Ibyang Sanchez, Author at Ibyang

New Burger Place: Charlie & Co. Burgers

10 November 2010 Ibyang Sanchez 7 Comments Category: Aussie Life, Food

Westfield Sydney (Westfield: Online Shopping), the newly re-developed shopping haven in the metro, opened its door to the public two weeks ago. We dropped by during opening and it was packed with so many people. Lots of boutiques have opened and there are more shops to look forward to in the coming months. However, the Sydney Room Food Court at Level 5 is fully-operational. When we got there, it was full of people. I knew there was going to be many people and never expected to be able to have dinner there but I wanted to have a look nonetheless.

I only had a light lunch today and so when I went out of the office, I was famished. I called the Husband to meet up with me and have dinner before we go home. We went to Westfield Sydney expecting there won’t be too many people as today is Wednesday. And we were right, not much people.

We went up to Level 5 and what joy to take photographs when there aren’t too many people around.

I was actually thinking of having pizza for dinner but when I mentioned that there’s a new burger place in the food court, the Husband immediately looked for it and told me, “I want to eat here”, when he found it.

Charlie & Co. Burgers is the newest venture of Justin North (Restaurant Becasse, Plan B, Etch and Le Grande Cafe).

There’s a small section for those who want to exclusively dine in at Charlie & Co. Burgers. For others, they can have their meals in the food court area.

We chose to seat ourselves in the food court area. Interiors are very nice. Does this look like I’m eating at a food court? Here’s me reading the newspaper, errr, their menu.

Their paging system looks like a phone!

The Husband misses drinking Coke while I on the other hand just had a bottle of another bloody water.

I ordered The Federation Burger, really massive! Seasoned Angus beef pattie enveloped in cheese, fried egg, bacon, onions, lettuce and tomato. Cooked perfectly, the meat tender and fairly juicy.

The Husband ordered The Wagyu & Co. Burger. Not as intimidating but chunky. Wagyu burger with beetroot relish, pickled gherkin and cheese on a toasted brioche bun.

According to news, the biggest sellers in Charlie & Co. are the Wagyu Burger and Federation Burger.

A burger meal will never be complete without chips. For our sides, we shared an order of Parmesan and Truffle Fries.

This is just the start of our foodie adventures in Westfield Sydney. There’s a few more restaurants we’ll be trying out in the coming weeks.

Charlie & Co. Burgers
The Sydney Room
Level 5, Westfield Sydney
Cnr Market and Castlereagh St
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: 02-8072 7777
All photos taken by an iPhone 4.

No-Touch Hand Wash System

9 November 2010 Ibyang Sanchez 6 Comments Category: Great Finds for the Home

According to the commercial, this will stop the spread of germs. Well, I say this home gadget is fun and cool!

The moment we saw this No-Touch Hand Wash System in the supermarket, we took a second look and decided to buy it. We got curious with how it works and at the same time, found the idea of a hand wash dispenser that automatically senses your hands and dispenses liquid for hand washing.

No more dirty dispenser pumps and no more accidental spills…nowadays, it’s so fuss-free to wash our hands.

The machine is battery-operated and can be turned off. Available in supermarkets.

Three Cafes in Three Days

7 November 2010 Ibyang Sanchez 9 Comments Category: Charmed Life of a Mrs, The Married Life

I had a busy and productive weekend but I was able to squeeze in a few moments to relax here and there. I’m still having very hectic days at work so I made sure that this weekend I spend quality with myself and my Husband. With all the things I’m doing, it’s getting hard to create balance in my life right now. I’m finding it sometimes difficult to maintain a steady equilibrium in my world but I’m hopeful that things will soon (fingers crossed) return to normal.

I worked five days last week and on Friday, I just had to leave early as I was itching to have my quiet “me” time. I was just exhausted dealing with work that at 3:30pm I decided to pack up and leave. I went straight out to Starbucks to have a cup of their tall Creme Brulee Macchiato.

Creme Brulee Macchiato is the newest drink at Starbucks. I’ve tried this once and I liked it so I just had to try it again because it’s a limited edition beverage. I’m not sure how long it will be on the menu. It is a creamy mix of crème brûlèe flavoured syrup and freshly steamed milk marked with intense Starbucks® espresso, topped with velvety foam with a roasty, dark caramel drizzle on top.

This warm creamy, foamy drink was perfect as I had a quiet time at Starbucks, watching people pass by and playing games on my iPod.

On Saturday, my Husband and I decided to come out of the house to do some shopping for groceries and Christmas presents. I’ve started buying gifts since August and for the next three weeks, we will buy a few items until we complete everything.

We had heavy breakfast at home but I didn’t prepare coffee. I suggested that we have coffee at the mall so we can have time to just relax and talk. We hung out at Coffee Culture where the Husband had a cup of Latte and while I had a cup of Peppermint Tea.

Coffee Culture always serve their Peppermint Tea like this…

…so when you open your cup, you’ll find a surprise—two gummy bears.

My Husband and I shared toasted Plain Bagel with lots of Cream Cheese.

For dessert, we shared a slice of Brownie. This is the best brownie I’ve ever tasted. Rich, moist and not too sweet. It has a crunchy top part which I love the most. My Husband makes very delicious brownies but I have to say that this one from Coffee Culture is better. I’m sorry but I’m never biased when it comes to food.

This afternoon, we had no plans of going out but after lunch, the Husband asked me out for a hot chocolate date. Awwwww sweet. I had so much to do but in the spirit of being spontaneous, I said, “Yes!”.

He took me to Max Brenner for afternoon tea.

This is what I call a Hot Chocolate KISS….mwah!!!!

I had the White Hot Chocolate while the Husband had the Hot Dark Chocolate. And once again, the Husband ordered a slice of Max Brenner’s Choc-Nut Fudge Brownie (he’s such a chocoholic).

Such a very chocolate-y Brownie. It had drizzles of dark chocolate and milk chocolate. It’s so mouthwatering. And it had walnuts which I find very interesting and delicious at the same time.

That’s three cafes in three days. Short sweet moments that gave me time to clear my mind and spend quality time with my Husband.

Hope you had a sweet weekend!

My Blessing From Blogging

1 November 2010 Ibyang Sanchez 19 Comments Category: Ang Kalatas, Aussie Life, Charmed Life of a Mrs, Deep Thoughts, Milestones, Projects of the Mrs

There are so many things to be grateful for since I moved here in Sydney. Last month, I celebrated my 5th Sydney-versary and although I nearly forgot about it, in my heart, I’m celebrating the blessing of being here.

Living here has given me the opportunity to explore interests I never thought I would have time for like blogging and photography. Never in my wildest dreams that I thought I’d be able to develop a website, share my stories and photographs and find friends in the blogosphere. From the time I started “A Wife’s Charmed Life” it has grown immensely and I’m so grateful to everyone who has supported me and my site.

In September, I received an invitation to write for a community-based newspaper for Filipinos living in New South Wales called “Ang Kalatas“. The publisher found me thru “A Wife’s Charmed Life” and had taken interest on the things I share online. After a few exchanges of emails, I was IN!

While I only started blogging just to update my parents and friends back in the Philippines, as the years go by, the passion to share information became my motivation in maintaining my site. I figured that being part of “Ang Kalatas” is an opportunity and a blessing to be of service to Filipinos here.

For the second issue of “Ang Kalatas”, my column “Life Down Under” ran its debut article entitled “Making This Home Too“. Seeing my first ever published article in print was like “Wow!”. Until now I still cannot describe how elated I am with the birth of my “new baby”.

Ang Kalatas (Vol.1 No.2) Life Down Under

“Ang Kalatas” has a website http://www.kalatas.com.au and you can subscribe to us by entering your email address on the right side portion of the webpage.

If you want to read my article, the online equivalent is HERE.

I have shared this news in my FB, twitter & plurk and I’m truly grateful to everyone who congratulated me, took time to read the article and leave sweet messages on my wall. It was also nice to hear from friends who migrated to other countries that they can relate to my article.

Maraming maraming salamat po!

Know more about “Ang Kalatas” by clicking this.

Chocolate Cafe: Koko Black Chocolate (Melbourne, Australia)

30 October 2010 Ibyang Sanchez 6 Comments Category: Food

The last cafe we visited in Melbourne was a chocolate cafe. After our brunch at The European, I requested that we have dessert somewhere else. It was an excuse to spend more time with our friends and of course to try out one more restaurant before we leave Melbourne.

Luckily, there was a Koko Black on the way back to our hotel.

Koko Black’s salon was one of the loveliest restaurants I’ve been to in Melbourne. A stunning back counter display, beautiful curtains, dainty chandeliers, elegant looking furniture and a spacious area for guests made our visit to their Collins Street branch more memorable.

Koko Black’s Baby Ice Cream for the little kids and the kids-at-heart. A single of scoop of chocolate is enough to fulfill your chocolate desire. Other ice cream flavours they offer: vanilla bean, blood orange and lemon.

Lui ordered an iced something drink hehe. I really don’t remember but this was either an Iced Chocolate/Mocha/Coffee. A refreshing drink of chocolate blend or espresso with vanilla ice cream and chocolate shavings on top.

My Husband had the Belgian Hot Chocolate while I ordered the Light Hot Chocolate. It was my first time to notice a restaurant offering a light version of their hot chocolate. The regular Belgian Hot Chocolate tasted delicious but I liked the Light Hot Chocolate better. It was smooth, soothing and light.

The Husband and I shared the Belgian Spoil platter to go with our hot beverages. My Husband loved this treat as it was everything chocolate in one platter: chocolate cake, two Belgian chocolates, a shortbread, chocolate ice cream and chocolate mousse.

The Belgian chocolates were delightful and I love the shortbread and ice cream. The mousse was light and smooth. Koko Black’s chocolates are not that sweet but since I don’t like eating chocolates all the time, it was a bit much for me. I generously let the Husband have the chocolate to himself. This platter was truly meant to be shared.

The next time we visit Melbourne, we will definitely visit a Koko Black salon as I look forward to savouring a cup of their Light Hot Chocolate.

Koko Black Chocolate
52 Collins Street
Melbourne, Victoria
Phone: 03 9663 5567