Ibyang
Ibyang

Charmed Life of a Mrs

Tweethearts Meetup at Tom N Toms Coffee (Sydney, Australia)

I invited myself to a tweetup when my friend Pen mentioned something about meeting a tweetmate from Adelaide. I was able to work out my schedule last Friday and got myself to the city for an early afternoon coffee klatch with Pen and Shai who was in Sydney for the Windows 8 Launch.

Funny thing was the Windows 8 Launch finished early and Shai had to wait for us in the city. We were supposed to meet at MSM but she fortunately hung out at Tom N Toms Coffee. Great choice because they free wi-fi and have more food offerings in the menu. I have always thought of having coffee at Tom N Toms but I always forgot. I got acquainted with Tom N Toms when we traveled in Seoul last year. It caught my eye because it looked very similar to a famous American coffee brand but we never got the chance to try it.

Tom N Toms is a Korean cafe and it opened its first store in Sydney in 2008. Their cafe looks modern with youthful drawings on the wall but their menu offerings have a touch of Asian culture such as a Sweet Potato Latte and Gelato Bread. They serve an array of drinks (coffee, tea, smoothies and lemonade), sandwiches, pretzels and toasted breads.

Tweetup Meetup at Tom N Toms Coffee (Sydney, Australia)

The coffee tastes good and done well by their barista. The Husband had a creamy cup of Cafe Mocha while I had a cup of strong Long Black.  

Tweetup Meetup at Tom N Toms Coffee (Sydney, Australia)

The Gelato Bread looked awesome! Such a big serving that all four us had a hard time finishing it (we actually didn’t finish it). But it was delicious. The bread was toasted to a nice crunch and the syrup had the right kind of sweetness. The best part was the gelato. I loved it but I forgot to ask what flavour it was.

Tweetup Meetup at Tom N Toms Coffee (Sydney, Australia)

Tweetup Meetup at Tom N Toms Coffee (Sydney, Australia)

We also had a serving of Pretzel with caramel dip. They had the pretzel cut up in small pieces probably because they want people to have an easier time eating it. This one’s a good option for customers who are alone as it’s more manageable to finish.

Tweetup Meetup at Tom N Toms Coffee (Sydney, Australia)

The best part of the afternoon was being with Pen and finally meeting Shai. I’ve known Shai since I started plurking and tweeting in 2007 and then eventually, I discovered her blog where I got to know more about her. She’s considered as one of the best Filipino bloggers around the world and it’s such an honour to be able to meet her. With the three of us happy and excited that we finally met, the time passed by quickly as we exchanged stories of our life in Australia and a little about life in social media. We hope one day soon, we get to meet for a coffee klatch again.

Tweetup Meetup at Tom N Toms Coffee (Sydney, Australia)

Grateful for Pen who let me “gatecrashed” the tweetup and Shai for finding the time to see us. 

Tom N Toms Coffee 97-99 Bathurst Street NSW

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Coffee Date with Meds

So how was your weekend? I hope you were able to do some things you loved, spend time with family or friends and still had time to rest and relax.

My weekend was a mixture of spending time with friends, sending care boxes to our families in the Philippines and hanging out at home with the Husband. It was one of those busy weekends but thankfully we found time to relax as the weekend came to a halt. 

I started my weekend on Thursday afternoon. I met up with Meds for coffee at a Starbucks near her place. Meds and I met via a common friend and we also found out that her cousin Rachel was an ex-workmate of my Husband when he worked in Dubai. Thru shared interests and coffee dates once once in a while, Meds and I have became closer thru time and I’m very grateful for her gift of friendship and positivity. 

It was fortunate that for the first few hours, Starbucks was quiet when we were there. We were able to enjoy our coffee while we chat non-stop about anything and everything we can think of.  

Funny that we wanted to try the Salted Caramel Frappuccino but wasn’t available when we were there. So I opted to try a Caramel Macchiato Frappuccino. It was my first time to try it and I was happy to know that it tasted good. I enjoyed it with a slice of New York Cheesecake which I haven’t eaten for long while.

Starbucks
Pad Site 1, Westfield Mt Druitt
Carlisle Avenue, Mt Druitt NSW
Phone: (02) 9625 9800

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Friday Night-In with Kolokoys

We had a fun start to our weekend as we had a Friday Night-In with our group of friends, Kolokoys (that’s what we call our group). It’s been awhile since we’ve spent time together. We do meet up for meals or parties every once in a while but hanging out for no reason is something we missed. Having a night-in on a Friday is such a welcoming thing. The Husband and I like staying home on Fridays that’s why we love Friday Night-In with friends. The relaxing experience of being at home, talking with friends, playing with kids and sharing good food are some of the best ways to welcome the weekend. It’s one of the most laidback things as we just all arrive at a friend’s place after work with food to share with everyone. No dress code, no reservations needed, no time limit. Our presence and food, those two were the only things we needed.

Speaking of food, we had lots of it: Cheese and Ham platter, Pork Sisig, Relyenong Bangus, Pork Roast, Baked Spaghetti, Buttered Mushrooms, Green Salad, Apple Pie and Apple Danish (hindi naman kami masyadong mahilig sa apple nyan hahaha). And us ladies enjoyed a refreshing Pimm’s and Lemonade Cocktail and some bubblies before going home (no drinking for the Husbands who drive).

The start of our weekend did set the tone to a relaxing but productive Saturday and Sunday. The positive cheer and love from friends on Friday night was something we brought with us back to our home.

Hope you had a lovely weekend too.

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Koreatown Fri-date

We’ve been hanging out at different suburbs lately so we’ve missed our favourite Koreatown in Strathfield. We took a day-off last Friday and decided to have brunch there amidst the rains, wind and gloom. Such bad weather that it was tempting to just stay in bed and sleep. But our love for Korean stuff proved to be much stronger so as early as 10:30am we were already there hoping to find a place to eat.

We found a cafe and restaurant called “Beauty and the Beast” (39 The Boulevard, Strathfield NSW) that serves Korean, Japanese and Western food. They have a wide range of dishes from snacks, lunch, dinner and even happy hour. I’ve never been more glad to find that they serve Club Sandwiches. They’re my favourite snacks (think Tropical Hut Philippines) since I was a kid and it’s not commonly served in cafes here in Australia. The Husband and I ordered a Club Sandwich with Chips, Kimchi Stew with Pork and Tofu and Pork Katsu–one for each cuisine. The servings were big but we almost finished everything because we were so hungry. Enjoyed the food because it was simply delicious.
After brunch, we went to Hanaro Mart (Shop 16/11 The Boulevard Strathfield) to look at Korean goodies. We mostly bought chocolates, canned coffees and ice cream!
Dropped by Hello Happy and bought some bread. We love their bread so everytime we chance upon Hello Happy we buy a few to take home with us.

For a change, we didn’t have coffee and instead visited the newest yogurt place in Strathfield, Yogurberry. The store’s only a week-old and we even heard construction going on at the back but the place was ready to accommodate customers nonetheless. The weather was freezing cold and yet here we were enjoying a big cup of Taro Yogurt. 

Brunch, check. Korean goodies, check, Korean breads, check. A yogurt dessert, check. A short visit to Koreatown and we got what we came for and more. It was a great start to our long weekend. 

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Nespresso: Loving the Machine, Loving the Coffee :)

The long wait is over. We finally found the right Nespresso machine for us.

The Husband learned about the wonders of Nespresso when he worked in Dubai. That was in 2007. When he arrived here in Sydney, one of his gifts to me were two sets Nespresso cups, spoons and a sugar holder. He told me that one day, we will have our own machine.

It was a mixture of prolonging my love affair with a French press and finding the right machine for us. 

Everytime we’re at a department store, we always find ourselves passing by the coffee machines, thinking and dreaming of having one. Every visit, we’d have a favourite but we were never certain which one to bring home. 

One major reason why I’ve been hesitant to buy a Nespresso machine is because I love that I have different coffee brands at home. I’ve always loved making coffee manually, via a grinder and French press and with these two around, I can freely buy coffee beans anytime I want. I thought that having a Nespresso machine will curtail that. So everytime the Husband told me, “Come on, let’s buy this machine.” I would always say, “Not now, later.” 
In August, we learned that Nespresso came out with a new machine. It was called Nespresso U. We liked its simple yet sophisticated design. It was love at first sight, I guess, because I kept thinking of it for days and imagining how it would look in our kitchen.
The Nespresso Experience

We read and asked the staff at Nespresso Boutique about the machine and here are some of its features:

  • pre-programmed cup sizes. The three buttons on top of the machine refers to three cup sizes: Ristretto (25ml), Espresso (40ml), and Lungo (110ml).
  • soft touch interface
  • automatic piercing and brewing
  • automatic capsule injection
  • modularity – adjustable water tank according to space availablility
  • magnetic dip tray
  • automatic power off mode
  • no drip technology (stopping drips and automatically ejecting each capsule in the used capsule container)  which makes it one of the cleanest machines in the market.

On our last visit at Nespresso Boutique, the staff informed us that they were having a promo for some of their machines in store, that if we buy a machine we’d get a AUD$50 cashback. The promo was until September 9. So I had to think about it fast. Four days before the promo ended, we bought our first Nespress machine, U.

Nespresso U is reasonably priced at AUD$299.00 and it comes with an Aericcino 3 Frother and 16 coffee capsules. Because of the AUD$50 cashback promo, it means the total cost of the machine and frother for us would only be AUD$249.00. Great timing and value!

The Nespresso Experience
Nespresso Capsules. Better known as the Grand Crus, it comes in 16 different coffees. That means sixteen flavours, aromas and different levels of intensity. The intensity is defined by a coffee’s degree of roasting, its body and its bitterness; it does not refer to the amount of caffeine found in the coffee.

Best to note that their decaf capsules are decaffeinated using the Swiss Water method to remove all the caffeine naturally and leaving a smooth full tasting long coffee. So their decaffeinated capsules are perfectly safe and healthy.
The Nespresso Experience

Nespresso currently sells a Limited Edition capsule, the Crealto. It’s strong and rich but smooth. You can buy a pack of 30 capsules for only AUD$25.++. We were told that it will only be available for a few more weeks so if you haven’t tried it, get it soon.

The Nespresso Experience
Current favourite Grand Crus. Of all the Grand Crus I’ve tried, I enjoy Crealto, Arpeggio, Dulsao de Brasil and Decaffeinato Lungo the most. It seems that my taste palette leans on the high intensity coffees. 
The Nespresso Experience
Blessing from blogging. The money I used to buy this machine came from what I earned from blogging. At least everytime I see our Nespresso machine, I can always say “This one came from my blogging efforts.” I’m so grateful that I’m able to buy something useful from my writing endeavours. Like I always mention, never in my wildest dreams did I see myself being active in the blogosphere. God knows how long I’ve hesitated and resisted to be active in this digital world but believe it or not, it is only recently that I’ve fully embraced it. So far, the universe has been very kind to me. And I’m very grateful to everyone who reads and supports my blog (Thank you, dear readers and advertisers!). 
The perks of being a Nespresso Club Member. Every member gets to have a card or key once a machine is purchased. Members get discounts in some Nespresso accessories or capsules. Given a minimum order of 200 capsules, they will deliver to you for free.  They also offer machine assistance service and if your machine needs repair, they can loan you with a machine (depending on availability). My favourite benefit is dropping by the Nespresso Boutique and going to the Piano Tasting Bar where you can have a cup of coffee to taste. 

They can recycle used capsules! Just go to Nespresso ecolaboration website and know more of this project.

The Nespresso Experience
We are very happy with our Nespresso U. It’s so easy to use and the Nespresso Grand Crus tastes so good. We are enjoying every cup that this machine is making. If you’re thinking of buying one, it’s a good investment for the home especially if you love having great coffee all the time.
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