Last Friday Night

Last Friday night I heard about an EOFY drinks night at Barista Haus in Rockdale. Usually they are just a 9-5 coffee-and-sandwiches place so this was a bit out of the ordinary, but it was FREE so naturally I rounded up the rest of the Rockdale crew (i.e. James and our friend Ben - hello if you're reading!) and headed out.

The lady hosting was really lovely and the drinks were really free (and as you can see, not el cheapo ones either). We also grabbed this delicious cheese plate for $20. They had a smaller one for ten bucks, but I was pretty starving and it was well worth it.

The ambience was a little lacking and it wasn't as busy as I had expected, perhaps because there was no sign outside so passers-by probably thought it was a private function. But it was still a pretty fun place to hang out and I think with dimmer lighting and louder music it would be a super fun little bar, I hope they'll keep doing things like this!

On Saturday morning James and I went to the Ramsgate Organic Foodies Market, which is always a treat.

At night I met Meg (hi Meg!) to eat way too many dumplings at Taste of Shanghai (thanks Brendan for the recommendation!) and watch The Fault In Our Stars.

I haven't decided how good it was yet - it was slightly unrealistic, but in the way that I imagined the world really was when I was a teenager, so given that it's for and about teenagers that could be a strength. What I can say for sure is that it is SUPER SAD. Everyone cried.

James and I met a couple of the boys at a serious board games shop called Good Game in Hurstville because they were having a big sale.

It's not my favourite place, but we availed ourselves of their free games library and gaming tables for a bit of Cards Against Humanity.

Afterwards we decided to grab a late lunch. The boys from Peacock Trattoria have opened up a new restaurant in Gymea, the Italian Stallion, so we were really keen to give it a try.

It's not exactly the same as Peacock's but I think if you liked one you'd like the other.

Especially if you're a cocktails enthusiast - these were great!

We started with a ham, mascarpone and mushroom pizza to share. 

Peacock's have the same thing without mushrooms and I love it, but this was even better. I think it had truffle oil too so definitely one for the mushroom lovers.

For our actual lunch we had these burgers:

I loved the pickles, and I liked how they served them and the onions on the side so I could add them to taste. I liked the orange cheese, and I liked the tomato relish for my fries. But overall, I wasn't wild about the burger. I consider myself a bit of a connoisseur of burgers these days, and this one just didn't quite do it for me.

The pizza and cocktails more than made up for it though, and the desserts (the one area where I think Peacock's struggles) sounded amazing, so I'm already looking forward to going back and trying one of the many other tempting menu options. 

How was everyone else's weekend?

Food, Bargains and Stratty's 23rd

I have spent a lot of money lately so I am trying to recommit wholeheartedly to thrift.

James had a voucher for a free burrito at Guzman Y Gomez so we went to the Cronulla shop for lunch on Sautrday.  I had a mini burrito again ($6.50!).  We both chose beef this time and enjoyed it more than the chicken we had last time. 

Afterwards I discovered a corner shop selling old magazines for $1, $2 and $3 (depending how old).  I won't say which, because they might get shut down and then where would I buy magazines at a reasonable price?

Naturally I only bought the $1, but even so I was extra strict and narrowed my selection down to 2.  Cosmo's still not that good, in case you wondered.  Grazia is decent though and it was a bumper issue so well worth my dollar.

Then I came home to play Scrabble with Jimmy and Mum.  Jimmy won with almost 400 points.  What a champ.

Later I went out for my friend Stratty's birthday drinks!  Hello if you're reading and happy birthday!

I had dinner beforehand at Asian King, a Chinese restaurant in Newtown.  They had a deal where you could get a spring roll, a dim sim, steamed rice and a main meal for $12.80 or $15.80, depending how fancy a main you wanted.

$12.80 options included honey chicken (above) and something that looked a bit healthy (below).

I guess I am not as committed to thrift as I need to be, because I ordered Sizzling Thai Basil Chilli King Prawns from the posh menu:

I really enjoyed my prawns though, I think they were worth the extra $3.  I tasted the honey chicken too, which was nice, and also the salt and pepper squid, which I'm afraid I can't really recommend.

On the whole it was a great meal and I will definitely be back.  Thankyou Asian King for a rad dining experience!

Next we went to meet everyone at The Courthouse for drinks and pool and fun in general.

I thought Meg looked pretty good and so did The Willy.

You can't see it in the picture, but she was wearing a necklace with a PRETZEL pendant.

Wiggy wore a Back To The Future t-shirt, possibly the best piece of clothing a person could possibly own.

Everyone else looked like a bunch of babes too, I just couldn't be bothered taking any more pictures.

Today I stayed in, doing miscellaneous tasks and watching Desperate Housewives Season Five on DVD.

I polished my silver jewellery.

You can't tell really but it turned out SO SHINY.  It was pretty much bronze before.

Then I went to Kyle Bay Trivia, where we came third and I ate this garlic bread.

It was okay but I wish I had ordered chippies instead.

And now, a few of my recent thrifty purchases.

Myer had some shoes on sale last weekend.

I have been looking for simple but not dowdy black shoes for about six months so I was pleased to find these patent Miss Shop ones for $29.  They were only $49 originally so not an amazing bargain but they will do the job.

The following wedges weren't on my list but they were on the 75% Off Last Marked Price rack, which brought their price down to $12.50.

They are a bit reminiscent of The Duchess's, except higher and with an open toe and slingback.  So quite different, really.  I think they will be good to wear with black dresses in Summer though.  (I suppose it is nicer not to wear black in Summer but I can never help myself.)

The fabric of my leopard flats is coming apart so I bought these glitter gold ones at Kmart for $8.

They remind me of the sparkly shoes I used to wear when I was little, the ones with sequins and usually also satin roses on the toes.  Does anyone remember these?

I was looking for some hot pink jeans for a while but Kmart sold out of my size before I could get my hands on a pair, and anyway I remembered I had a hot pink blazer so I thought cobalt blue jeans might be better.

I got these at Big W for $18.86.  A great price but I prefer to buy my jeans too small because they stretch, and alas they didn't sell anything smaller than an 8 so these may end up too big.  I will have to see how they go.  They had heaps of other colours (I also bought navy but think they will go back) so if you are looking for some you should get over to Big W ASAP.  I mean Grand Double-Vay.

I have some other bargains too but I will have to show you later because I am too sleepy.