Healthy treats from EarthSprout...

So recently I was recommended to avoid eating eggs. Easy peasy you might say until you look carefully into how many things we eat actually have egg as an ingredient and well, suddenly it ain't that easy. Of course the most devastating food item that has egg in it would have to be cake. Therefore, you cannot imagine my sheer joy at discovering EarthSprout, a vegan baker right here in Jakarta. Hello cake again! They offer cakes and cupcakes as well as cookies and a raw cheesecake. I decided on the banana cinnamon cupcakes and the chocolate chip cookies. Other flavours were red velvet and chocolate mint. Six cupcakes were Rp. 150,000 and the chocolate chip cookies were Rp. 80,000. I didn't even have to leave the house to get them as they were delivered right to my door. I tried the cookies first. They were delicious, soft and slightly chewy but not too sweet. Chelsea from EarthSprout who organised the order for me kindly sent me three extra cupcakes so I got to try the chocolate mint and red velvet too! So nice of her.

The banana cinnamon was deliciously moist (even straight from the fridge) and the banana cinnamon flavour was perfect.

The red velvet had a subtle chocolate flavour, was wonderfully moist and flavourful.

The chocolate mint had a deep chocolate flavour with a lovely mint after taste. It was soft and delicious.

I couldn't find anything to fault any of the flavours and was perfectly satisfied with all the cupcakes. My husband enjoyed them so much that he said there really was no need to order cakes made with egg ever again.

Of course, treats that taste this good are not just for vegans but for the health conscious too. So if you fancy something extremely sinful but still lets you feel like a saint...place an order with EarthSprout!

Beautiful packaging

Vegan cupcakes 

Vegan cookies

Deliciousness in every bite...

Contact : earthsprout@yahoo.com

Breathing easy with Beauty Barn Indonesia

When you live somewhere like Jakarta, for me, it's a daily struggle. I come from a small seaside town in North Dublin. I'm used to blue skies, fresh air, green rolling hills, rocky cliffs, lighthouses, fields, well you get the picture. Needless to say, most of those are pretty hard to come by in Jakarta. So why do I do it? Well, a part of you imagines it's not actually as bad as it is, a part of you is a slave to the money and a part of you reminds yourself  that this is only a stop gap in a greater plan. I digress, because the main reason for this post is to share with you something that helps my life be a little easier here in Jakarta. Enter Beauty Barn Indonesia and their delightful products. I first discovered their products through my workplace, where I was given a small little bottle called Breathe Easy. When you live in a generally smoggy city, anything that helps you breathe easy is going to be welcome. Breathe Easy from Beauty Barn Indonesia is a mixture of essential oils that you can drop on your pillow and it helps clear your head and as I have discovered helps me have a very peaceful nights sleep. The scent is very calming and even just an inhalation from the bottle is enough to bring about a much calmer state of mind. Today, I came across Beauty Barn Indonesia having a promotion at Senayan City and came across their Tummy Mix, another blend of essential oils that helps with stomach upset. So apart from the often lack of fresh air, my other struggle here is with Jakarta Belly. Yes, I suffer terribly with stomach problems here, even though I try to eat mostly at home now. I think it has more to do with the water though that is used for brushing teeth or washing vegetables. After buying Tummy Mix today, I straight away rubbed some on my tummy as I am just coming through another bout of stomach upset. There was a nice warming sensation and I definitely felt a calming of the stomach cramps I have been experiencing. Being a blogger, I also received a very generous gift bag, which included a Lip Balm, Fever Down and Soother Ointment. The lip balm was nicely scented and very soft. The Fever Down also smelled deliciously soothing. It's specifically to help with lowering a fever in children. Although I didn't have a fever it made me want to just put some on simply for the scent. The Soother Ointment is for any skin problems such as rashes, bites and burns. It smells quite strongly of lemongrass, which I don't mind and rubs on easily to the skin. 

Beauty Barn Indonesia's products are available in a number of locations around Jakarta. They also have a website where you can get more information on their products. For me I certainly know that I will be breathing easier tonight with a few drops of Breathe Easy on my pillow!

Beauty Barn Indonesia 

GB Bistro at Senayan City

If you haven't been to GB Bistro in Senayan City and ordered the Bratwurst, then you are seriously missing out! This is a great place to eat, with a cosy pub vibe due to its warm wooden interior and sofa booths. The menu has a good selection of food ranging from fish and chips, pastas, soup and roast chicken. I cannot talk about the other dishes on the menu because I have fallen quite desperately in love with the bratwurst and can only seem to utter that word when asked what I want to order. It is two delicious, large sausages with onions on top, a choice of potatoes (well it has to be mash, doesn't it?) and red cabbage. It really is home on a plate for me. I find the whole combination just so heartwarming and like I could be sitting in my mum's kitchen enjoying a home-cooked meal. They don't serve it with sauce, but I always ask for some black pepper sauce on the side and it just takes everything up a notch. It's funny how food holds so many memories for us and how different foods remind us of a certain time or place. Sausages = Ireland, always have and always will. Just so good that I can find somewhere here that reminds me of that. If sausages are in any way your thing, I'd stop by here. You won't be disappointed!

Restaurant interior

Bratwurst