Mmmm, happy hour. Is it weird that I go to happy hour mainly for the cheap food instead of alcohol?
Cocoa suggested that we check out Earl’s for happy hour after work a couple of months ago. They have a pretty good menu for happy hour, and one of the perks about Earl’s is that they offer happy hour specials on Friday & Saturday nights too!
The last time I went to Earl’s was over a year ago and it was for dinner, so it was my first time trying their happy hour. Here’s how it went!
Virgin passion fruit limeade, $4.50: This came with passion fruit, mint, and fresh lime juice. It was a bit sour for my liking and I wish that there was more passion fruit flavour. Nonetheless, it was alright and a good non-alcoholic drink.
I should also mention that if you like highballs, they are only $3 during happy hour! Yes, I am aware that my virgin drink cost more than alcohol… when does that ever happen???
Maui Ahi Poke, $9.50: I can’t sing enough praises about the ahi tuna poke… it was so delicious! In fact, I came back here a week later and ordered the same thing because I enjoyed it that much.
The poke came with some cilantro, mango, smashed avocado, and a side of chips. It was seasoned with sesame oil which is why I loved it so much. Whenever I make my own tuna poke at home, I use sesame oil as my main marinate so the poke at Earl’s was exactly how I liked it!
I would recommend scooping the poke on the chips. A bit unconventional but the chips are really bland on its own. Think of it was a Western twist on poke?
Garlic fries, $3.50: Cocoa and her friend decided to share this, but it was quite disappointing for garlic fries. There wasn’t really any garlic taste at all. It tasted just like normal fries.
Chicken tacos, $7.50: We each ordered two chicken tacos for $7.50, which was a pretty decent price.
We all enjoyed the tacos. The ingredients were fresh and did a good job in filling us up.
Margherita pizza w/salami add on, $5~: Without the salami, the margherita pizza was only$3.50 which is so cheap! However, do be warned that it is definitely a snack size and is quite small. Cocoa had no complaints about the pizza.
Avocado toast, $7.50: Cocoa’s friend was curious about the avocado toast, so she decided to try it. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t curious either but I never order it from restaurants as I can easily make it at home. I feel like avocado toast has also become so amusing ever since that businessman said in the news that avocado toast is the reason young people can’t afford a house these days.
Anyways, the avocado toast was disappointing. There wasn’t much flavour to it and it was really plain… definitely not worth $7.50.
A shot of all our food! Overall, some food items were a hit or miss but I would definitely come back now that I know what to order and what to avoid. The prices are great and it is a good place to go to hang out over food. And now that you’ve read my review, you can learn from our mistakes and not spend your money on the items that weren’t worth it 😉
Service was spotty and a bit slow at times, they also forgot Cocoa’s poke and we had to ask them about it. On my second visit here the following week, we were seated and waited 15 minutes for a server. Finally, one of the servers there noticed that we had been sitting there for awhile with no one so he ended up helping us for the rest of the night.
Yay!
I would describe Beauty by Sanctuary as an edgy, fun and young brand with its target consumers being Generation Z. After interviewing many Generation Z-ers (I just made that word up LOL), they came up with a line that would match their needs and desires. These desires are to have a low and affordable price, but also to be well aware of 1) all the ingredients inside the products and 2) morally conscious – no animal testing.
Salted caramel and macadamia burst: This one smelled very rich and desserty. It reminded me of the delicious salted caramel ice cream from Earnest.
Hibiscus and coconut water: This one was very fruity and berry-like, with a hint of coconut. It smelled very happy and upbeat. Yes, scents can induce feelings and actions.
Cloudberry and lychee: This scent reminded me of an Asian chewy candy that I would eat. Not hi-chew, but it comes in tubes similar to the 
Chili mango and tonka bean:Â The last scent we were introduced to! It had a bit of a fruity scent with a spicy kick to it.
Shower burst: This product was pretty cool and I haven’t seen it before! So you spray it onto your skin and then it quickly foams up while cleaning your skin.
Tumeric Teas: I noticed that many tea companies at the festival were featuring tumeric in their teas. Tumeric is a spice that has recently gained lots of attention for its health benefits, although it’s been used for centuries.
Tea Sparrow: Tea Sparrow was our favourite booth! They had many types of herbal, green, and black tea samples that we enjoyed. My favourite was the herbal strawberry mint, which I ended up purchasing.
Justea: This booth specialized in purple leaf tea. Why is it called purple tea? Because purple tea leaves grow naturally in the tea bush due to the Anthocyanins antioxidant.
The picture above is still from Justea. They had the coolest steepers in the festival and I thought it was worthy of a photo! Once the tea is done steeping, visitors pour themselves a sample in the environmentally-friendly glass cup provided (and are able to keep after the festival!).
Oollo Tea: Oollo tea focused on oolong tea, which Smores was a big fan of! They had many different types of oolong tea on sample.
Young Mountain Tea Company: Young Mountain Tea Company had a few samples featured as well!
Shaktea: I remember going to Shaktea’s cafe on Main Street three years ago, and enjoying their tea. I quite liked the colourful assortment of tea tins and herbal tea sample. They have since moved from their Main Street location to Cambie Street, which will be opening later this month.
Tsuru no Maru: We were intrigued by this table because of the pretty pink flowers and simple layout (hey, marketing works okay!). Unfortunately, we didn’t get to sample their tea because the person was busy talking to other guests.
Xiaguan Tuocha: This booth really brought me back to childhood, because my dad is a huge traditional Chinese tea lover. This booth had all of the Chinese tea ceremony supplies and the tea that my dad loved to drink!
Amoda Tea: Amoda Tea had quite a lot of samples and we both enjoyed their teas.
Whisk Premium Matcha: This booth specialized in matcha tea. I love matcha but I don’t drink/eat matcha as often as I like because of my caffeine sensitivity. The lady was quite busy with other customers so we decided to skip out on the samples here.
Aburi Beef Carpaccio,$19.50: AAA Sterling silver short rib, sous vide egg, shaved grana padano cheese and ponzu sauce.
Sashimi platter: Website says $20/person but this wasn’t the case when we came, and I can’t remember the price anymore.
Aburi sashimi, $25: The aburi sashimi came with two pieces of each, which was up to the chef’s decision. The little flower decoration was a really cute touch.
Salmon oshi sushi, $17: One of Minami’s most popular dishes! Oshi sushi is a pressed sushi, which gives it the box shape. It came with BC wild sockeye salmon, jalapeno, and Miku sauce (not sure exactly what that is but I am assuming it is partly made out of mayo).
Pacific roll: We ordered a bit too much food and probably shouldn’t have ordered this! I don’t see this item on the website anymore, so I guess they change up their food offerings often.
What it says (Taken from website)
Application: Originally, I thought that the primer would apply like a foundation (meaning that it would be pigmented). You can see the mix of pink in the picture above. I was surprised when it applied clear! I decided to test this with my Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation.
– Gives skin a nice dewy effect with a hint of glimmer
-Need to apply more foundation for the same amount of coverage