Favourite Restaurant Update :Nino Riffa

 If you’ve been keeping a track of ASK crew, you would know that we eat when we’re not shooting and are always on the lookout for good restaurants that are consistent in both service and taste.

Ever since the opening of Nino Riffa, I have only had good things to say about the food. My Instagram was flooded with a chocolate dessert that  is, hands down the best chocolate dessert I’ve had on the island- and yes, it even beats the “chocolate ball” dessert (which was overrated anyway) !. I loved the food at the opening so much; I took my crew the following week to experience the same and have been eating there on a monthly basis ever since.

What’s great about the new branch in Riffa is that it’s away from the hustle-bustle of Seef, where everyone comes to dine. A great get-away during the weekends for great food minus the crowd and usual ambiance, Nino’s Riffa branch promises exceptional food and good service. What’s even better is that the prices won’t burn a hole in your wallet!

While I’m not usually the one to start off with an appetizer before main course, followed by dinner, Nino spoils with choice; forcing you to enjoy all the three courses alongside a refreshing drink that you can select from.

If you do happen to visit Nino soon, Here are a few of my favorite dishes and I proudly recommend them:

Grilled Asparagus with sesame and Miso*

Buffalo chicken wrappers (Highly Recommended)*

Truffle skinny fries (Highly Recommended)*

Spinach and Ricotta Tortellini with sundried tomatoes (Highly Recommended)

Veal Al Tartuffo

Warm Belgian Chocolate soufflé cake with Ice cream (Highly Recommended)

*Starters, Appetizers or Sides

Visit Nino Riffa, Royal University for Women campus, opposite Riffa views (13613666) or Seef District, Al Aali Complex (17566555)

Off Shoulder

Off-shoulder tops and dresses have been an obsession for me this season. Ever since I saw it on the SS15 runway, I have been collecting these summer trendy styles and stocking up on my finds. I have more dressier ones and cannot wait to show them all off. This striped style combines my 2 favorite trends- Crop top and bare shoulders, which is why I was so drawn towards this particular piece.
Paired with pencil skirts or high waisted jeans a la KimK, off shoulder blouses are a great way to spruce up your summer wardrobe!
In this look, I kept my outfit rather simple, worn with a fitted pair of high waisted denims and patent pumps to add in some attitude. While I initially painted my lips coral, I just couldn't resist wearing my MAC Ruby woo. Red with white and black is a combination made in heaven , so who am I to break that?

Cinemagraph

Have you guys ever heard of Cinemagraph? Well, I hadn’t until one of my favorite photographers in Bahrain told me about it. You guys would remember George Mathew from Grey Image photography, who did my media kit head shots last year.

Cinemagraph is basically an image that has some sort of movement of a very small part of a still image.

We decided to test it out and the outcome was amazing! I’m simply obsessed with them and until I find a way to upload these GIFs on Instagram, enjoy them on my blog and Twitter.

Credits :George Mathew  Thanooj Thampy

Black Pearl

Now I usually stick to 8 images per post or less, but this shoot was so amazing I couldn't not put up my favorites. There were just so many great images to choose from and I couldn't be happier with the results.

Last week was so busy for me- from Bahrain to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and back in one week, it was crazy busy and I didn't have the time to blog. Right after I landed, I had an event to attend, meetings that I had completely forgotten about and this made my Sunday insanely hectic. I had to fit 3 meetings the same day after which I had to shoot, and catch Mad max with my crew (You’d think this was the least important thing to do, but I disagree. And if you haven’t watched it yet, I suggest you do NOW.)

Moving on, I wore this dress (picked up at a local boutique) to the Four Seasons media event last month and since a lot of you guys loved the dress, I decided to wear it for this post and show you what it looked like in sunlight. While I originally wore it with coral diamante studded sandals and a bright orange floral clutch, I sobered down the colors by pairing it with light shades of white and baby blue. You would think that this dress is a one wear piece only, but no. I love to throw on a shirt and tie up the ends to create a more safari like vibe when I’m feeling casual!

What's in my Handbag?

 "Women have the habit of carrying any and every irrelevant thing possible in their handbag. And I repeat, anything and everything". 
I read this in a magazine on my way to Dubai 4 months back, and I thought to myself, “Wow whoever wrote this clearly generalizes”. 

Upon reaching my hotel room, since I couldn’t get the article out of my mind, I decided to open my bag and dump out all the contents onto the pristine white sheets on the bed in front of me . It was then that I realized that the article was in fact true.(Or at least applied to me!)

I had so much rubbish I never even knew I had.  Among my much needed items like my CH passport holder, makeup stuff and wallet, I found that my trusty travel handbag had been abused. There were about 8 different lipsticks in, that I threw in over the years and never bothered to take out; a bunch of keys that looked unfamiliar, 2 pens that weren’t even working, a really old chewing gum packet, a perfume bottle’s lid, a nail polish bottle with the plastic covering still on, some travel sized dental kits that have been in for god knows how long and a lot of other rubbish.

I immediately sat down with crap strewn out all around in front of me and started organizing. I threw out the stuff I didn’t need, recognize or didn’t love and that included about 4 lipsticks as well! Oh the pain. After an hour and a half of cleaning out my handbag and wallet, I finally went in for a much needed shower.

Nowadays, I have the most organized handbags ever. Apart from having a handbag organizer, I also separate my contents in sections based on the frequency I use the item . So what’s in my handbag at the moment? My wallet, keys, a small perfume bottle, chewing gum my (organized) makeup bag with compact powder, a few neutral (and one red) lippies, hand cream and a phone charger. No rubbish, no crumpled up bills and no un-necessary stuff.

Needless to say, I am proud of me . What’s in your handbag at the moment?

Handbag : Mango

Canary Calling

 Work wear in most places these days aren’t boring business suits and strictly formal attire. Brighter colors, lighter fabrics and relaxed silhouettes are soon becoming a part of easy work wear.

Printed skirts paired with loose knits and oversized tees are a great way to dress up to a casual work environment. I usually throw on ponte trousers and blouses with loafers to work, but on days when I have events that follow, I like to go the extra mile to looking uber chic. This loose, light weight knitted top paired with a tulip hem skirt is my definition of relaxed office wear. They’re not only summer friendly, but decent enough to wear from day to night. Paired with tan leather pumps and an oversized carry-all, you’re good to go!

On another note, if you’re following my FB page, you would know that our lucky winner for the 50BD gift Voucher from Promod was announced earlier this week, So once again congratulations Sana, and a big shout out to all those who participated.

Outfit: Promod