fave five #11: michelle zhao
featuring press-on nails
welcome to this week’s five fave, a selection from michelle zhao, aka no sweet sour. michelle and i connected a few years back through instagram and were able to meet in person shortly thereafter when she was visiting berlin. we connected over coffee and discovered we had quite a lot in common, least of which are nearly matching tattoos on our inner arms! the following evening, we met again—this time with our partners—for dinner and drinks and we’ve kept in touch since.
about a year or so after our impromptu double date, michelle opened banzha, a modern yunnanese restaurant in bergen that looks absolutely amazing and gives us all just one more reason to visit the city, which also happens to be known as the gate to the norwegian fjords. earlier this year, she released a cookbook and you can find a few of her recipes on the mala market’s website and instagram. i hope you enjoy michelle’s fave five, see you next week with a new recipe!
michelle zhao’s fave five
Autumn stews: It’s the season! I love to put on a stew on the weekend, so dinner is effortlessly solved for my family. Lately, I prepare clear broth stews so my 2 year old son can also enjoy. The autumn lamb in Norway is possibly the best ingredient I can think of for this type of dish. My preferred seasoning is just salt, spring onion, toasted chili and Sichuan pepper—yum!
Johannes Zillinger Revolution Pink Solera wine: I could drink this every day! This delightful rosé is like a chilled red, bursting with fresh strawberry flavours and a hint of creaminess. It’s a perfect sunshine sipper with impressive depth. What sets it apart is the use of the solera system, blending different vintages for consistency. The St Laurent is aged in stainless steel tanks for 12 months, while the Rosler is whole-bunch fermented and pressed immediately, and the Syrah gets just two days of maceration.
Mindlessly scrolling on TikTok: I do this pretty much daily before bed. It’s the simple entertainment I needed to wind down after the day. My current favourites are @remyzee and @blondieinchina.
A morning coffee at my neighbourhood coffee shop: I go there for a small chat and a perfectly brewed speciality coffee before work to both enjoy the fresh morning air and the time alone after dropping my son off at kindergarten.
Press-on nails: This is not a new invention, but I’m so happy these have been brought back better than ever. They come in custom-made styles, with sizes that fit your nails, double-sided glue sticker tabs, nail filing paper and an alcohol pad. All you have to do is a basic manicure, file your nail surface, clean with an alcohol pad then apply the sticker tabs. In the final step, remove the top of the sticker tabs and press the nail art onto your real nail—bling! The whole process takes less than 30 minutes for something could take 2 hours and the nails are both easy to remove and reusable.