork belly, black fungus, housemade chilli oil, umami egg, onion sprouts, shallots and sesame. I love myself a good classic, especially if it's spicy! The broth was flavourful and the chilli oil added that extra punch of flavour that I love.

For dessert, we ordered their matcha cream puff and early grey tea custard. The custard was incredibly light, in both texture and flavour. It was quite delightful to have as the meal was already so heavy. The matcha cream puff was also quite light too and the matcha cream wasn't very bitter at all! 

Overall, I enjoyed my meal at Sekka and I cannot wait to come back again to try their Chicken Wing Gyoza and new seasonal ramen! I'd highly recommend trying their Cold Mango salad if it is still available on their menu as well as their wagyu tartare.

Sekka Dining

Shop 1, St Leonards Square, 472-488 Pacific Hwy, St Leonards NSW 2065

Opening Hours: LUNCH Wed - Sun: 12-2:30PM
/ DINNER Wed - Thurs 5:30-9:30PM, Fri - Sat 5:30-10PM, Sun 5:30-9PM

Mon & Tues: CLOSED

Ph: (02) 8054 9788
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