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

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!

***

SATURDAY 

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

***

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!

***

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

Review: Glitzy Wonderland 1212 Promotion

Way back on 10th December 2017, I  decided to treat myself to something from Glitzy Wonderland's 1212 Promotional Sale since I wasn't tempted by any Lucky Packs at the time. Rather than being random, there were a range of dresses you could choose from (you could also choose the colourway and size) and they would send you some OTKS and if purchased before 12th December you could also get some free ankle socks. 

I decided to buy Starry Sky Lolita Dress in size M since there isn't much black in my Lolita wardrobe. The measurements listed are JUST right but since the dress has shirring in the back, I figured there'd be a fair amount of extra space. 

The original price listed is $99 and the 1212 promo price I bought it at was $39 including free shipping (it's still $39 if you're interested). Converted, that was £30.19 at the time which I thought was STUPIDLY good for a dress, socks and free shipping. 

I had been informed that the handling time was 3 - 5 weeks and the items in the promotion would not be shipped until January and the shipping time would be 2 weeks which was fine by me. 

***

After a rather long wait, my parcel finally arrived on 8th February 2018! Let's investigate!

At first glance, it is V pretty and I'm really glad I got it.

I'm a sucker for star, astrology and constellation themes and I LOVE the fabric! The gold is very pretty and striking and there's a bit of relief, it's not just a flat print. The feel of the fabric is also very nice and it's very comfy to wear. 

The lace trim also features little stars which is a very nice, V cute detail.

Unfortunately this is where there were some differences from the stock images. The bodice overall is V pretty and I like that the starry lace is used there as well and the little gold trims are a nice detail. 

However, upon closer inspection, the buttons aren't quite aligned correctly and you can still see the tailors chalk, marking their correct places - I fix!

The strap fastenings are also different. The button is on the outside meaning the strap would hang out and be visible - I fix!

 

The buttons for the waist ties are also different. While the star button it's supposed to have is more aesthetically pleasing, the round button will be easier to work with so I don't mind this difference.

Extra bits! Bow, waist ties and corset lacing - check! But where is the plain black bow with the long tails??? For such a simple bow and low price, I didn't bother complaining about it. 

Surprise time!

Not going to lie, I was the most excited to see what socks I would get (that's pretty sad to be fair ^^') and also not going to lie, I was like 'what are thooooose?' hahahaha! The baby pink lace ribbons on those black socks are so silly! I will probably detach them and add some black lace since miraculously, I no longer have black OTKS. The pink ankle socks are cute but I'm pretty sure this is a funny shade of pink that doesn't go with any of my pink Lolita bits and the faux leathery ribbons are a bit odd?

Final Thoughts

Despite all the little hiccups and the missing bow, I am pretty happy with my purchase and I still LOVE the fabric this dress is made of and am glad I bought it.

Fit: 10/10 - still a little space as predicted.

Price: $39 (free shipping) - a STUPIDLY good price really!

Communication: 9/10 - Long time between updates, emails replied fairly swiftly. 

Verdict: 9/10 - would buy from Glitzy Wonderland again!

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All is forgiven for the sake of how cheap this was, like you really can't complain because you can't have total A grade tailoring for £30.19! I essentially got what I thought I was getting and even got a bit of a giggle from my daft socks!

Would definitely buy something else in one of their promotions. 

- Part Time 小姐

Review: In the Name of the Moon... It's time to get Lucky!

Back on 7th January I caved and bought the medium Sailor Moon Lucky Pack from aitaikuji.com and I received it last weekend so let's see if I managed to get lucky!

It came in a neat little package with an invoice and an 'about us' leaflet alongside the actual lucky pack. It is extremely red as expected!

The contents. There are 4 things in this lucky pack - good things come in pairs right? Let's take a closer look! 

Two very cute flannels! These are totally too cute to use, I will most likely end up keeping them as merch because they're so pretty!

It is time to live out my magical girl dreams! Though it's not one of Usagi's transformation brooches (let's be realistic, I'm not THAT lucky!) I'm really pleased with these! 

Final Thoughts

Overall a great Lucky Pack experience! Good service, nice neat packaging and lovely content!

Price: $25 + postage 

Verdict: 10/10 would buy again!

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I'm really pleased with my first Lucky Pack experience! How was yours?

- Part Time 小姐

Review: Sailor Moon Crystal ep 1 - 3

Welcome to a very honest review of Sailor Moon Crystal - the Cantonese dub!

First things first, let's talk about the OP!

Moon Pride by Super Girls

While the original that I shared in my previous post is my life, I don't mind this new opening theme! I'm very out of touch with artists in Hong Kong now but I think this group gave the OP a youthful and refreshing feel and I liked the lyrics. I also like that they're a five piece, one for each inner senshi and all that! At the moment I'm quite neutral but I think I might grow to like the OP. 

Episode #1

 

Act 1 - Usagi

While I was half expecting the original title image, I was pleasantly surprised to see this! While it's extremely different to the original image, I think this is super pretty and I'm totally on board with it!

The original for comparison 

Episode Summary

Usagi oversleeps, trips over Luna on her way to school and is made to stand in the hallway because she's late for class. She is scolded some more when her teacher finds her eating her bento and she is handed her test results. Moving on, they go to Naru's mother's jewellery store where everything is discounted and Naru later finds out that a Youma has replaced her mother. In the meantime, Usagi has hit Mamoru on the head with her scrunched up results and when she gets home she's shut out because they were so bad. Eventually she transforms into Sailor Moon to save Naru and meets Tuxedo Mask.

Thoughts

In the beginning I thought that the colours seemed a lot more pastel compared to the original and both Usagi's mum and her teacher look younger. I also noticed is that Umino is a lot shorted with wackier hair . Mamoru wasn't wearing a tuxedo when we first meet him in the original - really though, who just goes out in a tux like that???

I've already shared my thoughts on the transformation sequence here and I much prefer the look and animation of the original moon tiara.

...

Episode #2 

Act 2 - Ami

Episode Summary

Unlike in the original anime, we very swiftly meet Ami this episode! Her classmates describe her to be very intelligent but antisocial but Usagi invites her to Game Center Crown and tries to befriend her. Ami beats the high score on the Sailor V game and a pen falls out which she claims as her prize. Usagi wants one too and shakes the machine until another falls out. Realising how late she is, Ami leaves for the Crystal Seminar. It turns out the teacher is a Youma and gives the students Crystal Disks as part of the curriculum. Accidentally finding out that the disk contains a brainwashing message, Usagi fights the Youma as Sailor Moon and Ami eventually transforms into Sailor Mercury to help her. 

 

Thoughts

Ami didn't really sound as I had expected but can we just talk about how cute Usagi's laptop is and that she is STILL useless with computers, even in 2014?! Another difference that stuck out to me is how Usagi acquired the transformation pen by abusing the machine rather than Luna giving it to her. The thing that bothers me the most about this episode is Ami's hair in her transformation sequence, how is it so... I'm not sure how to describe it, flat??? 

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Episode #3

 Act 3 - Rei

Episode Summary

We're also meeting Rei hella early in comparison to the original and her voice is also very different, if anything, more feminine. This is  like the original where 6pm bus causes people to disappear. A lot of mother's suspect Rei, a young miko who possesses spiritual powers and hearing that she's beautiful, Usagi goes to investigate and Luna wonders if she is possible the Moon Princess or perhaps the third senshi. Usagi finally gets herself on the bus, transforming herself into a stewardess. Being about to locate her from the power emitted during transformation, Ami joins Usagi and transforms into Sailor Mercury. In the end Rei transforms into Sailor Mars and helps them fight Jadeite. 

Thoughts

This is pretty much the same as the original except we don't meet Rei's grandpa, Jadeite isn't 'working' at the shrine and we meet Mamoru on the bus and I know we're only three episodes in but I think it's safe to say he makes better fashion choices in 2014. Ami also joins them for the battle which doesn't happen in the original.

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All in all, I'm actually pretty happy with Sailor Moon Crystal so far. Despite the voice  differences (I like Mamoru's voice) I think they might grow on me. The only major thing(s) so far are the transformation sequences and Sailor Mercury's hair in the transformation sequence. 

Does anyone else have a problem with her hair???

- Part Time 小姐