happy hour Archives - Curiously Carmen

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.

Earl’s – Happy Hour Revisit

September 29, 2018 1 Comment

Over the weekend, we met up with Macaroni and Cheese for happy hour at Earl’s. We have been here a couple times before, but I didn’t write about it since we ordered the same things as the first post I wrote last year.

Drinks: The happy hour specials at Earl’s are definitely a great value. We each ordered a drink, which I forgot to take a photo of. I had the rose sangria which was sweet and sugary, reminiscent of a pink lemonade. However, I would recommend ordering it with light ice because half the wine glass was ice.

Earl’s Chorizo Nachos: At first, we weren’t sure whether or not the nachos would be enough for 4 people because it seemed pretty cheap ($10 compared to most places, where nachos are $15+). Luckily, it was a good portion for snacking and we all enjoyed it.

The nachos reminded us of chili, like if you put chili over some nacho chips. There was a lot of chorizo sausage and a decent amount of ripe avocado, but it could have used more cheese. It was a good choice and I wouldn’t mind sharing it again.

Margherita pizza: Last time when Cocoa ordered this, it was disappointing but Macaroni was craving some pizza that day, so we all shared it too. It looked sad and small, but taste wise, it wasn’t bad.

The price increased from $3.50 to $4.00 since last year which is not surprising as the cost of materials and living continue to rise. However, if the price keeps on slowly creeping up, it definitely would not be worth it based on the size.

Yam fries: Surprisingly, I’m not a huge fan of yam fries so I didn’t have any. However, the rest of them did not have any complaints about it.

Garlic fries: I forgot to take a photo of the garlic fries! Last time, I remember that the garlic fries were disappointing and not garlicky at all. Well, this time, it was a lot better because there was a huge amount of crushed garlic! We ended up ordering another bowl of these to share, and all wounded up with garlic breath afterwards! LOL!

As in my last post, I mentioned that the happy hour items are a bit hit and miss… in this visit, we enjoyed all of the dishes, which is making me think that they are inconsistent. For example, the garlic fries last time barely had any garlic, but this time, there was a huge amount. I would say don’t come with extremely high expectations because you won’t know if they’re having an off day or not.

I find service here spotty too, it is either really good, or really slow.

But if you just want a place for cheap drinks, then Earl’s is the place to go!

Yay!

Food: Earl’s – Happy Hour

November 17, 2017 4 Comments

Mmmm, happy hour. Is it weird that I go to happy hour mainly for the cheap food instead of alcohol?

Cocoa suggested that we check out Earl’s for happy hour after work a couple of months ago. They have a pretty good menu for happy hour, and one of the perks about Earl’s is that they offer happy hour specials on Friday & Saturday nights too!

The last time I went to Earl’s was over a year ago and it was for dinner, so it was my first time trying their happy hour. Here’s how it went!
Virgin passion fruit limeade, $4.50: This came with passion fruit, mint, and fresh lime juice. It was a bit sour for my liking and I wish that there was more passion fruit flavour. Nonetheless, it was alright and a good non-alcoholic drink.

I should also mention that if you like highballs, they are only $3 during happy hour! Yes, I am aware that my virgin drink cost more than alcohol… when does that ever happen???
Maui Ahi Poke, $9.50: I can’t sing enough praises about the ahi tuna poke… it was so delicious! In fact, I came back here a week later and ordered the same thing because I enjoyed it that much.

The poke came with some cilantro, mango, smashed avocado, and a side of chips. It was seasoned with sesame oil which is why I loved it so much. Whenever I make my own tuna poke at home, I use sesame oil as my main marinate so the poke at Earl’s was exactly how I liked it!

I would recommend scooping the poke on the chips. A bit unconventional but the chips are really bland on its own. Think of it was a Western twist on poke?
Garlic fries, $3.50: Cocoa and her friend decided to share this, but it was quite disappointing for garlic fries. There wasn’t really any garlic taste at all. It tasted just like normal fries.
Chicken tacos, $7.50: We each ordered two chicken tacos for $7.50, which was a pretty decent price.

We all enjoyed the tacos. The ingredients were fresh and did a good job in filling us up.
Margherita pizza w/salami add on, $5~: Without the salami, the margherita pizza was only$3.50 which is so cheap! However, do be warned that it is definitely a snack size and is quite small. Cocoa had no complaints about the pizza.

Avocado toast, $7.50: Cocoa’s friend was curious about the avocado toast, so she decided to try it. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t curious either but I never order it from restaurants as I can easily make it at home. I feel like avocado toast has also become so amusing ever since that businessman said in the news that avocado toast is the reason young people can’t afford a house these days.

Anyways, the avocado toast was disappointing. There wasn’t much flavour to it and it was really plain… definitely not worth $7.50.
A shot of all our food! Overall, some food items were a hit or miss but I would definitely come back now that I know what to order and what to avoid. The prices are great and it is a good place to go to hang out over food. And now that you’ve read my review, you can learn from our mistakes and not spend your money on the items that weren’t worth it 😉

Service was spotty and a bit slow at times, they also forgot Cocoa’s poke and we had to ask them about it. On my second visit here the following week, we were seated and waited 15 minutes for a server. Finally, one of the servers there noticed that we had been sitting there for awhile with no one so he ended up helping us for the rest of the night.

Yay!