Darjeeling day at the Berry Tea Shop

Winter is my favourite season and I absolutely love rainy days. So I suppose that the fact that I love tea would not be shocking to anyone. There's nothing better than staying in on a cold, rainy day with a teacup of steamy Early Grey cupped between your hands.

I suppose, it also would not be a shock to anyone when I say that this post is probably the one I'm most excited to write about - It does involve tea after all! I'm actually sipping a cup of it as we speak.

I've heard about the Berry Tea Shop from fellow tea lovers and friends, but I've never had the opportunity to go there myself. Berry is a quaint and absolutely gorgeous little town just outside of Sydney. It is considered rural but it's only a 2 hour drive from the city and if you're heading to the Berry Tea Shop, then I think sitting in a car for a mere 2 hours is completely worth it.

I've been known to spend half my bank account on tea and other tea paraphernalia, and when I'm in need of a pick-me-up, then for me, tea always does the trick. So, I'm sure you can imagine my excitement once I pulled up in front of the Berry Tea Shop's green and beige building, especially when the windows are so beautifully decorated!

1/66 Albert Street, Berry, NSW

The shop isn't that spacious - it's relatively small but very cosy indeed. The walls are lined with shelves where they place all the tea and its knick-knacks that you can purchase and in the centre of the room are a few small tables where you're able to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea and a slice of cake or a scone (or three!).  

Such a beautiful shop!

The menu

It was such a rainy day at Berry so the first thing I did was sit down and ordered myself a cup of tea and a scone. I'm a lover of black tea (my go-to tea is Earl Grey), but I've been drinking a cup of Christmas Tea (Harney and Son's or The Tea Centre's) everyday for the past 3 weeks, so I was keen to give their Christmas Tea a go.

Berry Tea Shop's Christmas Tea

The aroma of the Christmas Tea was delish and the taste did not disappoint though I much prefer Harney and Son's Christmas Tea. Nevertheless, it was minty and sweet but still has a slight bitter tang the cuts through the flavour. As far as good Christmas Teas go, I'd give it an 8/10. 

Unfortunately, I wolfed down my scone because it was absolutely divine and forgot to take a photo beforehand! The presentation was not very special but the scone itself was massive and crispy on the outside while soft and feather-light on the inside. The clotted thickened cream that it came with was heavenly, light and airy while the mixed berry jam that it came with was the perfect balance of sour and sweet (I didn't even mind that it was slightly seedy). Coupled together on top of the scone, as soon as I bit into it, my tastebuds had a little party. Definitely one of the best scones I've ever had.

Beautiful wall and cakes!

After my tastebuds and tummy were satisfied, I walked through the shop, analysing every container of tea and admiring every teacup and tea pot.

A great selection of tea and if you're stuck... they have a solution: get a sample size

I stood in front of the tea selection for a respectable, solid 30 minutes (oh my!). Next to each bag and container of tea, they have little sample bottles so that you can have a whiff of the aroma. I must've whiffed every bottle because by the end of it, my senses were going crazy. The prices for the tea are slightly pricey - ranging from AU$17-$22 for 100g, but for me, tea is an investment. I opted for a full container of their signature tea, Berry Blend. It's a black tea with berries thrown in, but not to the point that it's too fruity - I don't particularly love fruity tea. I'm drinking a cup right now and it's absolutely beautiful.

Berry Blend

Although spending money on tea, for me, will never go to waste... My wallet and I wasn't particularly ready to spend $100+ on tea (as much as I'd love to!), so I also bought 4 sample sizes of their tea which I desperately wanted to try out: Darjeeling (1st Flush), Madame Grey, Soothe and Vanilla Bean. I've yet to try them but I'm looking forward to it!

Darjeeling, Madame Grey, Soothe and Vanilla Bean

The Berry Tea Shop sells amazing tea so it's only fitting that they sell amazing tea accessories too. I felt as though I had died and went to tea heaven because all the tea cups and teapots were absolutely stunning! The prices weren't that bad if you ask me. I'm used to going to tea shops and seeing tea cups and pots being sold at $30 minimum, but at the Berry Tea Shop, they range from a mere $10, all the way to $200 (that's a bit much, but they're beautiful!). As much as I wanted to buy something, I'm saving up to shop for clothes in my trip early next year so I was a good girl and restrained myself. I did, however, take an insane amount of shots so at least my eyes are satisfied and yours will be too!

Stunning. Just stunning!

Absolutely exquisite Royal Albert china: A teacup was priced at $100... I really wanted one! Haha.

Amazing range of air-tight containers. The round ones at the bottom were my favourite ones.

A few of their cheaper options - the mugs on the bottom were very punny indeed!

I love elephants, so I can't even...

What does the fox say? Tea tea tea tea tea tea tea tea!

Overall, I'd spend all my days at the Berry Tea Shop if I could. My tastebuds, tummy and sight were all satisfied by this trip so I'd definitely recommend that you come down and check out the place for yourselves. I promise you that you will not be disappointed.

However, I know that a trip to Berry may not be an easy one to take for some due to transport and lack-of-time reasons, so the Berry Tea Shop has taken this into consideration too! If you really do want to try their tea but just can't make it... you're in luck! You can order their tea and the accessories online at: http://www.theberryteashop.com.au/. Yay to technology!

So, I suppose that is all from me now. My tea is getting cold and I really want to savour every drop! 

Forever and Always,

Nisa 

Freshly pressed at Pressed Juices

I'm not a vegan, not a vegetarian, not even a pescatarian. As a lover of food, I cannot bare to choose between a scrumptious plate of well-seasoned sesame-spinach salad and a succulent slab of steak drenched in gravy. I love food, almost any kind of food and I honestly can't imagine being a vegan or a vegetarian!

However, I've started to nurture a slight fascination for vegan food after following a number of vegan photoblogs on Instagram (my favourite being: theblondevegan - http://www.theblondevegan.com/) and watching the show 'Eat, Drink, Love'. You could say I've bought into a bit of a trend... or fad... whatever you'd like to call it, it's healthy nonetheless! Both the show and the photoblogs are US based (mainly LA), and they often feature fresh (but bottled) juice that are free of preservative and additives. I found it both interesting and nutritious but as a Sydney girl, finding things that feature on US-based shows and blogs always proves to be extremely difficult (for my fashion readers - does our lack of Forever 21, Kate Spade and Sephora strike a chord?). 

Then on a rainy Saturday afternoon, I walked past 'Pressed Juices', located in Surry Hill's eatery strip - the well-renowned Crown Street. I had to double take because there, in its black, white and wooden finest was the kind of store I've been looking for! An all-fresh, all-organic, preservative-free bottled juice store. I'm sure you can imagine my excitement and if you are assuming that I leapt into the store, then you my dear are certainly are correct. 

336 Crown Street, Surry Hills, NSW
http://www.pressedjuices.com.au/index.php/

Entering Pressed Juices is like entering a vegan's (and design/organisational freak's) heaven! Everything looks so refreshing and delicious, and on top of that, it's all so neatly placed and colour coordinated. However, if you're not learned in the Pressed Juice way of life, navigating through the plethora of juice choices proves a little challenging. Every juice has its own benefits, so ask one of the friendly (not to mention absolutely stunning!) staff working in the extremely cosy little shop. However, if you're a little bit daring, just take a pick from the menu board or the shelves!

So many choices!

The menu board details the content of each bottle

Ofcourse, anything this good for you always comes at a (rather hefty) price tag! Pressed Juices are priced somewhere between AU$7.50-$10.50 per 475ml bottle. Also, each bottle of juice, being the organic little things that they are, don't have a long use-by date. I bought mine yesterday (16th of November) and they were labelled as 'best before' by today (17th of November). Are they worth it? I think they are, though it probably depends on which one you get!

I opted for two different juices/smoothies and one mylk (that's what they call their almond milks): the Smooth Nourish, Smooth Energy and Chocolate Almond Mylk.

Smooth Energy, Smooth Nourish and Chocolate Almond Mylk

I've been looking for Chocolate Almond Milk for a long time but none have satisfied me the way that Pressed Juices' Chocolate Almond Mylk has! The cocoa and almonds plays a leading role in the flavour without being too overbearing. Definitely chocolatey, almond-y but light enough to not make you feel nauseous after a gulp (or 50!).  

As you can tell - I got a little too excited and drank half a bottle before realising I haven't taken a photo of it (my apologies): Chocolate Almond Mylk

I must say, the Smooth Nourish (the drink I was looking forward to trying the most!), proves to be a little bit dissapointing. The berries were a little too grainy for my liking and a little bit too sour. It tasted lovely after the first three or four sips but not long after, it became a little too much for me!

Smooth Nourish

The last bottle I drank (yes, I drank all three within a night!) was the Smooth Energy. Definitely an A+ in my books! I love avocado and the avocado in this little winner shone through. It was creamy but light and absolutely tasty. I'd put it as a close second to the Almond Mylk - they are completely different, but the Almond Mylk stole my heart!

Smooth Energy

I will definitely be coming back to Pressed Juices in the near future! I'm looking forward to trying their green juices because no green juice have won me over in the past but I have an inkling that theirs will! I'll also be going on a 3-day Pressed Juice, juice cleanse in late December so stay tuned to find out about what I think about their program. 

If I had to give Pressed Juices a rating, I'd say 8/10, but I've yet to try a majority of their juices/smoothies/mylks so it may change in the future. If you're interested in trying some rather interesting yet very delicious juice, I'd definitely recommend Pressed Juices!

Amazing decor!

Forever and Always,

Nisa

Outfit of the Day: Harajuku Vintage

Taken at Surry Hills

If you ask my bestfriends for a term that they'd use to describe me, at least one of them is bound to say 'indie' or 'hipster'. To be honest, I don't understand why they think I'm alternative, I feel as though I'm as mainstream as it gets but this time, I certainly do live up to that title.

Yesterday, I went on a little adventure with 4 friends to The Living Mall - Central Park in Ultimo (across the road from the Jenga building otherwise know as UTS). It's a new shopping centre that is still quite bare but one level up from the ground floor is a little treasure of a store called Pigeon Hole. As soon as I walked in, I bolted towards the Lomo and Polaroid Cameras that graces the wooden panels on the left hand side of the store. I had no intention of purchasing yet another top. Part of the reason why is because my dad has banned me from shopping for clothes until I clear out my  wardrobe since I literally have no space left... my response "just means I need a bigger wardrobe... perhaps the free wardrobe space in our coat closet?!" (bit of a princess moment really!)

However, clothes are my weakness and once I reaffirmed the fact that impulsively buying a polaroid would drain my bank account and is also highly unjustified, I turned around and found myself walking towards their vintage clothes section to console my materialistic self. Low and behold, there stood the top that I'm wearing in the photo! I stroked the textured fabric with my right hand, took it off the rack with my left hand and found my right hand pulling out my bank card to make a purchase for it not long after!

Although it was certainly a YOLO moment (was being a little bit of a rebel!), upon finding out that it's a vintage piece from Harajuku (tags says it all), it made me fall in love with the piece even more! I generally opt for chain store clothes - Zara, Topshop, Forever 21, etc - but the idea that there's a story behind a piece of clothing is beautiful to me! Plus it was very cute indeed. Definitely a moment of weakness purchase but certainly not one that I regret.

Glasses: Le Specs | Top: Vintage | Bag: Longchamp | Pants: Forever 21 |Shoes: Topshop | Paper bag: Pressed Juices - a sneak peak to my next post!

Forever and Always,

Nisa

Pho time at Pho An

Chào (I believe that's 'hello' in Vietnamese!) and welcome to fooshion & trinkets...

I'm Nisa, an 18 year old Sydney-sider, but most importantly, I'm a self-confessed food lover and restaurant hopper. I'd love for you to get to know me and 'fooshion & trinkets' a little better, but I feel like the treasure that is Pho An deserves all the glory in this post ♥. So, if you'd like to find out more about me and this blog, just take a quick scroll to the 'about me' section!

Lets start talking about Pho An (I'm salivating just thinking about it)!

One of the first things you should know about me is that the one thing I'm ALWAYS (anytime, any day) craving is a good hearty bowl of Vietnamese Pho. It's quite strange because I can still recall being a little four year old who had to get dragged into a Pho restaurant by my parents, and now I'm the one dragging them (or my friends) into one! 

I just finished my final exams and first year of university (hooray!) and the one thing that got me through the endless pages of legislation and cases, and cramming a years worth of current events in a week, is the thought of going to my favourite Pho restaurant to celebrate after! 

When I say that Pho An is a 'Pho' restaurant, that notion is not a fib. Pho An, which is located at 29 Greenfield Parade, Bankstown, NSW, only has one thing (aside from drinks and deserts) on their menu.... You guessed it. It's Pho! And it's insanely delicious!

 Pho An - 29 Greenfield Parade, Bankstown

When you walk into Pho An, depending on when you come, you either have to wait in a line with other Pho-eyed customers or you are escorted directly to your table by the waiters or the owner himself! 

If you're not Vietnamese and have never been to Pho An, the experience can be a little frustrating and somewhat confusing because up on walls is the menu, but nothing on it, except the restaurant name and the prices, are written in English! 

But never fear dearest readers as I was once a rookie as well! Rather than asking the person beside you to translate the entire menu, just ask one of the extremely hard-working waiters to give you an English menu and your mind-blowing Pho experience will be one step closer.

The first thing placed on your table before you've even ordered is a generous plate of bean sprouts, lemon wedges and mint leaves which you will toss, as you please, into your delicious bowl of Pho. The mint leaves and lemon wedges are always fresh and perfume while the bean sprouts are always juicy and crisp with every bite.

You have two sizes to choose from: regular or large

Once you've ordered, all you have to do is blink and your preferred bowl of Pho  (you  have a great variety of choice but to name a few: rare beef, chicken or my personal favourite...beef brisket) appears right before your eyes. I promise you, this is not a hyperbole by any means. Today, I literally ordered, pulled out my phone from my bag to take a photo of the bean sprouts and as soon as I looked up, my order was already in front of me. 

Regular size - Rare beef brisket Pho

I got the regular sized, rare beef brisket Pho. I promise myself that I'd be more adventurous and try a different type of Pho this time around, but after having numerous satisfying experiences at Pho An, eating their rare beef brisket, I had a moment of weakness and resorted back to my comfort zone. As always, I was not disappointed!

The broth was warm and absolutely mouthwatering! The kind of thing that I'd happily drink straight out of the bowl for. You can tell that the stock is of high quality, as it is full of flavour and is very clear. I'd like to think that my tastebuds does a little dance with every spoonful and slurp!

The beef brisket is soft, tender and all it needs is a little help from your spoon or chopsticks (or forks! no judgment here) before it tears into smaller, bite-size pieces. On its own, the beef does not have much flavour but because its been soaked in the delicious broth, with every chew, the amazing hearty flavour comes out of it. Paired with the broth and al-dente flat noodles, it makes the Pho experience heavenly (don't forget to pile on some bean sprouts and squirt some lemon juice into your bowl too!). 

Pho An Chilli sauce - if you're not given it, ask for it!

If you're a lover of chilli, be sure to ask for their chilli sauce to mix into your soup. Sometimes they place it on your table without questions but more often than not, it's something you have to ask for. I don't know what the chilli sauce is made from (aside from chilli... obviously), but it is so so delicious and brings out the stock in the Pho even more! It's definitely not for the faint-hearted though, so if you're not a big fan of chilli or have a very low chilli-threshold, don't pour too much in cause it may soil the broth!

The service is quick and relatively polite. So long as you don't expect 5 star quality service, you will not be disappointed. The restaurant gets quite loud and busy (they're opened from 7.00am-9.00pm, so if depends when you come) so it's definitely not a catch-up-with-old-friends kind of place as the staff will clean up your table as soon as you've put your cutleries down.

If I had to give Pho An a rating for their food, I'd give it an 11/10, but I'm most definitely biased, so definitely come down, treat your tastebuds and tummy, and judge for yourself! I'm actually craving it again now.. probably wasn't a good idea to write about it then! Haha.

Forever and Always,

Nisa.