Curiously Carmen

Panago Pizza

December 2, 2019

During one of our board game nights, we decided to order some Panago pizza! It was an easy decision as we all enjoy Panago. Out of Domino’s, Pizza Hut, Little Caesar’s, Freshslice, Uncle Fatih’s – all the cheap, unhealthy greasy pizza joints – I personally think Panago is the best one.

The fiance thinks Pizza Hut is better because they deep fry their dough, but I beg to differ! Which is your favorite?

Meat pizza: What is pizza and board games night without a meat pizza? The meat pizza came with Italian sausage, beef, and pepperoni.

It was delicious! I love Panago’s pizza dough – so soft, thick and chewy. There was a generous portion of toppings as well.

Custom pizza: Hickory ordered a custom pizza, which ended up being my favourite! I’m definitely stealing this recipe from him and ordering it in the future.

The custom pizza came with a jalapeno white sauce, chicken breast, sauteed mushrooms, and mozzarella. The toppings went really well together. None of us could taste the jalapeno, but the sauce was creamy and delicious.

Veggie pizza: To counteract the meat pizzas, Avocado suggested a pesto veggie one which was a good choice. As healthy as pizza can be! We ordered a thin multigrain crust since the other 2 pizzas already had the regular crust.

There was a generous amount of veggies on each slice. I personally prefer regular crust over thin crust, because I like the soft and chewy dough. Thin crust is usually harder. Even so, I didn’t mind this pizza and had more than one!

Cheesy bread: I am using the same picture as the first one because I forgot to take a picture of the cheesy bread!

I thought the cheesy bread would be like a cheese pizza. Well, I was wrong because it was better than a cheese pizza! The cheesy bread contained garlic butter, which is just as delicious as it sounds. The dough was so soft and chewy, just like the pizza!

It’s been awhile since I had Panago Pizza, and I missed it a lot! A lot of their competitors offer discounts and coupons, but Panago doesn’t. They probably know that their pizza is good enough to not need any coupons – I’d buy it at regular price!

TAKO – Taqueria Korean

November 30, 2019

TAKO has been on my to-try list for a long time now! I suggested it to Latte for dinner, who has been a couple of times already and enjoyed it!

TAKO is quite unique in that they serve Korean Mexican fusion food- burritos and tacos with kimchi fried rice, beef bulgolgi, etc. It is located across from Rogers Arena and is pretty small.

During my visit, I noticed a majority of their customers ordered takeout or delivery.

Korean BBQ short rib burrito: This burrito was delicious and came with BBQ short rib, kimchi fried rice, veggies, sour cream, and cheese. The BBQ short rib was very flavourful, juicy, and there was a very generous portion of it.

The kimchi fried rice gave the burrito a bit of a spicy kick. The veggies were fresh as well. Everything went together so well. My only complaint would be that it could have used more cheese. I only had a couple of bites where I could taste it.

Busan taco: The busan taco came with deep fried shrimp with spicy mayo and chili sauce. The shrimp was crunchy, with a nice snap to it.

Seoul fried chicken: The fried chicken came in juicy, tender, bite sized pieces. It was piping hot and crunchy. We couldn’t stop eating this! We ordered the soy version instead of the spicy. The soy glaze was slightly sweet and delicious.

Beef bulgolgi burrito: After the amazing short rib burrito, Latte and I decided to get another one to share. However, after finishing the fried chicken and tacos, we were too stuffed to try this. Latte generously gave this to me since she’s been here a couple times already!

I had it for lunch the next day and it was just as tasty. The beef was very well marinated in the bulgolgi sauce.

I’m glad I finally tried TAKO and will definitely be back to try some other items!

La Foret

November 27, 2019

La Foret is one of those places where I seem to be the last person on earth (or at least in my network) to try. I’ve heard great things about La Foret and while looking for a new place to try, the fiance and I finally came here.

La Foret is located close to Metrotown, inconspicuously disguised as a garage. You wouldn’t expect it to be a popular, bustling cafe with Korean influences from the outside.

We had a bit of trouble looking for the cafe because it was so low key from the outside. But once we opened the doors, it was bumpin’! All the tables were full, people buzzing around, with upbeat music.

Although all the tables were full, the large ceilings and layout made the cafe airy and comfortable to sit in. The rock wall was pretty cool and I haven’t seen anything like that before.

Mango bingsoo with cheesecake: I believe this is a Korean owned cafe since they served bingsoo and bulgolgi lunch dishes. It’s been awhile since we had bingsoo so we decided to get this. You can pick from either cheesecake or mochi.

The bingsoo was delicious! The shaved ice was airy, fluffy and slightly creamy. To keep things interesting, there were some mango chunks hidden in the middle. The mangoes could have been sweeter, but that’s probably because it is currently off season.

We really enjoyed the cheesecake topping as well. I was not expecting such a large slice of cheesecake on top. The cheesecake was made Asian style, in the sense that it was light and fluffy. The almonds were a nice touch as they gave the dessert a crunchy element.

Pear & prosciutto sandwich: The sandwich was quite delicious as well, you really can’t go wrong with pear and prosciutto. It was a good balance of savoury and sweet. Meanwhile, the balsamic vinegar gave it a slightly sour touch.

Although there were a lot of ingredients going on (pear, prosciutto, vinegar, walnuts, sprouts, honey ricotta cheese), everything went together perfectly and wasn’t weird or overwhelming.

I really enjoyed our first visit to La Foret, and there definitely will be more. The atmosphere and ambiance was great, and the food was delicious. It’s in a very random spot but it’s a gem!

IHOP – West Broadway

November 25, 2019

It has been what seems like eons since I last went to IHOP. Many good memories were made inside those four walls. In particular, the fiance and I used to come a lot to the Brentwood location when we started dating. We were so sad when they closed down (I want to say 5 years ago? But I could be wrong).

We were looking for a place to have lunch, and I suggested IHOP since the fiance went with some work people the week before. I was so excited to come back!

The closest location to us now is the West Broadway one. This IHOP has been around for many years, and is close to VGH. A great bonus is that they validate parking here!

Parking is not cheap at $5/ hour in this area, one of the most expensive rates in Vancouver. Just be sure not to pay on the Hangtag app. You need the print out receipt from the machine to get reimbursed.

Orange pineapple passionfruit guava juice: On the menu, it made it seem as though it would only be a guava and passionfruit juice, which is why I ordered it. Turns out it was a blend of all those different juices, which was a bit disappointing because I love my guava juice! The juice was alright and I did taste some guava, but I wish it was made more clear on the menu.

Chicken and waffles with a side of strawberry compote & whipped cream: Clearly, I went all out and in treat yoself mode. No regrets though because it’s been years since I had IHOP!

The chicken and waffles were always my go to. Since I love strawberries, I always order a side because the free strawberry syrup on the table does not do it for me! They also threw in a free small plate of whipped cream for me with the strawberry compote.

The waffles were thick, fluffy, and delicious. Adding the strawberry compote and whipped cream just elevated the waffles. I’m glad that nothing has changed!

The chicken strips came piping hot and crunchy too. I love my chicken strips and IHOP does them right. Crispy and flavourful.

Breakfast sampler: The fiance ordered the breakfast sampler, which came with eggs, hash browns, sausage, pancakes, ham, and bacon. A bit of everything for the indecisive people, hence the name!

The breakfast sampler was very filling and hearty. Sometimes you just need a good, greasy breakfast to start the day and this definitely hit the spot.

All in all, we left IHOP very full to the point that we had a later dinner than usual. I’m glad that we came back!

I know that IHOP is not the trendiest place, and that other food bloggers may stick their nose up at chain restaurants. But personally, IHOP hits the spot with breakfast food, even without the nostalgic value it holds for us personally.

Shake Shack – Las Vegas

November 24, 2019

Shake Shack was another place on our to try list because it was recommended by many friends. We finally found some time, and room in our stomachs, to visit during our last day!

Shake Shack is located by the New York New York hotel. This location was modern, nice and pretty spacious inside.

We took the free train from Bellagio to Aria (across the street from New York New York) to save ourselves from some walking, since we would be doing a lot of it that day.

Once you order at the front tills, they give you a restaurant pager that’ll let you know when your order is ready.

Chicken hot dog: I haven’t had a chicken hot dog before (I think? Or at least it’s been awhile) so I ordered this. I was pretty turned off though, when I bit into the hot dog and it was cold?!

I brought it back and they gave me a new one so it wasn’t a big deal. The bonus was that while waiting again, I heard some other customers ask for Shake Shack sauce. I didn’t know that was a thing, so I ended up getting some for us too!

Anyways, the chicken hot dog was meh. Nothing too memorable about it. The menu said that the chicken sausage included apple and sage, but I couldn’t taste any. It looks a bit sad in this picture, but I did end up adding some condiments to it.

SmokeShack: The fiance ordered the SmokeShack, which came with a beef patty, smoked bacon, cherry peppers, and ShackSauce. The burger was juicy and delicious! He also added another patty because #treatyoself on vacation.

Crinkle cut fries: The crinkle cut fries were delicious. I was debating if I should order another one because it was that good, but decided against it. They were very crispy and fresh. Crinkle cut fries are such a fun treat to have, just like waffle fries!

All in all, I found Shake Shack to be alright. Not the best I’ve had, but not the worst. I’m still glad I tried it though. It would be a place I wouldn’t mind going to, but not somewhere I’d purposely go to.