A Weekend in Charleston

Late last month on a whim, S and I took advantage of cheap flights and flew down to Charleston for the weekend. It was our first trip to the South and it was just as I imagined:  palmettos, churches, humidity, biscuits, alligators, torrential rain, magnolias, piazzas, and that wonderful Southern hospitality. 

Our M.O. in any new city is to check out the free walking tour offerings. Here, we went on the historic district tour and the architecture tour - both gave us a colourful introduction to the well-preserved heart of Charleston. We also spent an afternoon at the very pretty Magnolia Plantation, where we sighted many of the aforementioned alligators (and peacocks, so many peacocks!). 

Like most weekend trips, our visit didn't feel long enough. I could have spent many days wandering the charming town. Each house was envy-inducing - from the ironwork gates to the lush gardens and piazzas (Charleston talk for verandahs). Even the hot, sticky air was comforting. 

Charleston is also doing excellent things on the restaurant front, and can frankly give NYC a run for her money. A list of where we wined and dined is at the end of the post if you are interested. But first, a few photos: 

Double piazzas AND palmettos

Pink in Williamsburg

On Sunday, S and I met old friends, who recently moved from Australia/Hong Kong to New York City after having won the Green Card Lottery. Back in the day, I used to religiously apply for this every year to no avail. These kids (and a few other people I know) got through on their first attempt - some people have just the luck! Well nothing brings us great joy than to see our NYC family growing. Friends and family ex-USA: if you didn't guess already, that was a PSA to apply this year and come on over!

Mansur Gavriel + Laser Cut

Greetings! Time is flying and it's now March. Yet here we are dressed in thick puffer coats and fleece tights even now as our clocks have been wound forward.  

The cold can't keep us indoors even if we tried: Friday date night saw us at All'Onda, a new Italian-Japanese place close to home; yesterday we had one double date at Le Village, a quaint, French-vegetarian bistro in the East Village; and this morning another double for dim sum brunch at Golden Unicorn in Chinatown.

13 Hours in Hong Kong

Happy 2013 everyone!

We are having a extra-relaxing first weekend of the year since the boy is under the weather.  I haven't left the apartment but to see Les Miserable (I bawled like a baby throughout. So good) and Django Unchained (hilarious at times, predictably violent at others. Overall enjoyable). 

A quiet weekend is also a great time to get back to posting about my time away in Asia. So after my short time in Taipei, I landed in Hong Kong for a quickie trip. I completely miscalculated the time I would have in the Fragrant Harbour and ended up with only 13 hours before my flight to Kuala Lumpur.

Upon getting to my friend, Sandy's at 8pm, we MAD DASHED it to COS. You all know of my love for the store  (previously professed here) and Hong Kong is fortunate to be the location of their ONLY store outside of Europe. In and out in half an hour, I picked up a few winter staples below:

This pretty purple-trim jumper with a neck-tie at the back

A chunky wool jumper that woud look good with a leather mini

My favourite thumb key-hole cashmere in yet another colour

After speed-shopping and a quick outfit change, I was brought to a private kitchen for some of the best szechuan food I've tasted in a long time.

Private kitchens, if you are not familiar, are speakeasy restaurants, generally located in private apartments behind unmarked doors. They  became popular in Hong Kong during the economic downturn in the late '90s to avoid operational costs associated with the usual restaurant business. These days, private kitchens are badly-kept secrets and to my relief, not entirely illegal due to restricted licences offered by the government. 

I was told Yellow Door was one of the original private kitchens. For around 300HKD (<40USD) these were the 16 (!!) dishes that were served:

The food was fantastic (the stewed pork ribs were my favourite) and the service exemplary. It was such a great experience and I can't wait to try another private kitchen on my next visit.

We then moved on to lots of dancing (and some amazing shots called "snowballs") at Lan Kwai Fong. I admit the area is a notorious expat hangout,  but it's always festive and fail-safe option for a fabulous night about town. 

The next morning, I had an early flight to catch but Sandy and I still managed to squeeze in some quality time at Din Tai Fung - and with each bite of xiao long bao, I wished both Sandy and the restaurant chain would come over to New York already. 

Now is the winter of our discontent

Saturday salutations to you all! We spent our afternoon at the Brooklyn Academy of Music for Richard III. Despite the loooong 3.5-hour performance, Kevin Spacey was remarkable as the title role. Doing our homework beforehand certainly helped the engagement.

Anthropologie Frosted Boucle Pullover and  Clipped Cities Skirt

COS cashmere jumper/sweater; Calvin Klein riding boots

Post-show, we popped in  al di là vino. The menu is identical to that in the main restaurant but without the 2-hour wait. I have been waiting to try this little gem for ages and our picks (squash ravioli and spaghetti alle vongole) did not disappoint. 

Background story on my skirt: on my visit to Sydney last November, I tried on this pretty laser-cut Willow number:

Sticker-shock prevented me from purchasing it then but to my pleasure, Anthropologie released a similar skirt soon after. It's a weekend skirt so I can live with the latter version being SO MUCH MORE delicate and tear-prone. 

I love big chunky accessories like the average (Indian) gal, so I couldn't resist this piece from Anthropologie. Proving its versatility, I have worn this with both traditional and not-so-traditional outfits.  

Anthropologie Natural Wonder Necklace

Viva La Barcelona, Viva La COS

We are making our maiden voyage to Barcelona later today.

Apart from experiencing everything Gaudi and stuffing ourselves silly with tapas and cava, I am pretty excited about being in a city with a COS store.

I first wrote about my love for the store here. With a distinct scandinavian aesthetic, COS satiates my (occasional) desire for minimalism. Naturally their pieces are fantastic for work.

Here are a few items I have my eyes on:

Folded Sleeve Dress

Jacquard Blazer

Layered Mesh Dress

Side Drape Zip Dress

Draped Sleeveless  Dress

Contrast Lining Skirt

The stores themselves are kitted out in a similar vein:

Providing both visual and tactile treats, I am desperate for COS to make its way state-side. In the meantime, I am thankful our hotel is minutes away from the Barcelona outpost.

Pink, Green and a dash of metal

For as long as darling S and I have been dating (a very very long time now), Friday nights are always been reserved for each other.

It doesn't matter that we hang out plenty other days of the week, my weekend always starts with a night about town with my favourite boy.

Last Friday we FINALLY watched The Help, as noble as my intentions were to see it the weekend it was released. It was as much fun, sad and endearing as the book.

 H&M dress, Lanvin kitten heels, Hermes clic bracelet in White

Blurry pictures aside, I thought it'd be fun to pair up colours conventionally known for it's tie to all things preppy.

The movie was followed by supper at Boulud Sud, Daniel Boulud's latest venture into mediterranean cuisine. The meal was exceptional and naturally resulted in over-eating.  

Full belly = Happy Usha

 

It's been a while since I took this COS necklace out to play. Part of the H&M umbrella of companies, the store is a must-visit whenever I am in Europe.  I long for the day they open-shop this side of the pond.