Curiously Carmen

Roundel Cafe, East Van

May 15, 2014

I have driven by Roundel Cafe many times, but haven’t really noticed it among all the other merchants by Hastings and Nanaimo. This area has a lot of restaurants- from Sushi Nanaimo, East Cafe, The Red Wagon, Basho, Platform 7, and many, many more!

My friend and I planned to go here during the Easter weekend, but there was a really long wait so we decided to go to Basho. I came back here two weeks after, because I was really interested and wanted to see if they had good brunch.

The Red Wagon is pretty much across the street from them, so they do have lots of competition because that place is really famous for their brunch. I wanted to see if they held up as a good brunch diner.
It was a lot quieter when we went this time around, only about three other tables were seated. Service was very friendly, informative and efficient. We both had questions to ask about the menu, and our server happily answered them.
I finally decided on ordering their corned beef hash, served with eggs and salad. I thought the beef was very flavourful and cooked well. It was also mixed with onions and peppers which gave it a sweeter flavour.

Underneath the beef was the roasted potatoes. They served the usual white potatoes, but there was also a mix of sweet orange potatoes. I appreciated the mix, as the sweet potatoes were less starchy and dry. Some of the potatoes were really burnt though.

The salad and eggs were average, I think the star of this dish was the corned beef.
My friend ordered the free range eggs any style combo, which came with salad, roasted potatoes, and a choice of either ham/bacon/farmers sausage.

She thought that her dish was really delicious, especially the farmers sausage which was very juicy and had a hint of smokiness to it. Her roasted potatoes were a bit burnt as well.

For both our dishes, you can request for toast if you’d like. Their jam is house made, and we both found it to be very tart and not sweet. It had a very strong rhubarb taste. We would have preferred a sweeter strawberry jam!

It was a lovely afternoon, and we decided to indulge in a strawberry ice cream milkshake! It was smooth, rich, creamy, and thick. We also asked for soy milk since I didn’t want that much dairy, and she also did not charge us for that which was nice!
To end the meal, we recieved a fortune cookie. This fortune cookie was not true for me. I was about to start school the following week and was nervous for one of my courses! Haha 🙂

Overall, we had a satisfying and enjoyable visit to Roundel Cafe. Nothing really stands out to me, but it’s not bad either. I would come back if I was in the neighbourhood and it was convenient, but wouldn’t specifically plan another visit here.

I’ve read some other reviews on Urbanspoon where people mentioned their pancakes weren’t that good, so if you are craving pancakes, I would suggest crossing the street to The Red Wagon.

JOEY Bentall One, Downtown Van

May 15, 2014

I apologize for the lack of restaurant reviews lately. My summer semester started a week ago, and the assignments are already piling up! The good news is that one of my courses will be done in half the normal time, since it’s an intersession course, so I will have a lot more time once it is over. But for now, I am swamped with course assignments, starting my application process for co-op, work, and trying to squeeze in a social life still.

Hence, my attempt at squeezing in a social life results in this restaurant review. It was one of my childhood best friend’s birthday last week, so a small group of us converged over great food at Joey!
There are actually two JOEY restaurants on Burrard Street in downtown Vancouver. One is the actual JOEY Burrard, while the other is JOEY Bentall One. Bentall One is located a block away from Burrard skytrain.

I was a bit confused at first since my friend told me it was the Burrard location, but when I got there, it said Bentall One. Thankfully, I was at the right location! As always, the decor and ambiance was very fancy and lively.
Since I was running late due to my class, they decided to order an appy while waiting for me to arrive. They were also nice enough to save me a piece of the pesto shrimp flatbread, $14.50.

It was very doughy and loaded with a lot of ingredients on the top. They were also generous with the amount of shrimp. I was really considering ordering this as my main dish, but decided on getting something else.
I ordered the chicken souvlaki served with skinny fries, $14.50. I was surprised when the dish came out, because I was expecting it to be on a bed of rice, with a chicken skewer.

However, this wrap was really filling and delicious nonetheless. The chicken was grilled and had a hint of smokiness to it, while the other veggies and cheese inside tasted really fresh. The pita bread wrap was also very soft.
Friend’s lobster grilled cheese, with brie, cheddar, and and cocktail sauce $15. I had a bite of the sandwich, and really enjoyed the strong flavour of cheddar in it. The lobster was mixed inside with the warm cheddar and brie cheese.
Some of these I didn’t get a chance to taste, so I will unfortunately just have to give you guys the name and price. Ahi tuna tacos – $12.
Bacon cheddar burger, sub yam fries $15.25.
The 500 salad – organic quinoa, barley, watermelon radish, mint, tomatoes, avocado $13.50.
If the birthday girl wants to indulge in dessert, she is allowed to. She decided to order the molten lava chocolate souffle, $8.25. Yes, it looks and sounds as good as it tastes! Thick, warm dark chocolate slowly oozes out of the molten lava cake after you dig in. The chocolate was very creamy and smooth. Paired with the raspberry sauce and vanilla ice cream, it is seriously a match made in heaven.

As always, service was attentive despite the restaurant being relatively busy.

Le Petite Saigon, East Van

May 14, 2014

When I am in this neighbourhood, my go-to spot for authentic Vietnamese food is definitely Petite Saigon. I have been here numerous times, and always have great food here.

Petite Saigon is also well known for their spring rolls, which myself and my coworkers normally order to share. I’ve been here well over twenty times, but decided to finally create a post on it!
I used to not be a fan of their pho, but it has definitely grown on me or improved in the past two years that I’ve came here. I used to find their noodles clumped and hardened together, so that when you try to separate them with your chopsticks, it breaks into small chunks that don’t resemble noodles anymore.

However, their noodle texture has gotten a lot better and I love ordering their pho now! I normally get their pho beef noodles with rare beef, beef brisket, and tripe (small- $7.25). Their broth is bursting with flavour, which explains why their restaurant always smells so damn good. They give a decent amount of meat.I really like their beef brisket because there isn’t much fat to it.

This is my coworker’s bowl of pho with rare beef and beef balls.
I usually stick with pho or rice bowls when I come here, so I was intrigued with my coworker’s seafood with egg noodle soup. You can get this dish with or without soup, which my coworker had without.

The dish was full of flavour, and from what I remember, it was a bit sweet. I enjoyed the sauce that came on the noodles as well. It comes with a decent amount of seafood and I think it’s a good alternate for those hot summer days, where you don’t feel like having warm soup!

This was the grilled pork chop on rice with shredded pork. Each of their rice dishes come with a side of vegetable salad and fish sauce. I had a bite of the pork chop, and it was really juicy and sweet. There was also a hint of smokiness to it. The fish sauce that they have is amazing. For those who have not tried fish sauce before, you are missing out! It’s a Vietnamese staple, used as a dipping sauce for many dishes.
I usually order their salad roll to go. It comes with shrimp, Vietnamese ham, vermicelli noodles, and lettuce. It is a great, healthy tasting light snack that is packed with flavour. There are a few thin slices of ham in it which give it a light salty flavour, and the prawns are pretty juicy and big so it fills you up. The lettuce it also very crunchy.

This dish is complete with their peanut butter and chili dipping sauce! The peanut butter sauce is a mix of a soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sugar, and of course peanut butter which complements the flavour of the spring rolls really well!
Their deep fried spring roll is a must-order! I’ve ordered this many times, but I can’t seem to find the picture on my computer so I took this from Urbanspoon. Their deep fried spring rolls are really crispy, and bursting with flavour and ingredients. It comes with a mix of vegetables, noodles, and meat inside and is absolutely delightful! My coworkers and I love ordering these to share, and they are always gone in the back within 15 minutes.

I also often order take out from Le Petite Saigon as well, as you can tell with the salad roll. They are pretty efficient with cooking time, usually done in within 10 minutes of your call. Service there is also really friendly and attentive.

-Carmen

Babyliss Pro Argan Oil ( vs. Moroccan Oil)

May 10, 2014

My hairstylist recently introduced me to argan oil. I was in shock when she told me that argan oil and Moroccanoil (Yes it’s spelled like that without the space) are the exact same thing.

I’ve heard many things about Moroccanoil, but not too much about argan oil. “Moroccan oil” is just the company name, while argan oil is the actual ingredient in it that gives your hair that healthy shine and condition. The ingredients in the Moroccan oil brand are very, very similar to the Babyliss Pro Argan Oil.

My hairstylist told me that if I wanted to buy argan oil, to go with the Babyliss one because it does the exact same thing as the Moroccanoil, just that it is not as marketed and cheaper.
I purchased my Babyliss argan oil from Kingdom Beauty Supply, a wholesale beauty supply store that sells professional hair products for hair stylists. Since you do need to be a hairstylist to be able to buy the products (unless you have a personal contact like I did), another place to try would be hair salons or the internet.

I tried looking on their website but it didn’t even give an option for Canadian stores. It’s a pretty crappy site as opposed to the Morrocanoil site, which is tailored to consumers. They were having a sale on their products, which was 2 for $20 (I think original price is $15 a bottle).

When comparing the ingredients in Babyliss and Moroccanoil, they are very, very similar. They both contain the same type of argania spinosa kernel oil. It just goes to show how powerful beauty marketing is and to always check labels. You could save yourself a lot of money by doing that. I got the ingredient list for Moroccanoil online.

Now, time for my actual review on the Babyliss Pro argan oil. ft polka the cat (remember him?)! Yay! I am very low maintenance with my hair. I don’t ever style my own hair unless it’s just a straightener or crimper. I’ve battled with my hair curler for years now, and I still have not mastered how to curl my hair nicely. Needless to say, I never buy hair styling products. I’ve dyed my hair over 15 times in my life, so my hair is pretty damaged. But, I was sold on this one because of how healthy and shiny my hair looked afterwards.
The application process is so painless and easy (another main reason why I bought this). After washing your hair, you just spray the product onto your hair and blow dry it.

Then, watch the magic happen, DONE! 🙂 I took this picture after my hair appointment, with the argan oil. I noticed that my hair looked a lot healthier, shinier, and felt a lot softer after using this product.
Of course, sunlight can be deceiving so I took another picture back inside my room. I think my hair still looks shinier and healthier than without out. On the bottle, it claims to be lightweight, non-greasy, gives instant shine, hydrates, conditions, eliminates frizz, and repairs damaged hair. Furthermore, it provides thermal protection while reducing drying time and provides colour protection. In my opinion, Babyliss pro argan oil does all that it claims in their packaging. What’s not to love about this product?! =)

Pros:
-Leaves hair very soft, conditioned, and shiny
-Smooths out frizziness
-Protects hair from heat products
-Does not leave an oily residue, feels very lightweight/non-greasy after applying
-Cheaper than Moroccanoil, which essentially does the same thing
-A little goes a long way, making the bottle last longer

Cons:
-Not sold in retail stores, a bit hard to find
-If you’re used to buying drugstore products, you might find this product a bit overpriced

-Carmen

April Beauty Favourites

May 9, 2014

This is my first time doing one of these monthly favourites! I’ve seen them on YouTube a lot, plus some fashion/beauty/lifestyle blogs that I follow. Since I don’t have photoshop on my computer, nor am I good at it, I had to come up with a way to create a collage by other means.

After pondering the internet and trying out various photo apps, I have finally created my first one! I know it’s not perfect, so please bear with me here. It’s been awhile since I’ve done a beauty related post, yet alone a mini haul, so I’m quite excited to try this out! These are in no particular order!

1. Dove Go Fresh deodorant, pomegranate and lemon verbana scent. I am in love with the smell of this deodorant. I like how it has a strong scent, making you smell lovely the whole day. When I want to freshen up after I shower, I apply this deodorant and feel refreshed.

2. The Body Shop – Mango body whip. I love all the body lotion products from The Body Shop (not body butter). The mango one has a lovely, subtle mango scent. It moisturizes very well. I love how it’s very light weight so you don’t feel sticky or heavy after applying this lotion.

3. ELF eyebrow kit. I bought this online back in November, and have been using this everyday for the past few months, so of course it is going on my favourites list! I love the colour/shade of the eyebrow kit, which matches my hair and skintone perfectly. The colour is very soft and not harsh, which I like because I don’t want strong, harsh eyebrows (that’s just my own preference). It’s also long lasting, and the small angle brush that comes with the kit makes it very easy to apply this to your eyebrows- pretty foulproof! Occasionally, I will double this up as a eyeliner for my lower lashes since I don’t like pencil eyeliner.

4. LUSH Grease lightning spot treatment. I received a sample of this, and I am already hooked after 2 days of usage. It is made up of all natural ingredients which fight acne scars, kills dirty bacteria on your skin, and prevents/kills pimples. I had two ugly pimples pop up last week, and after applying this spot treatment, I have noticed that they have diminished dramatically. I love how all the ingredients in this are natural as well.

5. Chanel – Chance Eau Tendre. This perfume has a soft, flowery and romantic scent to it which I love. Whenever I spray it on myself, I instantly feel very calm since the scent is very light and relaxing. I also feel a lot prettier when wearing this, so it definitely gives me a boost of confidence when I feel like I look like crap. I’ve gotten many compliments whenever I wear this perfume, which is a plus!

6. Maybelline mineral powder foundation. I bought this back in high school years back, but didn’t really have a good experience with it and ended up throwing it out. My friend recently gave me hers since it wasn’t the right shade for her, and I decided to give it another try. After wearing this as my setting powder, I noticed that my skin looked a lot brighter, smoother, and more translucent with a hint of shimmer. I realized that the problem was the crappy brush that came with it. I used my own brush and the finish looked a lot better.

Well there you have it, some of my current beauty favourites! What are some of yours?

-Carmen