Random Peanuts

Pea and I went out for dinner to celebrate her belated birthday. As sometimes we like to think we are so about town and fancy - er, we don't really get out that much. Well, maybe not so much anymore. Nonetheless, we both intuitively decided that this time, we should get a little dressed up for a change. And let me tell you, when we get dressed up, we get noticed.

A man in the street offered us a handful of peanuts. Yeah that's right, I told you we get noticed, didn't I? And not only noticed, but we get offered snacks! Obviously we did not stop or even hesitate. We just continued along our way. I did thank him for the offer. And he responded by asking us again, like he was surprised we declined the offer in the first place. I mean sure, to him it was such a great offer that no one should pass up. To us, well first of all, Pea is allergic, and second, he didn't even offer them out of the package, but out of his bare hand. That's just unsanitary.

Next year, we might just order take-out instead.

Mimi Luxe pt 4

I promise to figure out how to post properly! Last but not least - SHINEY!!

Paillette:
Sequined appliques on elastic headbands - when you need to go to the grocery store.

Mimi Luxe pt 3

Isn't this more fun, mes amies? Here's another one!

Luxe Deluxe:
Pea was instantly drawn to this one. I think it's the secret vampire/Twihard in her. If she had a goth wedding, this would be her tiara!

Mimi Luxe pt 2

Forgive me! I still don't know how to post pics and text properly. So here's more!

Pivoine Noir:
Flower pins made of black sheer fabric. I'm a bit of a magpie, so I like to bedazzle.

Mimi Luxe

Bonjour mes amies! I hope you enjoyed my line of Poppy Harvey accessories. Cute, non?!

It actually all began with my own namesake last winter. And since this is my blog and I can do whatever I want, I'm going to shamelessly blab about MY stuff! So here's a postview of my Holiday/Hiver collection from 2009. It's so last year, I know. But here goes nothing, hope you enjoy!

LUXE headbands:
Feathered creations for all your fancy dress parties. Or wear it doing the dishes.

Call me a scone purist

I was chatting with a colleague about baked goods today. Mmm. Baked goods. She thinks it's odd that I don't like pumpkin pie. It's true - I think it's gross. But to each their own, non? So we went down a list of baked goods that we love and love more. And then we got to scones.

I've declared myself a scone purist. None of this bullshit drowned in icing sugar, dried up, too big, mega flavoured crap stores dare call a scone and charge you $3.95. Scones are made of white flour, butter and milk - therefore based on ethical business practices alone, whatever you pay is too much. It should never cost the price of a jug of milk or a pound of butter.

Second, it should not be cookie cutter cut into the size of a door stop. Scones should be 2-bite sized, delicate and fluffy enough that you can break it in half without the use of utensils.

And last but never least, it should NOT be bludgeoned to death with artery clogging, palate raping icing sugar!!!! Blagh. Sound familiar? Yeah you out there, you probably love it come October when that dreaded Starbux comes out with their beloved pumpkin spiced icing door stop scone!! Sacrilege!!

Join the scone revolution. Eat plain ones with butter or if you really want to be fancy - indulge in some devon cream and raspberry jam. You'll be a much better person for it.

*steps off baked goods soap box*
xx
mimi

Absence Makes the ♥ Grow Fonder

My darling mes amies! Oh how I've missed you so. It feels like an eternity since we were last together. Please forgive my absence. I must tell you about my NYC mini-break with Poppy but that will have to wait a little longer. Patience, my love, patience.

In the meantime I've been busy with other things - crafty things. Have I mentioned before my fondness for crafts? Since I was a jeune fille. My collection of notions, fabric, buttons, ribbons, beads, sequins, you name it, has consumed an entire room chez moi. So now I've decided to give them a life and create some fun things for all to enjoy.

Introducing my line of accessories - poppy harvey. Yes, that's ma cousine. I named it after her because it represents her bright spirit and joyful personality. Allow me to introduce you to les mademoiselles:

Elodie: Cute and sweet, hand-made bows from various ribbons and lace on snappy hairclips or alligator clips that match the ribbon.








Cerise: Fabric rosettes with vintage button centers. They are from my grandmother's collection that she's left behind. I only have a limited amount of fabric, so I plan to only make 12.










Rosalie: Linen fabric in soft pink sewn into peony-like flowers to pin onto just about anything. I kept them frayed, much like peony petals.












Vivienne: (No, not named after Brangelina spawn.) Hairpins with baby rosettes hand-sewn on, with a looped leaf to finish.









Garance: Yes, this one is an ode to Garance Doré. Not that she would ever wear one, I don't think. But I like the name and it seems to reflect what they are. Metal headbands, brightly coloured with grosgrain ribbon bows and felt flower centers. I ♥ grosgrain ribbon.












Isabelle:
The softer version of Garance with pastel coloured metal headbands and softer grosgrain ribbon. My grandmother left this ribbon behind for me too, they don't make it like they used to.









And last but not least - meet Paulette:
From my own crafty collection of ribbon - I've searched high and low since, and will probably never see this again. There was only so much of it - I could only make 6 of the blue ones.












So there they are. Hope you enjoy.
xx mimi

Food Porn: Hong Kong ' 09 continued

Did you have a good lunch? Now back to work and back to my list:

#6 ANA Oyster and Grill, Hong Kong:
Pea and I met up with some of her friends and had a feast! The locale is nothing I've ever been to. The resto is located on the 4th floor of a non-descrip building stacked with other business and offices. We had a patio/garden table. It was surrounded on 3 sides by other skyscrapers and the view was only straight up - dinner under the stars. To start - raw oysters and clams, from all around the world. I came all the way to Hong Kong to have an oyster from the Pacific USA. And it tasted like it was caught the same day. DEE-LISH!

#7 Margaret's Café e Nata, Macau:
It was time for our day-trip to Macau. When we first arrived, we asked the tourism booth where was the best Portuguese egg tart. By the end of the day, the heat had drained us of our culinary vigor, and it was soon time to leave this wonderful place. We were just about to give up on the tart when we took one last turn and found it! Did you know when these tarts first arrived in Taipei bakeries years ago, people rioted when there was a purchase limit imposed? It was ugly. But I can see why a tart would start a riot. Like buttah!

#8, King's Palace Congee and Noodle, Hong Kong Int'l Airport, Terminal 1:
We had been immersed in a busy week and a half of shopping, sight-seeing, partying, spa-pampering, lunching, more shopping... I dunno how the tai-tais (ladies of leisure) do it all the time. We knew it was definitely time to escape for a weekend mini-break in Cebu, Philippines. No time for brekky at home, so we ate at the airport. I was very impressed with the selection in each terminal. North American airports should really take notes. Starbucks does NOT serve real food people! Now this was a real meal with built-in friendly caution. And I didn't have to eat it out of a pastry bag or on styrofoam. So civilized even when you're leaving!!! I ♥ HK.


#9 In-room dining, Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort, Cebu, Philippines:
Pea and I lazed by the pool, sunned, swam, jet-skied, ate, and ate some more. It was an exhausting mini-break! Grilled squid stuffed with fresh veggies and lemon butter sauce eaten on the bed, in front of the telly. Lovely. It was such a change from the hustle of Hong Kong yet only a couple of hours away. *sigh* What a great end to wonderful visit with my mon amie. Thanks Pea, for showing me Hong Kong and beyond!

Now, what are you gonna have for dinner?

Food Porn: Almost time for more

Poppy and I set off on the red-eye tonight and will be in NYC tomorrow - at an ungodly morning hour. But we are shopping/eating/photo-taking machines and plan to go straight to the outlet mall the moment we touch down. This might be a mini-break for us, but time is of the essence and shopping is no joke.

I continue my 2009 island hopping tour today, but not quite what you might think. I found myself on some different islands after my trip with Murray. Hong Kong (with a taste of the Philippines, and a dash of Macau).

It was so incredibly amazing, I can barely describe it. Hong Kong has the best of everything I could ask for as a traveller. The wonders of Asia with just the right amount of international, especially British influence. Everything seemed to be so extra civilized and posh. I don't think I had one disappointing meal and wanted to showcase them all, but I chose nine of my best. Get ready mes amies - you might want to make sure your boss is on lunch.


#1 McDonald's- Delivered to your door.
I had the great pleasure of visiting my dear friend Pea while she was working abroad in Hong Kong. Remember, sleeping on couches, no shame, great locations...would you say no? I hadn't been in Asia for more than 2 hours when I found myself sitting in her apartment, waiting for the delivery guy. This is civilized. And look, they have corn in a cup and spicy chicken wings! I think I may have appeared to be a bit of a food snob before, but I don't think I am. Hey, I can keep it real and inhale a Filet-O-Fish with the best of them. And fuck, it was DELIVERED. Who would refuse?

#2 Afternoon Tea, The Peninsula hotel, Kowloon. Perhaps indulging in this tradition is snobby, but I don't care. I love little cucumber sandwiches, scones with devon cream and fruit preserve...and who could ignore the petite fours and little chocolate goodies on the top?! Look at how cute everything is! Don't pretend, you like it too.
Now I have had the luxury of experiencing many afternoon teas in many different cities, and this by far, was the best. Maybe part of it was watching the actual hotel guests stroll (or maybe it was sauntering) through somehow made me feel more posh. I could have sworn I saw little flower girls precede the guests, making a path out of cash for them to walk on. It made even a poor, little couch-surfing girl like me, feel like a million bucks.

#3 Street food I love Asia because it has the nerve to expect you to eat food that is made on the street. How dare us silly North Americans cage our food in boxes called restaurants? How dare we think it can only be limited to funnel cakes and corn dogs at carnival/rodeo midways? Sheesh. Where there is electricity and pedestrians, there is food in Hong Kong. And you have to eat it IN the street where you bought it, damn it! Now pick a meat on a stick already!
We chose many from this stand - the usual curried fish balls, marinated squid (as pictured here), etc. But the top one was a mystery - it was white when we pointed to it, but the lady magically dunked it in a deep fryer and it was presented to us in all its crispy on the outside, molten-lava hot on the inside gloriousness. We're not entirely sure what it was, but it was filled with some sort of crab and scallop mixture. Divine.

#4 Sushi at Koi. This'll probably be as close in proximity to Japan as I'll be until I find someone who lives in Tokyo and has enough space for guests. Hong Kong had not disappointed me yet, so why not have a little sushi? It was very fresh and the presentation was great. The ambiance was quaint and there seemed to be a lot of Japanese patrons, so we were maybe doing something right, right?


#5 Taiwanese/Shanghainese lunch at Din Tai Fung. There were little amusing laminated cards at each table which gave you detailed and cartoon instructions on how to eat a xiao long bao (steamed pork dumplings). I asked for a copy of the instructions to take home to my North American friends. Strangely, they refused. As if I'd go and copy the thing and open my own resto! I should have known better and just took a pic of the card. But now they were watching us. Damn. Well, there seems to be many locations worldwide, even one in California, so I'm sure you'll be able to see for yourself what I wanted to bring home.
I've had many xiao long bao, but I have never met a steamed mashed taro bun. Where have you been all my life, my love? At first sight, you're thinking they are going to be bland and boring. Au contraire! Somehow they have sweetened the taro just enough and the texture of the bun is a perfect fluffiness. If it weren't for the fact that we were already stuffed full of goodness, I would have ordered another six, for myself.

That's enough for now. Get back to work. Go check your FB. Tweet about how hungry you are.

Food Porn: Island fun

2009 was a tour of many islands. I took a mini-vacay with my Murray to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. It's always a little worrisome to travel with your beau for the first time. But the food made up for it! No, no it was a lovely time spent with mon petite chou.


Black Rock Resort Ucluelet, British Columbia, Fetch Restaurant:
We didn't stay here since it had newly opened and we didn't know about it before planning our trip. Too bad, because it looked very luxe. Locals had suggested we check it out. I suppose in a town of less than 1700 people, a new resort and its resto is a big deal. And it did not disappoint. We had also visited Tofino which must be considered the more popular sister of the two towns, but I think Ucluelet had its own wonderful charm, even without the fancy hotel on the water.
Murray thought it was silly of me to think that the halibut on my bun was just caught out of the ocean that we were looking out at. A girl can dream, right? You should have seen the view. I don't think I've seen the Pacific Ocean quite like that. Mesmerizing.

There were so many stops on this island and not enough time spent there. We had to say goodbye and make it back to the mainland (Vancouver) via Nanaimo. You'd think there would be a bridge since it is quite close, but instead there's a ferry - that we missed. The ferry terminal food selection made a good effort, but it was nothing to write home about (or take pictures of). So we ventured out. We arrived upon a small marina and two pub/restos. One was decked out with loud music, some sort of sporting event was on the big screen tvs, and lots of neon beer signs to lure you in. A parking lot over, the other choice looked to have surrendered to the neon.
We chose the quiet, appropriately lit one. It was a bit of a dive, and the menu looked like your average pub fare with some emphasis on seafood given the location. "Would you like to substitute your fries for a caesar salad for $1 more?" I always feel bad when they ask because I'm sure most, like me, decline. Murray was getting fries with his oyster burger, so I thought I'd pretend to look healthy and said yes this time. I've never been so glad I splurged. Oh yes, and how could I forget - the most delicious shrimp sandwich that was paired with the salad. It was like there was a yet-to-be-discovered Michelin star chef in the back of this pub in the middle of nowhere, just dying to work at The French Laundry. Okay, I've never been to The French Laundry and I don't know exactly what the creme de la creme really is, but this was a damn good meal.

Good thing we missed that ferry - it was a delightful end to a great trip with Murray. This is a definite return vacay for me. Especially if I can have that sandwich and salad again. Oh, and I guess Murray can come too.