Went for an amazing, soothing facial at Ocean Breeze at The Strand. The lady’s name was Leigh and she is the best! Why? Because the facial was free. I used a coupon from Cosmopolitan magazine that offered a free facial using Institut Esthederm products. She started off with a cleanse, then a 2-step exfoliation (one surface, one deep-pore). My skin’s sensitive/thin and these products were terrific, as the exfoliation wasn’t manual (ie. no grains), but more chemical, so it wasn’t harsh or irritating. Then she put some kind of oil on my face and gave me a looooooong face massage that nearly sent me snoozing, it felt so good! Next was a nice-smelling mask and a relaxing arm/shoulder/fingers massage. Mmmmm… ahhhhhh…

After being treated like a princess for FREE, I was half expecting the hard-sell. But nooooooo. She said “So since you’re already using some skincare products, try these samples and see if you like them.” I should point out that these products are all $100-$200 each, and she gave me 4 free samples to try at home! She didn’t ask once if i wanted to purchase, and was just happy that I enjoyed the facial. You seriously can’t get a better experience with customer service. I was totally amazed and impressed, and if I like the products I will definitely go back, plus I’ll go back to her next time I pay for a facial. She’s brilliant! So if you have this month’s Cosmo mag, definitely go to Leigh 🙂

Micky’s Cafe
Paddington, NSW
$$$–

Spent Sunday afternoon shopping at Paddington with a girl friend. But not before we got some sustenance! Decided to go to Micky’s Cafe, partly because I can’t find any other great eateries in the area (tell me otherwise if you know of any?) and because I had a 1-for-1 coupon, heh. It may be a cafe, but the prices are restaurant-style – as in, $$$!! But with our free main, the bill came to $50 for both of us, not too bad for a lunch I suppose.

It’s a nice cosy old-style cafe, and quite popular since there aren’t too many eateries in the area. Service is a bit spotty – prompt and efficient but not particularly friendly or warm. Their food though? Very good. Partly due to the fact that we were ravenous, but even so, the portions are large and the ingredients are good. I had the Garlic Prawn Risotto with Peas, Tomato, Red Onion & Chilli in a Tomato & Basil Sauce which came in a big mound! Thought I’d never be able to finish it but, errr, did. I liked how the risotto wasn’t salty but had a plain, subtle flavour punctuated by the shredded basil. They mention it comes with chilli on the menu but I can confidently say there was NOT ONE SINGLE BIT of chilli in the dish. Would have preferred a bit of kick, now that I think about it. It came with big fat prawns, and a generous helping of them too boot. The prawns were the ‘crystal’ sort though, with that crunchy texture – I believe it’s because they leave it in corn flour or something so the prawns last longer? I don’t really like it done that way, but it wasn’t too bad.

My lunch partner had the Grain-Fed Scotch Fillet Steak with Mushroom Port Demi, Mash & Spinach with Caramelised Onions – with the steak done Blue. It definitely wasn’t though, more like Medium-Rare. So she passed me the edges of the steak which was too cooked for her liking, and it was diiiiivine. Moist, tender and delicious. The steak was big and came resting on a big plate of mash and gravy. Mmmmmmm!!

Totally stuffed, we somehow lost our common sense and ordered dessert, Cheesecake & Strawberries – Vanilla Ice Cream, Mango Sauce and Cream. We goggled at it when it came, it was BIG and was stuffed full! Picking up our spoons, we heartily dug in but soon lost our momentum and couldn’t polish off the last scoop of ice cream. The cheesecake was lovely and creamy with a thick base, and the vanilla ice cream was the proper kind – rich and creamy. I wasn’t a huge fan of the mango sauce though and would have preferred lots more strawberries.

Very filling and very satisfying. I wouldn’t pay full price for it all though! But for what we paid, we were very happy 🙂

Micky’s Cafe

Inside

Garlic Prawn Risotto with Peas, Tomato, Red Onion & Chilli in a Tomato & Basil Sauce

Grain-Fed Scotch Fillet Steak with Mushroom Port Demi, Mash & Spinach with Caramelised Onions

Cheesecake & Strawberries – Vanilla Ice Cream, Mango Sauce and Cream

All smiles

(previous review here)