Issus Cafe, Melbourne CBD | Review

It's been a while since I've sat down to a great meal out, so over the weekend mum and I made our way into the city and did just that. We hadn't pre-planned where we'd be going, but rather had decided to have a stroll around the many laneways of Melbourne city until we found something we liked the look of.

It didn't take long for us to make our choice, and we took our seats in the cosy back corner of Issus Cafe (just off Flinders Lane). The cafe is a lovely, comfortably intimate, low-lit space - perfect as an escape on a cold and busy day, or as a casual but romantic setting for a date.

We arrived at midday and were seated at one of only two remaining tables. While the table out front seated two, we didn't want to sit out in the cold and so requested an inside table. As I mentioned before, we were seated in the back corner of the cafe - a long table that could easily seat 6 or more people. The staff didn't even hesitate to seat us at such a large table, which we were very grateful for.

As the place was quite busy, we didn't expect to be served for some time. However to our surprise we were served within minutes, and after a short wait we received our meals.

I chose to go with one of the all-day breakfast options - House made granola mix with greek yoghurt and rhubarb. I love a good breakfast, and this one definitely hit the spot. Healthy and tasty, the rhubarb definitely made this meal for me! At $11.99, I'm not sure I'd order this again, but that may just be because I'm quite frugal and couldn't justify another $11.99 on a simple granola & yoghurt.

Mum decided on the pulled pork and eggs on potato hash cakes, which was an amazing decision. I literally cannot fault this dish - I'm so glad mum was kind enough to share some of this one with me, definitely the tastier choice! The pulled pork was only the slightest bit dry, but that was made up for by the delicious mustard and poached eggs, which blended perfectly with the hash cakes (which were literally to-die-for)! At $16.99, this dish was well worth it and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has a chance to visit Issus Cafe.

We also decided to order these delicious Eggplant chips to share, and boy am I glad we did! These were freakin' incredible! I love me some eggplant and the way these were prepared, with a delicious sauce to top it all off was just perfect! At $6.99, these eggplant chips are the perfect side to share (or have all to yourself, zero judgement here)!

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Issus Cafe - lovely atmosphere, friendly staff, comfortable seating, good service, and great food! Not to mention, a great location in one of Melbourne's busiest laneways! I'll definitely be coming back here in the future, once I've had the chance to try some of the other cafes/restaurants around Melbourne's CBD.

I hope you've enjoyed my review of Issus Cafe - if you live in Melbourne or are planning to visit and would like to check out Issus Cafe for yourself, you can find it at 8 Centre Place, Melbourne City (just off Flinders Lane).

Have you been to Issus Cafe? Would you try these meals? Let me know in the comments below!

xx Chontelle Louise

Street Style - Basics

My Outfit:

Grey Knit Beanie - Cotton On

Denim Jacket - Alcott Italy

Grey Crop Tee - Cotton On

Black Shorts - Sophie Charlotte Italy

Black Boots - Famous Footwear

I love this outfit. As you can probably tell by now, I have a thing for casual street-style fashion, and this outfit is no exception. I've worn it at least 3 times in the last week and despite the looks I get from people up at the shops who know that I've worn the same thing literally the day before, I have No Ragrets. *if you didn't get the reference, I'm judging you*

The denim jacket is a year-round staple for me, it looks amazing, cute, and works with just about any look! Another staple in this outfit is my lovely pair of boots which you may recognise from, well actually, almost every OOTD so far! :) To be honest the outfit is pretty much made up entirely of basic wardrobe staples!

The grey tee is so comfy, and only cost me $5 on sale so complaints here! And the shorts are just a simple pair of black high-ish waist shorts with a soft, semi velvety feel to them. The beanie is actually my favourite part of this outfit, it's so thick and chunky and cosy, I just love it!

Yesterday I had acting class with trainer of the week Damian Walshe-Howling. This guy knows his stuff, I (and everyone else in the class) learned so much from the day and we all really broke through our own personal barriers and really improved our craft. Awesome, awesome day!

But of course there was a yin & yang aspect to the day - the class was amazing, but the day started out everything but. I was early for my bus (my error) and had to wait standing in the rain and wind for 30 minutes, not to mention the additional 10 minutes because the bus was freakin' late! But it still managed to get to the train station on time for my train! Except the train was cancelled at the last minute. And it was 45 minutes before the next train.

So my day could only get better from there! 

I hope you enjoyed this outfit post! How was your weekend - the yin, & the yang? 

xx Chontelle Louise

The Autumn TAG

                  

So I found this Tag on another blog (Emily Likes Makeup) and thought it seemed like a fun idea. This Tag was originally created by Makeup Pixi3, who has tagged anyone that's a blogger to do it too! So definitely check those two out! 

Anyway, here's the Autumn TAG! By the way, if you're reading this, then I Tag YOU to do the Autumn TAG next! xx

For Autumn, what is your...

1.  Favourite thing about it?  It's a tie between the fact that I can break out the baggy knit jumpers and knee-high socks, and the way the leaves fall from the trees and scatter the grounds. This is actually my very first Autumn being able to experience this in person!!! In Brisbane, it's basically a constant cycle of Summer/Spring/Summer/Spring, meaning we'd miss out on all of the perks of the cooler seasons! So as lame as it is, I'm super excited as the Autumn leaves fall this year!

2.  Favourite drink?  I'm still not over the fact that this isn't available here in Australia (it's criminal!), but my absolute favourite drink for Autumn is the Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks. To. Die. For. But as far as my favourite available drink for Autumn, I'd have to say it's a Caramel or Hazelnut Latte!

3.  Favourite scent/candle?  It's a tie between my Vanilla Caramel Candle from Peter Alexander, or my Reeces Peanut Butter Cup scented Candle. I love sweet, creamy scents over Autumn/Winter!

4.  Best lipstick?  I have only tried this once before but I'm planning to order three beautiful autumn/winter shades from Lime Crime's Velvetine collection - Red Velvet (tried & loved) and Wicked are lovely red shades, while Cashmere is a beautiful, soft pink/cashmere shade. They go on liquid, but dry in a beautiful matte that literally makes your lips look like velvet. 

5.  Go to moisturiser?  I really can't choose just one moisturiser for even a month, let alone an entire season! It changes all the time, however as a general rule I like something very hydrating for the cooler months because my skin gets dry quite easily when it's too cold.

6.  Go to colours for the eyes?  I like to stick to natural shades, so creams, golds, and browns - perfect for Autumn imho.

7.  Favourite music or band/singer to listen to?  I don't really have any specific seasonal favourite or general favourites haha, but I guess I enjoy softer music or like, less upbeat? I'm loving Style (T Swift), Take Me To Church (Hozier), Jealous (Nick Jonas), Don't Tell Em (Jeremiah), and Earned It (The Weeknd), right now!

8.  Favourite outfit to wear (i.e. boots & a scarf combo)?  I don't have a favourite outfit in particular, but rather favourite looks. Baggy sweaters, high-waist jeans, and skirts or dresses with stockings - all paired with cute matching boots! Did I mention I'm obsessed with boots?

9.  Autumn treat (i.e. a new scarf or bag you have your eye on)?  I'm really loving this chunky plaid scarf that's at Cotton On at the moment, so I'm hoping to grab that one sometime soon!

10.  Favourite place to be?  Either rugged up in bed with my cat on one side and some food on the other, or sitting in the back corner of a cosy little cafe enjoying a hot drink and some yummy cafe food!

xx Chontelle Louise

Knee High Knits & Leather

My Outfit:

Denim Vest - Valley Girl

Red Floral Blouse - Sophie Charlotte Italy

Black Leather Skirt - Mombasa Rose

Knee-High Socks - Cotton On

Boots - Famous Footwear

I'm obsessed with knee-high socks at the moment - they're my favourite thing! Perfect for the cooler weather we're experiencing down here in Melbourne at the moment. I colour matched the socks with my floral blouse from Sophie Charlotte (one of my favourite tops to date), and I think it worked out pretty well!

I got this leather skirt on clearance at the beginning of the year from a local Brisbane store Mombasa Rose, it only cost me $5 down from $35 so it was one heck of a bargain! I haven't worn it much because I've just been a bit confused on how exactly I was going to style it. I decided to be brave and wear it for this look with my staple black leather shoes (obviously neither are real leather). I finished the look off with a splash of denim in the form of this vest from Valley girl, which I think really adds something special/different to this look!

I've been super busy finishing up and submitting my resume to a huge number of retail stores, and also a few cafes (but fingers crossed for retail!!). Here's hoping something happens soon! It's getting a lot cooler here, Winter is well and truly on its way! I'm a mix of happy because I love colder weather (and all the winter fashions that come with it), and dying because oh my gosh, I am not used to this weather! Right now, Brisbane is like an average of 25-30 degrees, but Melbourne is more like 15-20 if that. So a good 10 degree decrease in temperature for this Brisbane born & raised girl. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to be away from that terrible, humid heat, but my body is not sure how to deal with the cold just yet and I wish it would just get with the program! Haha!

Anyway, what did you think of this look? Love it? Or hate it? How's your week going? Let me know below!

xx Chontelle Louise

8 Cities I Need To Visit

Lately my wanderlust has been scratching around in my head, taking over many of my thoughts to the point that I've caught myself researching flights and travel to different cities all over the world - predominantly Europe. So as a bit of a release for my wanderlust I've compiled a list of cities that I'm dying to visit!

1. Amsterdam, Holland (Netherlands)
I've wanted to visit Amsterdam for a long time. The beautiful buildings (including those crooked houses!), the cafe culture, the canals, the bridges, the food, the art culture, and the way everyone's riding around on cute bicycles all the time! Everything about Amsterdam is just me. I'm hoping to visit this amazing city in my next trip to Europe!

2. Cape Town, South Africa
Such. A Beautiful. City. It's not even the city itself that's beautiful, but it's natural beauty, the natural beauty of South Africa. I'm half South African on my mothers side, and have always wanted to visit the country but understandably mum isn't too sure after all of the issues this beautiful country has suffered. However Cape Town is one of the safest parts of SA and the most beautiful. It's got a lovely seaside village feel to it and so vibrant and interesting - also the cable cars up to Cable Mountain are a must.

3. Prague, Czech Republic
It's such a colourful and interesting city in a country with so much history. Previously under Communist control, the Czech Republic (prev. Czechoslovakia) is an amazing place to visit for those who are interested in communist and European history - or just history in general! And where better to do so than in the capital, Prague!

4. Warsaw, Poland
I think Warsaw, and in general Poland, is really underrated as far as 'list of cities to visit' go. I don't know where I first got the interest to visit Poland, but once I did it just got stronger and stronger. I still don't know much about the city or country but what I do know is that it looks absolutely gorgeous and I'd love to learn more!

5. Berlin, Germany
Berlin is to Germany what Melbourne is to Australia. It's an urban city full of fashion and graffiti and really good coffee. It could be seen as a little bit ugly what with all of the big city buildings, but that's part of the allure. It's fun, it's grunge, and it's a city I would really love to visit one day!

6. Marrakech, Morocco
I've always had an interest in visiting Morocco. I love new and different experiences, and Marrakech is an explosion of colourful, glorious difference! I can see myself draining the bank on all sorts of interesting colourful items from the rows and rows of stalls and having to purchase another suitcase to lug it all back home in!

7. Bruges, Belgium
From what I can gather, Bruges looks like the most beautiful, small old European city with a stunningly haunting look to it. My mum visited Bruges a long time ago and always said that we should visit, and pick up some of the lace and little trinkets that she wants to get for me to pass down in generations. So for me, visiting Bruges is more of a personal desire. It doesn't hurt that it's an absolutely gorgeous city, often referred to as the 'Venice of the North' due to its canals. I seem to have a thing for cities with canals, they're just so mystical and breathtaking!

8. Dublin, Ireland
I've got Irish blood on both sides of my family so I may be a little bit biased, but Ireland is somewhere I've wanted to go for a while now. I love that Dublin seems to be a bit quieter than many other major European cities, and it (along with the rest Ireland) seems like something out of a fairytale! So cute and quaint and beautiful greenery, Dublin is defintely a place I plan to visit!

I hope you've enjoyed this post! Let me know below, what cities do YOU need to visit?

xx Chontelle Louise

*please note images are not my own*