Back in action...in HK!


It's been a while since any of the four of us have been together! Rebecca has come long and far to visit me in HK for a wonderful week of adventure and fun! Stay tuned for more exciting photos... 

 Follow us on Instagram for more up to the minute pictures! @kailaimada @raperkins

- K & R

Hawaii...Where to Eat

A few months back I was in beautiful Hawaii again for my cousin's wedding. Had an amazing time eating and exploring through Oahu and Maui with the fam. I was absolutely obsessed with tuna poke and eating as many acai bowls as possible! Below are a few of my recommendations for eating in Maui and Oahu.
- K
Oahu:
Blue Hawaii Lifestyle (#2312, 1450 Ala Moana Blvd, Honolulu)
For the best variety in acai bowls and tuna poke. 

Marukame Udon (2310 Kuhio Ave, Honolulu)
Homemade udon noodles at this hip udon bar from Tokyo. Reasonable and delicious. They also have a great selection of tempura and onigiri.

Cafe Kaila (2919 Kapiolani Blvd, Honolulu)
Classic breakfast food with kick ass waffles and pancakes. As you can see the cafe has the best name! Haha

Lanikai Juice (600 Kailua Rd, Kailua)
Fresh made smoothies with every tropical fruit you can think of. They also have some awesome green smoothies to get your veggie fix.

The Beet Box Cafe (66-443 Kamehameha Hwy, Haleiwa)
Organic food at it's best, this cafe is nestled behind a small organic grocery store. Acai bowls topped with fresh granola and fruit and amazing avocado toast!

Side Street Inn (1225 Hopaka St, Honolulu)
This joint is where all the locals go and where all the chefs in town eat after hours. Awesome fried chicken and kimchi fried rice, you will leave full and satisfied! 

Maui:
Star Noodle (286 Kupuohi St, Lahaina)
Good asian fusion - pork buns, vietnamese crepes. The chef from Star Noodle, Sheldon Simeon was also featured on Top Chef.

Leoda's Kitchen and Pie Shop (820 Olowalu Village Rd, Lahaina)
Amazing pies, bread and desserts. The best sandwich is the seared ahi tuna sandwich. You can phone ahead of time and put aside any pie you want. Their pies and desserts sell out SUPER fast, so go early!

Monkey Pod (10 Wailea Ike Dr #201, Wailea)
Best for happy hour serving up some really unique cocktails. Drink and food specials galore!

Cafe Mambo (30 Baldwin Ave, Paia)
Great cafe in the little surf town of Paia. Must order anything with their crispy duck, my favourite is their crispy duck salad with mango salsa along with a refreshing passionfruit margarita.

Flatbread Company (89 Hana Hwy, Paia)
Fresh salads and amazing flatbread with seasonal, healthy, locally sourced ingredients.

Mana Foods (49 Baldwin Ave,  Paia)
Great organic grocery store in Paia. They also serve homemade soft serve ice cream inside and healthy take-away food from their salad bar. Also have a great selection of fresh juices and a delicious selection of bulk granola. 

O'o Farms (651 Waipoli Rd, Kula)
This is a little bit of an excursion through upcountry Maui near Kula (on the way to the volcano crater). It's a gourmet organic  farm that gives you a tour of their farm grounds and orchard. Then their in-house gourmet chef at the farm cooks up a delectable meal that you eat al fresco in the most beautiful setting. They also grow and roast their own coffee there and you get to try it as well. Simply amazing. Great activity to do.

Aloha Mixed Plate (1285 Front St, Lahaina)
This is traditional "Hawaiian" cuisine. Great restaurant, owned by the same chef that created Leoda's and Star Noodle. 

Good Eats...Cool Summer Treats

Summer is here and especially in the Hong Kong heat we all need a good way to cool down. A couple of my favorite sweet spots in the city are Lab Made and Smile Yogurt
Lab Made is an interesting concept which combines science and dessert. With unique, gourmet flavors changing weekly you can literally have a apple pie, blueberry yogurt to a custard bun in an ice cream. Lab Made takes their delicious ingredients, pours it into a mixmaster and adds their secret ingredient...liquid nitrogen. Give it a little mix and in mere seconds you have silky, creamy ice cream made to order. 
Smile Yogurt dessert bar is not your typical self-serve fro-yo. It's a whimsical place where delicious frozen yogurt goodness is dressed with premium toppings from strawberry-basil sorbet, mango pudding, Manuka honey, homemade crumbs, to mango-passionfruit marshmallows. Sometimes they look too pretty to eat!

-K

Summer Print Loafers

Just purchased these fun fruit/floral printed loafers for the summer. They're like a fruit salad for your feet! Super comfortable, and available from Pedder Red in Hong Kong. What shoes are you wearing this summer?  
- K

Summer Obsession: This Zara Skort



I'm currently obsessed with this Zara skort. It's so easy to pair with a simple blazer and tee for an effortlessly polished look. And I love how the asymmetrical cut is super flattering for the legs. It comes in other colors like red, white, and blue. I am very seriously considering getting a pair in every color, they're that good!

xo
- J 

Skort: Zara / Blazer: Zara / Booties: Vince Camuto / Top: Joie / Handbag: Rebecca Minkoff

Old Town Macau


I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to travel around for my job! Since Macau is only a ferry ride away from Hong Kong, we tend to go there quite often. As the "Las Vegas" of Asia, Macau has a lot to offer when you step outside the big, shiny hotel scene. Old town Macau is filled with delicious Macanese treats like buttery Portuguese egg tarts and delicious pork chop sandwiches. When you divert off the tourist-packed streets you will find charming narrow alleys - a calm away from the storm. Looking a lot like some of the old streets in Hong Kong, old town Macau has a serene appeal to it without the hustle and bustle. We checked out a tiny cha cha teng that specialized in homemade tofu that was silky with a subtle smoky flavor along with homemade noodles and shrimp wontons. Amazing meal for a great price!
-K
Outfit Details: 
T-shirt: Pull & Bear / Shorts: Seven for all Mankind / Sunglasses: RayBan / Boots: Chloe / Bag: Foley & Corinna /

Punk: Chaos to Couture


I absolutely LOVED the Punk: Chaos to Couture Exhibit at the Met and would recommend anyone in the New York area this summer make a trip to see it. While the archive originates from 1970 to current collections, every piece was very wearable and relevant to 2013. There were a few Balmain, Burberry, and Rodarte pieces I wanted to sneak out of the museum! I'm pretty sure everyone who left the exhibit was inspired to add a little more edge to their summer wardrobes.
- J

New Kicks...Nike 'Dunk Sky Hi' Sneakers

Another pair of shoes! I seriously have a shoe problem, I probably average a new pair of shoes per week but who doesn't love shoes?! I have been coveting these shoes for a while and as I began my hopeless search around Asia from Hong Kong to Taiwan, I could not find a pair of black Nike 'Dunk Sky Hi' sneakers! They were either sold out or unavailable in any style I was looking for. I even came across the city-dedicated versions that were named after New York, London, Paris, Tokyo and Milan. However those ones were at a steeper price and I just wanted a pair of simple black dunks to wear around HK. FINALLY I came across a pair in my size and they were the LAST pair in this one store. Talk about luck. If you are in HK go to D2r in Pacific Place, they have many colors including the solid and Liberty printed versions.
  - K

Lanvin ♥ Hong Kong

Yesterday evening was a celebration to be remembered! Alber Elbaz was in Hong Kong for the grand opening of the beautifully extravagant flagship Lanvin store in Central. The store was covered in a blanket of cut-out butterflies that were sprinkled around the entire store and even pinned on people's outfits. Snacking on macarons and champagne, the store had a surreal feel to it that evening. The most exciting part of the night was when I bumped into Alber Elbaz himself outside his party. Taking a break from the crowds, he was kind enough to take a photo with me! Such a sweet man, and remarkably gifted, I am so glad I had the opportunity to meet such a fashion inspiration and genius in today's fashion world. 
  - K

Chanel Numéros Privés Hong Kong

Hello! I'm back, and blogging from Hong Kong! I moved here about a month ago for an exciting career change and have finally settled into my new country. I had the great opportunity of attending Chanel's NumĂ©ros PrivĂ©s event here in Hong Kong last week. I have to share pictures with you all because it was such an amazing exhibit! The event was like a Chanel fun-house, absolutely amazing and quirky at the same time. Each room was totally different from the last and displayed some of Chanel's finest things from the classic jacket, the 2.55 bag, to the classic No.5 perfume. The event was attended by well-known asian celebrities (I definitely need to get on this), and fashion muses such as Mira Duma and Alice Dellal. Did I mention we got Chanel gifts to take home?! 
- K
Entrance into the event - a starry, greenery-covered ceiling of twinkling lights as guests enter
Lagerfeld Dolls
Amazing clothes 
Chanel games which were tricky to win!
Black out room full of unique 2.55 bags
Chanel Doll room 

Follow me on Instagram @kailaimada

Thailand Photo Diary








Here are a few shots from my time in Thailand while I was in Asia. I had the great opportunity to visit both Railay Bay and Phuket. I wish I had more time to explore the beautiful country and the rest of Southeast Asia! 
Longtail boats parked on Railay Bay
Amazing limestone rock formations
Lanterns lining the streets of Ao Nang
Railay Bay sunset
Thai Pancakes...SO GOOD! This one is Nutella/Banana
Longtail boat tour around the many islands surrounding Krabi
Managed to capture a snapshot of thunder one evening outside our hotel
The beautiful Anantara villa I stayed at in Phuket with a private pool and outdoor shower
Morning swim
Nothing beats fresh coconut water right out of the coconut
Biking around the Anantara Resort
Villa in the evening
Our elephant Mahout taking us for a ride on the back of an elephant
Elephant handshake with Noi-Na! 
- K

Deep Freeze




Jasmine and I decided to check out the skating rink by City Hall the other week...it was beautiful and crisp outside but absolutely FREEZING. This week's temperature is no exception. I'm going to try and enjoy this last month of freezing cold weather before I make my big move to Hong Kong! Definitely no snow there...
- K & J
Outfit Details:
On Kaila: Blanket (worn as scarf): Hudson's Bay Company / Top: Zara / Jeans: Scotch & Soda / Boots: Vintage / Leather Mitts: Danier / 
On Jasmine: Parka: Canada Goose / Camo Top: Nordstroms / Tank: Zara / Jeans: Victoria Beckham / Necklace: J Crew / Fur Gloves: Jocelyn (from Intermix) / Shoes: Steve Madden /

Asia Photo Diary









This fall I had an experience of a lifetime on an unforgettable trip to Asia. I have been to Japan before but being half Chinese it was great to finally see China, Hong Kong and Thailand. One of the main reasons for my trip was my cousin's wedding in Chongqing (crazy city - 33 million people in ONE city O_O). I just have to say that it was the most extraordinary wedding I have ever been to and the only way I can think of describing it is by calling it "Kardashian-Style" (note: photo 2 is the lovely bride dressed in Vera Wang with her father). If you ever get the opportunity to go to Asia - GO! Amazing shopping, interesting but good food, and sights that you won't see anywhere else but in Asia. 
Sheraton Chongqing in the evening along the Yangtze River (wedding location)
The Bride in Vera Wang
Red ribbons along a bridge
Me on the steps of a temple in Chongqing
Spicy street noodles
Sugar dragon
Tigers and lions at the Chongqing Zoo
Feeding a giraffe at the Chongqing Zoo
BEARS!!! At the Chongqing Zoo
Rock Carving
Hiking along the rivers and valleys in the Black Mountain National Park
Neatest rice pot
The Great Wall of China
Ceiling of the longest corridor 
Peking Duck in Beijing
The Forbidden City
Talented artist in the Forbidden City
Suzhou
Me on an island in Wuxi
Some communist soldiers (so in-sync) 
Yang's Dumplings in Shanghai (crispy xiao long bao amazingness)
Nanjing Road, Shanghai
My fave chicken dish from Yardbird in Hong Kong (must go!)
Another must eat in HK...Cong Sao Dessert with amazing shaved ice! Delish! 
Hong Kong view from the Peak
-K