happy hour Archives - Curiously Carmen

Harbour Oyster Bar

June 10, 2021

I have been on a bit of a raw oyster kick lately! I have always enjoyed oysters but have cautiously enjoyed them because of the higher risk with food poisoning and getting vibrio. However, it seemed like I just threw caution to the wind this year and have been a few times already, more than the past few years combined!

It started with Ebisu, then Atlas, and now Harbour Oyster Bar. I also have some plans to try out some other oyster bars this summer.

Harbour Oyster Bar is located along Commercial drive, right next to Marcello’s and across from Famoso.

Harbour Oyster Bar is a pretty small restaurant, with a few tables inside and a bar. I am not sure if the patio was opened due to COVID restrictions or if they normally have a patio on the street.

We went when the indoor dining restriction was still in place, and the restaurant wasn’t accepting reservations on their patio but said we could give them a call 30 mins before we arrive to reserve our seat.

Raw oysters: The star of the show! The happy hour oysters are $1.50 from 11-5pm, a pretty good deal if you are wanting to come during lunch. The oysters were fresh and tasty, with no complaints about them. Very satifsying!

Fried oysters: The fried oysters were also on the happy hour menu and came with 4 per order. They were served deep fried fresh and very crunchy. It was a fun option if you don’t like raw oysters, or wanted them cooked.

Garlic prawns: The garlic prawns were also on the happy hour menu. They seemed pretty lackluster and not what I was expecting. They were also pretty expensive for the price, so I would recommend getting the oysters instead. Currently in 2021, the happy hour price was $12 and original price is $16, which is not worth it for 5 pieces of prawn.

Overall, the oysters were delicious and the service was really friendly. It is a decent choice for oysters in the Commercial Drive area, and if you don’t want to go downtown for your oyster fix. I will definitely be back for happy hour.

Atlas Steak and Fish

May 2, 2021

I’ve heard good things about Atlas Steak and Fish for a few years now, ever since they opened inside the Grand Villa Casino. However, there were other upscale dining options I wanted to try so I didn’t end up going until now. After having delicious buck-a-shuck raw oysters at Ebisu’s happy hour, I started to look up other places that offered buck-a-shuck.

I came across Atlas and suggested that we come here and try their happy hour. It ended up being a good decision because the day after, the government announced that all indoor dining was suspended again. Who knows how long I would have had to wait to get my raw oyster fix?!

Atlas Steak and Fish is located inside the Grand Villa Casino, on the second floor. The casino has ample parking and since it is closed due to the pandemic, we had no problem finding parking. The whole building was pretty quiet, even the hotel portion.

The hostess at the front was snippy and had a pretentious vibe. When we approached the table, she asked in a snippy tone if we had a reservation, which we didn’t. Thankfully our server was a lot nicer and not pretentious at all.

Chips: We didn’t know this but during happy hour, they offer complimentary chips. They were delicious, thick cut, and well seasoned. Towards the middle, the chips were soggy though. The chips were nice to nibble on while waiting for our food.

Prime rib sliders: The prime rib sliders were delicious! They were small but packed a lot of flavour. The bread was buttery and soft, while the prime rib was so tender and juicy. The fragrant truffle mayonnaise sauce elevated the delicious burger even more.

Handrolled meatball marinara: We came for the raw oysters, but the fiance couldn’t resist ordering this as well because he loves his meatballs. The meatballs were delicious as well. They were tender and seasoned well with crushed herbs inside.

Raw oysters: The star of the show! The oysters were amazing and satisfied my craving. They were juicy, briny, and very fresh. There is a minimum order of 6, and a maximum of 24 per table. After finishing these, we wanted to order more but unfortunately they were sold out for the day!

I’m glad that we came near the beginning of happy hour and were able to have some. That shows how popular the raw oysters are, we noticed each table had ordered them too. Our server also told us that they tend to sell out on Sundays because the new order comes on Mondays.

The happy hour raw oysters are an incredible deal at $1/per oyster. Come here if you love raw oysters. The only negative was that they came out pretty slow. We ordered two rounds and each time, it took a while.

Overall, we really enjoyed our meal at Atlas Steak and Fish. The main attraction, the raw oysters, were delicious and the other sides we ordered ended up being great too. We will definitely be back here for our oyster fix and I’m glad we don’t have to go far for some satisfying oysters.

White Spot – Gilmore Location (Two Revisits)

April 6, 2021

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

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

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.