PinKbeRRy - Yummy-ness minus the guilt - Taste the Difference.

When Pinkberry opened in Selfridges in the summer, I could not wait to visit the store and try their frozen yoghurt. As far as I know, I think they were established before Snog frozen yoghurt and they already had branches worldwide.
Surprisingly, I managed to wait a long while before actually making my trip there, partly because I had a busy schedule. The first time I went there was sometime last month and after that visit, I knew I was going to be back very soon. And so this month, I went back to Pinkberry again. This time, I was armed with my camera to snap away for this post ^.^


Pinkberry has become the best frozen yoghurt for me. I cannot believe I'm actually saying this! But it does beat Snog's yoghurt. I think it depends on one's taste.
Snog has a slightly bitter taste whilst Pinkberry has a fresher, dewy, refreshing, balanced texture and flavour. I'm telling you, Pinkberry's texture is amazing! It makes Snog's texture seem a little stiff. And of course the frozen yoghurt is the main thing we're comparing first when we compare the two, so in this category, Pinkberry is a real winner.



I went there with a friend and here is my cup. I ordered the coconut flavoured yoghurt with chocolate stuff and crunchy goodness =D
Pinkberry allows you to pick 2 types of yoghurt, so for example, you can select to have half chocolate and half coconut frozen yoghurt. Spoiling us or what?!
The funny thing is... I don't think Snog used to allow you to pick 2 types of yoghurt before. Or at least I have never seen it. But when I went to Snog last week, they actually highlighted to me that I could mix 2 different types of yoghurts....

...and so the competition begins!

This is the pomegranate flavoured yoghurt. So refreshing!
The size of these cups is slightly smaller than a Snog Special (if any of you have had that before). It's their medium size and it's just enough for me.
I like their toppings and again, I do think that it beats Snog, although I might just be saying that because I've been to Snog so many times and Pinkberry is new to me.

I also found the atmosphere of Pinkberry more chilled out compared to Snog's loud music coupled with their disco-like lights. So again, Pinkberry appeals to me more than Snog does. I can have a relaxed conversation without having to raise my voice.

Pinkberry is opening in Stratford's Westfield and I cannot wait for it! I'm keeping a lookout for their opening date till then. This should be an interesting visit because it'll be an actual Pinkberry store. So I'm curious to see how their whole 'personality' is, what kinds of footprints it leaves behind. The Pinkberry in Selfridges is on the ground floor and it's in a little corner, a few metres from where you can get your groceries from.

If you like Snog frozen yoghurt or any types of frozen yoghurts, I highly recommend Pinkberry. Do give it a try. I think everyone will have different tastes. Some of you might like Snog's more solid yoghurt and that slightly sour taste. Others might prefer Pinkberry, like I do.

Either way, both frozen yoghurts are amazing and I will be visiting them again.
Pinkberry just happens to be my new favourite now ^.^

I got some Uggs on the same day. I'll reveal which types I got in another post. I never thought I'd cave in and get a pair of Uggs... but yeah... I'm one of them now =P they are perfect for winter and so comfortable!

Macaroons and Tea ... with a slice of Pandoro

Have any of you visited the new Westfield in Stratford? For those of you who have been, it's amazing, right?! I have been there a few times now and I cannot wait to go back. I think this could partly be due to the lack of malls in this country -.-... For those of you who haven't been there, I recommend visiting it, especially since it's winter now and if you're feeling too lazy to be out on the chilly high streets...then head to a mall =P


I couldn't take any pictures at the mall because it's not allowed, so I don't have any pictures of Westfield to put here but I do have two special buys that I got from there, minus the Pandoro which was given to me (but you can find this in any good supermarkets or Italian shops).


Firstly, I got a box of this White Tea with a hint of Pomegranate. On the ground floor at Westfield's, I bumped into a Twinings stall and they had this tea on show. They offered me a little cup to taste it and after that I simply had to get it.
I'm increasing my herbal tea intake because I think that it's much better than coffee, it certainly has a lot more benefits and it's a great way to reach the 2 litre water intake daily.
This tea is white and doesn't get too dark, which means that it won't stain your teeth as much as other teas and the hint of pomegranate is yummy.





Then I stumbled into a macaroon stall (also on the ground floor) and you know that I can't resist macaroons... so I got 3 different flavours. These are known as L'Orchidee Macaroons. The person who worked there introduced me to all the different macaroons which were carefully kept and presented. And after all the introductions, I picked the ones which sounded the most interesting and limited by choices to 4, because they were £1.60 each! But oh so worth it...

The blue macaroon I was told is inspired by the royal wedding. It's a rich royal blue with a pink filling. I can't remember its taste now but I certainly was impressed with every nibble.

The pink macaroon is made from ingredients which include orchids. Apparently they squeeze the orchids to make this, which is really cool. I was curious to try this one after hearing that....and I have to say, I was taken aback by this because I could taste the orchids. It was a delightful treat.

The chocolate macaroons ... I got these because I have a weakness for chocolates and I was eager to compare these to Paul's and Laduree's macaroons. Laduree's chocolate madagascar is still on the top of my list...! But I also liked this macaroon because it was different (in a good way of course). The filling was softer and it was decorated with funky glitter to add that extra special touch to it.













For those of you who like a light cake....

Not greasy. Soft texture. No fuss. Perfect to go with tea.

Then a Pandoro is what you're looking for.

I usually have this with tea - they make great companions =P

Have a slice...!

Stef's Italian Restaurant

Visit their website here.

A year ago I would say I wasn't the greatest enthusiast when it came to Italian cuisine. But since then, I began trying more Italian dishes and began to love them. And then I watched a series called Two Greedy Italians, which made me curious as to how the 'real' authentic Italian cuisine tasted like.
So I was on a quest to find authentic dishes. When I was in Rome, I was very impressed with a lot of cuisines and as soon as I got here, I missed them and wanted to find a place that sold the same yummy dishes.

Turns out I didn't have to look far away. First I tried Carluccio's restaurant (he was one of the chefs starring in Two Greedy Italians), which was a-m-a-z-i-n-g! When I read the reviews for this restaurant, I was very surprised as to why some people didn't like the food, although the majority loved the dishes. I went there on a weekday (not a Friday) but it was so busy that I was glad I reserved a table in order to get a seat for the evening. I forgot my camera on that day so during my next visit there, I'll be sure to take pictures!

--

For now though, let me introduce Stef's restaurant. This is a family run restaurant and I believe, this is the only restaurant in the UK... perhaps even worldwide!
A friend of mine recommended this place to me. Unsurprisingly I've never heard of it before and when I went there, it wasn't too packed. I don't think a lot of people are aware of this place, which is a shame because I do think it deserves more recognition.

The service was first class. It felt very homely. The staff were polite and so helpful throughout. The dishes came on time and each were immaculately presented. The pictures I took simply doesn't do enough justice to each dish. The restaurant itself was very well kept and had a lovely atmosphere. It had that modern Italian feel to it.

The lighting conditions were quite dim inside so excuse my blurry out of focus pictures >.<...



These were prawns mixed with some vegetables. The sauce used for the dressing is the best I have ever tasted...! Yum...

It came with some lemon water to wash my fingertips in (or rather 'dip' them in) after eating the prawn dish.




This is some cheese (can't remember the name) with some vegetables laid out around and under it. Yeah I know, vague description! I totally forgot the dish's name...


This is their 'Italian lemonade'. More refreshing than a Sprite, that's for sure.


The pasta dishes ...

...were the highlights. They tasted so delicious that I finished my plate. And usually, I do find it hard to finish my plate, particularly if the dish is very filling (and believe me, this was very filling...)

This is now one of my favourite restaurants and I highly recommend it ^.^

Mini Lush Haul et Vaseline Creme Brulee

I did say that I managed to do a mini Lush Haul last week and I even managed to take pictures of the products. I also made myself an errand to get the limited edition Vaseline Creme Brulee from Selfridges. Vaseline is currently my second favourite lipbalm (Burt's Bees still being my favourite), so I was so excited when a Creme Brulee version came out. I told myself I'd get it. I'd get it because I didn't shop for a long while and also because I knew I needed it seeing as winter is approaching. It's fascinating to see how much cheer a small pot of Vasline can bring oneself.




Here's the Vaseline Creme Brulee ^.^ (Ebay now sells it if you're wondering where you could get it from).
It smells divine, tempting enough to eat...! And it keeps your lips so soft and protected. For those of you who are Vaseline fans, this won't disappoint.





And now... the Lush Haul!

I got my usual face mask, the Love Lettuce. I haven't used a face mask for more than a month so it's a relief to have this because every Friday is now face mask day!



I blogged about this soap before. It's called Lady Catrina and it's released for their Halloween edition and I really hope that it will stay at least until New Year because I want to stock up!
This has to be one of my favourite soaps. It smells incredible and does stay on your skin for a long time. If any of you tasted those Starburst chewy sweets in blackcurrant... try to recall its scent... because this soap smells SO similar. Lush should make this a permanent soap!




The Candy Cane soap you'd think would smell somewhat like candy floss or you know those really sweet bubble gum like scents? Well at least that is what I expected. This soap however has a twist and that makes it very interesting. Because it does not smell like a typical candy cane. The sweet scent is blended with the scent of almond, so it smells slightly minty in a way which catches you offguard. And because of that I use this mainly at nights. It puts me right to bed...







Lastly it's a funny encounter with the Lust Soap. I picked it up at the store and once I smelt it, I knew I definitely smelt the same scent somewhere. It took me 5 mins (though it felt like an hour!) trying to pinpoint exactly where I smelt this. I get so impatient at times trying to remember something which seems very familiar to me. It was then that I realised that I've smelt this same scent in one of Lush's perfumes, called Lust. The strange thing is, I didn't like the smell of Lust perfume. I found it too intoxicating - it was almost like a hit and miss to me. But this soap surprised me and seemed much lighter, so I got it.
One of the best things I like about this soap is the pretty pink water it leaves behind! And no, it doesn't stain your bath tub or shower curtains. How cool is that?!




Oh... and one major improvement I've noticed in the Lush soaps is the fact that these soaps lather so well! I remember around a year ago when I used to do Lush hauls and one of the few soaps I'd buy would disappoint me because it didn't foam up very well.

So, I'm impressed!

White Glo Whitening Toothpaste

I have been meaing to blog about this last month, but if you read my previous post, you'll know that I've been very busy over that time.

So anyway, I blogged about Blanx Toothpaste before. I have been using Blanx for just over a year until I switched to White Glo because I was curious to see if it would give me more rapid results in whitening teeth.

White Glo is well known in Australia and as I've heard, it's one of the best selling toothpastes there. I have also been seeing this in magazine adverts. I can't remember its price but I do remember it being cheaper than Blanx and when I bought it, it was on offer at Boots, so keep a look out for it!

First Impressions...
I was a little reluctant to try this toothpaste at first, partly because I was so used to Blanx already. And also because I have sensitive teeth, I wasn't sure how harsh this toothpaste could be. Plus...I found its packaging way too tacky compared to Blanx! See it for yourself =P haha... So I thought this could be a gimmick. I think it's important to bear in mind that, no toothpaste will give rapid white teeth qucikly. It takes time and of course, patience. Plus, for tea/coffee drinkers, like myself, don't expect it to work miracles!



I used this toothbrush and was well pleased with it.


It also came with some floss, which I've blogged about before here. Back then, it was one of those new dental floss I've seen being marketed. Though having used it then and now... I don't prefer it to the normal floss. I think it's more of a hassle to use, but that's just for me personally.






The Results...

I'm impressed with this toothpaste. Honestly, I do think that it gives the same results that Blanx toothpaste does. It doesn't give me pearly white teeth but it maintains the colour of my teeth, and being a tea drinker, I don't have to feel guilty about staining my teeth.

For those of you who have sensitive teeth, I share your pains! Glo doesn't hurt my teeth at all and I've had a few toothpastes in the past being very harsh so I think Glo is very gentle.

I think at the price it sells compared to Blanx, I'm going to stick to Glo. Plus I like the toothpaste tube. It's like all the normal toothpastes out there - no fuss. If you've seen Blanx's tube, it's very rigid and it gets frustrating once you near the end because you always tend to waste the remaining toothpaste. So I like Glo's simplicity. It could be the reason why Blanx is more expensive, due to its packagining... which is in my opinion is totally unnecessary!

I like the taste of Glo better than Blanx - it leaves a longer lasting minty taste in your mouth. And another thing I noticed was the fact that it foamed up more than Blanx.

So for me, Glo toothpaste is a winner. And I'd recommend it =) Look out for any offers and see what it does for you!