Myths of Our Own - Lads on Tour

This is a VERY late post - I have no excuses other than I'm rubbish at blogging.

Anyway, welcome to the first of a series of blog posts documenting my weekend away in Dublin for IREGL's event Myths of Our Own!

I'd like to think I'm an expert at travelling light by now, I had a cabin sized suitcase and a tote bag on me for the weekend. I'd have probably only needed the suitcase and it would only be about 80% full if I wasn't a vendor but alas I am and dearest Gone-chan let me put a selection of things in her suitcase. What a good egg!

Now, am I even travelling if everything runs smoothly? Of course not! We were met with a train mishap and a delayed flight!

Upon booking our flights, Gone-chan and myself had been allocated totally random seats and my row was supposedly fully booked. 

...

On the day it turned out I have the WHOLE row to myself!

Fortunately I can say that things went smoothly once we arrived in Dublin. The bus was easy and it wasn't hard to find our apartment. 

So upon getting off the bus to meet the rest of squad for the weekend, I came across THIS gem!

I have not been to Boojum since I moved back from Belfast so I was dead excited and thus this is where I got dinner! I got pulled pork in mine.

(For those who have never been to Boojum, it is an Irish Mexican chain and they make such a good burrito!) 

The rest of the evening involved chilling out with the squad, last minute ironing and prepping! My prep was mainly a case of doing my nails and glamorously applying the last of my favourite snail sheet masks - I saved it especially! 

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That's all for now lads, the post on the main event will follow shortly, I promise!

- Part Time 小姐

Are You Dazzling Today?

So, remember that post back in March where I said I'd go back to sample more of the menu at Dazzling Cafe? Well here it is!

Mr Rachel came to visit me for a few days and for convenience, we decided to stay out in Manchester so this was an A Grade chance to take him out for the ultimate lunch date!

It was pretty empty when we got there which was a bit shocking since it was so busy back in March but that also meant we got seated really quickly and it was nice and peaceful. 

Time for super aesthetic drinks! I got the Dazzling Pink which is a very sweet ice tea and David got the Pineapple Soda - I knew he'd get this one and I am very pleased that I internally guessed right! (This is it pre-mixed, once mixed it is green like pictured in the menu.)

They had a £10 meal deal (includes an appetiser and a main) but the main reason I had decided to bring Mr Rachel here was to try the Honey Toast so we decided against getting so much food.

In the end, we both decided to get a Chicken Karaage with Cheese each from the appetisers and it was great! The chicken had a lovely crispness on the outside and was fantastically succulent on the inside! The melted cheese and seaweed flakes added a nice saltiness to the crispy fries. The flavours were SO good and the portion was actually very big for an appetiser and felt more like a meal. Good value for money though!

 

Drum roll please, here's the old Honey Toast! This is the same as the one I got back in March but out of the options, Mr Rachel most fancied the aesthetic of this one! 

He doesn't care for hazelnuts but I helped in that department. 

Y'all know how I feel about this masterpiece so I won't swoon over it again. The only thing I will say is that it was a little bit of a challenge between the two of us ^^'

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Verdict 

Dazzling Pink (£4) - 10/10 would drink again!

I was curious about the name of this and the little star beside it on the menu and in the end chose it for it's name. It was a very sweet and refreshing iced tea with some lychee and rose notes. Was I dazzled? Yes!

Pineapple Soda - (£4) - 8/10 would drink again!

I don't usually care for pineapple but I tried a bit just because and found it pleasant and enjoyable. The only thing is you'e got to make sure you do a lot of stirring so the syrup is thoroughly distributed so the last 1/4 or so it's super dilute.  Mr Rachel may or may not rate it differently. 

Chicken Karaage with Cheese -  (£6.50) - 10/10 would eat again and again!

These were BIG appetisers! I REALLY enjoyed this, the chicken really was SO good and it was the perfect mixture of crispiness, tenderness and juiciness <3 The whole dish had great flavours and textures, so good, I loved it!

Hazelnut Chocolate Honey Toast (£10) - 10/10 would eat again and again and again!

This was still SO good though more challenging to finish between two, compared to between three. Compared to last time, it was maybe a *little* bit overdone so a little hard in places but the cream and ice cream helped.

Verdict - We are both 10/10 dazzled, SO dazzled!

Admittedly it was a little expensive for a lunch date but considering the place, aesthetics and how much we enjoyed the food, it was worth it ^^

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So here we go, I did Dazzling Cafe again and am still dazzled! 10/10 would STILL go again and try even more from the menu :)
Following this, we went on a date to Sea World Manchester at the Trafford Centre, it's been an A Grade date!

What's your favourite kind of date?

- Part Time 小姐

My Best 25 Year Old Self

I recently turned a ripe 25 and was on a bit of a 'treat yo'self' spree (I'm a real adult now folks!) *ahem* so met up with a couple of frilly friends to eat out in York!

After April's meet I was left wanting more from Ipukku Tea House so this was a great excuse to go back and try more of the menu!

I wanted to get new things but I couldn't resist and had to have the matcha white hot chocolate with ALL the toppings again. I regret nothing. Still a firm 10/10 - would drink again!

Have you really had Japanese food if you haven't had omurice??? I love omurice, as soon as I saw it on the menu I knew I needed it! Overall, a very solid omurice! The sauce was really nice as was the dressing on the salad. 8/10 - would eat again!

Just some cute sakura cookies for a light dessert. I was tempted by the melon Ramune but resisted since I'd had it before. These guys were yummy as ever, a great snack at 60p for 2! I only got 4, Persie put some of hers with mine for aesthetic reasons!

So that's it for the foodie aspect of the day! Rosie then showed us to some boba shops which I was SUPER happy about! I've not been able to get bubble tea in York since I was in 6th form (you do the maths!) so this really pleases me and I know I'll be back!

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A super mini meet but a meet still and what is a meet without outfity bits, right? 

Since this was a really last minute thing, I opted for a really comfy, casual and pink look! 

I didn't take an outfit shot so here's a 'bedinate'! 

(Like a floordinate but on your bed!)

JSK - ETC

Cardigan - ETC

Socks - Primark

Bag - Samantha Vega (this bag doesn't get to go out enough!)

Necklace - Angelic Pretty

Cake brooches - hadmade

And some close ups of my felt brooches! I wanted them to match the dress :)

I am a victim of mismatching pinks but that's ok! I will still keep trying to be my best kawaii 25 year old self! ^__~

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Does anyone else keep going back to restaurants in hope of someday trying everything from the menu?

 - Part Time 小姐

Love From the North - Food Report!

For a bit of background info, 'Love From the North' aka 'The Great Northern Tea Party' was a Lolita event in Manchester on 10th March. This is about the food I ate over the weekend rather than the event itself but I know y'all more interested in what I ate than what I wore so let's crack on! ^__~

In order to not suffer on Saturday morning, I went to Manchester on Friday and met up with Sophie and Hana before hitting up China Town - it's just the thing to do in Manchester! I've been to Wasabi  for dessert but we were really hungry so decided to check out their food menu first. 

I ordered a cream soda bubble tea (I really needed the sugar) and after much debate over the various things I wanted to eat, I ordered the unagi fried rice and Sophie got us some Takoyaki to share <3 

First things first, how radioactive does this bubble tea look??? I feel like I should come back in Whipped Magic and order it again because it would 200% go with my coord xD

Can confirm you can definitely taste the sugar!

They also crammed a LOT of rice into that bowl - it was really filling but I was determined to finish the whole thing! Rice is life after all and while growing up I was told that you've got to make sure you eat all your rice if not your significant other will be ugly - doing my best to keep you pretty Mr Rachel! ^___~

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Verdict

Cream Soda Bubble Tea (£3) - 8/10 would drink again!

V sweet but also V mesmerizing to look at! It's a bit more than I'd usually pay for bubble tea though so I'd only drink it again if I'm wearing Whipped Magic. 

Unagi Fried Rice (£9.95) - 8.5/10 would eat again!

A little bit salty in parts but rice is life (especially fried rice!) and I really like eel so I would definitely get this again but maybe ask for the salt to be toned down a little? The diced up veggies were a nice touch and made it look V colourful!

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SATURDAY 

I will do a proper blog post about the event and the food there at a slightly later date!

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On the Sunday we went on a lunch date for three at Dazzling Cafe, a Taiwanese chain, and I was V dazzled alright! In fact, I was so dazzled and excited that I forgot to take pictures of the actual place (oops) so here are some from their Instagram!

The menu

 

Everything looks SO good! The food photography here really is on point and I really do want to eat/ drink everything! Maybe I'll come back and make my way through the menu xD

I decided to get the Rose Lychee Soda, Truffle Mushroom Spaghetti and then we got the Hazelnut and Choco Honey Toast between us!

Look at how pretty this drink is! The lychee was pretty potent in this, we reckoned it might be from concentrate mixed with syrup. 

This spaghetti was SO good and creamy! The truffle was subtle, the mushroom was very fragrant and there were lovely notes of garlic and onion. I would definitely eat this again and again!

And this was the star of the show!!! We were undecided for a while but I helped us pick this one because not only was it the one I wanted to eat the most, it was also the one I wanted to photograph the most because aesthetics!

Once deconstructed a little, it was revealed that it was in three layers which made it easy to split between the three of us. This was really yummy and I didn't find it sickly. I  think I could definitely take down the whole myself - maybe I'll find out next time!

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Verdict 

Rose Lychee Soda (£4) - 10/10 would drink again!

While it's kind of expensive, it was super pretty and the flavour was great. If there is a percentage of lychee juice from concentrate, I would definitely get it again!

Truffle Mushroom Spaghetti  (£9.50) - 10/10 would eat again and again!

The flavours were great and it was just so beautifully creamy and fragrant without being sickly or too heavy. If I was only allowed one main from this place from now on I would definitely be more than happy to eat this one!

Hazelnut Chocolate Honey Toast (£10) - 10/10 would eat again and again and again!

I feel you had to see my face, I don't think words can even express how I felt and continue to feel about this dessert. I look forward to taking down the whole thing on my next visit!

Final Thoughts

Decor: 10/10 - I'm so dazzled!!!

Atmosphere: 10/10 - Bright and lively. Makes me think of dessert cafes in HK.

Food & Drink: 10/10 - I think I've made it pretty clear how I feel about the food ^^'

Service: 10/10 - very sweet and attentive waitress.

Price: 7.5/10 - not going to lie, it's a bit on the expensive side for me but fine for a treat!

Verdict: 9.5/10 - I would 200% go back and eat / drink more things!!! Would you like to go with me?

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So here we go! These are the things I ate on the Friday and Sunday of  my Love From the North weekend! I enjoyed all the things I ate (as you can tell!) and look forward to eating more things from both places, if only I had a sponsor hahahaha! 

- Part Time 小姐

Like a Circus, Like a Circus

This is a very late post but on 17th February I went to a meet to see a circus exhibition and eat crepes! Unfortunately, there was a double booking at the library (there was a convention on instead) so the exhibition wasn't on which was a bit disappointing but fortunately, the art gallery was right next door. I still had a great day out with lovely friends, met some new frilly faces and had an A Grade crepe at Crepe Affair!

I forget what this was called but it was V peanut buttery and V chocolatey - 10/10 would eat again!

So let's talk a little about my co-ord and aesthetics for this meet!

Since we were going to see a circus exhibition, I decided it was time to take one of my dream dresses out for a spin! 

It's not a circus print but I felt Venice Cat's (AATP Starlight Carnevale) fit the mood!

Here come my take on Venice Carnival aesthetics! I really, really love this print! It's so fabulous! On the bottom right are carnival cats! I need to find a way to wear this more!

A bit of self plugging with my Plague Doctor necklace there and I decided to wear BJD tights because I thought it went with the aesthetic? Well, regardless, I do know that they kept sliding so it looking like my knees were in a funny place haha! 

Fun Fact: it's because of these guys I call this dress Venice Cats.

JSK - Alice and the Pirates 

Blouse - Pumpkin Cat

BLD Tights - Lockshop

Socks - Primark

Shoes - Ebay

Accessories -  AATP( Headbow), Taobao (Black bow) & After Midnight (Necklace) 

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This is totally one of my dream dresses so i want to wear it a lot more. I wonder if I can find a really casual way of wearing it...

- Part Time 小姐

Dim Sum Meet

It's what it says on the tin - today I hosted Dim Sum Meet at Crown Buffet!

(Sorry Kathryn, it's not a dim sum buffet)

Though there was a bit of chaos with things coming out late and a couple of mix ups, they were extremely on the ball and we got to witness the thing where a hug stack of steamers were brought out.

(I've been going to *yum cha for YEARS and my family have NEVER ordered so much **dim sum that they had to bring it out on a tray!)

We also discovered that the beef balls and salted egg custard buns would make great weapons!

*Yum cha literally means 'drink tea' and refers to the meal as a whole. If we're going out to get dim sum, we would say we're going to yum cha. **Dim sum literally means 'to touch the heart' and refers to the small dishes which are usually shared. 

Things I ordered (some to share): steamed char siu buns, pan fried pork & veg buns, cheung fan with deep fried bread rolls (I describe it as a doughnut rice roll), triple roast with rice and egg custard tarts

We finished at the grand total of £128.20 - well done Leeds Comm!

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There's only one thing for a food-centric meet - a V comfy coord! I decided to go with empire waist instead of full shirring for maximum comfort.

JSK - Emily Temple Cute

Cutsew - Taobao

Shoes - Yesstyle.com

Necklace - Angelic Pretty

All other accessories - Handmade

Bonus Accessories pic!
I'm really pleased with myself! For someone who makes accessories, I'm usually rubbish.

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Food meets are my FAVOURITE kind of meet! 

What's yours? Exhibitions? Crafting? Or like me, Food?

- Part Time 小姐