The Pastry Monthly!

By now, I'm sure my regular readers would have figured that I have a sweet tooth. Some may have even noticed my particular weakness for pastries. I have them once or twice a week, usually as a treat during the weekends. 

I have them so regularly that I've decided to have monthly posts on my pastry indulgence - a post dedicated to all the yummy pastries I have throughout the month. Just 'cause I feel like it ;).

Soooo:

Chocolate Pistachio from Simply Paris which is based at Dixon Street, with stalls set up at the Harbourside Market, Chaffers Docks Market on Sundays and the Farmers' Market up at Thorndon on Saturday mornings

My review: Yummy! Chocolatey with a hint of pistachio - more pistachio would be nicer :)

Some sort of custard pastry (the name escapes my mind at the moment!) from Brezelmania based on Jackson Street, Petone and a stall set up at Chaffer Docks Market

My review: Slightly disappointing -  the pastry was not as soft as I would have liked it be :(
I've tried Brezelmania's berry pastry before, and that was pretty good. Maybe I just picked out the wrong one that day? Regardless of this rather disappointing experience,  I'll definitely be trying Brezelmania's other danishes the next time!

Pain au chocolat with custard and meringue from Moore Wilson's delivered from Bordeaux Bakery.
Bordeaux bakeries are at Thorndon Quay, Featherson St (Lambton Quay) and The Terrace (Lambton Quay).

My review: I know I can never go wrong with Bordeaux Bakery - everything there is top notch, including this beautiful pain au chocolat.

Almond croissant with custard and meringue - a variation of the pain au chocolat above, and also baked at Bordeaux Bakery.

When my sister visited me at Wellington a month ago, she bought this while I was at work. I was taken aback by the price of one croissant ($5.50), but once I tried it, I could not tear myself away!
My review: Money worth spent on Bordeaux's indulgent pastries and danishes!

Delicious!

Pancakes!

I have a great weakness for pancakes (and anything sweet for that matter).

Eating out can be pricey, and a plate of pancakes can cost about $13 - $18. Adding bacon to the pancakes sometimes costs and additional $4.00! This always leaves me grimacing a little. So I thought of actually making some of myself, and started browsing for some good recipes.

I'm not a great cook, but these yummy recipes sure are tempting!

Almond milk pancakes, topped with blackberries compote

Chocolate pancakes

Cappuccino pancakes with mocha syrup
This is one which I would really love to try (but will my lack of ability in baking / cooking disappoint me?)

Brown sugar walnut pancakes

Banana bread pancakes with walnuts

Do you love pancakes too? :)

Whoopie

Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

I remember my mum buying a book from Book Depository about a year ago. I can't remember the name of the book, but it was a recipe book on how to bake different types of Whoopie Pies. I had to Wiki "Whoopie Pies" as I had no idea what they were. Till this day, I haven't had the opportunity to try one yet, but I assume that they are similar in texture and taste to cakes.

They come in all kinds of flavours, and they all look heavenly to me. Can you tell that I have a super sweet tooth?

Peppermint Whoopie Pie

If you would like to try bake some, click on the any of the caption to the images on this post. The links will take you to different blogs and websites that have generously provided great recipes for all to try!

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Matcha Chocolate Whoopie Pies

If you can't bake or are too lazy to bake (I fall into both categories) and live within the Auckland area (unfortunately, I'm not within this group), you can consider visiting or ordering online from Whoopie. I haven't tried their whoopie pies before, and if you ever do, please share a review!

Orla Kiely

So my sister actually went out to Uniqlo to get for me an Orla Kiely top!

It wasn't the one I wanted (I think she made a mistake), but it's still an awesome top! And it was half priced, so it was only NZD 15!
Yay!

Top from Uniqlo!

After the excitement of seeing the top that is awaiting for me at Kuala Lumpur, I decided to find more Orla Kiely items I'm coveting for.

These are some of my favourites:

Giant Wallflower Scarf

Apple Multi Stem Shoulder Bag

Striped Petal Flask

Evoke Mio Radio

Dancing Girl Sundress

I really (REALLY)  love the sundress. But it's unfortunately quite pricey :(.

Iko Iko

I love Iko Iko, a really cute store selling really cute things.

I always pass by the store when I return from work, and I try to stop by as frequent as possible without the salesperson recognising me ;).

Some things I'm coveting from the store:

Silicone Heart Baking Mould, NZD 24.90

Citta Niwa Mug, NZD 16.90

Fred's Letter Pressed Cookie Cutter Set, NZD 34.90
- Write a message on your baked cookies!

Flora Waycott 'I Love Wellington' Tea Towel, NZD 24.90
- Since I'm now a Wellingtonian, I should have a tea towel that goes with my new life!

Let's Have a Party Bunting, NZD 32.90

Iko Iko stores are located on K Road at Auckland and Cuba Street in Wellington. They also operate an online store on their website.

Uniqlo

I was over at Hello Sandwiches' blog, reading about Ebony's MT tees that she bought from Uniqlo. I love MT tapes and Uniqlo, so the combination of both of them made me swoon a little.

I charged over to Uniqlo Malaysia's website, although I knew that:

1. Uniqlo Malaysia may not necessarily stock up on the same tees

2. There may be a lag between what is available for sale at Japan, and what is available for sale at Malaysia

3. Uniqlo's clothes can get a little pricey for little ole' me :(

Unfortunately, there were no MT clothes available, but there were Laura Ashley and Orla Kiely ones on sale!

Some of my favourites are:

Laura Ashley's line at Uniqlo (all of which can be viewed here):

Orla Kiely's line at Uniqlo (all of which can be viewed here):

I really love this one, and I'm thinking of getting my sister to pop by the store to get me one soon!

So if you are a fan of Laura Ashley or Orla Kiely, and currently live in a city where there is a Uniqlo, you should really get there fast before they all run out! And if there are MT tees as well, it is even more urgent that you do so quickly!