Friday 28 June 2013

Tacos and Wine.

It's Taco Time! Not the cheap, food-court variety, but the new taco restaurant 'La Casita Tacos' on Robson Street. It's little sister to 'La Casita' in Gastown, but they focus solely on tacos.
We went on Friday night with our two friends Andrew and Akira, a fellow Mexicana/Canadian couple. We each ordered 4 tacos for $10, which for Vancouver standards is pretty reasonable. Although, it is laughable to imagine paying almost 100 pesos for 4 tacos in Mexico.
I also ordered Sopa Azteca (Aztec Soup), a favorite of mine; however, it didn't have quite the same taste as in Mexico. We then ordered a round of beers and tucked in.


They have a stand inside with unlimited salsas and limes, which in our minds, kind of sets this place apart. Jose gets really irritated when he asks for limes at restaurants, and they bring him one little wedge. He fully took advantage here and had a plate full.
Overall, we all thought they were the best tacos we have tried so far.

On Saturday, we did a little shopping - I went into Forever 21, which I have a total love/hate relationship with, and ended picking up a few things.



In the evening, lovely Nanette graced us with her presence. As usual, she arrived at our place looking beautiful, in a new dress from Aritzia that I might have to steal one day.



We sat on the balcony, and had a few glasses of wine. We then decided to go for a drink at Uva, a bar on Seymour Street. It's a lovely little place for drinking wine in nice big chairs... well in glasses but sitting in chairs ;-)





Ok, enough of this, lets go. 

Monday 17 June 2013

Gordon Bennett the woman can see!!

After much denial, kicking and screaming... I had an eye test today. I have become very aware that I spend a large portion of my day squinting, and trying to manually focus... I'm like an old camera. 

I went to LensCrafters Optique in the Village at Park Royal in West Vancouver; they are fantastic in there. I had my eye appointment with Dr. H. Sian, who is so friendly and really listens to you. 

The optician, who was so friendly and chatty, then helped me to pick my new glasses. She asked me very thought-provoking questions like... "Do you want to blend in?" or "Do you want to wear glasses that say something about you?" This encouraged me to make a braver choice, so I went with some tortoise shell Ray Bans. Whoever Ray is, I love you. Also, they have a 40% off sale on frames until this Thursday if your're interested!


When I put them on, the room felt like this... 




Also, after that I went into the grocery store to get a snack and some bus money, when I came across this hair conditioner on sale for $3.97.... I don't know what it was doing next to the snacks ;-)
At the till it scanned at the wrong price, so I ended up getting it for free, score!



Sunday 16 June 2013

Paulies.

I had seen this place in Yaletown a few times, and it just looked so European and lovely. It is called 'Paulies' on Mainland Street.


VanCityBuzz

Jose and I went there on Friday night for dinner. I made a reservation for 7.30, and by the time we arrived there, it was pretty much packed.



We got a cute little table on the patio. They have really cozy lights/lanterns hanging from the ceiling, beautiful tiles everywhere and rustic Italian looking things on the walls. I have to say, it had a bit more of a 'chain' restaurant feel to it inside than I was expecting. We weren't entirely sure what sort of food it would be, or the price point... exciting stuff right? Anyway, they serve Italian food... although maybe an Italian would disagree. They have quite a few appetizers, so we shared the stuffed mushrooms - stuffed with what I don't know but they were bloody lovely!


As for main courses, you can choose meatballs, flatbreads/sandwiches, pastas or meats. We chose fettucini pasta with pesto, and a flatbread with pork sausage  The pasta was nice... it tasted liked pasta with pesto, not much to say about that. The flatbread was thin and crispy and had some sausage and tomatoes on it, by 'some' I want to emphasize not a lot, but still tasty.


 For dessert, Jose ordered ice cream with olive oil, which was oddly quite nice, and I had Cannolis.



The menus are kind of a good idea, but not so environmentally friendly. You have to check off what you want and then give it to the server, kind of like ordering tacos in Mexico.


However, sometimes do you feel that service is too quick... like, 'we just make a big batch of this stuff and then heat it when you order'?? #firstworldproblems much?
When we ordered the stuffed mushrooms, she said it would take probably 15 minutes, but that they would be well worth the wait... they came out in literally 5 minutes...
As for drinks, I think their cocktails are the stars of the place. I especially liked the drinks they had 'borrowed' from restaurants around the world.


A New York Sour and A French 70 something.... small but really good.
Overall, I'd say this is a good place for decent Italian food, friendly service, beautiful plates and a nice patio. The prices definitely matched the quality of the food. I'd give it 7/10.


Saturday 15 June 2013

A little makeup.

This week I did my quarterly makeup cleanout - Throw away stuff that smells funky, sanitize everything... and add something of course. I went through something of a makeup obsession about a year ago. However, I came to the realization that I enjoyed buying it and looking at the pretty packaging  more than I enjoyed wearing it. Now, I try to just buy what I need and only have one of everything... as a general rule. I still love makeup, especially when you have lots of time and you can sit at your dressing table, with a glass of wine and fresh face and just really go to town. 

Basic everyday makeup
  • Jemma Kidd mineral foundation and powder (They just discontinued this brand... here and in the UK :(
  • Rimmel lipstick in Airy Fairy 070 (My favorite lipstick of all time)
  • Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel 
  • Lancome Under eye concealer
  • Bare Minerals (has SPF 15)
  • Mac eye shadow in Mystery 
  • Tarte blush in Blissful
  • Marcelle Ultimate Lash mascara (Nobody seems to use this except my mum and I... It's so good!)
  • Milani Illuminating Face Powder in Hermosa Rosa (I mainly bought this because of the name)

The only Chanel I own


The lipsticks

Mac Ruby woo and Rebel
Rimmel Airy Fairy 
Shiseido Serenity 
YSL 145


Ruby Woo is beautiful but very matte - Quite drying. 
Rebel is really good at bring out eye color - Sounds weird but true. 


Urban Decay Naked eye shadows
If you have to buy one thing, it should be this. 




Sunday 9 June 2013

Fresh Market, jazzies and brekkie.

Fresh Market is a new grocery store in West Vancouver, and I have fallen in love with it. I do have a bit of a thing for nice grocery stores. After having worked in three (Safeway, Capers and Thrifty's) I am picky about where we shop.



I love their bulk sections. Especially the coffee area where you can choose your beans and then use the grinder machine, the smell is amazing. They also have a peanut section where you can make your own fresh peanut butter. 


Once upon a time, I worked at Safeway (possibly my least enjoyable job) and I was a 'service clerk'. This is another way of saying 'glorified skivvy'. I packed bags, emptied rubbish bins and pulled all of the carts in... wind, rain or shine... or snow or hail. People can be very inconsiderate and lazy by leaving their carts in the spaces next to their car. It takes 30 seconds to put a cart back, and so I thought this sign is a nice way of reminding everyone.


I then spotted these little treasures. They were once called rainbows, but now they have been changed to jazzies. They were my favourite when I was little so when I saw them, I couldn't resist. 


For dinner we made fish tacos with tilapia. 








I then made brownies based on a recipe from my favourite blogger (The Londoner - 100 cal chocofudge brownies). Mine technically should be called 'Slightly more than 100 call brownies' as I used Greek yogurt, and I didn't have enough stevia so I used organic coconut sugar. They are absolutely the easiest brownies to make and they only take 15 minutes to cook.



A glass of wine is totally obligatory.




Sunday is Funday, so we had fun breakfast.