I normally don’t go for Mexican food- actually, scratch that, I never go for Mexican. I don’t remember the last time I had Mexican prior to this month. OH wait, I think it was Las Margaritas almost two years ago, for Dine Out Vancouver 2015.
I don’t really know why, I guess because there are so many restaurants to pick from in Vancouver that Mexican food goes off my radar! But lately this month, I have been trying more places. And by places, I mean Chipotle (Yes, I finally tried Chipotle and I can see why people rave about it) and this review, Sal Y Limon!
Sal Y Limon is located inside a small strip mall off Fraser. Parking is a tiny bit of a mess, so I recommend trying to find parking on the side streets. I don’t understand why the architects of this strip mall made it like a zig zag shape, ineffectively making the parking lot messy as well.
Once inside, it is pretty spacious although it can feel cramped during peak hours. Once you get in, you order your food at the till. The workers will bring you your food with the corresponding number stand.
Shrimp taco, $2.75: The shrimp taco is on the far left. I am a huge shrimp lover and devoured this! The shrimp was big and juicy, with a fresh and crunchy batter. It was topped off with crunchy and fresh veggies, and a spoonful of spicy mayo. So good! All the flavours went perfectly together!
Pollo pibil, $2.60: I ordered two different chicken tacos! This one was the slow roasted marinated chicken breast. It was soooo tender and packed with flavour. The pickled lettuce and cilantro also went really well with the tender chicken breast. Out of the two chicken tacos, I definitely recommend this one!
Pollo asado, $2.60: Same price as the chicken breast. This one is really simple, just chicken meat seasoned with salt and a bit of pepper. I found it a bit too plain, considering the explosion of flavours from the other two tacos. However, if you want something simple, this is the one to order.
Shrimp taco, $2.75: See comments above
Pollo pibil, $2.60: See comments above
Tinga vegetariana, $3.00: This was one of the vegetarian tacos. Although I didn’t try it, my cousin enjoyed it although she thought it was pretty spicy (she doesn’t do spicy food at all, so might not be that bad for spice lovers).
It came with mushrooms, zucchinis, onions, and napoles (Which I just learned from writing the post is that napoles are a vegetable made from cacti. Who know that you could eat part of a cacti?! See how blogging teaches you things? =P)
Pierna, $9.05: Instead of ordering tacos like my cousin and I, the boyfriend ordered a burrito! And boy, was it massive. It was bursting with rice, beans, cabbage, sour cream, and more.
The boyfriend ordered the pierna, which is pulled pork. He also added cheese for an extra cost. I didn’t try it but he said it was amazing, and wouldn’t stop talking about how good it was! I mean, I wouldn’t doubt him…it looks amazingly delicious!
Overall, Sal Y Limon is a great place to go for Mexican. I am not a Mexican food expert so I’m not sure if it’s authentic or not, but I can attest that they have delicious and fresh food! Also, the prices are so cheap!
Yay!
As expected on a Friday night, there was a bit of a wait. The restaurant is pretty small, and the kitchen is on the top floor. I always feel a bit bad for restaurants where the kitchen is on another level, because of the servers who have to walk up and down.
Pink Bike Cheeseburger, $12.50: I ordered their standard cheeseburger, but without the cheese due to my dairy restriction =(. It came on a toasted sesame bun, naturally raised local beef, veggies, and the pink bike sauce (a combination of mustard, ketchup, and relish).
BBQ Island Bison Burger, $15.50: The boyfriend also really enjoyed the bison burger. As with my beef burger, his bison burger was thick and juicy as well. It was topped with smoky cheddar and BBQ sauce.
Etude House is pretty much a staple in Asia. Although it is Korean, you can find it in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, pretty much in any big Asian metropolis. Think of Etude House as the Covergirl or Maybelline equivalent, in terms of availability and price-wise.
Etude House is so popular that even though it is a Korean brand, they have English for their non-Korean customers. There are instructions on the back that were quite easy to follow, along with a cute picture!
I found that the mask did not stick well to my skin, so I ended up lying down when using it. Part of the reason is because the mouth sticks out from your face and isn’t a flat surface, so it’s harder for the mask to cling on to (I suck at explaining but hope that made sense!).
Many of LUSH’s face masks are fresh face masks, which means they need to be used in under 2 weeks and kept in the fridge all the time. I’m not the type of person to finish a product in 2 weeks, which is why I went with the Mask of Magnaminty (was having a hard time deciding between this or Cosmetic Warrior, which is also good).
The texture of the mask is pretty thick and reminds me of thick oatmeal. As with all LUSH products, the ingredients are almost all natural and you can pronounce them. I always feel really good ethically when using LUSH products because they have an awesome working culture/environment and just overall really great company policies/practices.
Another thing I love about this mask is the scent. As the name suggests, it has a clean, fresh and minty smell. After using this, my skin feels instantly refreshed and soft. It’s weird how it also improves my mood temporarily, but I guess facials/relaxing beauty routines do have that effect on us beauty lovers!
essence Brow Definer: Well, 2016 was the year I finally tried essence cosmetics, and I wish I had tried it sooner. So far, I’ve tried their liquid lipsticks, lipsticks, lip liner and eyebrow pencil. The brow definer pencil undoubtedly was one of my 2016 favourites and I use it pretty much everyday! For $2, it does a great job and lasts the whole day, as long as you don’t rub it or sleep or something. My pencil is nearing the end and almost getting to the point where it is too short to sharpen. I will definitely be repurchasing this product again!
Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation: My Holy Grail high-end foundation is the Urban Decay Naked foundation, which I still really love. At the Estee Lauder media event, I was introduced to their Double Wear Foundation line, which I was told was a classic favourite. I was really impressed with this foundation, and love it just as much as the Urban Decay Naked!
Kylie Lip Kit: I never gave much thought to the Kardashian/Jenner clan or Kylie’s products, but one of my best friends tried her lip kit and raved about it. Since then, I have become a huge fan of Kylie’s products for their beautiful pigmentation and long wear! I’ve only reviewed the matte liquid lipstick on the blog, but in the past month, I also tried one of her lip glosses and the eyeshadow palette (by accident, funny story LOL). I will probably be reviewing those when I get around to taking the photos! So many new products to review, so little time!
KORRES Wild Rose Brightening Oil: This was earlier on in the year, but for a good three weeks, I solely used the KORRES Wild Rose Brightening Oil. In those three weeks, I noticed a dramatic difference in the quality of my skin. It also mixed beautifully into foundations for a nice, dewy finish. I don’t use this as often as I want because I’m reluctant to finish the product, which is a bit sill of me (otherwise known as not “seh duk” in Cantonese).
Seche Vite top coat: I started off the year with this wonderful purchase, which has ruined me for the better. I do not use any other top coats, nor do I trust any of them to perform at the same quality and price that Seche Vite does. Seriously, this stuff is amazing. It makes your cheap nail polish look like a million bucks, and does not chip AT ALL.