curiouslycarmen, Author at Curiously Carmen

The Victor

May 16, 2022

For my birthday last year, the husband and I went to The Victor! From what I remember, it was a pretty last minute decision. I think we had reservations for The Keg but then last minute, we both felt like trying somewhere we haven’t been yet, and The Victor was one of the remaining places left on OpenTable.

I remember that we were both a bit hesitant in trying it since we heard mediocre things, but we ended up enjoying our dinner!

Bread: We were given some bread to start. The bread was fluffy, soft, and warm. It tasted really fresh.

Drinks: We both enjoyed our drinks as well. The husband ordered a Caesar which was tasty, but he wished that it would have included more garnish. I don’t recall what drink I ordered, but it was a non-alcoholic one. I really enjoyed mine. This is why I should write posts while the visit is fresh in my head, and not five months later! Jeez…

Seafood tower: This was the seafood tower for two. It came with Kusshi oysters, scallop ceviche, jumbo prawns, king crab, and lobster. We were both impressed with the seafood tower.

All of the seafood was very fresh and Kusshi oysters are my favourite type of oyster, so I was happy to see it offered that night!

Filet mignon: Again, this visit was from five months ago so my memory is not the best! But I believe we split the filet mignon. There were a few different cuts of steak available.

Roasted mushrooms: We didn’t think too much of the roasted mushrooms initially, but they were actually really good!

Dessert: For my birthday, the Victor gave us a complimentary cake slice. It was a coconut custard cake and was tasty as well.

Overall, we enjoyed our visit to The Victor and were pleasantly surprised considering hearing the mixed reviews from others. The food was delicious, the atmosphere was perfect for date night, and the service was friendly.

Ragazzi Pizza

May 9, 2022

Ragazzi Pizza has been a childhood favourite for the husband’s family, and I have always heard good things about it throughout the years! We have driven by so many times, but for some reason, never got it. After my work had a catering order with them, I decided to get some for the family try. Cheeseburger loved it and it is now his go-to pizza restaurant!

Ragazzi is a small, family owned pizza restaurant in East Vancouver by the corner of Renfrew and 22nd.

Since the pandemic, they have been doing only takeout or delivery. The tables are gone and the washroom area is blocked off too.

This was our first order, unfortunately I don’t remember the names of the pizzas anymore. All of the pizzas were delicious and enjoyed by everyone. The pizza dough tasted fresh and homemade, doughy and soft.

The toppings, such as the veggies, tasted very fresh and good quality too. Ragazzi has more of a thin crust style pizza.

I’m not sure why I haven’t tried Ragazzi earlier, but it has not disappointed! Ragazzi is a local gem with fresh pizza that has been around for decades. Since this visit, we have ordered takeout multiple times!

Pho Net Viet

April 27, 2022

Whoops, blogging has fell on the backburner recently for a variety of reasons. One of them being that I’ve been reading a lot, since starting up a year ago. You can read my book reviews on my Instagram highlights or on Goodreads!

Pho Net Viet is a new Vietnamese restaurant that opened in Port Coquitlam in November. Since their opening, I have been there a handful of times whenever I am in the area!

There is a parking lot outside, which makes parking quite easy. I never had a problem parking, but the times I’ve gone are also not peak hours.

The restaurant itself is pretty big and spacious. The service is always quick and friendly!

House special: Every time I come here, I usually order the house special pho, which has everything inside (rare beef, beef balls, tripe, tendon, brisket).

The pho broth is consistently delicious and fragrant. I’ve noticed recently when I go for pho, that the noodles tend to be soggy and overcooked. It’s occurred at a few of my regular places, including Pho Net Viet sometimes. I took Sangria here once and she noted it as well, but enjoyed the broth.

Here is a photo from another visit, also the house special pho.

Spring rolls: I took Maki here one time, and she ordered a side of the spring rolls. I forgot if she liked it or not, sorry!

Coconut water: On one of my more recent visits, I discovered their coconut water and have not looked back! The coconut water includes some fresh coconut meat inside, which was delicious. I wanted to order this when I came with Sangria but sadly they were out that day.

Overall, I’ve been to Pho Net Viet multiple times and they have not disappointed so far. I come here for lunch whenever I find myself in the Poco area. The food is delicious, the service is friendly, and the restaurant is comfortable and spacious.

East One Chinese Restaurant

January 8, 2022

Happy New Year everyone!

It has been awhile, if not years, since I have been to East One. I easily forget that this place exists and end up going to Angel Cafe or somewhere in Richmond when the mood strikes for HK style food.

Anyway, we came with my parents here in September and everyone was pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed everything.

We came during lunch, and took advantage of their cheap lunch promotion! A huge number of items are available for under $10 (well, $9.95!) during lunch. The size is a bit smaller, but it’s still worth it! We ordered a bunch of things to share.

Beef stir fry noodles: I am not sure what this dish is called in English! This was the husband and my favourite dish of the afternoon. There was a lot of “wok hei” which I am too lazy to explain what that is so just Google it if you’re not sure. It was definitely on the oily side but delicious.

Crispy chow mein with chicken and beansprouts: Again, we enjoyed this dish as well. The chow mein was crispy and there was a decent amount of chicken. The sauce was good too.

Singapore vermicelli: I think I found this more on the salty side, but it was still delicious. It was full of curry flavour and fragrant, with a decent amount of meat and veggies mixed in.

Baked spaghetti bolognese: My absolute favorite HK style dish even though I should not be eating it! This was great too!

Preserved egg and shredded pork congee: This was a later add-on after I saw another table order it, and it looked good hehe. East One has quite the congee menu and this is one of the staples.

I enjoy making congee at home, but I don’t buy preserved egg so I usually order this at restaurants. The congee was warming and delicious. The only minor complaint is that the preserved egg was only cut in half, which meant there were four big chunks. We ended up cutting it ourselves with the spoons so NBD.

We all left satisfied and full, with leftovers! I hope it won’t be a few years until my next visit because the lunch menu was delicious and affordable.

Ogenki Sushi

December 27, 2021

Happy holidays everyone! Blogging has fell on the back burner lately. Things have been busy for me, and when I do have some time, I spend it reading instead of writing. I started reading a lot this year ever since I received an e-reader last year. I was shocked when I reached 100 books a couple of weeks ago. I haven’t read this much since I was a teenager.

If you’re into reading, check out my reviews on GoodReads or my Instagram stories! I read thrillers, rom-coms, mystery, horror, young adult, historical fiction, and memoirs.

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Anyway, back in September, I met up with Pepperoni for sushi. She had recently been to Ogenki Sushi and enjoyed it. I’ve passed by Ogenki Sushi many times but haven’t went before.

The restaurant was barren and quiet when we went on a weekday evening. I also remember it being cold inside. The space is divided into two rooms with a wall in between. We were seated in the second room which was harder to get service.

Chicken udon: I was craving something warm and filling that night. The chicken was pan fried which I was not expecting as most Japanese places boil the chicken inside udon. Not that I am complaining though!

The udon was decent and satisfied my udon craving.

Salmon avocado roll: The salmon avocado roll was delicious! The avocado was perfectly ripe and creamy. An unripe avocado can ruin the roll and I’m glad this wasn’t the case!

Dynamite roll: Pepperoni loved the dynamite roll last time, and ordered it again. She had no complaints about it.

King roll: This is one of Ogenki’s specialty rolls that Pepperoni also loved during her previous visit. The king roll came with prawn tempura, cucumber, and cream cheese inside. It was topped with avocado, unagi sauce, mayo, and tobiko.

Overall, we enjoyed our visit to Ogenki Sushi and I’m glad Pepperoni suggested it! I would be down to come back again.