happy hour Archives - Curiously Carmen

White Spot – Gilmore Location (Two Revisits)

April 6, 2021 Leave a Comment

White Spot has been advertising their chicken pot pie for awhile, and the fiance really wanted to try it. Advertising works! We went to the Gilmore Location (before restaurants closed for dine in again) so the fiance could have his chicken pot pie craving satisfied. On a side note, pot pies now remind me of Modern Family and Cam’s obsession with them.

I have been to the White Spot on Gilmore and Lougheed many times throughout the years. This location has been here for a long time and I hope it doesn’t get torn down for condos (although it wouldn’t be surprising since it’s so close to the Skytrain). I just never wrote a post on this location over the years so I thought I finally would.

We ended up coming back a couple of weeks later for their happy hour, so I included that in this post too. Again, these two visits were before restaurants closed for dine in again to prevent the spread of COVID!

Chicken pot pie: The chicken pot pie was satisfying and just what the fiance wanted. It was delicious, with lots of white meat inside. The pie crust was very flaky and crispy! To the fiance’s disappointment, this was a limited time offer so I am not sure if they still have it on the menu anymore.

The only minor complaint was that it was the only side dish was the salad and the fiance wanted fries. But we ended up swapping our side dishes so it wasn’t a big deal. Thinking back, we probably could have just asked them for fries as well.

Regardless of location, White Spot always has a delicious salad and this did not disappoint. The lettuce is always very fresh and crunchy.

Grilled chicken wrap: This is what I usually get at White Spot! You can pick between the crispy or grilled chicken. White Spot has delicious grilled chicken, their chicken burger is good as well. I find the wrap has too much sauce for my liking so I ask for no sauce or on the side. I’m a weirdo!

However, I found the chicken wrap disappointing here compared to other locations. The chicken was cut into very small chunky pieces instead of slices. It was also wrapped pretty loosely. Taste wise, it was not bad but I’ve had better chicken wraps at other White Spot locations.

Poutine: After noticing the happy hour deals, the fiance and I came for a late night meal (although I didn’t end up ordering happy hour because I saw chicken strips hahaha). The fiance enjoyed his poutine and said it was delicious and satisfying. There was the perfect amount of gravy and cheese curds.

Onion rings: I’m not a big fan of onion rings but the fiance enjoyed these a lot as well. The onion rings were served hot and crispy. There was a good amount for the happy hour price.

Chicken strips: For myself, I decided to try White Spot’s chicken strips! It is no secret that I love my chicken strips. The chicken strips here were delicious. Piping hot, crispy, and well seasoned. I ended up packing half of it for leftovers the next day and they were just as good after heating them up in the air fryer.

Overall, White Spot is a BC staple and you can’t go wrong with it. The one thing is that service can be slow sometimes, which would be my only complaint but otherwise, I enjoy getting my White Spot fix every once in awhile.

Ebisu – Robson

March 25, 2021 Leave a Comment

It has been awhile since I have gone to downtown for a meal (thanks COVID). Seeing that it was a nice day, I suggested going to Ebisu on Robson Street for their happy hour. We used to go to the Ebisu on Broadway a lot (like almost every weekend at some point!) but haven’t been there for a couple years. Since Broadway location’s happy hour was good, we decided to see if the Robson location would also be good.

I made a reservation on Open Table and selected the patio seating option, so I was quite looking forward to enjoying the sun and warmer weather. However, when we got to the restaurant, the patio was still closed so we had to sit indoors. That was disappointing since they gave the option to pick on Open Table.

Although we came for happy hour, we treated it like an early dinner. Their happy hour is from 3-6pm.

Raw oysters: Raw oysters are something I love, but try to only eat occasionally because of how risky food poisoning is. Did you know raw oysters are associated with a bacteria called vibrio, which could lead to limb amputation or even death in very serious cases? Anyway, I probably only eat raw oyster 1-2x a year to minimize my risk of food poisoning.

The oysters were on a great deal for happy hour, $1 an oyster. Raw oysters go for $1.50 usually for happy hour so I was happy to see the lower price here. The raw oysters were delicious. I was only going to eat 1 (HAH!) it was so good that we ordered more. They were creamy, juicy and briny. I can’t stop thinking about raw oysters now and am wanting to go back for more.

We ordered a second round as well. In the second round, the oysters came with some toppings and sauce inside. Personally, I prefer my oysters plain with a tiny bit of lemon juice so I can enjoy the full flavour of the oyster – maybe that’s weird? Anyway, I’m putting this here as a reminder to myself to ask for no toppings on the oysters.

Takoyaki: We used to always order the takoyaki at the Broadway location, so we tried it here as well. They were good here as well and I’d order them again.

Truffle fries: Another regular dish we ordered at the Broadway location! The fries were served piping hot, fresh and crunchy. However, it could have used more truffle oil because I didn’t taste much of it.

Salmon nigiri: This was a pretty good happy hour deal at $9 for 5 pieces. The salmon was fresh and tasty. I would definitely get this again, especially at the price point.

Grilled squid: This isn’t something we normally order, but it was on the happy hour menu so we decided to try it. It ended up being really good! There was a nice char to the squid and a grilled flavour to it.

We left satisfied and full from happy hour. I am sure we will be back, especially for those delicious buck a shuck oysters!

Brown’s Socialhouse – Burnaby

August 1, 2020 Leave a Comment

Disclaimer: There has been an identified COVID-19 case at the Brown’s location in Port Moody in late July. This review is for the Burnaby location. This visit also took place in June when cases were lower. I am responsible and would not go to a restaurant with a known, identified case.

Please stay safe, wear masks, wash your hands and avoid gatherings as cases are rising again.

Brown’s Socialhouse is a restaurant I have yet to try. I would describe it as a mix between Cactus Club/Joey’s/Earl’s and a sports pub. Maybe a sports pub but slightly fancier? Anyways, I digress.

Avocado and I came here for happy hour after finding out that Cactus Club had bumped their happy hour time to 2-5pm and I couldn’t make it that early. Cactus Club is the usual go-to for happy hour, so I guess them moving their time allowed me to try both Joey‘s and now Brown’s for happy hour!

We came to the Brentwood location. They are located in the same building as the Viet Noodle Guy and Sooda, which is on my list still. There is free parking underground and it was easy to navigate.

Hopefully this part won’t matter much a few months later or even next year, but social distance and sanitation practices were pretty good here. Directional arrows, hand sanitizers, tables closed off, staff had masks…. I felt safe.

Social soda: I tried the social soda, which was on their happy hour special. It reminded me of Cactus Club’s peach bellini watered down once you mix the slush around. Because of that, I wouldn’t recommend it. If the drink was smaller, that would probably be better so it tastes less watery.

Social lager: Avocado went with a better choice, their happy hour lager on tap.

Spicy fried chicken and pickles: I wasn’t too sure what to expect for this. Would it be chicken thigh? A mix of chicken wings? To my surprise, these were made with chicken breast and were bite sized nuggets.

They were served piping hot, fresh, and crispy. The chicken could have used more flavour, but I didn’t mind and would happily order it again.

Pork taquitos: The pork taquitos were another item off their happy hour menu. I’ve never had pork taquitos before, so I can’t really compare them to anything.

I liked that the taquitos came with a thicker tortilla that was doughier than your usual tortilla skin. The pork was seasoned well and full of flavour, although I found it to be very salty.

Parmesan garlic fries: The fries were nothing special, just your typical fries with a sprinkle of parmesan and cheese. Compared to the other dishes, I’d skip this one next time.

Crispy cauliflower: We ordered this after all our food came, and it ended up being one of my favourite items! The crispy cauliflower was piping hot and crunchy.

It was served with some parmesan and a delicious jalapeno ranch sauce. I’m not usually one to order cauliflower dishes so I’m glad Avocado suggested this!

All in all, we enjoyed our happy hour experience at Brown’s. The prices were quite reasonable, and the food was not bad. Although it does not beat out Cactus Club or Joey‘s for me, Brown’s is definitely going to be added to my list of happy hour places that I’d go back to.

Joey Burnaby – Happy Hour

July 16, 2020 Leave a Comment

Good ol’ Joey’s, many good times were had here. I’ve written a couple of reviews over the years on Joey’s, but thought I’d write another one on their happy hour.

I don’t think I’ve gone to happy hour the whole year due to the pandemic, how much I’ve missed happy hour. Sangria and I usually go to Cactus Club, but we found out that they changed their happy hour to 2-5pm so we went to Joey’s instead.

Sangria: Sangria and I started off with a sangria each. This was a pretty good deal at $5, but there was barely any alcohol in it. My Asian flush is pretty bad, I always get red after a few sips of alcohol… and my tolerance is low as well. In addition, Sangria gets red after drinking too.

However, we both felt nothing nor did we taste any alcohol in this. So while it was a delicious drink, it was more like a juice.

California Chicken Club: It’s been awhile since I had their chicken club, and it did not disappoint! The chicken club came with grilled chicken breast, cheese avocado, bacon, and arugula. I’m a huge fan of arugula in burgers and pizza, and it was fresh and crispy here.

Sushi cone: I’ve had the sushi cone many times and loved it, so Sangria decided to try it. The sushi cone came with prawn tempura, avocado, spicy mayo, and tobiko. The regular price is a bit pricey and not really worth it, so ordering it at happy hour is a better choice.

Yam fries: The yam fries came out piping hot and fresh! Sangria had no complaints about this.

Even though Joey’s was not our first choice for happy hour, we left pretty satisfied. The service was very attentive and friendly as well. Joey’s never disappoints.

Cactus Club North Burnaby – Revisit

January 29, 2020 Leave a Comment

Konnichiwa from Osaka, Japan! The fiance and I are back in Japan! I have a backlog of food posts though in my absence. Stay tuned for Japan posts next month!

Cactus Club is a restaurant that I frequent often, whether it is for happy hour or dinner! I thought I would have written another review on Cactus since I come here so often, so I was surprised when I found out the last reviews were from 2014! The fiance (boyfriend back then) wrote a guest post for me, and then I wrote a review on the Coal Harbour location.

Over the years, Cactus has changed their menu by adding new items. Sangria and I came for their happy hour during the holidays. Cactus is our go to restaurant for happy hour because the prices are great and the food is tasty.

Passionfruit bellini: I love the cocktails here! My current favourite is the passionfruit bellini. I’m a huge fan of passionfruit so this hit the spot perfectly.

Blackened Creole chicken: The blackened Creole chicken is a chicken breast grilled with Cajun spices and Creole butter. The chicken was incredibly tender, juicy, and flavourful as usual. The butter made it taste even better and richer.

As if the chicken wasn’t enough, the side of mashed potatoes was tasty too. I could see some people thinking it may be too salty, but we found it absolutely delicious.

The Creole chicken was a few dollars cheaper at happy hour, even though the size was the same. It’s a great deal and relatively new addition to the happy hour menu, I haven’t seen it in previous years.

Pesto chicken quesadilla: Sangria and I also split a pesto chicken quesadilla. The quesadilla was cheesy with a nice amount of juicy, sliced chicken in it. The cranberries were a very nice touch and kept it exciting!

Truffle fries: We can not go to happy hour, and not order their truffle fries! They came piping hot and crispy as usual. The truffle oil gives the fries a wonderful aroma and taste.

The bad things about this location are that parking is quite difficult depending on when you go. Parking was never an issue but the last few times, I found the lot to be full and had to circle around a few times.

As well, service can be hit or miss. Sometimes, it is hard to waive the server down and seems like they just disappeared.