Curiously Carmen

Hapa Beach- What happened to you?

January 26, 2015

Hi all!

Before I begin: I am doing a Cetaphil skincare set giveaway which is super simple to enter! Details and enter here!

Fun fact- The first restaurant post I ever did was on Hapa Izakaya last year at Dine Out Vancouver. We had an amazing time there, from the delicious food, ambiance, and friendly servers. With that said, we were really looking back to coming here again and I booked our reservation right away.

Hapa Beach, I’m not sure what happened to you. Change in ownership? We left very disappointed, the quality and preparation of the food comparable to all you can eat restaurants, minus the heaps and heaps of food. It was nothing like this the first time, I can’t believe that it is the same restaurant we went to a year ago.

When we first stepped in, we could tell that it was already busy. The hostess was on the phone for a few minutes before she was able to greet us, and we were sat quickly afterwards. We were also reminded a few times of the 1.5 hour dining limit.

For the first choice of appetizers, we ordered the taster appetizer (above) and bagna cauda fondue (below). The taster appetizer came with bok choy gomae, edamame beans, and tuna carpacccio. The bok choy was crunchy and fresh, with a generous amount of gomae sauce.

The tuna capaccio was very fresh and the ponzu sauce was good, but the portion was really small so just a heads up there (Yes, I understand that it’s an appetizer and also DOVF menu). The chilled edamame beans weren’t that great. It didn’t taste fresh and was over seasoned.

Ever since having amazing bagna cauda at Rajio , we wanted to try Hapa’s. The sauce was not mixed well, or it sat out for too long and separated. It was also bland in flavour, and one of the veggie pieces my boyfriend had was bitter.

The second course was the worst and this was when it reminded us of being at an all you can eat restaurant instead of at a nice izakaya. Let’s start with the aburi saba. It was mediocre, there was a slight grilled and smoky taste to it but it was not prepared well at all. Felt like they just slapped a bunch of pieces onto big chunks of rice, then put it on a plate to serve.

The agedashi tofu was drowned in the sauce and floating in oil. It did not look fresh at all, I’ve had better agedashi tofu at all you can eat actually. I’ll let this picture do the talking:

The outside batter of the tofu was slimy and sticky, and came right off the tofu when we tried to eat it. It lacked all flavour and just looked disgusting and pathetic in the bowl. We asked to exchange for the gyozas (the only thing left on the second course menu) instead because we are not eating or paying for this “tofu” . Where was the quality in this?

Although the servers were really attentive and nice, they seemed pretty new and said they had to ask the manager if they were able to switch for us. Fair enough. In the meantime, our main dishes were brought to us- more like being quickly thrown onto the table and having the servers dashing away before you could say thanks. Another point- shouldn’t a nicer establishment like Hapa have better service?

After all the disappointing starters (minus the few bok choy and quarter sized tuna carpaccio), our mains arrived. The spicy pork ishiyaki came with a decent amount of pork, and a raw egg that they stir in for you. The stone bowl is really hot and cooks it, and you’re also recommended to leave the rice for a few minutes so that it can become crispy due to the side of the bowl.

It also came with chives, which did not taste fresh either.

The boyfriend ordered the cho wagyu- four thinly sliced pieces of raw Kobe beef, which you cook yourself with the black stone and dip in ponzu sauce. Again, the portion was really small and thin although from the angle of the picture, it looks like a thick cut. He said it was pretty chewy, althought he made sure not to overcook it.

Again, he said it was pretty disappointing due to the size. I’m glad I ordered the rice bowl and we ended up sharing that.

When we were done our main course, our replacement appetizer came- pork gyozas. The server apologized for the ~~slimy tofu mess~~ agadashi tofu, and said since it was deep fried, that’s why it was oily. No, I know that deep fried food is oily…but the point was that the tofu batter was slimy and tasteless.

Anyways, the gyozas were not your usual gyozas. They came with minced pork, layered with lotus root and then deep fried. This was a LOT better than the slimy tofu mess. We weren’t sure if we actually enjoyed this dish a lot, or if everything else so far was so mediocre or abysmal that this was delicious.

Either way, the gyozas were cooked well and crispy. The lotus root made it really filling and there was a good amount of pork inside as well.

As for service, the entire time, we felt like we were being rushed. Our food was coming really fast and we had servers quickly taking away our dishes. They had told us 3 times about the 1.5 hour seating limit, we were there for a bit under a hour. It felt like the servers were there to just toss dishes on the table.

I’m not sure if I’ll come back but I kind of want to give them one last chance since we had a great time here last year. I feel like there might have been a change in management as the name of the place changed from Hapa Izakaya to Hapa Beach, but I think they’re still under the Hapa Izakaya family. All the more current reviews at Hapa are pretty negative as well.

Read a happier, more positive, and YUMMIER post on our original visit here.

Did you come here for Dine Out or just recently? I’m really curious to see if we just came on a bad day…

-Carmen

Las Margaritas (Dine Out Vancouver Festival 2015)

January 25, 2015

Hi everyone,

First off, have you noticed the domain change? Yep, I have retired my old site and will be posting on curiouslycarmen.com from now on! Same me, different site =)

Dine Out Vancouver Festival is upon us for yet another year! While many people do not like DOVF because they claim you won’t get the “full” or authentic experience, I don’t think it’s a bad idea to try it out. Also, you’re not limited to just ordering off the DOVF menu, you are able to order from the regular menu as well. Some places offer great deals that you wouldn’t see elsewhere.

There were so many restaurants I wanted to try this year, but had to refrain myself or I would be spending waaayy too much money on food. Instead, I asked the boyfriend to pick some restaurants that he wanted to try and we would narrow it down from there. For my first dine out, I went to Las Margaritas, which I’ve been wanting to go for quite some time now!

Las Margaritas is easily distinguishable from the rest of the shops on the block. It was a nice, exterior Spanish design with bright colours. You can’t miss it!

Our reservation was made for 7:30, but the parking gods were on our side that night and we showed up 10 minutes early. The restaurant was really busy, and I overheard them saying the wait for walk in customers would take at least one hour… so glad that we made a reservation. They weren’t ready for us since we were a bit early, and we were seated around 7:35.

One small detail that I appreciated about this place was their tiled tables! I loved the detail and thought it looked really good.

For a place with the name margaritas in it, you better expect that they have delicious margaritas. While we were waiting for our spot, we read the menu and found out that they were famous for their margaritas, so we decided to give it a try. We ordered the melon margarita ($8.95), which came with Sauza Gold Tequila, melon liqueur, pineapple juice, peach nectar and their own sweet & sour mix.

I really enjoyed the flavours of the margarita, and could not taste the alcohol in it at all even though it was a double shot. It was really fruity, and had some pulp in it which was a nice added surprise! It was not exactly a slush texture though and didn’t have a rimmed glass, but I didn’t mind.

To start off, we received complementary salsa and tortilla chips, which apparently they were famous for as well. The tortilla chips were crunchy and tasted pretty standard, but they were served warm which was a nice surprise! The salsa had a strong onion and fresh taste to it. Overall, really good for a complementary dish!

One of the options for the DOVF appetizer menu was the pozole, a chicken and white corn soup simmered in chilies and spices. On the side was an assortment of fresh red onions, dried chili peppers, and oregano. The chicken in the soup was extremely tender and well marinated, while the broth itself was absolutely delicious… I’m getting hungry just thinking about it again.

Adding the oregano, pepper, and fresh onions to the mix, you have yourself a sure winner. My favourite dish of the night.

The second appetizer we ordered (we pretty much shared everything btw) was the scallop ceviche. Everything in the ceviche was very fresh, with a hint of fresh lime juice. The chips were a bit too oily for my liking, however. I ate the cerviche with the leftover complementary tortilla chips instead.

Now, time for the main course! This was the chile en nogada, aka a poblano pepper stuffed with ground turkey meat, sauteed with onions, peppers, tomatoes, and apple. It was covered with a walnut cream sauce and pomegrante seeds, and came with a side of salad and beans. This was our least favourite dish that night.

There was a lot going on in the poblano pepper, but to us, the ingredients didn’t mix well together and was disappointing.
The second entree we had was the chile Colorado. It was cubed sirloin beef simmered in a chile guajillo and New Mexico chile sauce, with a side of white rice refried beans and corn or flour tortillas.

This dish was executed really well! The cubed sirloin beef was very tender, and went really well with the fresh red onion. The rice had some corn in it, so it wasn’t as boring or plain.

We also did not know that this dish came with tortillas, there was around 5 wraps. I guess I didn’t read far enough, I was sold on “cubed sirloin beef”. We ended up making our own “tacos”, filling it with the sirloin beef, rice, and salad/beans from the other dish, and topped it off with our choice of four hot sauces that were brought to our table.

I’m really glad that it came with the tortillas, otherwise we wouldn’t have been really full since the poblano pepper was a dissapointment.

For dessert, I chose the tres leche cake.Caramel lovers will love this cake for sure! It is called a “tres leche” cake because it is soaked in three different types of milk. I personally prefer my cakes to be light and fluffy, I didn’t like how it had a wet and soggy texture to it.

However, the flavour of the cake was definitely there, it’s just my personal preference that I didn’t like the soggy texture.

The boyfriend ordered churros that came with a chocolate dipping sauce. One bite of the churros and I had filled by sugar and dessert quota for the week, maybe even month- I kid you not. It was extremely sweet since it was rolled in sugar and chocolate sauce. All you sweet tooth lovers out there, this one is for you. I’ll stick with my savoury snacks instead.

Have you tried Las Margaritas, and if yes, how did you like it?

-Carmen

Cetaphil DermaControl Review & Giveaway (Ended)

January 18, 2015

Hi everyone!

I am so excited to be holding my first giveaway! My blog is turning one soon (January 30th, to be exact) and I wanted to do something here to celebrate it. Perfect timing to do this giveaway, so thanks to Canadian Beauty Bloggers & Cetaphil for the opportunity! Cetaphil will always hold a special place in my heart as it was the first face cleanser I’ve used, so there was a bit of nostalgia while writing this post.

Please keep in mind this is my first giveaway, I am welcome to suggestions on how I can improve it.

Keep reading on this product and how to win!

The Cetaphil DermaControl line is specifically formulated for oily, combination or blemish-prone skin… right up my alley (unfortunately? haha!). The special ingredient in this is zinc, which apparently absorbs oil really well and provides a shine-free, matte finish. Let’s see how it does!

I was a bit hesitant as to how effective it would be, but as I mentioned before, I used to be a big fan of Cetaphil in my puberty days and knew that their products were always great. For the sake of this review, I went back to basics and used only these two products for a week, before mixing these products in with my other skincare favourites!

First up, was the oil control foam wash. The scent was slightly medicinal, and had a light and airy feel to it. I agree that it was very gentle and would be suitable for those with sensitive skin!

My skin did not feel dry after using this product, and felt moisturized! I felt like this was a good everyday wash if you don’t wear heavy foundation. Otherwise, I don’t think it will be enough to take off heavy face makeup.

After using the cleanser, I followed up with the oil control moisturizer. I liked how the moisturizer was lightweight and non-greasy. Just like the cleanser, the moisturizer did not have any fragrance or perfume to it. It smelled a bit like sunscreen due to the SPF 30, but wasn’t as thick as sunscreen.

I used this every morning for a week while going to work to establish a regular routine. I chose to do this when I was back in the office as I noticed that my skin tends to get oily around 1pm. If my skin was not very oily in the afternoon while I was work, I knew that the cleanser and moisturizer had done its job!

Cetaphil foam wash back — Back of the Cetaphil Derma Control foam cleanser!

For the first day I used this, my skin was amazingly not oily by the time 1 pm rolled around! I was quite surprised, as I had gotten used to having to blot my face but I didn’t have to. For the rest of the day, my skin did not get oily or shiny! But I thought maybe this was beginners luck… nope!

For the next week using this product, I am happy to say that it these two products did an amazing job at combating my oily skin. I love how these two products are very gentle and mess free to use! I’m not sure how well this product works for non oily/blemish prone skin, but I can say without doubt that this product will do a great job at making you oil and shine free for hours and hours!

Cetaphil moisturizer back — Back of the Cetaphil Derma Control Moisturizer!

Oh Cetaphil, how much I’ve missed you. Sometimes it’s great to go back to basics and your beauty roots. I’m glad that I did too. Thank you Canadian Beauty Bloggers and Cetaphil for giving me this opportunity! Click on their names to read more =)

How to enter:

Comment on this post below and let me know:
- The first skincare brand used
- And how old you were!
Go on Instagram (@curiouslycarmen) and like my giveaway photo, and comment with the first skincare brand used and at what age
You don’t have to do both, but it will increase your chance of winning!
This information is not used for marketing purposes, I’m just curious and want a fun/personable way to host this giveaway, as Cetaphil was the first brand I personally tried!

Giveaway fine print:

Prizes: One travel sized Cetaphil DermaControl Oil Control Foam Wash & One travel sized Cetaphil DermaControl Oil Control Moisturizer SPF 30 (Same as the two products I just wrote on!)
Open to Canadian residents only
Must be of legal age in your province or territory of residence
Winner will be contacted by e-mail and announced on February 1, 2015 (So be sure to leave a valid email when commenting. If entered through Instagram, I will contact you via private message!)
If you are the winner (yay!), you will need to provide me with your mailing address and phone number as well
Questions: Leave a comment or email me at [email protected] / leave me a message on Instagram

Thanks for reading and best of luck!

-Carmen

An InLinkz Link-up

Montagne Jeunesse Honey Manuka Peel-Off Mask (Part 3/3)

January 17, 2015

Hi guys!

My apologies that I haven’t written a post all week…I missed writing here so much (thank goodness for draft posts, bloggers will understand haha). This week has been hectic and I didn’t have any time or energy to write a coherent post.

I also have been working on my first ever giveaway (!!! Ahhh!) coming up soon, so be sure to check back on the details 😉

During the holiday break, I first introduced two Montagne Jeunesse masks on my blog, sent to me courtesy of Obssessed Canada. Today, I am finally going to talk about the last one of those masks that I received… turns out that I coincidentally saved the best one for last =P Well, in my opinion at least.. I liked this one the most out of all three, even though the other two were good as well.

These were the three I chose from Obsessed Canada, they have around twenty different Montage Jeunesse products that you can chose from on their website. I picked the top three that sounded appealing for my oily skin type. I had already written on the Blemish Mud (click here) and Mud Pac (click here), today I will talk about the Manuka Honey peel off mask!

I love using honey in my skincare routine! I used to quickly whip up my own honey & sugar masks when I felt my skin feeling yucky, or if I was at the boyfriend’s house and did not have any masks to use. With that said and my love for honey, let’s get the review started!

When I first opened the packet, I noticed how lovely the scent was! It was a mix of sweet honey and jasmine, very calming and soothing. The consistency and colour of this mask looked just like honey, which makes sense as it is made mainly with manuka honey.

Manuka honey is a type of honey reigning from New Zealand and Australia, and has been suggested to have antibacterial properties. It also contains aloe, chamomile, and caramel to name a few!

There were also a few non natural ingredients in this as well which isn’t worth mentioning because I don’t know how to spell lengthy chemical names by heart nor do I know what the purpose of each of those are.

Montagne Jeunesse Manuka Honey Peel Off Mask 4 — Picture taken from chantalscorner.blogspot.ca

As you can see, it looks just like honey! Applying it on my face was fairly easy, it did not drip everywhere.

However, I strongly recommend making sure all your hair is tied back because it’s sticky (due to the honey). Some of it got stuck in my hair and it took me some time to wash it out.

Comparing to the other two MJ masks used, the consistency of this one was a lot thinner and lighter. The pack, just like the previous two, had more than enough for one person so I highly recommend doing the mask with a friend or having a ziploc bag handy to keep the leftover pack in (preserves freshness and less messy). I asked the boyfriend to use the rest of the mask for me as I didn’t want to store it, and he agreed to try it =) Guys can do masks too okay!!!

peel_off_face_mask — It felt like I was peeling off my own skin! (Photo from eco-lina.com)

After fifteen minutes, both of our masks had completely hardened and I helped him peel his off first. Honestly, at first it was really weird because it looked like I was peeling his skin off.

I removed mine afterwards, and it was the first time I tried a peel off mask. I think it’s easier and cleaner than washing it off with water. As you’re peeling it off, it also feels good because your skin feels so tight when the mask is drying on your face!

The peel off mask was new to the both of us, but I actually really like the idea of it and will look into buying peel off masks (once I get past the idea it looks like I’m peeling off my own skin, haha!) It’s less messy, and one of my BIGGEST pet peeves are getting my sweater sleeves wet from washing my face… yes I could roll it up higher but I always forget until it’s too late.

Our skin felt really soft and smooth afterwards. Honey and aloe are known to be great for your skin, so it’s no wonder that our skin felt so great. The boyfriend even said my skin looked glowing and I’ve never heard him say that!

I’ve never been blessed with smooth, clear, and glowing skin so to hear that was very surprising… I guess it is a step forward (until my skin goes back to its usual self, but it’s all about preventative measures right =P)!

You can get this mask online at Obssessed Canada for $2, with free shipping over $25!

Stay tuned to hear about my first ever giveaway!

-Carmen

This product was sent to me by Obsessed Canada, and I was not paid to write the review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and not altered by the requests of Obsessed Canada.

CRAFT Beer Market

January 16, 2015

Hi guys!

Wow, so I decided to read the reviews for CRAFT Beer Market before I wrote this post… All I can say is that I’m glad we came here spontaneously without checking the reviews (and if you’re a food blogger, that almost never happens!) or we would have missed out on a good time!

After visiting Bright Nights during the holidays, the boyfriend and I didn’t feel like going back home… so he sheepishly asked if I wanted some beer. Uhhhh… yes?! I asked him why he sounded hesitant to ask me. He said it was because we usually only grab beer or go to pubs with friends, and wasn’t sure if couples go get beer as a date. I’m not sure if couples normally get beer alone together, but I don’t really care because I’ll get beer any day! On a whim, we thought of CRAFT because we’ve always wanted to try it, but somehow always end up at Tap and Barrel across the street.

All this rambling and I haven’t even gotten to the food yet, wow. We arrived around 9pm on a busy Saturday night, and were quickly seated at a corner booth with really cozy, plush leather seats. We had a great view of the big and noisy restaurant, but were also seated in an area quiet and cozy enough to have conversation.

One thing I have to agree on with the other Urbanspoon reviews is that service here is slow, so don’t come here if you are in a rush. It took us 10 minutes before our server came. Throughout the night, I could tell that she was busy but she did make an effort to be friendly, ask how we were doing, etc.

CRAFT has an extensive and impressive amount of craft beer. The beer menu is almost endless and overwhelming! I wanted something citrus-y, and decided to try the Blanche de Chambly, a type of Belgian pale ale. It did not disappoint, and hit the spot perfectly. It was refreshing, citrusy, and light topped off with a great, velvety layer of foam. The boyfriend ordered a darker beer, the Ayinger Celebrator which was very malty and hoppy.

The boyfriend ordered the poutine, which was served hot on a pan (we were warned not to touch the pan or we would get burnt). I also read reviews that some guests received cold poutine, but ours was steaming hot and came with an abundance of melted cheese, gravy, and salt. I didn’t have many because I wasn’t feeling like fried food that night, but the boyfriend enjoyed the poutine a lot. The hotness of the fresh fries melted the cheese to a great consistency, topped off with peppers and herbs, making it a very satisfying munch.

Fun fact about me: I am not a veggie person, but the only exceptions are kale and arugula. I loooove arugula in my salads, pizzas, and flatbreads. I ordered the prosciutto argula flatbread with Grana Padano cheese. The flatbread was very doughy, and not too thin which I liked. It was topped off with a generous amount of fresh and crunchy arugula, as well as grated Grana Padano. I didn’t really taste much of the proscuitto due to the overwhelming flavours of the arugula and cheese, but I did see it there.

Overall, our visit to CRAFT was wonderful, even though service was slow. Our server was really friendly and was making an effort to check on us when she could, but it’s wasn’t really her fault. I loved the atmosphere, the long communal dining tables, the beautiful city view, and the empty keg display they had as well.

Are you a fan of craft beer, and which ones are your favourite? Have you been here before? Let me know in the comments!

On another note, I’m also currently giving away a free Cetaphil skincare set (suitable for both females and males!) until February 2nd! Read my post here to enter and full details =)

-Carmen