CAAAAKE! // The Fabulous Baker Boy

My mamma has come to visit me, so this week we hopped over to Singapore for a few days to do some shopping, sightseeing and of course, eating - Haha! 

I'd heard about the cake at The Fabulous Baker Boy, it was supposed to be delicious, some of the best cake, if not THE best cake, in Singapore apparently. We had a bit of a challenge locating the place, trekking all the way up the hill into Fort Canning park in the 32 degree 90% humidity (the things I'll do for good cake!), and then all the way back down again when we realised it wasn't up there. Finally we found it, a small one-story bright white building nestled at the bottom of the hill directly behind Clarke Quay. I don't think I've ever been so relieved to walk into a thoroughly air-conditioned cafe in my life. It was H.O.T that day, let me tell you! 

Thankfully, the servers greeted us with a cheery welcome and seeing our sweaty state promptly offered us a table situated under the air-con, complete with a large bottle of icy water. After a few minutes of cooling off and glugging down water, we selected our cakes from the wide array. No easy task given how delectable they all looked! They had about 15 in total; some layered up with buttercream, and a fridge-full of cream-cheese frosted options. I went with Caribbean Lemon cake and my mum opted for Red Velvet. Both were delicious; freshly baked and very tasty; the price was fair (not always the case in Singapore); and the service was the genuinely kind and friendly sort that makes you feel right at home.

I spotted that they also offer a brunch and dinner menu, so I think that gives me a good excuse to return again on my next trip. Then again, the cake alone would have been sufficient of an excuse I reckon. Fabulous indeed!

OOTD  //  Skirt -  Actually a tube top worn as a skirt - F21 // Bag - 3.1 Phillip Lim (here) 
Sunnies - Tom Ford (here)  // Sandals - Topshop (old) // Blouse - (similar)

If you're in Singapore and fancy a good slice, head here. Just make sure you check The Fabulous Baker Boy website for directions and opening times first (unlike me), yeah?!

More pics from Singapore coming up, so check back soon. Have a great weekend everyone!

Dessert at Dolce

A couple of days ago I met up with my girlfriends for coffee (which inadvertently turned into brunch) at Dolce in Plaza Indonesia. 

Dolce caught my eye a few months back with it's unique interior. Inviting grey sofas and contemporary rattan arm chairs encircle white marble tables that are dotted about between plants and winding stone pathways. There's floor to ceiling windows looking out onto a small terrace with lots of greenery. Combine the elements and the restaurant creates the feeling you're dining outdoors, but with all the air-conditioned bliss of being indoors. This is something that anyone living in the smog and heat of Jakarta will really appreciate. 

We intended to only have coffee (ok, and maybe desserts, I confess!) but once we saw the menu our tummies had other plans. The food was on the whole pretty good. My bruchetta was delicious and more than ample for a light lunch; and two of the other girls enjoyed their meals, the four cheese pizza and smoked salmon salad. Sadly, my other friend was left feeling a little disappointed by her choice;  a cold cuts and soft-cheese platter. It was served without the accompaniments mentioned on the menu, and she thought the cheese tasted a little stale. They promptly replaced that part, but for the fairly high Indonesian price tag of 185k it should have been much better than it was; if you go dine here you're probably better choosing something else. 

One really great thing about this restaurant, (and many others in jakarta), are the social media promotions they run. We saw a sign saying that we could have complimentary dessert if we posted a selfie taken there and mentioned the restaurant. Was there ever a better excuse to take a selfie than free dessert?! 

That was my second chocolate fondant this week! Naughty, but so nice! 

Although we're actually in a permanent state of summer here I thought I'd try and dress for Spring. Since I haven't been shopping recently (my mum's coming to visit in a few days, so I'm saving up to have fun & shop with her) I dug around in my closet for an outfit. The turquoise blouse is an old favourite; it's really just a standard H&M loose blouse but the colour makes it for me. The white lace skirt is one of my favourite all-time Zara buys. The necklace is a new favourite, the crystal flower design is so pretty and the perfect way for me to add that sparkle I love so much to just about any outfit! 

Has Spring sprung where you are? What kind of outfits are you wearing?  

Lunching at TWG, Jakarta (Again)

I just can't keep away! Maybe it's the British-ness of it...maybe it's the amazing selection of teas from a menu so long that it takes 30 minutes to read....or maybe it's the desserts - let's face it, it's probably the desserts! Either way, I returned to TWG this week for about the 10th time in less than that many weeks. I'm branching out on my tea choices now; this time I had an iced 'Pink Flamingo' Tea, mainly because I knew it was pink, and how fun is that! I had a delicious tea infused mushroom gratin and followed it up with an amazing chocolate fondant. The warm chocolatey gooeyness; whenever it's on the menu I struggle to pass it up, don't you? 

Anyway, the staff in there are definitely starting to recognize me as a regular, actually I think it's only a matter of time until we're on first name terms. Oh dear. But, it's just so good! If you're ever near a TWG, you have to give it a try!

I plan to try and keep away this weekend. What are you up to?

Feast // Sheraton, Incheon

Bracelets - Swarovski, F21 & Nialaya. Leaf Ring - Accessorize.

Have you heard the expression "stay away from the buffet"? I should really stick to that rule. And you know what? Every single time I go to a buffet, which always ends the same way, I remember why I should! 

My problem isn't the savoury part, I'm good there, I can keep myself in check. No my friends, I am all about the dessert! Combine my terrible indecisive nature and unrelenting sweet tooth and we have a problem.

A big I-can't-actually-move-because-I'm-so-full-I-might-be-sick kind of problem.

This week my fiancé and I fancied a treat, and since we live right by the Sheraton Hotel in Songdo now, we decided we'd wander across and see what they had to offer. Oh boy was I happy we did. I was even happier that I'd opted to wear a nice loose fitting floral dress I'd just picked up from H&M. You can never fully enjoy the dessert table if you've worn skinny jeans or a figure hugging dress. Trust me, I speak from experience.

While the boy gets excited about the mains....

English Tea Date - The Longline Blouse and Topshop Blazer

Can you see my happiness and giddiness in those photos? Well you might think I'm all excited over my new shirt dress and the awesome blazer I'd totally forgotten about and had just dug out of my wardrobe but...you'd be wrong.

There's only one thing that gets me feeling so cheery and that's cupcakes. Pathetic. But true!

I had a lunch date with a friend, the plan being to head to a place called 'Sunshine Bakery', a small cafe that just so happens to be the National Cupcake winner! I think lunch dates call for casual but chic outfits. I put on a new shirt dress I picked up a few days ago and after developing a love for my beige blazer I remembered this pale grey blazer I had left here in England when I moved to Korea. Coming back home to my old wardrobe after over two years away feels like Christmas. So many things I'd forgotten I had! So I paired them together with my casual staple, leggings and the new cowboy boots.

Stone longline blouse - Dorothy Perkins - Link!

Accessorising - Rolex watch, Swarovski heart bracelet, Accessorize ring.

Stone Longline Blouse - Dorothy Perkins - Link!  Pale Grey Blazer - Topshop

 

I really like my new blouse, it's simple and sleek. The material is light, feminine and doesn't feel cheap. I always hate when the material lets something down. The tie on the waist helps to show off your figure in a flattering way. I particularly like it though because of the gold buttons which lift it from a run of the mill shirt dress (well, for shorter people it could be) to something that looks a lot more expensive than it really is.

The cafe was very small and kitsch. I chose a 'Superfoods' salad with smoked salmon, purely to balance the guilt of the cupcake to follow. Of course, being English, it's almost compulsory to have a pot of tea with your cake.

 

 

 

Everything was yummy, yummy, yum! It was a true English afternoon. If you're ever in Leeds (slim chance I guess but you never know) give it a try!

So, what have are you up to this weekend? Enjoying the break I hope.

xxx

Big Bows, Birthdays & Balloons.

Imagine if your birthday granted you a free day off work, how incredible would that be?!
 

Hard luck, it doesn't! So instead I had to go to work. My day was made much more enjoyable though by my gorgeous work friends. They surprised me with a latte and cinnamon roll complete with candles (they know I never get round to breakfast in the morning) as well as gifts! It was so thoughtful and cute of them!
 

After work was out of the way my boyfriend had made reservations for dinner. People in Seoul tend to dress a lot more casually when you'd expect them to be smart. So although this restaurant is a fine dining experience, the dress code isn't. I'm often overdressed. This time I put together a cute smart casual look. Skater skirt, ruched shoulder cardigan and enough accessories to add a touch of glam, including my new bow hairband a friend gave me as a birthday gift. I got it just right this time. The restaurants on the 33rd floor so the views of the city are beautiful.

View from our table.

Oversized Bow Hairband - Accessorize. Cardigan & Necklace - H&M (currently loving it a bit too much!)

We ate a gorgeous meal and enjoyed the smooth live music. It was a perfect birthday meal (photos of the food after the jump if you care to make yourself hungry, seriously...they will!). After dinner I was keen to have a night-cap cocktail but my bf insisted he was too tired and wanted to get home. I really wanted to stay longer but appreciated what a lovely night it had been and decided not to kick up a fuss.

When we got back he suddenly dashed into the apartment and told me to wait a minute.When I went in he surprised me with flowers, birthday balloons, a few more presents (he'd already given me my presents earlier) and a birthday cake! I'd not expected anything else as he'd already done more than enough. I jumped around for a little while with excitement. Thought about how glad I was I didn't get miffed at him for wanting to go home. Then we grabbed forks and dug into the Black Forest Gateaux cake!

My surprise when we got back to our apartment! <3

It was a perfect birthday, I couldn't have asked for anything different, except not to have to work of course! Haha! I feel so thankful that I have such lovely friends and an amazing boyfriend too. They all helped make me feel a little bit better about getting another year older.

I hope I'm blessed enough to have them in my life every year to ease the pain!

xxx

PS: You can see the food we ate if you click below but I really should warn you that you'll probably have to go eat something after you look at them...or maybe I just don't have any willpower!?!!

I Wore: Simple Snakeskin

Good Morning!

It's unusual for me to be posting on a Sunday morning, okay, I lie, early afternoon. It feels like morning to me since I rarely manage to motivate myself to post anytime before 8pm on a Sunday. I've been sick all week but finally feel like I'm almost well again. It's given me a new lease of life. I actually felt well enough to go out to dinner last night with my boyfriend; getting dressed up always helps make me feel better. Snakeskin print is a big trend of this fall. It's in a lot of the shops and I've seen a lot of celebrities wearing it. Although I'm not brave enough to do head to toe snakeskin like the celebs I picked up a cute snakeskin dress a couple of weeks ago. 

 

Snakeskin Print Dress - H&M

Vintage Black Clutch with Gold Chain Detail - Stuart Weitzman

Black Patent Shoe Boots - Moda In Pele

Gold Cuff Bracelet - F21. Ring - Accessorize. Gold Pendant - Vivienne Westwood.

Since the snakeskin is such a statement print I let that do the talking and kept the rest of my outfit simple. Black leggings, black shoe boots and my absolute favorite vintage clutch bag.

The weather here yesterday was unseasonably warm so we headed to a great restaurant we love that has an open air courtyard you can dine in. I think it's possibly one of the prettiest restaurants I've eaten in. The food is incredible too. It serves a course menu comprising seven courses. I only took three photos because I was too busy enjoying the evening (and eating all those courses) to remember to photo them all, sorry!

Although the weather was mild and the courtyard is heated I still took my snuggliest knit to keep myself warm. Don't want to catch a cold now that I'm almost better do I!! I picked it up in Mango last week. I'll do a post that you can see it clearly in soon (it totally deserves full recognition, it's so cozy). Also, isn't the entrance to the restaurant pretty, very romantic, I love it.

Chunky Knit Cardigan with Fur Trim - Mango

Today I'm venturing out for brunch and possibly a cupcake and coffee later, I'm so addicted, it's bad!
I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday!

xxx 

What did you do last night? Feel free to leave a link if you've written a post about what you did, I'd love to read it!
 
Oh, almost forgot, remember to enter my giveaway if you haven't yet! :)