Curiously Carmen

Gaya Sushi

January 15, 2019

This will be a short, delivery review on Gaya Sushi! We were hanging out at Cocoa’s when I got hungry. My usual sushi delivery place was closed, so I settled for Gaya Sushi.

Salmon sashimi: The sashimi was quite abysmal…. it was lacking in any flavour whatsoever. No salmon taste at all… just salmon texture. I didn’t really want to finish it but also didn’t want to waste it. So I ended up salvaging it with some soya sauce and wasabi, which helped.

House special roll: It sounded pretty good and filling on the menu… almost too good to be true for just over $5! The roll was mediocre at best. The imitation crab had way too much mayo and took up about 70% of the roll already.

Meanwhile, the salmon and tuna pieces were very tiny… just like slivers of fish. But it was filling and better than the bland salmon, so I finished it.

Overall, my opinion of Gaya Sushi was very meh… the two items I ordered weren’t that good, so I wouldn’t be dying to go back or go running to try the actual restaurant anytime soon. One of the online reviews mentioned that Ben Stiller came here multiple times while filming in Vancouver… and my first thought was really? this place? LOL.

Would I order delivery again? Maybe, if I was very hungry and had no other options.

Korres Wild Rose Foaming Cream Cleanser

January 10, 2019

At the ACI beauty preview event this September, we were introduced to a new product off of the Korres Wild Rose line! The Wild Rose Foaming Cream Cleanser has joined the family. I’m a big fan of their oil so I was quite excited to dry the cleanser.

What it says (Taken from Sephora):

Wild Rose Foaming Cream Cleanser is a gentle cleanser for the face and eyes to remove impurities, makeup, mascara and environmental pollutants without dehydrating the skin. The cleanser is enriched with wild rose oil, a natural source of vitamin C, and super vitamin C, which absorbs 1,000 percent more than pure ascrobic acid. It refreshes, and maintains skin’s normal pH levels while leaving it silky, soft, and supple.

Application: My favourite thing about this cleanser is the SCENT. It smells like wonderfully floral, just like roses!

Although this cleanser is described as a foaming cream cleanser, it did not foam at all. I would describe it as a cream cleanser.

A little pump fully cleans my skin and leaves it feeling soft and plump. If wearing foundation, I would recommend using a bit more and washing a bit longer to dissolve all the foundation. I love that this cleanser leaves my skin smelling like roses and how plump it feels.

I don’t feel the need to moisturize after, but of course I still do because moisturizing is super important (whether your skin feels dry or not!)

Yay!

Availability: Shoppers Drug Mart stores or online
Price: $32.00 CAD

JY Noodle – No. 1 Beef Noodle House

January 6, 2019

Almost five years ago, some friends and I had a horrible experience at No. 1 Beef Noodle House. I wrote a pretty scathing review (linked for the lolz) on it and didn’t go back there for about four years.

I reluctantly went back a year ago because my dad wanted to try it… and it was a lot better that time. While catching up with Sangria and Cocoa, we came here on a whim because Sushi S was closed next door.

No. 1 Beef Brisket with sliced noodles: Both Sangria and I ordered the same thing! Compared to my first visit, this bowl of noodles was a LOT better… It was like a completely different restaurant!

The brisket was soft and tender. Meanwhile, the broth was flavourful and had enough depth in it. The noodles were chewy and doughy too!

My only complaint is that we found the portion size to be a bit on the small size. We joked that we would need a second dinner in about 2 hours, haha! I was famished after work, and ended up ordering another side of noodles. The waitress didn’t seem to bat an eye or seem surprised, so we think that it happens often.

Beef brisket with tripe and tendon: Cocoa’s bowl of noodles was similar to ours, but with tripe and tendon. She had no complaints taste wise, but also found the portion to be a bit on the small side.

After two more visits, I can say that No. 1 Beef Noodle House has redeemed itself and I wouldn’t mind going back again. Service was quick and efficient. The parking lot is a bit of a mess during peak hours so you have been warned!

Compared to Myst, No. 1 Beef Noodle has smaller portion sizes so I would recommend Myst because of that. But taste wise, they are both delicious.

Hon’s Wonton House

January 3, 2019

Ah, Hon’s. Chances are, if you grew up in Vancouver and also Chinese, you have been to Hon’s. Personally, my family did not go to the restaurant to eat that much, but we always purchased their fresh noodles (hoa fun) at the original Chinatown location. I really enjoyed Hon’s hoa fun noodles but it’s been awhile since I’ve had them!

Latte and I were thinking of a place to catch up, so I suggested Hon’s because Olympic Village is a convenient, midway meeting point for us. It’s been a long time since going to Hon’s. Last time I went was 9 years ago at their Robson location!

The Hon’s in Olympic Village is quite small, but comfortable. There are convenient hooks under the table for your purse. The decor was a mix of modern and old pieces that pay homage to the original Hon’s. I really liked the decor and layout!

It seem that a lot of their business is take out. Many seats were empty but we did see a few people coming for take out.

Beef brisket and wonton noodle soup: I was glad they had this because I wanted a mix of both! The food came out very fast…. Like within 2-3 minutes I would say?! Faster than McDonalds LOL. This proves that they do a lot of take out and probably just premake everything.

I found the bowl to be okay. The beef brisket was very flavourful and yummy, but a bit on the dry side. The wontons weren’t anything special and were quite small. The dried garlic flakes was a nice added touch.

For $12, I have a hard time saying it was worth it although there was a generous portion of beef brisket.

Oyster sauce lo mein with wonton: Latte found her bowl to be just okay as well. Nothing spectacular but nothing bad either.

All in all, we agreed that we would come back to this location if we were in the area and wanted something quick. It’s not a place I would purposely drive to or probably crave. But it’s also nice to finally have a Chinese comfort food option in Olympic Village!

Yay!

Bistro Sakana

December 31, 2018

The last post of 2018!

Another year, another year wiser. For my birthday this year, I wanted some delicious, high quality Japanese food and found Bistro Sakana!

Bistro Sakana is located in Yaletown, right across from Minami. I considered going to Minami as well, but in the end I rather try a place that I haven’t been before.

Despite being a cold, rainy December night, their patio was open and started to fill out throughout the evening. It is all covered, with heat lamps above and candles at each table.

The inside of the restaurant with an open view of the sushi chefs.

Premium omakase sashimi elite set: I love, love, love omakase! I am indecisive when it comes to sushi (just ask the boyfriend how many times I ask him to select our rolls heh) and don’t really know the different types of high quality sashimi. Anyways, the elite set is the smaller omakase which has 10 pieces of sashimi. You can also order the prime set which has a lot more sashimi and is $100.00.

The selection of sashimi that day, starting from right to left was: shima-aji (striped jack), hamachi (amberjack), blue fin tuna, rockfish, and hirame (flounder).

They were all delicious and fresh – exactly what I wanted!

Assorted nigiri: I asked the boyfriend to select some nigiri for us since I am so indecisive when it comes to sushi. He made an excellent choice in ordering two wild salmon, seabream, hamachi, and hamachi toro.

I was excited to dig in to the wild salmon because it looked deliciously fatty, but it wasn’t that fatty and quite lean. My favourite was probably the two hamachi because of the strong fishy taste and richness.

They also had freshly grated wasabi. It was very potent and a tiny amount made our eyes water!

Blue fin combo: Oh. my. GOD. This was both of our favourite that evening – assorted blue fin nigiri. The taste of this brought us right back to Japan… which makes sense because it was freshly imported from Toyosu Fish Market (used to be the famous Tsujiki Fish Market but they moved and changed names).

So rich, buttery, and fresh. Although it cost double in Vancouver due to the import cost, I would definitely come back on a special occasion.

Ora king salmon set: Our last set of the evening! It was good, but after the amazing blue fin combo… we definitely preferred the blue fin. The last piece was torched in mayo, so it smelled nice but it was a bit too saucy for my liking. I like my sashimi plain and simple.

Overall, we had a delicious dinner at Bistro Sakana. The only minor complaint was that we both found the nigiri rice to be a bit hard, but it wasn’t that big of a deal. It’s a bit under the radar but it’s worth checking out.