The Hidden Tree Top Terrace Cafe with a Breath Taking View in Okinawa

Moving from Hokkaido (the North-est part of Japan), to Okinawa (the South-est part of Japan), I’d like to share with you my recent trip to Okinawa a few weeks back.

A lot of people think of Okinawa as a summer destination, all the beautiful white sandy beaches, blue cave diving, sun bathing and reading a book etc… but a lot of you didn’t know, there are still quite some places and things you can do in Okinawa during winter time! I’d like to show you a few of them in my next few entries.

During my recent trip, I visited this really cute tree house cafe called the Beach Rock Cafe. It’s nestled and hidden in the deep forest of the Nakajin area, indeed it was so hidden that Google, nor the car GPS can take you there. I had to ask around a couple of times for direction before I manager to find this narrow entry leading onto the bumpy mountain road, but, it’s all worth it!

 

Beach Rock Cafe is actually ran by the Beach Rock Theater Group. This place is their stage where they do performances, as well as providing camping/glamping, different activities, as well as a cafe. As my trip was short, so I did not have time to join their performances nor activities, but I did spend a chilled afternoon relaxing on their tree terrace, browsing at the amazing forest scene.

Italian Fashion Icon Prada meets with Milanese Cafe Pasticcerie Marchesi

>

>

>

It doesn’t matter which part of the world you are in, I’m sure all of you would have heard of Prada – a famous Italian leather brand that started off in Milan in year 1913. Prada is well known for their leather goods and fashion accessories, but did you know that the brand also operates in the Cafe business in Milan?

Pasticceria Marchesi – one of the most iconic cafe in the Milan. Founded in 1824, the brand is famous for its time-honred traditions and hand-made production, aiming to deliver the freshest and best pastries, sweets and coffees to their supporters.

In March 2014, Prada acquired 80% of Marchesi. As two brands that are deeply Milanese in heart, Prada and Marchesi aim to preserve the pastry shop’s historic mores while expanding its celebrated imprint. In September 2016, the third Marchesi shop opened inside Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II arcade, which is right next to the famous Milan Cathedral. The new venue is located on the mezzanine floor above the oldest Prada boutique in the world.

Christmas at Milan’s famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Covering 2,700 square feet, Pasticceria Marchesi is located on the mezzanine level and allows a remarkable view of the Galleria’s mosaics from its many arched windows. The interior of the cafe is fitted out with aqua green marble walls, juxtaposed with a green floral jacquard silk wallpaper & dark marble floor, the use of green velvet armchairs and sofas, together with the brass detailing adds the elegant touch to the whole environment.

A Super Cafe in Sydney – Coffee, Weekend Market, Florist & more all in one!

“OCD – Obsessive Coffee Disorder!”

If I were to ask you, what are the places that ones must visit in Sydney, I’m sure everyone will answer The Opera House, Bondi Beach, Darling Harbour, Fish Market etc. Well, let me add one more to your list – “The Grounds of Alexandria”. And if you are a coffee lover like me, then there is absolutely no reason why you would miss it!

For the Sydney-siders, “The Grounds of Alexandria” is no news to them. It is a “super cafe” located in the inner west city fringe suburb of Alexandria Melbourne. It is not just an ordinary cafe, but one that you could spend a whole day exploring on a Saturday!

“The Grounds” is made up of coffee roaster, café, bakery, bar, restaurant, outdoor garden, weekend market, florist and a mini farm all within this acre of land in Sydney. It is pack all week long, and especially on the weekend, because of the amazing weekend market they have.

Freshly baked mouth watering pastries

The florist was my favourite section out of the whole complex!

The very famous rainbow roses

A Cafe + Florist in the hippest area of Tokyo

“Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a live”

STOP! It’s time to think what’s really worth it in life

I didn’t really had a life in the last 2 weeks since I had been really tied up with work… Two back to back business trips and tight deadlines for various projects, stressed!! So yesterday I told myself, I must take a break before I collapse, and since I’m in Tokyo this week, I shall use this chance to explore the quieter side of this metropolitan city.

A short 15 minutes walk from the busy Shibuya area, I’ve arrived the Omotesando area. For those who don’t know Omotesando area well, it is one of the trendiest and hippest place in Tokyo, with all the high end luxury boutiques in the area. It is also well known for hidden cafes and restaurants.

Exterior view of Nicolai Bergmann Nomu Cafe

While I was wandering around the Omotesando area, I came across this florist + cafe place, which is very nice and cool! It’s called the NOMU cafe, which is part of this famous florist Nicolai Bergmann in Tokyo. Just imagine enjoying a cup of nice coffee surrounded by the lovely aroma of flowers… hmm.. that’s exactly how this place is.

An Afternoon Tea Set you simply cannot miss in Hong Kong

“Come, let us have some tea and talk about happy things”

So yesterday, after a tough session at the gym, my friend and I decided to pamper ourselves with a fancy afternoon tea at the ATUM Restaurant. (Alright, let’s be honest here, we didn’t work that hard at the gym, and we have pre-booked this place before we decided to go to the gym, excuses excuses)

ATUM Restaurant is the second spot opened by the group, with their first one being a huge success!! A little bit different to their first spot which is called ATUM Desserant (you could probably guess by the  name, it’s a place for dessert, yay!! You would be able to google a lot of pages about this place if you are interested to know more), this new restaurant serves both sweets and savory.

The restaurant is a bit hidden inside the K11 mall in Tsim Sha Tsui of Hong Kong. You need to navigate your way thru all the little boutiques before you reach the entrance. The interior of the space resembles a bit of an art gallery, very simple, with some decorative elements.Again, it’s using my favourite elements of bare concrete and wood – simple, clean, and chic!

Seating Area is quite spacious, with lots of natural lightings

Instead of serving the afternoon tea set on traditional tied cake stand, they serve them on a flat long plate here, which makes it very different to the other places. The way they present the food on the plate makes it like an art piece here.

The tea set comes with any teas or coffees, and a salad. We ordered a 65% hot chocolate, and an organic berry tea today. All the food are in bite size, which is a great idea for no mess dining.

Award Winning Barista – Small Cafe in TST Hong Kong

It’s another lazy Saturday afternoon, and I need a coffee!

If there’s one drink on this planet that I cannot live without, I think it’d be coffee.

“I only need coffee on days ending with Y”

I’m not an expert about coffee, so I won’t be able to throw at you all the expert terms like the acidity, the body, the origin of coffee and so on… For me, a coffee is a drink that wakes me up, gives me the energy to last for the day, and tastes pleasant!

Coffee makes me happy

For me personally, I really enjoy drinking a cup of coffee at a nice chilled cafe with a touch of their own identity. Instead of coffee chains, I like individual cafes more. They usually have their own decoration, their own feel, and very importantly, the coffee usually tastes better!

There are so many nice chill cafes when I used to work in Sheung Wan, such as Coco Espresso, Brew Bros, Elephant Grounds and so on… However, when my office moved to Tsim Sha Tsui East, it was a bit difficult to find some nice cafes with good coffee. Well, this was the case until I discovered “N1 Coffee & Co”!

Entrance of N1 & Co

This place is a little cafe on Mody Road, the entrance of it is a bit hidden, so you may not be able to recognise it when you walk past. I love the decoration of this place, it’s got one of my favourite building element – bare concrete!! Inside the cafe, there’s also a Merry-Go-Round horse as a decoration piece, which makes the interior very unique! The identity of the cafe is Mint Green, which gives it a bit of cool refreshed feeling to it. I absolutely love the interior of this cafe!!!