Yesterday was my dad’s 49th birthday

“Men must celebrate turning 49, but not 50″, according to my mum and her often unfounded Chinese superstitions (no such superstitions exist, according to Google). But since it was believed to be an important milestone, my whole family (and extended family) went out for a special lunch celebration.

For my makeup, I opted for a soft grey smokey eye using my Coastal Scents Warm Palette and some long falsies to open up my eyes. This is a great eye makeup to wear for outings during the day, because it gives you the smokiness without looking over-done. I used Revlon’s Powder Blush in ‘Tawny Peach’ for my cheeks and Inglot’s Highlighting Powder for the highlight. I finished off the look with Maybelline’s Moisture Extreme lipstick in ‘Nude Blush’.

It turned out to be a beautiful sunny day, which was a pleasant surprise considering the recent gloomy and wet Melbourne weather. Not having to bury myself in layers and layers of clothing, I went for a casual chic look with a black singlet and white lace overlay, a white shirt blazer (it has a cute bow at the back, but I forgot to take a pic!), jeggings and a pair of nude pumps. Accessories included a silver pendant necklace (very Aztec inspired) and a black quilted bag.

For lunch, we went to Tao’s Restaurant. The exterior might not look too flash, but it’s actually quite a fancy restaurant. We were seated inside a private dining room called the ‘Japanese Room’, with a grand Hinoki Cypress table as the centerpiece and a red wall where you can leave a message (I didn’t get to, BOO!). The restaurant offers a multi-course selective set menu (sounds rather oxymoronic!), with a mix of Eastern and Western cuisine and traditional and contemporary flavours. Very interesting!

The appetizer was ‘Tao’s Assorted Seasonal Platter’, which was the same selection for everyone. It consisted of a tiny bowl of what tasted like sweet chilli mayo (as a dip for the sesame biscuit stick), shucked oyster with a tangy dressing (the pink stuff underneath it is coloured sea-salt!) and bacon wrapped with spring onion. The oyster was amazing – the tangy dressing balanced the sweetness of the raw oyster and the finely chopped cucumbers added a wonderful crunchy texture.

For the entree, I picked ‘Tao’s Drunken Chicken’, a traditionally Chinese dish which my mum sometimes make at home (it rocks!). I think the presentation is so fun, with the tiny wineglass of the Shaoxing wine dressing perched over the thinly sliced chicken. They even included a small block of the dressing in a jelly form! The taste was a little on the bland side, I definitely could have done with more of that dressing!

Next was the soup and I chose the ‘Beef Consommé’. It’s a clear but very flavourful beef broth with soft beef brisket and sliced daikon. Even though I was the only person to pick this soup, I thoroughly enjoyed it! The small shot glass of the orange liquid is a refreshment to cleanse your palate after the soup. We debated on what the strange flavour was; my cousin said it was hawthorn (a Chinese fruit), my other cousin said it was chocolate (didn’t taste that at all!) and I thought it tasted like preserved plums. Anyway, the general consensus was that it didn’t taste very nice!

I was indecisive with the main, and ended up choosing ‘Tao’s Style Stewed Pork Belly’. Once again, I was the only person who chose this dish and everyone laughed at me because it looked so fatty (tasted fatty too haha!). I have to say, the presentation was the least impressive of all the mains, but I guess there’s only so much you can do with stewed pork belly! The pork belly itself was oh-so-soft and jam-packed with Chinese herbs and spices and it was served with an edamame bean, mushroom and carrot salad. I have to admit I struggled to finish the third piece, I was already full from the previous dishes! The mains were also accompanied with a small bowl of ‘Rice of the Day’, the fried rice had a distinct taste because of the mini dried shrimps. How cute is the crockery for the rice? In fact, the crockery and cutlery of each course is unique, and check out the adorable embracing salt and pepper shakers!

Finally, it’s time for dessert and I went with the ‘Coffee Cheese Cake’. The cake was very rich and the addition of the caramel popcorn was a cute touch. And did I mention I love the cutlery? Haha

Overall, we had an immensely enjoyable dining experience at Tao’s Restaurant, the food was not only tasty, but also innovative, and the service was very friendly and attentive (the waiters constantly filled up our tea cups one by one).

And just to finish off with a lovely family photo ^__^ Happy birthday dad! I hope to look as young as you when I’m 49!

- Miss Pixie Lulu