curiouslycarmen, Author at Curiously Carmen

Fable Diner

November 14, 2016

Fable Diner is a new addition to the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood in Vancouver, aka my favourite neighbourhood in the city. The name may sound familiar to you because Fable Diner is the sister restaurant of Fable Kitchen, which is in Kitsilano.

My ex-coworkers really love going to Fable Kitchen, and wanted to try out Fable Diner. They all rave about the tomato soup. So, we had a reunion and decided to see how Fable Diner is!
Since we had a larger group, we tried to make reservations but unfortunately, were told that they don’t take them. Hopefully this will change soon, as the space was comfortable enough to hold larger parties. We were told to come a bit earlier to secure seats.

Everything worked out though as one of us called the restaurant earlier in the day to let them know, and they were setting up our table when the first few of us were arriving!

I would describe Fable Diner as a fancier, much cleaner and hipster version of your traditional diner. It is not greasy in there, and did not smell like oil. With that said, it is also more expensive than your classic diner!

Drink: I don’t remember what the drink was called and there isn’t a drink menu online. I do recall it was some sort of blueberry soda though. It was pretty good and sweet.
Peanut butter nutella milkshake: Again, sorry I don’t have the price as the drink menu isn’t currently posted online! Everyone expect me split this milkshake, and LOVED it. It was very creamy and rich, and they couldn’t stop raving about how good it was! It also came with some salted pretzels inside the whipped cream.
Roast duck pancakes, $14: We all decided to split this and see how it tasted. For $14, it is a bit pricey but the roast duck was cooked very well. It was flavourful and very tender. It’s a good appy to split with others!
Tomato soup bowl, $10: Again, almost everyone ordered this because it is a favourite of theirs back at Fable Kitchen. Everyone was happy when they tasted it, and it was the same recipe! I wanted to try it but this dish is the epitome of food death for me because of the high amount of dairy inside!

The boyfriend said that the tomato soup was very creamy and cheesy. It came with a delicious sourdough bread and melted cheese as well. Even though it looked small, the tomato soup was very creamy and filling.
FD Burger, $14: Finally, something I could actually eat! After checking with our amazing and friendly server that this did not have dairy in it, I decided to order this! The patty was cooked well done, and very juicy. It was served with a mayo-based sauce. The bun was also soft and fluffy, and lightly toasted.

I really enjoyed both the burger and fries. The fries were salty, crispy, and thick. If I were to come back, I would definitely order the FD burger again!

Pulled pork sandwich with tomato soup, $10: I didn’t try this, but I was told it was really good! Corn on the cob, $6: I didn’t try this either, but I was told it was really good. It came with a chili lime sauce and a couple pieces of fresh cilanto.

Overall, we really enjoyed our visit to Fable Diner! The service was top-notch and I would definitely give the service 5 stars. Very friendly, knowledgeable, and efficient. I wouldn’t really consider this place a classic diner, it is more of a modern revision and the higher prices reflect that.

But they are located at a prime location, and use fresh ingredients so better quality often means higher prices. However, don’t let that stop you from visiting this place because it is really good!

Yay!

Lao Shan Dong Homemade Noodle House

November 11, 2016

After a fun evening of peddle boating, Sangria and I were hungry and around the Metrotown area. We also underestimated the two hour activity and ended up with pretty sore quads!

I suggested we come to Lao Shan Dong for a warming bowl of noodles. I had been here before and remembered it was pretty decent. I never got around to writing a review at my first visit though.

Small braised beef flank in noodle soup, $6.95: This is the standard beef noodle soup. I really enjoyed this bowl of noodles!

The homemade noodles were chewy and thinner than I was used to, but super good. They were cooked perfectly and weren’t too soggy or undercooked. I am seriously the biggest noodle fan and this surpassed my expectations.

For $7, it came with a great portion of beef flank as well! The beef flank was tender and well seasoned.

Small spicy braised beef flank in dry noodle with sauce, $7.25: When this arrived, Sangria and I were both confused because it looked as if it came in soup.

Her noodles were the same as mine, but the sauce was oilier and spicy. I had a bite and it had a good amount of spice to it. The freshly chopped onions were a great topping as well!

Although we enjoyed the food, Sangria’s cup had a gross stain on it. Luckily, she caught it before she drank a lot!

Another thing to note was the weird smell in here. Tbh, it was really off putting and unpleasant. It was a mix of gamey meat smell with very strong chemicals. The first thing my friend said when we walked in was if they serve a lot of lamb in here cause the odour was that strong!

Bleh! We came around 8:30/9:00 so maybe they were starting to clean. But the strange smell of this place was just unpleasant and yucky. I would probably come back if I was in the area and wanting a cheap and satisfying bowl of noodles though – hopefully the smell was just a one time thing!

Yay!

Kat Von D Shade & Light Eye Contour Palette

November 8, 2016

I did a review on the KVD Shade & Light Contour Quad in August, but I ended up exchanging it for the larger and more popular Shade & Light Eye Contour Palette!

A main reason was that although the quad was cheaper (around $40), the palette was a better investment. The quad only has 1/3 of the shades (but not the same ones as the palette).

I was really excited when I purchased this as it was on my wish list for a long time! I am a huge fan of other KVD products such as the tattoo liner and the liquid lipsticks, so I wanted to see how this one would fare.
The palette is just made out of cardboard material, that you flip up. However, I don’t find it flimsy so totally okay with me.
Here are the shades included in the palette. There is also a tutorial sheet that comes with the palette, that shows you how to achieve the optimal looks and which shades go well.

But to summarize, the larger shades at the top are the base colours. Under each large shade, there are three shades that fit perfectly under. Those three shades are recommended for that base. Which section do you see yourself wearing the most?!

As you can tell, the colours are pretty neutral and simple, with a matte finish. That was exactly what I was looking for when I bought this, because most of my palettes were shimmery and I wanted something matte!
Here are the shades swatched. The formula is very soft and gentle, and feels nice on your eyelid. Some shades have more pigment than others, you can’t really see the first and last swatch because it’s pretty light and blends into my arm.

The biggest complaint I have with this palette is that the shades do not last long on my eyes at all. After 3 hours, the eyeshadow is completely gone from my lids!!! With my Milani eye shadow primer, it lasts around 6 hours. I tried using my trusty Urban Decay Primer Potion but the colours did not blend smoothly with this primer on.

I was pretty disappointed from this fact, considering the tattoo liner and liquid lipsticks wear so long.

Since there were so many positive reviews on this palette, I am going against the grain and say that I am not in LOVE LOVE LOVE with this palette as others are. But I do like some parts of it, such as that it contains 100% matte shades and has a soft finish, and will continue to use it.

I was really expecting it to wear longer, especially at such a steep price point. Perhaps my eye lids are too oily, or I need to find a better primer. Any recommendations?
Have you tried this? I’m curious if people thought it wasn’t long lasting like I did.

Meh…

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Envy Lipstick

November 5, 2016

I’ve mentioned in many of my Estee Lauder posts that I love their lipsticks, but just realized I never wrote a review just for it! So, that is what this post is going to be about. I’ve been a huge fan of Estee Lauder lipsticks, and you really can’t go wrong with them.

The formulation of the Estee Lauder lipsticks have always been consistent. Even with the new Estee Edit lipsticks, I find their formulation is the same which is a relief!

I have a few of their lipsticks, but I decided to showcase this one because I love a nice, classic red. It is the shade empowered. The lipstick is nice and creamy, but also pigmented and not sheer. It is quite buildable as well.

This is a minor thing, but the packaging just gives it that extra level and touch of luxury. All the caps are actually magnetic, so they snap nicely to the lipstick. It is very satisfying to see and hear.
Here is a photo of me wearing this shade!

One problem I have with this shade, and only this shade, is that it tends to bleed outside your lips. If you look closely, you’ll see this shade feather out which is not a good sight!

It’s not too big of a deal and barely noticeable unless you’re up close, but would probably be best if you wore this shade with a matching liner. I still love this lipstick and is one of my favourites!

Softsoap Shea & Almond Oil Body Wash

November 2, 2016

Softsoap is a pretty popular and easily recognizable brand. I remember using their hand soaps a lot throughout my life, as I’m sure many of you have as well. Since I mostly use their hand soaps, it was a bit odd for me to try their body washes as I always thought of them as primarily a hand soap company. Yes, I know soap is soap… but you know what I mean!
The Softsoap I will be reviewing today is off their body butter line, which suggests that it is a very moisturizing body wash! The scent I purchased was the shea & almond oil, because I thought they would smell wonderful together. Both are also very hydrating and moisturizing products.

Indeed, I was right and I really liked the smell of this! Although I do prefer my fruity scents, this one made me feel more elegant and luxurious.
The soap is a pearly white colour. There are also tiny microbeads inside the soap, as you can tell more in the bottle compared to my hand. Whenever I shower, I use about a quarter size amount on my loofah.

This soap does not lather up as much as other body washes I have had, but it still does a great job in cleaning. Afterwards, the scent really stays on to your skin and is noticeable! That’s one of the things I love most about this body wash, as I feel clean and refreshed, and smell like shea and almond oil!

Here is the back of the body wash, with the ingredients incase you’re interested. Cool, I didn’t know that Colgate & Softsoap were in the same corporation. But then again, most of the products out there are owned by a small handful of conglomerates. However, I won’t go all Communications student here because I could talk about corporations all day!

Overall, I would recommend the Softsoap body washes, particularly the shea and almond oil one. They do a good job in cleaning, and make you smell wonderful afterwards. The price is also very affordable and widely available everywhere!

Yay!