brunch Archives - Page 5 of 8

Del Frisco’s, New York City

May 12, 2016

After going to Rockefeller Center and enjoying the view at the top, my mom and I were pretty hungry! We didn’t have a place planned, so I just Yelped a place nearby and found Del Frisco’s, a small upscale steakhouse chain found in the US. We were both in the mood for steak so we decided to try it out!

Del Frisco’s was located in a big office building and we definitely felt a bit under-dressed for a fancy restaurant. Everyone eating was decked out in their full business suites, meanwhile here were two tourists, LOL. However, we didn’t feel as if we were treated differently and the staff were very nice and accommodating throughout our meal!
Complimentary bread: To start, we were given a nice loaf of warm bread to munch on. The bread was fluffy, soft and came out lightly toasted. No complaints here!
Wagyu beef french dip, $23: Originally, my mom and I were going to share this because it sounded amazing! However, after telling my server about my dairy restriction, she told me the wagyu beef is smothered in butter before getting cooked. Sigh.

So, my mom ended up eating this herself. There was a LOT of beef inside the sandwich, to the point where she was almost unable to finish it. She said it was very tender and delicious though, and the horseradish dip went well with the beef.
Prime steak salad, $25: I wanted to try the steak, but I didn’t want to pay $50 for steak at lunch so I went with the prime steak salad. That way, I was still able to try their famous steak! The salad normally comes with blue and Parmesan cheese, and dressing. Obviously I wanted to have the dairy component, but due to my stupid and frustrating restriction, and risk of getting super sick I had to order without it.

Despite not having cheese and dressing, I found the salad to be really good! The steak was very tender and amaaaaazing. There was also a great amount of ripe avocado, which made the salad more creamy and filling. The only complaint I have would be that the leaves didn’t look or taste that fresh. Some of the leaves were quite wilted so I didn’t eat those ones.

Overall, we enjoyed our lunch at Del Frisco’s. Our server was very accommodating to my dairy restriction and went to confirm that that the dish could be made dairy free before placing the order. I really appreciated that.

Thanks for reading!

Carmen

Ten Beauty Facts About Me!

April 18, 2016

Originally, I was thinking of writing this in my “about” page, but thought why not create a post on it instead, then link this post? I noticed that although I have tossed around a few beauty facts here and there about myself, there wasn’t a central place where I stored them. If you’re new to reading my blog and reviews (Hi there! welcome to my blog!), then I think this post will help you decipher whether the products are for you or not.

For example, some products may work wonders for dry skin, but not so well on oily skin! By knowing some beauty facts about me, I think it would help you formulate your own opinion or decision if you want to try out some products that I mentioned.

1) I started to get into makeup somewhere between 14/15 years old.

A bit embarassing... but here is fifteen year old me — A bit embarassing… but here is fifteen year old me

I’ve always been surrounded by makeup though… my mom has a pretty big collection. But I would say I started experimenting and buying my own products around that age =)

2) My skin type is oily/combination. I am prone to minor breakouts.

Yep, I have oily skin, but some days are better than others! During puberty, I broke out often but it has diminished significantly, which I am so glad for… I thought it would never end. I know that people say eating junk food or fried food doesn’t cause breakouts, but I noticed that whenever I have fried foods, I will be greeted with a pimple the next day =(

3) I do not wear foundation on a daily basis.

I usually don’t wear foundation when going to work or school. I’m usually in a rush getting ready, plus I like to let my skin breathe. If I did wear foundation, I save that for the weekends or if I’m going out somewhere!

4) My daily makeup consists of only eyeliner & doing my eyebrows.

I wear eyeliner every single day, and I love it! My daily look is a winged liquid eyeliner. If I don’t wing out my eyeliner, it feels weird to me! Each day, I alternate between my Holy Grail, the amazing Kat Von D tattoo liner or the Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Liner.

My eyebrows these days consist of the ELF Eyebrow Kit and Anastasia Beverly Hills brow gel (which I have get to review but featured briefly in my Valentines Day post!)

5) I wash my hair everyday.

Bleh. You know how it’s recommended that you don’t wash your hair everyday? NOPE! I’m not sure if I’m just particularly sensitive to that heavy, oily hair feeling… but I hate it! I wash my hair every single day because I can’t stand that oily hair feeling, not to mention it doesn’t look good either (unless you tie it up in a cute bun).

I’m not sure if I my hair type is more oily than normal, or if I just can’t stand the feeling of dirty hair.

6) I moisturize my skin twice a day.

I alternate different facial creams. Lately, I’ve been using my two Estee Lauder creams but I forget their names. I’ll probably do a review on them sometime, as I’ve been using them for the past two months and really like it!

I will always go back to The Body Shop’s mattifying seaweed day cream though! It works really well on my skin and feels light weight =)

7) I rotate many different types of facial cleansers and moisturizers.
I guess this is related to number 6! I’m not sure if I’m the only one, but I noticed that if I use the same continuous product for awhile, it starts to lose its effect. That’s why I normally rotate my different facial cleansers and moisturizers, because I don’t want my skin to build a tolerance up and have the product be not effective.

It’s happened to my Body Shop seaweed mattifying day cream, which is why I started to incorporate other moisturizers. I also found that my Lush herbalism cleanser wasn’t doing an amazing job like it used to, so I stopped using it for a few weeks and went back to it!

8) Lipstick shades that look best on my skin are darker or plum shades. You don’t want to see me with bright pink lipstick!

You really do not want to see me with bright pink lipstick shades, it really does not suit my skin tone! It really sucks because I see all these wonderful bright shades on the shelves that I would love to wear, but when I actually wear the shade – that’s a whole different story. With the summertime coming up, I compensate by just wearing brighter nail polishes which is better than nothing =)

I like dark red or plum shades. I’ve been told that I look good in red, whether it’s lipstick or clothing pieces!

9) For foundations, I use medium shades.

I’m using the term “medium” loosely because I know it depends on what product you’re using, and what company =) As an industry standard, I know that people usually just share their MAC foundation shade, but I don’t have any of their foundations! There’s just too many products out there, I’ll get to their foundation eventually =)

To give you somewhat of an idea, I am a medium 5.0 for Urban Decay.

10) My biggest beauty wish would be to naturally have clear skin.

Yep. Having natural nice, clear, soft, porcelain skin would be my biggest beauty wish! It’s easy to achieve a pore less and smooth makeup look, but it would be amazing to be blessed with clear and healthy skin no matter what your environment is! A girl can dream….

I would love to hear some beauty facts about you as well! Let me know in the comments below =)

Thanks for reading!

Carmen

Cafe Medina

November 15, 2015

I finally, finally, FINALLY, went to Cafe Medina. I know that I say this for many restaurants I visit, but Cafe Medina has been one of my top picks in terms of restaurants that I have been wanting to try. But waiting in line for a hour or more didn’t really entice me, which is why it took me so long to try this place out.

Originally, I had made plans to go to Yolk‘s for a weekend brunch with my cousin. However, since she lives in downtown, I asked if she would want to have a sleepover and we could walk over to Cafe Medina afterwards. She agreed but said we would have to go right when they open at 9am or else the line up would be crazy.

We arrived right at 9am, and there was already a line forming. This restaurant is crazy busy at all times, but the worst would probably have to be between 11-1pm.

But I did hear that they allow you to put your name down and walk around for a hour or so to kill time, then go back to the restaurant.
I have been told that their waffles are a must-try when coming here. I was actually able to try some of their waffles at an event last month. Since it was outdoor and in the evening, the waffles were cold but still really good. I couldn’t imagine how delicious they would be if it was fresh and warm, and finally got that chance!

Liege-style waffle with passionfruit, $4.15: I actually didn’t know that the toppings were an extra $1, I was obviously too blinded by all the delicious flavours and missed that part. I was torn between the white chocolate or passionfruit, but am a huge fan of passionfruit desserts and thought it was more unique so I ended up going with it.

The waffle was warm, fluffy, and incredibly soft. Additionally, the passionfruit topping was slightly more on the tart side, which I preferred because I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. 10/10 would recommend the waffle. I was thinking of packing one home for the boyfriend, but decided that it’s a lot better trying it fresh in the store and this also gives me an excuse to come back here 🙂
Cyoni organic freshly squeezed apple juice, $5: This was unlike any apple juice that I’ve had before, but I enjoyed it as well. I don’t think I’ve had freshly squeezed apple juice before, the flavour was definitely a lot softer and purer than the bottled apple juice I’m used to. There was also a bit of pulp in it too.

Paella, $15: This is one of their most popular dishes, and comes with a fried egg, avocado, spicy chorizo sausage, and spicy tomato salsa. Everything in this dish balanced perfectly to a top-notch, hearty goodness dish.

I had a few bites and I really loved the spicy chorizo sausage mixed with the spicy tomato salsa. Very well done dish, I was in love at first bite!
Cassoulet, $17: I had a hard time picking what to eat, but my cousin assured me that everything on the menu is delicious as she’s been here a couple times before. I finally decided to try this dish because of the smoked bacon and andouille sausage.

My goodness, did I ever enjoy this dish. Everything was bursting with flavour, I don’t even know where to begin. I loved the andouille sauce and smoked bacon.
Here is a beautiful closeup of the cassoulet. I sent this picture to my boyfriend to show him what their bacon looked like but it turned out to be a really nice and crisp photo!

I was just expecting regular bacon strips, but obviously Cafe Medina took it to a whole ‘nother level. It was pretty thick and full of smoky and amazing flavour. The meat was extremely tender and flaked off perfectly.
Liege-style waffle with chocolate, $4.15: Both of us were really full and suffering from food coma after the meal as the dishes were really comforting, hearty, and filling. But since it was so good, we didn’t want to stop eating. After much consideration, my cousin decided to order a chocolate waffle for dessert but had much difficulty finishing it. I was too full to even attempt to have a bite, but she said the chocolate tasted like nutella!

There has been so much hype around Cafe Medina, and is it worth the hype? Yes, I definitely think so! Now, I understand why the lines are so long and why this place is popular. I’m already looking forward to my next visit, although I’m not sure when that would be!

As a side note, this place also reminded me of Toulouse in Seattle, which my boyfriend and I wandered across last year. Toulouse is one of Trip Advisor’s top 5 restaurants in America. We use Toulouse as a standard of rating because the food there was also top notch (and a 45 minute wait, haha). When asking me if the food was as good as Toulouse, I agreed that it was definitely on par, which shocked the boyfriend because Toulouse was probably one of the best brunch places we’ve been to thus far!

Thanks for reading!

-Carmen

Thyme to Indulge

September 14, 2015

During the last week of summer (wow, I can’t believe I’m saying that already), a couple of my friends and I decided to check out Thyme to Indulge for a late lunch. I’ve heard many great things about this place and love eating in this neighbourhood, which is a bit odd that I haven’t tried this place until now.

Thyme to Indulge is actually a catering business, with a small restaurant located in their office space. There were a few catering trucks parked outside. On the day that we went, there was only one person working in the front, which included greeting, busing, serving, cashier, barista – etc.

Because of that, service was a bit slow although the server was very sweet. I’m sure they have more workers on the weekends, and we weren’t really in a rush so it was okay for us.

I really enjoyed the interior design of this place – the inside was very clean and spacious, with lots of white wooden furnishing and a splash of girly accents.

Also, check out that cute macaroon pyramid, made out of real macarons that they sell! (Display macarons only of course)
There is also a cute little nook where customers can eat, separated by a slightly raised step. I absolutely loved the tiles contrasting with the wooden floor panels. Thyme to Indulge also has an espresso bar and mini pastry section, so this cute little area would be perfect for grabbing a small bite or enjoying a nice drink.

I ordered the BC benedict, but two of us ended up splitting our dishes because we both wanted to try them! I can never go wrong with smoked salmon, and this was no different. I requested the egg to be poached slightly hard and just a tad runny (full runny eggs creep me out) and it arrived the way I wanted it to!

I’m not a hollandaise expert, but I found the sauce to be very creamy and it went well with the smoked salmon. I loved every bite of the benedict and would order it again in a heartbeat!

The breakfast potatoes were decent, although a bit on the dry side but nothing a bit of ketchup can’t fix 😉

The other dish my friend and I shared was the crispy bacon poached eggs. This sounded amazing on paper, but unfortunately we were both disappointed with the way it came out.

There was barely any bacon on the egg, and we found the batter to be very bland. This definitely should not be called crispy bacon poached eggs because we were expecting more than a few specks.

Since the crispy bacon poached eggs were the star of the show, the rest of the dish was pretty plain and simple. The tomato provencal was a nice touch though – it was slightly grilled, sweet, and juicy and dusted with breadcrumbs and herbs on top! I haven’t seen many brunch places serve this as a side before so it was a nice surprise.

For those who have never had it before, I would describe a tomato provencal as a grilled tomato with seasoned breadcrumbs on top and came from the southwest region of France.
The third dish we had that day was the steak and eggs! I had a bite of my friend’s steak. The steak was a chargrilled 6 oz, and was absolutely delicious and mouthwatering. It was very tender, savoury, and packed full of flavour.

All in all, we enjoyed our lunch and I would definitely come back. I loved the ambiance, friendly service, and most of the food here. I would love to try some of their pastries next time too – in particular, the macarons.

Thanks for reading!

-Carmen

Catch 122 Cafe Bistro

June 18, 2015

Hi everybody!

Back in March, some of my coworkers and I had lunch at Catch 122, as per my suggestion. I’ve heard so many great things about this place and decided that it was finally time that I check it out!
I made reservations for the five of us, and am I glad I did – the restaurant was full when we arrived, with a short line forming. I wouldn’t mind waiting, but didn’t want to waste our lunch break waiting in line and having to rush the eating part.
After much indecisiveness, I decided to get the croque madame. It came with a poached egg, house smoked ham, Yukon nugget potatoes, and salad. The poached egg and ham came on top of a piece of toast and fresh veggies. I really liked the savoury potatoes, as well as the ham due to its smoky flavour.
Coworker’s braised short rib benedict – I didn’t try it, but he said the short rib was really, really, really good.

Coworker’s truffle-scented mushroom omelette

Coworker’s catch 122! This looked really good, it came with house smoked and cured wild salmon, poached eggs, arugula, and the same side of potatoes as well.

We also split a pulled pork poutine as well. The fries were pretty standard, but the pulled pork was delicious. It was tender and was full of flavour, there was also a generous amount of pork and cheese too. We were pretty stuffed by the time we ended our meal.

I’m glad that I finally got a change to try Catch 122! Service was very slow though, not sure if they were extra busy that day or if it is always like that? I would have liked this place a lot more if service was more friendly. I’m not dying to come back, but it’s a good brunch option if you’re ever in the neighbourhood.

Do you like Catch 122?

Thanks for reading!
-Carmen