The Wedding Day

Hello,

I've just finished a best seller chick-flick book, Revenge Wears Prada. Where Andy, the main character, worked for herself in a wedding magazine. Being in the industry myself, it inspires me a little. Even though I'm not going to have my own wedding anytime soon but as a girl in her mid twenties, I already started imagining it.

At times, my imagination goes wild, I tell you. Mainly about the decoration and tiny bits like the stationaries. It's funny how this wedding stuffs can give me excitement.

However, grew up in Jakarta, Indonesia, I couldn't actually imagine my wedding day to be as eventful as a usual Indonesian/Jakarta wedding. What about it,you asked? Well, it's about inviting as many people as you could possibly imagine (more than 50% of them you don't even know), it's about having a variety of food stalls (plus the 9 varieties of foods on the bain maries), with an extravagant decorations; flowers; and lightings, it's also about standing on a stage; smiling; and hand shaking each and everyone of those many guests as you could possibly imagine (more than 50% of them you don't even know), holding a sword like cake knife to gesturally cut the sky-scrapper-cake , and lastly, to touch your partner's lips against yours while the master of ceremony's counting the longest 5 seconds in your life and the waitresses are popping confetti to you and all that also gotta be snapped by 2 or 3 photographers from every angle they could take but mostly they'd be just next to you circling around.  I wasn't just exaggerating cause I can assure you that pretty much what happens.. Ok, probably the sky-scrapper cake was a little exaggerate but the cake still is so big and tall. And the wealthier you are, the merrier it becomes (the number of the guests can reach up to a few thousands. No joke.).

I guess the start point was great, that you want to tell the whole world that you just marry someone you love and how your parents are so happy and proud that they also want to tell the whole world, want to gather every one they know to celebrate. But then, it became a show off thing and sadly, a culture. It did become a culture that I and TWB discussed this and pray that we don't have to follow Indonesian style wedding and our parents won't drive us crazy for not following the culture.

And also, because it's such a festivities thing, can you imagine the preparation itself? Having both of my brother and sister got married and other friends that already had and handling clients that are having one, it's pretty hectic and frantic. It's sort of they have a pressure of pleasing every one; themselves, partners, parents, friends, and families. For example, I often find when a bride trying a wedding dress they often listens to others that in the end prefers something others chose even though it's not as comfortable. Me and colleague always give our  opinion but also a reminder that in the end you're the bride, you're the one who'd be wearing it and not them.

Anyway, back to the book, there was a chapter where Andy has to cover a wedding of a movie star, Olive. Olive told her that her stylist picked every thing for her, even the wedding dress. Andy was very surprised and Olive said, "I found the guy! After more than twenty years of being single and jerked around and cheated on and alone, I found my soul mate. Pardon my French, but you think I give a shit about the flowers?"

That's very inspiring. I mean, as much as I love helping a client for their wedding, but yeah, what for? The main thing here is that a wedding day supposed to be about a girl and a boy who loves each other and want to be united as one. Full stop. And it's supposed to be up to them if they want to celebrate it or not, to have it big or small, with a cinderella dress or a mermaid dress, etc. Right? Plus a wedding day only a ceremony entering a marriage life, which the pin point, anyway.

I don't know about my wedding day later, how it's gonna be, but until then, here's to you and me and  I found my soul mate, I don't give a shit about the flowers! Ting!

WAQU, Crows Nest

Me and TWB share the same interest when it comes to Japan. The culture, language, places, and food. We just think Japan is cool. So, for my birthday night this year.. I would really love to have some Japanese food. But since it's my birthday I don't want it to be just a normal bento box, sushi train or ramen slurping night. So I tried to find something else. Well, on the top of my list would be Tetsuya of course, but reality check hit me so I'd come back to Tetsuya later. Haha.. Then I remember this restaurant near where I lived 3 years ago that I've put in the back of my mind that I'd have to visit. So then we made a booking in WAQU, a table for two at 7pm.

We spent almost 20 minutes to find a parking spot in Crows Nest. Friday night during this time is when everyone is going out to dine, something that I didn't think at all when I spent too long gluing the fake eyelashes on, urgh! Anyway luckily I saw a car was leaving and I just commanding, while pointing at the spot, TWB, "There!". 

When we entered the door of WAQU, the hustle bustle from outside has just transformed to this intimate and elegant atmosphere restaurant. We directly greeted and walked to our table and being given the menu and drink list. Yay Day! $6 cocktail and mocktail! Anyway, Waqu only offers courses menu, no a la carte in this restaurant. Tonight we chose the $68 6 course over $48 3 course. 

Umeshi Mojito Cocktail

Peach Calpis Mocktail

Who would have guessed it right, was the calpis belonged to me and mojito belonged to TWB or the other way around? Nope, it's the other way around. hihi.. That cute TWB is so weak with something peachy and mangoey. Both are very nice, by the way. Peach calpis got the peach puree, gave it nice texture when you sipped. The mojito is nice with the kick of umeshi sake. 

amouse bouche

We got this as a complimentary, yay day! I actually forgot what amouse bouche is this. We put it in our mouth and it was yum. The bottom part is a bed of pastry and at the top is some seafood blend mousse. A great dish to start the night. 

japanese pumpkin soup with kaffir lime

The first course came in a tall martini glass. We didn't use the small spoon given, we drank it straight away instead cause that's what would you do when you handle something in a martini glass, don't you? *haha nah, we actually was a bit confuse to spoon or to drink, we looked around and no one were still on their first course* TWB loved his soup, I didn't. It's actually a very nice texture, very smooth and creamy, you absolutely can taste the kaffir lime. I don't know, it's just didn't do it for me, so I gave my half to TWB, that he happily drank up. 

scallop, tofu ganmo, school prawn with scallop confit, cauliflower puree, braised daikon, karasumi, and truffle powder.

Such a lovely looking dish except for one thing, if you know which one I'm talking about. Scallop was melt in the mouth, school prawn was fried nicely. Give me a bowl of that school prawn, I'd be one happy gal. TWB isn't a shell-seafood eater. He ate half of his scallop and gave me the rest. Yay day for me! Haha..

chicken galantine stuffed with mochi rice okowa, miso essence, shimeji, soba seeds, rice and peanut tuilles

This was delicioso! bellisima! and all good word! I love chicken so much and this chicken is perfectly cooked. The mochi rice is divine, the waiter who put this on our table told us that the rice tastes the same as his grandmother would cook for the family on new year. 

TWB's pan fried barramundi with caramelized onion puree, pinot noir syrup, roasted leek, grated macadamia

This one was TWB's. The roasted leek was a bit on the downside, it was tough. But lucky the hero of the dish is lovely. 

pan fried snapper with cumin spiced carrot puree, prosciutto broth with parsley oil, piment d'espelette

This was mine and I loved it. The broth was a little salty on its own but when you combined all together, it was a bomb.

TWB's roasted cabernet marinated lamb backstrap with fig balsamic vinegar puree, fig fritter, spiced bread crumbles 

I was sure TWB was so happy finally the red meat came out, despite we did wait for a while for them to come. TWB loved it he especially loved the fig fritter but he did find the fig balsamic vinegar puree was too sweet and strong and the spiced bread crumbles was tasteless. I tried and agreed the fig fritter was two thumbs up, it made you wish there was some left over in the kitchen and given away to you. Crunchy, light and sweet. I'm drooling right now. 

tajima wagyu sirloin steak BMS 6+ grain fed with beef jus, grilled eggplant paste, seasonal vegetables ($8 surcharge)

As a birthday girl I wanted something more special of course, when I saw the fifth course was $8 surcharge, straight away I thought this must be gooodd. I have to have this one. Even though I usually choose duck over beef if I saw duck in the menu (the option were this, TWB's lamb and a roasted duck), especially the duck seemed a lot of fun (it was a roasted duck with dark cherry sauce, beetroot puree, coffee chocolate crumbles, creme fraiche), however the beef still won. So after a while, it finally came. yaaayyy!

Ok, I was so grateful, you know, I've been able to eat everyday.. moreover in this special moment I was able to eat in such a good place like this.. moreover eating that wagyu beef! Boy, do I had that gracing moment when I had the first bite! All I did was eating it in silent and trying to seal the taste of that wagyu.

chocolate terrine, hazelnut praline ice cream, banana crumble, sake-kasu sauce, mint olive oil

Mine came with a firework candle sticked on a piece of banana and a beautifully pipped happy birthday chocolate along with patrons' and waitresses' eyes and smiles. When I called to make a booking, me and the guy on the phone chatted a bit and I did mention that I'm celebrating my birthday that night. It wasn't TWB who requested it, means the restaurant noted it, which was very sweet of them. The terrine was perfect, so chocolatey and not too sweet as I sometimes found Terrine could be. And the hazelnut praline ice cream, is the best I've had so far. 

All in all, I enjoyed my night at WAQU so much. It was actually mine and TWB's first night of having more than 3 course meal (6!) that I asked TWB to sneaked the menu into his suit. So yeah, it was memorable.. 

WAQU modern japanese dining

308 pacific highway, Crows Nest, NSW 2065

02 9906 7736

info@waqu.com.au

Opening hours:

Lunch: Thu-Sun from 12 pm

Dinner: Tue-Sun from 6pm

Close: Monday

http://www.waqu.com.au/index.html

Keeping Up With The Techs (Or Apps Or Whateverfancy)

Yep you name it; twitter, facebook, instragram, linkedin, iTunes, Siri, blackberry messenger, pinterest, etc.. Those things... I don't know how to categorise them, can we say it some sort of technology or it simply is an application, but you get what I mean..

It seems like today our social communication tools are bounded between those 'apps', 'accounts', or whatever they named them. How are we keeping up with all those advanced technologies updates while there are so many of them?

It interests me since this couple of years I frequently  got an invitation from a few friends whose in linkedin and some other social websites. I'm not in there and despite I know the advantages I still haven't found the interest to be in yet. I don't have a twitter account and I don't play instagram. But then I notice that most of the people are in those little clubs, that reminds me a few years ago while most of my friends were using blackberry and using blackberry messenger to chat and I didn't, I was the one who would be the last to hear any news. Even worse, they even forgot to wish me merry christmas and happy new year because I wasn't on the list of their blackberry messenger! Comment I've got for not having a twitter account was, "no wonder you always be the last person to know about that, make a twitter account!". I hate that, make me feel I'm left behind. Well then, yes, I surrendered and got myself a blackberry and in an instant I was in the loop again.

It's ironically funny isn't it?

Anyway, I'll share you something worth the read: what this man did. Outrageous. I don't think I'd be able to do that.

Oh well I think, as much as I love to be connected to whom I love continents apart, with the technologies and applications and all those social medias are just so advance nowadays, I don't think I can ever keep up.  Not even 10km close.