Floristry Course by Fresh Flowers

Hai! Long time no blog. My life has been HECTIC lately (yes, I use the same excuses over and over). Today is 'Leap Day' and so I've decided that I have to blog on this special day.

Get this. Today is not about food. *gasp*. Instead, I'm going to show you how to make a boutonnière and a bouquet!

I bought a group buy voucher on Living Socials and for $49, I get a 2 hour floristry course, get to keep my creations and a little goodie bag to take home. I think it's a freakin bargain because a bouquet itself is around $49+. So here it is.

Oh, please ignore my shit photography. I was very pressed for time and did everything in a rush :)

Boutonnière

Prepare your flowers

First, we learnt about how to make a boutonnière. Select your flowers then snip them into the desired length.

 

 Pierce or coil floristry wires

Using a floristry wire, pierce through the rose at the tip of the stem just below the flower but wrap the wire around the little bud flower cause the stem is too weak. Coil around the stem to give it extra strength.

Add floristry tape

Warm up floristry tape with your hands (you can put it in your pocket beforehand to warm it up) then wrap floristry tape around the flowers with the wire.

Using two palm leaves, make two different sized loops to form the back of the boutonnière. Wrap with tape.

Add a pin to the back of the palm leaves so you can pin it on the lapel when the boutonnière is complete then wrap with tape.

Layer on your prepared flowers and wrap it tightly with tape. Do so with every layer.

Tada!

And its done!

Boutonnière

Bouquet

I was quite behind as I was too busy taking photos so not a lot of bouquet pictures sorry!

Select and separate your flowers

In this bouquet, there are around 5 different types of flowers, palm leaves and 4-6 of each one depending on the size.

De thorn your roses with a 'de thorner' (you can buy one for $2.50ish). It's like, the best thing in the world for a florist.

Spread the flowers out evenly

Place the larger flowers on the bottom and alternate between them.

Layer the smaller flowers on top and alternate as well.  This way, all the flowers are spread evenly.

Place palm leaves on top to give it a bit of green.

When you are happy with the arrangement, tie all the stems together with a rope then wrap the flowers up in wrapping paper.

 

Decorate bouquet

Sticky tape the wrapping paper together then hide it with a pretty ribbon. You can even decorate the ribbon further with left over flowers.

 

Bouquet

Easy yeah?

Not only did we do hands on floristry, the lovely ladies also taught us many super easy but pretty decorating tips with flowers and what you have around the house.

At the end of the class, everyone was given a little take home goodie bag with tips, how tos, flower food and a de thorner.

Certificate!

Fresh Flowers

Location: 826 George St, The Boardroom - Embassy Conference Centre (it's like across the st from my uni lol! how convenient!)

Website: http://freshflowers.com.au

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Etch Restaurant

Etch Restaurant

One day before New Year's Eve, six pretty and hungry bloggers met up at Etch for the farewell of Miss. J who was moving to Melbourne *weeps*.

We had the tasting menu/degustation which includes 6 courses, amuse bouche and pre dessert for $90 (I think it's $100 now after the new year).

Etch Decor

I really liked the vintage farm styled decor with a touch of elegance.

Of course, we didn't forget to order drinks as well.

 

Flower Fizz $18

Hibiscus flower, rose syrup with sparkling wine.  The hibiscus flower looked like a pretty little fish swimming in the pink coloured wine. The flower was surprisingly juicy and sweet, like biting into a crunchy mangosteen.

 

Ginger Mojito $18

White rum, lime, mint and ginger.

 

2009 Pemberton Picardy Chardonnay $15

 

Amuse Bouche

Chilled tomato consommé with tomato jelly and coriander. I remember fishing out the little cubes of tomato jelly. The taste is very subtle but fun to eat. Most of the tomato-ey taste is in the consommé.

 Endive Salad, Pea Shoots, Walnuts, Orange, Creamed Taleggio

A tasty, salad with taleggio cheese to balance out all the healthiness.

 

Yellow Fin Tuna Carpaccio with Gazpacho Vinaigrette

A refreshing and colourful entree to tantalise your taste buds in preparation for the heavier dishes to come.

Baked Snapper, Squid, Cauliflower Bhaji, Curry Emulsion

I was kinda scared of this dish at first because it reminded me of the curry sauce I had at The Devonshire (the only dish I didn't like there). The curry emulsion was light, unlike what I thought it would be and went well with the juicy baked snapper.

 

Caramelised Pig's Head, Crispy Prawn, Granny Smith with Cider Vinegarette

This is the part where I start to get a bit full and so I get more picky with my food. The caramelised pig's head was a bit too oily for my liking but was neutralised with the granny smith which I wish they provided more of.

Crispy Lamb Belly, Slow Roasted Rump, Peas, Artichoke and Mint

Not a big fan of lamb because most of the time it has a gamey taste. This one was not, fortunately.

Pea Risotto with Smoked Swiss Brown Butter

Miss. J doesn't eat lamb so this was her chosen replacement. I had a spoonful to taste and god, I wish I got it too. The risotto was very creamy and flavoursome with a rich aroma of smoked brown butter.

 

Pre Dessert

A pre dessert served on a slate slab containing a petite orange maracon, orange jube like jelly with orange syrup.

 

Caramel Date Tart, Burnt Butter Ice Cream, Earl Grey Tea Syrup

We were all eyeing the lolly tray as extra dessert after the degustation but everyone was near bursting so that was a fail plan :( Oh well, next time!

Etch Restaurant

Location: 62 Bridge Street, Sydney 2000

Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 12pm - 3pm, 5pm - late, Saturday 5pm - late

Phone: 02 9247 4777

Website: http://www.etchdining.com/

 

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Hemingway's Manly

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you may realise that most of my food outings are located in the CBD. One friend said that anything beyond the harbour is considered far for me...which is true :P

I forgot what got into me that day but I went to Hemingway's Manly for dinner. Usually, I hate the beach. I'm one of those typical fobby Asian girls that would like to keep themselves as pale and as far away from the sun as possible. Oh, I also hate how sand gets stuck to your skin and leave their presence in the car.

Now that I look at it, Manly's not that bad. At least during the sunset when there's no sun, with silhouettes of pine trees in the foreground and beautiful orange clouds floating above .

 

Manly Beach

Hemingway have their own unique way of presenting their menu.  The menu is stapled inside books labelling as 'Food' and 'Liqour'.

Hemingway Menu

Their dinner menu is served upstairs between Wednesday to Saturday and bar food is avaliable downstairs everyday after 4pm.

Bloody Mary $12

No. This is not a drink. It's a drink inspired entree consisting of cool gazpacho on the bottom, bouncy jelly, bread, white anchovies with a hint of piquillo to tingle your taste buds.

 

Chips $6

Hand cut chips with tomato and date relish. One reason that I went to Hemingway is to try their chips degustation but the waitress told me they stopped doing it 2-3 months ago. You don't know how upset I was with the news and couldn't get over it all night.

Corn $6

Charred sweet corn with lime butter, manchego cheese and black salt.

 

Mac 'n' Cheese $16

Four different types of cheeses covering the pasta and sprinkled with truffle.

Inside shot

Three Little Pigs $24

The piggie's three different cuts: belly, morcilla and tail with cauliflower, apple, sprouts, cider.

Milo $10

Chocolate marquise, milo, milk, coco pops, vanilla, salted caramel. The salted caramel was still warm when served...*drools*

Hemingway's Manly

Location: 48 North Steyne, Manly NSW 2095

Opening Hours: 8am to midnight (10pm on Sundays), 7 days

Phone: 02 9976 3030

Website: http://www.hemingwaysmanly.com.au

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Sydney Food Bloggers' Picnic 2012 and El Loco

My Fairy Bread

Sydney Food Bloggers' Picnic 2012

Hello hello~its that time of the year again where all the food bloggers gather and create a massive eat fest in the heart of Centennial Park. (yah, I just had to put my food as a first photo LOL!)

 

Crazy Amounts of Food!

The picnic was hosted by Suze and Helen. It was a lot of fun and despite a forecast of 90% precipitation, it didn't rain till we've all packed uped and left.

 

Seafood Paella by Raff

Delicious Beef Baguettes by dear Vivian

 

Simon Food Favourites created wonderful drinks and cocktails on a popup stand :D

Desssertsssssssssssssss!!

 

Bacon Wrapped 'Bits' by Lateral Eating

Surplus amounts of cakes

I didn't take a lot of pictures this year cause I was too busy eating! Things I loved the most are Rhonda's cream puffs, Gook's canapes, The Way it Crumble's flame scorched marshmallows and the delicious donut puffs in a shoe box by a mysterious creator.

Now, I forgot to take photos of humans but I yoinked pics off other people with me in it mwahahahahaha! (with permission of course).

Me and Christine (photo by Christine)

Ayana, Me, Vivian and Karen (photo by Shanshan)

Group Photo by Simon The Heart of Food

Spot me? :)

After a relaxing afternoon in the sun, we headed off to El Loco for...more food. x_X

El Loco

It was when we got on the bus that it started to pour. Really damn hard.  I was drenched and drippy by the time we reached there but my whiney self was quickly diminished when the bartender passed me a drink.

 Pink Cuco $13.50

El Locos house slushy of El Jimador Tequila, pink grapefruit and lime juices, homemade coriander and raw ginger syrup.

Loco Rojo Magerita $13.50

Freshly pressed beetroot and lime juices shaken with Herradura Reposado, pomegranate and grapefruit bitters, lime zest sea salt rim.

 

One of each taco $5 ea

Carne Asada – lemongrass beef, salsa verde

Al Pastor – spit roasted pork, pineapple salsa

Camaron – prawn, salsa verde, pico de gallo

Queso de Soya – chilli marinated tofu, pico de gallo

Pollo – chicken, sweet corn salsa

Secret taco

Corn Chips with guacamole and salsa  $5

Fattest.Churros.Ever. $12

El Loco

Location: 64 Foveaux Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Phone: 02 9211 4945

Opening Hours:

Monday & Tuesday 12pm until late
Wednesday 12pm-1am
Thursday  - Saturday 12pm – 3am
Sunday 12pm -10pm

Website: http://www.elloco.com.au

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