Food Friday: Vietnamese Pho Ga

The other day some friends have asked me for a traditional Vietnamese dish and they heard a lot about the typical Pho Ga. This is actually one of my favorites from my mom's, so it is really hard for me to cook the same one. Moreover my friends wanted me to do it for breakfast one day.  So, there I was, looking for Asian ingredients in Berlin, which were super easy to get. Just google Asian food market; I went to Mekong Asian Market at Hackescher Markt to get my stuff.

Ingredients:

Cilantro, spring onions,

Vermicelli noodles or rice noodles,

if you use meat: beef or chicken, and for the broth: Pho powder or mixture.

fish sauce, sriracha chili sauce.

Soy bean sprouts are optional. 

For the broth:

Fall Essentials 2013 #1: Plaid Shirts

This season everyone's going back to Punk and Grunge, we'll see a lot of plaid shirts, leather goods, black heavy boots and everything punkish. I'll try to sum up my fall essentials for the new season and hope you guys like it!

Right now I'm looking for the perfect plaid shirt, in German you'd call it a 'Holzfällerhemd' translated into lumberjack shirt, but I prefer plaid shirt. It's pretty hard to find the perfect one since I want it to be cool and grunge, also in the colours red, blue, black and you really have to be careful so it won't look like the Hollister/Abercrombie & Fitch colours!

A few weeks ago, I saw two girls rocking some colourful plaid shirts in green and yellow, it was kind of oversize and really really laid-back, super cool I've thought! Paired with denim pants and sneakers, a go-to-outfit for summer. In fall instead I'd go for leather skirts, black skinny pants or denim. Oh and do you know what I like the most about button-up shirts? Just wear it as a cardigan and if it's getting too warm, in fall? Yes! Maybe you're at a party or something, just tie it around your waist and be the perfect grunge gal! :)

Click for details of this selection.

New In: Topshop Leather Pants and Basic Shirts

At the opening of the first Topshop Store in Berlin, the press people had the chance to shop for an hour until the gate was opened for everyone. I took these pieces: leather pants and two basic tops. So, what do you think? Should I go fot the leather pants? They are pretty boxy and very sporty, but I like the look of it. Still, I do not know if it's worth the 45€ or 50 bucks. I've tried to style it in the wardrobe and I'm still not sure how to mix and match it. Hmm.. I mean, I was searching for some leather shorts and I'm really the shorts-type. 

Oh, by the way, I did return these golden Zara heels I spontanuously bought a few weeks ago. Why? Although they were golden and shiny, they just did not fit into my wardrobe and my current style. Need to overthink the shorts, but will definitely keep the basic shirts, love the casual fit of the grey one, do you believe that that's a size Large?! Yeah =D I took it, it was the last one and my friends liked it, too :)

Here are some similar pants from the Topshop onlinestore.

Opening of first Topshop 'Section' in Germany

Last friday I had the chance to go to the Opening of the first Topshop section in Germany. I call it section because they did not open up a store but rather a small section in a department chain. It opened up in Berlin in the KaDeWe, a huge store full of well known brands. The female section is located on the second floor and on the first floor you'll find the male brand Topman. 

Finally!!! We were waiting like forever to have the british retailer here in Germany, but before, there was the option of ordering the high-street clothes in their online-store. Still, it did not satisfy our passion for shopping because when I shop, I want to go in the store, see the clothes, touch them, try them on and just decide immediately.  Now it's possible in Berlin, stores in Düsseldorf, Munich and Hamburg will follow as well. 

The section includes a range of fall looks with a lot of punk and grunge options like plaid pants, blouses, coats, as well as bomber jackets, fur vests and leather pants. In the male section one will find printed shirts, suits and also accessories like backpacks. 

The Topshop section in the department store might not be that big or versatile as we hoped but nevertheless, we can now enjoy the real shopping experience of the british brand. In secret we're having our fingers crossed for an extension of the selection and maybe one day there will be an independent store. 

I'm wishing you lots of fun topshopping and yes, I admit it, I did buy myself something, 

not sure if I keep it or not, but for now, click through more pictures. What do you think?

P.S.: Read this for the German version at LesMads. 

Body Mist Shinjuku Bloom by & Other Stories

When summer was here, hope it will come back in a few days because right now it's pouring and pouring, I was getting sweaty pretty easily, I did not know what to do. It's not that I was smelling, but I used to rinse off my face and wrists with cold water just to get something refreshing. Around two weeks ago, a friend of mine, got me this: Body Mist Shinjuku Bloom by & Other Stories.

It costs about 15€, I guess 20 $ and comes in nine variations. Mine is a mixture of orange blossoms, cherry, vanilla and sandalwood. I take this when I'm on the run and have it in my purse all the time, so whenever I need a refreshment and something to awaken me up, I spray it onto my face and neck. 

Love the cherry fragrance, but it's really juicy and you have to like it ;-) Go out and try out the other ones. What do you use for as a beauty-summer refreshment?