Curiously Carmen

Food: The Flying Pig – Revisit

May 12, 2018

About three years ago, the boyfriend wrote a guest post on our disappointing dinner at The Flying Pig. Since then, I have had happy hour a couple times and my opinion of The Flying Pig has drastically improved! I also wrote about happy hour at their Gastown location a few years ago.

Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) mussels, $6.50: The mussels were an average size, not too small but not that big either. The white wine garlic broth was really good. They’re a nice snack to share.

Truffle jumbo mac & cheese, $6.75: This is what keeps me coming back! It is a must try for their happy hour and my favourite item on their menu. Although there is no meat, it’s very creamy from all the dairy and also aromatic from the truffle oil!

Classic poutine, $7.50: The boyfriend loves his poutine, and this was no different. There was a very generous portion of melted cheese which made it taste very good!

I would recommend going for happy hour rather than the dinner. The happy hour is a lot cheaper and the food is better too. It’s a good place to go on a sunny afternoon because you can take a lovely stroll around Olympic Village afterwards!

Yay!

Food: L’otus Cake Boutique

May 9, 2018

A few months ago, Maki and Nigiri surprised us with a couple pieces of cake from L’otus Cake Boutique! L’otus is a cafe in Richmond and known for their mille crepe cake. A mille crepe cake is basically a thinly layered crepe cake. The word ‘mille’ means a thousand, and since the cake has so many layers, that’s where it gets the name from!
Mango mille crepe cake: The first one they got us was the mango mille crepe cake. Each layer was very thin just like a crepe, and in between there was fresh mango and whipped cream. The mango was ripe and sweet. The whipped cream tasted very light with a hint of sweetness.
Strawberry mille crepe cake: The second slice was the strawberry! The whipped cream was also very light tasting. There was a nice amount of fresh strawberries inside as well.

Compared to other cakes, mille crepe cakes are a lot lighter and not as dense. Depending on where you go, some places may be super sweet but L’otus was not that sweet, which I actually prefer because I don’t have much of a sweet tooth.

Both of the cakes tasted fresh and you could really tell that they were good quality slices. I would imagine that mille crepe cakes take a lot of patience to make due to the fragile nature of the crepes (if they’re too thin, they could break, but it also can’t be that thick) and how many layers you need!

Yay!

Beauty: ACI Beauty Preview Spring 2018(Part 2/2)

May 6, 2018

Hi hi! Continuing along for the ACI Beauty Spring 2018 event, here is part 2/2!

One of Paul & Joe’s most popular products is their cat shaped lipstick, which we have been for the past couple of preview events. They have switched it up for spring 2018 and put a flower design instead of a cat. The formulation is still the same and if you see a cat themed lipstick case, that is after the founder, Sophie Albou’s own cat!

Moving on are these super thin and travel friendly cheek/eyeshadow ‘records’. They are designed after vinyl records and last about 30 uses. I like how they are super thin and compact, about the thickness of a credit card.

CLEAN also has some new fragrance releases this spring! We were introduced to CLEAN’s Ultimate Beach Day at a previous launch. This time, they have released an Ultimate Beach Night to go with this theme. It reminds me of a tropical and fun vacation… if I think hard enough, I’m in Mexico, right? 😉

CLEAN is also big on encouraging customers to create and layer their own scents. This is their new 6 piece CLEAN Reserve Hygge collection. The word Hygge is a Norwegian word for a mood of coziness, wellness, contentment, etc. The word has since been adapted into Western culture as a term synonymous with self care. Each of the caps are made of real wood, so the design of each cap is unique.

Last but not least, Ardell is launching magnetic lashes! I haven’t seen these before and I was very curious as to how they worked. The main difference is that they do not require any glue. Each eye takes two pieces of falsies, which have magnets. You put one piece on top of your lashes, and one on the bottom so they clip together. I had a demo after the event and the Ardell rep made it look easy to apply, but we shall see when I try at home myself. I suspect that there will be trial and error. I wore them for the rest of the evening afterwards and they were so easy and mess free to remove!

Food: Sushi Hub

May 3, 2018

Do you ever go out to eat by yourself? I know that some people find it weird, but I could not care less!

After work one evening, I decided to go on Yelp and try a place that I’ve never been to. It was a fantastic idea because I really liked it here and ended up taking the boyfriend a few weeks later.

Sushi Hub is located on Main and 33rd, right by QE Park. Finding free street parking was not an issue which is a definite plus. The restaurant itself is pretty small and can feel cramped during peak periods.

Salmon and mango roll, $5.00: Salmon and mango roll is one of my favourites, although not all restaurants offer it. So whenever I see it on the menu, I jump at the chance to get it!

Even though it was simple, I kept thinking about it the next day. There was a large portion of fresh salmon and the mango… omg, it was so ripe and delicious.

Tuna and avocado roll, $5.00: Mmmm… this was delicious as well! As you can see, there was a generous portion of fresh tuna sashimi in each roll. The avocado was ripe and delicious too!

Assorted aburi sushi ($2.45-$2.75/piece): Reviews on Yelp stated that their torched sushi was delicious, so I ordered a few pieces to try. It was such a good idea because the aburi was amazing as well.

What stood out to me was the fresh garlic, ground pepper, and salt that they sprinkle on top. This small detail really highlighted the seared/grilled taste. Such a small thing but made a big difference.

Beef teriyaki roll, $5: On a separate visit, I brought the boyfriend here and we tried a couple of different rolls. The beef teriyaki had a very generous portion of seasoned beef and lightly drizzled with teriyaki sauce.

BC roll, $4: BC rolls are either hit or miss, at Sushi Hub it was a hit. The salmon skin was lightly fried so it was a bit crunchy and tasted fresh.

Assorted sushi sampler, $14: Had to make sure that the boyfriend didn’t leave without trying the aburi sushi! It was just as delicious as the first time!

I’m really glad that I tried Sushi Hub because of how fresh and flavourful everything is. Service was also quick and attentive. There’s no doubt that we will come back here when we are craving sushi.

Yay!

Beauty: ACI Beauty Preview Spring 2018(Part 1/2)

April 30, 2018

Last week, I attended the ACI Beauty preview for Spring 2018. If you’re new to my blog (welcome!), ACI Beauty is a Canadian distributor for brands such as Korres, Stila, Paul & Joe, Fresh, Ardell, St. Tropez, and more. This means that they work with stores such as Shoppers Drug Mart or Sephora to ensure that those brands (and others) are on the shelves.

Starting with St. Tropez, there are some notable new releases. Although I have yet to use a self tanner, I found that the new colourless spray tan (in the middle) was very cool!

With this product, you just spray liberally over your skin and do not have to worry about it staining your clothes (we were so nervous when the ACI rep sprayed this on her neck and arms with her beautiful white linen shirt!!!).

Moving on with Korres, this is one of my favourite skincare brands. I was actually wearing their Wild Rose Oil mixed into my foundation that day, which gives your foundation a dewy finish and rose scent. Their main focus this season is the black pine line, which is focused on anti-aging.
Stila also has some notable products being released this season. The new Stay All Day micro-tip liner will be sold in parallel with the original. The new liner has an even more precise and defined tip.

As well, there are some new shades in their lipstick and Glitter and Glow liquid eyeshadows. I have reviewed their Glitter and Glow liquid eyeshadows before, which I absolutely love. And if you love sparkle, you will love these too!

For festival season, Stila will be releasing some coloured, sparkly highlighters reminiscent of unicorn sparkle. These are meant to be used for fun and can be put all over your cheeks or neck/chest area.

Stay tuned for part 2!