Jasmyne Tea

Charlie & Co., Sydney CBD

So I've been watching what I eat. Partly for health reasons, partly for vanity's sake. And while I'm definitely enjoying feeling and looking healthier, I do occasionally miss "unhealthy" food like burgers, chips and pizza.

Obviously, this visit to Charlie & Co. occurred before I made this life-altering decision.

Nestled in a deceptively small corner of the Sydney CBD Westfield's food court, this little burger joint-slash-restaurant is all class. Founded by Justin North, it addresses the issue plaguing office workers throughout the CBD - where can you get a fantastic burger, close to the office and for a fair price?

Unfortunately for me, the city isn't near me AT ALL, so I had to wait for a rare excursion before I  could sample the loveliness of these burgers.

The Classic Fried Chicken - $14.00

Look at this bun. OH. MY. GOSH. It was fluffy and buttery and squishy in the way that burger buns are supposed to be. Apparently they're baked daily for the restaurant, and man, is it worth it!

My friend Mary ordered The Classic Fried Chicken burger, which was filled with a golden, crumbed and fried chicken fillet, iceburg lettuce for crunch, tomato and an aromatic herb and garlic mayonnaise. It was like the KFC's fillet burger's older, more sophistocated sibling.

The Wagyu & Co. Burger - $16.00

My Wagyu Burger was a shining example of how wagyu burgers should be.The bun was excellent quality, and the beef was tender and full of meaty goodness. Accompanied by a sweet beetroot relish, pickled gherkin, aioli and aged chedder, I finished this thing off completely.

Parmesan & Truffle Fries - $8.00

The real reason that most people visit Charlie & Co.; parmesan and truffle fries. The chips were golden brown and every single one was perfectly crispy - something I haven't found very often. Earthy truffle oil lightly coated each morsel of potato, and grated parmesan lent some sharpness to the mix of flavours.

Sigh. Writing all of that has made me feel like this sort of food again. Definitely not somewhere to drop by if you're trying to be health-concious!

Charlie & Co.

The Sydney Room
Level 5,
Westfield Sydney
Cnr Market & Castlereagh St
Sydney
2000

Phone: (02) 8072-7777

Unconventional Wedding Songs

So I'm picking music for my wedding. Sounds simple, right? WRONG. Google gives me nothing but "At Last" and "Truly, Madly, Deeply", my friends have horrible taste and tell me to pick Boyz II Men or Backstreet Boys, and Stephen wants "Don't Want To Miss A Thing" by Aerosmith, which IS a good song, but is horrible to dance to unless we want to rock awkwardly from side to side.

Luckily, I've managed to amass a tentative list of decent love songs that aren't terribly cliche. You won't find any Righteous Brothers here, but hopefully there'll be a song or two that will pull at your heart strings. Here they are, in no particular order:

1. "Two Way Street", Kimbra

 

"But the moment you appear
You wake me, wake me, wake me
Out of the slumbers of my head
From the slums of loneliness."

Kimbra is a goddess. Her debut album was released in September last year, and since then, with the help of Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know", she's sky-rocketed in popularity. Her musical versatility, keen fashion sense and smokey alto don't hurt either.

2. "Underneath It All", No Doubt

 

"So many moons that we have seen
Stumbling back next to me
I've seen right through and underneath
And you make me better."

No Doubt have always had a way with words that sometimes gets overlooked by their crazy 90's fashion or Reggae-inspired melodies. Gwen Stefani sings of a love that can be a little trying at times, but in the end is worth it.

3. "Good Enough", Evanescence

 

"Drink up sweet decadence
I can't say no to you
And I've completely lost myself and I don't mind."

I've been listening to Evanescence since 2002, and this band probably shaped my taste in music today. Normally their music is fairly heavy, and the lyrics a little morbid, but Amy Lee really hit the nail on the head with this song about finally feeling worthy of the one you love.

4. "18th Floor Balcony", Blue October

 

"I raised my hand as if to show you
That I was yours
That I was so yours for the taking
So yours for the taking..."

From the album Foiled, this one is very nearly the song that we picked for our first dance. I love the gentle acoustic guitar in the song, and the lilting melody.

5. "Unravel", Bjork

 

 "When you come back
We'll have to make new love."

Described by Thom York of Radiohead as his "favourite song ever", I really relate to this song when Stephen goes overseas - but, ultimately, it wasn't really appropriate for the wedding.

6. "Stellar", Incubus

 

"Meet me in outer space
I will hold you close
If you're afraid of heights."

Ok, so this song was probably written while the band was high on shrooms, but who cares? It's a lovely song about the singer trying to show someone what they mean to him.

 

So I'm going to stop the list at 6, just because I can. I'll unveil the song we actually chose after the wedding :) Add your favourite love songs below!

Chocolate Cake with Whipped Ganache

In my cooking experience, I've mangled many a recipe. Often it's from not having the right ingredient and trying to substitute; sometimes it's because Stephen has snuck up behind me and added an extra pinch of salt or sprinkling of raisins because he doesn't think I'm doing it right. And sometimes, I have no idea why it hasn't worked out.

Take this birthday cake for example. The chocolate cake recipe is a favourite of mine, and has become a staple - no problems there, it turned out dense and moist the way I like it. The chocolate ganache, however, was being bitchy and we couldn't work out why it wasn't thickening. After many attempts at cooling it down, we finally decided to try whipping it - I mean, it IS half cream, why the hell not?

As you can see, the results were favourable:

If you don't know how to make ganache, here's a handy little recipe. Then, when it's cool to the touch but not thickened to the point of usual ganache, whip with a hand-held mixer for 30 seconds to a minute. Spread promptly onto cake of choice!

Dear Randoms on the City via Granville Line...

Let me set the scene for you: it's 8 am, I'm on my way to work via a CityRail train, and I'm not in the greatest of moods after finding that my uniform didn't dry properly and the EFTPOS on the ticket machines stopped working. After being waylaid by an old lady who couldn't read the digital displays and a horde of young school children who I'd like to smack but probably shouldn't, I've missed my train and am running late. By the time I actually manage to get on the train, I'm pretty pissed off.

Then two stops later YOU get on the train. You check out the ample seating on the other side of the carriage, but decide that the empty can on the floor in front of the seat is off-putting enough to warrant sitting on my side. Ok, fair enough. But there's enough space beside me for a Tongan football team; the train is practically empty. Why are you sitting pressed against me?!? WHY ARE YOU ALL UP IN MY GRILL?

This is my dance space. This is your dance space. I don't go into yours, you don't go into mine.

Sincerely,

A commuter with personal  boundaries.