Ibyang Sanchez, Author at Ibyang

Cafe: Oliver Brown Belgian Chocolate Cafe (Chatswood, NSW)

22 November 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 1 Comments Category: Charmed Life of a Mrs, Deep Thoughts, Food, Restaurants

What do you do when the person you’re supposed to meet up is running late?

I’m not really patient by nature and I used to get annoyed when schedules run late but life has taught me that delays can be an opportunity for some unexpected “Me” times and discovering places I never thought existed.

Last week’s Thursday meet-up with the Husband at Chatswood was supposed to be at a Korean place that serves Korean fried chicken. And as I arrived at our meeting place on time, the Husband called to say that something came up at the office and he will be late for our dinner date.

I immediately went on “wanderlust” mode and walked around Chatswood and looked at shops and restaurants in the area. There was a Night Market at that time too but I had to go inside Westfield after a few minutes because it rained.

Since my legs were also needing rest from all the walking and I was craving for coffee, I went inside Westfield. Tucked in the corner of the 2nd level, I saw a cozy-looking cafe called Oliver Brown.

Cafe: Oliver Brown Belgian Chocolate Cafe (Chatswood, NSW)

Oliver Brown is a Belgian Chocolate Cafe that serves great tasting chocolate and coffee. The cafe looks attractive with its contemporary design and iconic patterned tiling.

I just love it when restaurant owners are consistent with branding the little details inside their restaurant–like the cups and serviettes. It makes the service more personal. And yes, I always take note of these little things when I dine out.

I ordered a Cafe Latte and it was creamy and beautiful.

I love that they served a few bits of their Belgian Chocolate with their coffee. Their chocolates were delicious so I decided to buy some truffles for the Husband when he arrived.

I bought two dark chocolate truffles, two white ones and a nutty truffle. The truffles were not as expensive as the ones made by famous chocolatiers but they were good chocolate.

Another great cafe find during my unexpected “Me” time.

Oliver Brown Belgian Chocolate Cafe
Level 2, Store 212
Westfield Chatswood
Phone: 9410 3774

Malaysian & Singaporean Restaurant: Temasek (Parramatta, NSW)

21 November 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 1 Comments Category: Food, Restaurants

I’ve been wishing to eat Hainanese Chicken in Sydney and I’m so grateful to one of my dearest friends for bringing us to Temasek Restaurant in Parramatta. On the Friday night we dined at Temasek, I discovered a love for Malaysian and Singaporean cuisine that I thought I never had. Why? Because Temasek made me a believer.

We made reservations for 6PM as we opted to meet up straight from work and to avoid the crowd. With the recommendations of our foodie friends, we ordered our preferred dishes in one go and in less than 15 minutes, our table was laden with delicious-smelling and mouthwatering dishes.

Sambal Prawns. Hot and spicy, this one surely throws a punch. Prawns were perfectly cooked and the sauce thick, flavourful and smooth.

Malaysian & Singaporean Restaurant: Temasek (Parramatta, NSW)

Kecap Manis Sotong (AUD$19.80). Lightly-fried Calamari in sweet soy and a hint of spice. This dish is addictive with or without the rice.

Sambang Balacaan Kangkong (AUD$16.++). Likened to the Filipino version of Kangkong with Bagoong (Shrimp Paste). A mountain of Kangkong mixed with fermented shrimp. A harmony of salty, sweet and spicy flavours all in one mouthful. A perfect partner to almost all the meat dishes in the menu.

Nasi Goreng (AUD$14.80). Packed with flavour and all the components that make this fried rice irresistible.

Chicken Curry (AUD$17.80). This is the only curry that I love because it does not overwhelm the palate and my sense of smell. An uncomplicated dish that gives you a kick of spice.

Hainanese Chicken (Half Boneless at $18.50). I think the reason why I love this dish is because of its simplicity. Served cold in its unpretentious “whiteness” with the thick soy sauce and chili sauce on the side to help in enhancing the chicken’s flavour. The chicken was tender and juicy.

We ate here two weeks ago and I can’t wait to try out all their other dishes next time.

Temasek Singapore and Malaysian Cuisine
The Roxy Arcade, 71 George St, Parramatta, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9633 9926

Open Tuesday to Sundays (closed on Mondays and public holidays)
Lunch 11.30am – 2.30pm
Dinner 5.30pm – 10.00pm (last orders 9.30pm)

58th Month

20 November 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 5 Comments Category: Cherished Memories, The Married Life

Once or twice, we have forgotten to greet each other but more often, we’d realize what day it is and we’d immediately greet each other to acknowledge our day.

It has come to the point that we stopped counting time as we take each day for what it bring us, from the blessings we continue to receive and the challenges we face. We are grateful for each moment together. We’re blessed to have achieved a balance of love, friendship and respect in everyday whether it be in the little or big moments.

Snapshots from the K-POP Music Fest in Sydney

16 November 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 3 Comments Category: Aussie Life, Charmed Life of a Mrs, Cherished Memories, Entertainment, Photography

“Is this crazy or what?”

That was the only thought I had from the time I bought us tickets to the K-POP Music Fest Concert.

The Husband and I are not fond of watching concerts. The one and only concert we watched (one that I will always remember) happened years ago. Although we enjoy music and watching artists perform on stage, there’s something about concerts that we’d rather wait for the DVD and watch the show in the comfort of our home. I fear big crowds that have a potential to be rowdy–there I said it. I know, I’m such a coward haha.

Anyway, when I learned about the K-POP Music Fest (thanks to my friend Trish who messaged me) and found out the line-up of performers, I got excited. With so much hesitation, I gave in to that excitement and got us tickets the morning they went on pre-sale.

Snapshots from the K-POP Music Fest in Sydney

I got us tickets away from the front so we can be far from the more energetic fans. We knew that most of the people who’d come would be young adults who may like to dance and jump around while we just want to watch, listen and enjoy the show. So I intentionally got tickets in the silver section. Luckily, we got good seats not too far behind from the front section.

This is the first ever Hallyu concert in Australia to celebrate 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Australia.

Here are some snapshots from the concert:

Shinee

Miss A

Secret

2AM

4Minute

CN Blue

All the groups that performed at the K-POP Music Fest in Sydney

Highlights:

Each group sang at least two to three of their hit songs.
Dance showdown that featured SNSD’s Sooyoung, Hyoyeon, Yoona and Yuri and Shinee;s Taemin and Minho.
Song number from 2AM’s Jo Kwon and Changmin, 4Minute’s Gayoon and SISTAR’s Hyorin. They sang Beyonce’ “Halo”.
Song production from BEAST’s Yoseob, MBLAQ’s G.O. and CN Blue. They performed Huk Gak’s “Through The Sky”.
Best highlight! 4Minute and Miss A performed Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Out of My Head”. Such a sweet gesture to Australian fans for doing this.
At the end of the concert, they called out all the groups to give a final bow and a group performance. They sang “Arirang” then handed out autographed plastic balls to fans.

The show started at exactly 7:00PM and ended at 10:00PM. I’m amazed at their punctuality and professionalism which resulted to no dull moments as groups came out the stage one after another.

The concert was a blast! We really enjoyed it. There were 11 groups that performed and the artists were all great and each production were visually entertaining. The money we paid for and time we spent was all worth it.

Starbucks Toffee Nut & Christmas Blend

15 November 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 6 Comments Category: Charmed Life of a Mrs, Food

Knowing that their Christmas menu is already available, I dropped by Starbucks and had my coffee “Me” time with a tall Toffee Nut Frappuccino last Friday afternoon.

Starbucks was packed when I arrived. It was a warm day so most people grabbed a cup of frappuccino to go. I sat myself at the bar and watched people passing by while I have a quiet moment. Before I finished my drink, I made a call to one of my girlfriends in Manila and we had a bit of chitchat. It was like I was having coffee with her already. The “Me” time and my conversation with a friend was a good way to cap my busy week at work.

What’s in a Starbucks Bag?

The Christmas Blend is also available in stores right now so I went home with a Starbucks bag full of Christmas Blend beans. I was also happy that they have the Christmas Blend in Ready Brew so I grabbed a 12-pack box.

What’s also inside my Starbucks Bag is the Starbucks Re-usable Bag (last photo). It’s smaller compared to a normal-sized re-usable bag. A perfect bag for lunch boxes etc.