"Get in my belly!"

Last Saturday night I was invited to Ribs and Rumps, a steak house which I had never heard of, but they are popping up all over Sydney (and Africa). I was intrigued because as a serious lover of red meat I wondered what they had to offer my appetite...

So I researched (downloaded the menu and glanced over it for a week), yes this may come across as obsessive, but when you decide to go to a new restaurant for the first time you want to do it right, otherwise it will ruin your whole experience and you will never go there again.

Yes, I take my food seriously.

I went all out. I ordered the combo of ribs and rumps original. This includes beef, lamb ribs and a 250g rump steak with a side of chips for $40.95. It tasted amazing! It was covered in a delicious sticky sauce and they do not skimp on the food. I did feel like I was having a Flintstone moment as I was munching on giant ribs. This place is especially perfect for dads who love their red meat, with a side of red meat.

So go down to Ribs and Rumps for your "yabba dabba doo!" moment.

Baby shower virgin?

When you get to a certain age, you find yourself going to weddings and baby showers.

Last weekend was the first baby shower, it was for my friend who was having her first baby and all she had so far was a cot. So what do you get for a friend who could do anything baby related and when you have no idea about babies?

Well after prowling the Sydney streets for baby supplies, I have discovered that having a bambino can be quite costly indeed. So where can lil' dude supplies be purchased at a realistic prices? K-Mart, my friends, K to the Mart have everything from nappies to toys, toys the baby Bonds range, ADORABLE!

So here's what I ended up getting...


Toy puppy: $5
Pack of 7 bibs with adorable phrases : $3
Tiny Little Wonders Pack of 4 face washers: $4
Pack of 36 Newborn nappies: $17
Tiny Little Wonders Cuddle Blanket: $7
Tiny Little Wonders Bodysuit with "Make friends with the environment" on it: $6
Tiny Little Wonders pack of 3 white onesies: $8

Basket was free from a raffle, so the whole basket only cost $50, the Tiny Little Wonders brand is also made from organic cotton, so it's very baby friendly.

"Hi I'm Kat's hair and I am a Morrocan Oil-aholic"

After my hair stylist gave me my first application of Moroccan oil, I knew my hair was hooked. It was flowing in the wind with a welcomed shine and softness that I thought only existed in the land of Pantene commercials.

The Moroccan Oil itself is light weight and doesn't make your hair extra greasy, in fact it strengths and conditions your hair as well as decreases drying time while increasing styling time! You apply the oil when your hair is damp, style as usual and then wait for the compliments to starting flowing through.

Usually the price for a bottle of Moroccan Oil treat is $24.95 for a 25mL at most hair salons, or you can purchase it at Catwalk for $19.95 with $6.50 for postage.
For stockists call: 1800 882 174
Picture Credit: Pelo's Hair Facebook page

Well blog me down and call me hungry!

In an initiative brought on by Fairfield State MP Joe Tripodi to “bring the Leichardt to Canely Heights” (as you do), Santos has emerged as one of the top eating establishments in the Canely Heights area. It offers traditional Italian cuisine for an early lunch or late dinner. AND for a reasonable price.

I ordered an awesome creamy pasta with prawns which was covered in deliciousness. My boyfriend’s mum ordered a steak which was cooked to her liking and smelled like it was cooked with love and a side of veggies. Boyfriend’s sister ordered a dish called spaghetti no.46, it had an array of marinated seasoned veggies and the waitress recommended it with penne instead of spaghetti (a wise choice indeed) as I had food envy the whole time!

So if you’re in the area and feel like a good feed, check out Santos. The wait staff are also very helpful and the restaurant as a family friendly atmosphere.

Address 231 Canley Vale Rd (Cnr. Derby St). Canely Heights NSW
Phone (02)9727 0580 Open Mon-Thu 11am-midnight, Fri-Sat 11am-2am; Sun 11am-11:30pm

Feel like pineapple, but also wouldn’t mind some liquorice?

Darrell Lea have the answer! Pineapple Liquorice! Now don’t freak out just because it sounds like a crazy Willy Wonka concoction (it actually tastes like the Willy Wonka Fabulious Raspberry), but with the artificial sweetness of a freshly cut baby pineapple. It was exactly what I needed on a Friday afternoon at the office.

I also scored a double bonus soft eating liquorice hit because at Darrell Lea you could buy a bag of liquorice for an extra dollar with any Darrell Lea purchase. The store also looks like a chocolate Easter bomb exploded in it. So go nuts!  

Got juice? (Insert photo of me with a juice moustache)

On the Urban Remedy detox, you GET juice!

This detox system has passed the lips of Vogue and madison editoral as well as early morning starter Melissa Hoyer (as well as many Twitter-ettes), and since I’m such a sucker for experiences which others have tried and tested, I thought I’d give the 1 day juice detox a try. Urban Remedy‘s 1 day detox involves 6 juices you have every 2 hours from 9am to 7pm. You’re not allowed to eat, but if you must it allows you to have some cucumber sticks or mashed up avocado. So it’s not the end of the world, but damn was it difficult (yes I caved and had cucumber sticks- they were the best cucumber sticks in the world!).

The awesomeness involved in this process is the cute mini esky you get with the juices (it can later be turned into a lunch bag post detox) and a juice delivery right to your door (minimal effort=me likey). You also don’t have to think about what to eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner. And suprise! The juices are quite filling.

The not-so-awesomeness part was the drinking of the juices, some just did not taste so great, but it all depends on the person. I mean if you don’t mind beetroot, silverbeet or parsley in your juice then you’ll love every sip of these juices. I did have a favourite; pineapple, apple and mint. It was dee-licious!

So how did I feel the next day? Meh… I was expecting a boost in my energy levels, especially since I was feeling so lethargic and tired before my detox, I actually felt the same as I did before, so I suspect that the 1 day detox did not incite much change. I would consider doing the 3 day detox next time, but as a first-time detoxer the 1 day detox was definitely a good idea.

Suffering from Post- Traumatic hair-cut syndrome?

I was a sufferer. It took me 5 months to grow out my fringe from my last hair cut and I have been in no rush to get a trim. So I hit the websites and blogs, searching for hairdressers in Sydney who can handle cutting thick Asian hair, in order to avoid another 'hair-tastrophe'. When I moved into Inner West Sydney I thought I’d try the Newtown strip of hair boutiques.

Noddy’s on King: Has won several awards in the past and I think they have gone straight to their heads. All I wanted and expected was little trim, 7cm off the ends later I ended up with a shorter than expected cut. The people were nice enough, although the guy who cut my hair started bagging out Sydney and how everything closes early and there’s not party life. All I wanted to say was “Dude, nobody brings down my town!” if only he converted all that negative energy into positive hair-cutting energy. There was also nothing special about my hair cut - it was just really short and I paid too much for it.

Price: Senior Stylist $85 (includes a shampoo and blow dry which they describe as ‘complimentary’)

Toni & Guy: This place gave a great hair cut and the stylist actually listened to what I wanted. They also offered a wide variety of beverages (I chose hot chocolate because it was winter and raining), she didn’t cut too much off the ends and also recommended a reasonable treatment for my hair, in order to keep it healthy. The only reason I didn’t go back was because the atmosphere was a little too 'come in get a cut and go' - there wasn’t an intimate atmosphere and I had a feeling if I had come in again in 2 months, the stylist who cut my hair wouldn’t remember me. You see for me, having some sort of relationship with my hairdresser is important - I am more enticed to ask for product recommendations and go back for those special occasions.

Price: $83 for a cut & blow dry with a top stylist, $30 for a deluxe treatment.

Dirty Girl hair: This was the place which caused my traumatic hair experience. At the time I was told that it was Daniel Mostyn’s ‘budget’ salon as his official salon had moved and he had hired a bunch of new hair dressers to run Dirty Girl at 230 King Street Newtown. There is an edgy industrial feel to the store so I was a little excited for a new look. I sat down and talked it over with the stylisy who was about to Edward-scissorhand-me and I was expecting a slightly shorter fringe and lots of layers, which was fine. She took me out the back for a wash and then it happened. She hacked into me hair like it was going to attack her. It is true, I have the Asian hair, thick and lots of it, but still there is no need for hair-cut rape. I ended up with a diagonal fringe which was 2cm at the shortest and then it eventually blended in with the rest of my hair. I ended up being fringe-less for at least 2 months, it is a look which my forehead does not care for!

Pelo hair: After being a hair perve for the last few weeks- checking out my friends’ tresses. I asked a friend of mine with a great cut and curly hair, who tames her mane, and she referred me to Pelo hair at 526 King Street Newtown. She recommended Brigitte or Kelly, so I made my appointment and I tried to psyche myself up for it, reminding myself that it will be different this time. When I walked through the doors, I was welcomed into a warm and friendly environment, the chatter sounded like everyone knew each other and the laughter confirmed this. My appointment was with Kelly and she looked at the condition of my hair and the aftermath of my Dirty Girl cut, she then understood the development of my post-traumatic hair cut syndrome. We basically needed to balance my hair out, since it was starting to look a little Carol Brady. So I got my wonderful and relaxing shampoo, then it was down to business and I ended up with an awesome cut which hid the fact that there are still sections of my hair that needed to be grown out. Kelly is my hair savior! I have already made an appointment to see her again for a wedding I have coming up and now that she knows my hair, she’ll know exactly what to do with it!

Price: $78 for Kelly (Who also owns the salon with Brigitte) they also do complimentary fringe trims!

This is definitely my kind of place!