And since I'm writing this post on the 28th (aka Day 7), I should also mention that since today happened to be my only "chill" day - ie. a day where I'm NOT running around and can stay at home, stuff my face with cookies, and edit photos - I haven't taken any photos either.
Now let's move on to Boxing Day! =)
To be honest, I already spent quite a bit more than the amount I had originally planned to prior to Boxing Day. So my only goal for Boxing Day was to (hopefully) pick up a fragrance in order to replace my Etude House MiniME fragrance.
We arrived at the Richmond Centre location a little after 11 AM; while my mom browsed the Coach store, I headed into L'Occitane en Provence to see what I could find.
I've always liked the Green Tea scent from L'Occitane and would pick it up and give it a little sniff every time I entered the store. However, as I could never justify the price tag and therefore just opted for more wallet-friendly alternatives.
Not too long ago, I was informed that the French boutique's original Green Tea had been discontinued and replaced with a new blend by the name of Thé Vert et Bigarade, which took the original fragrance and added a couple punches of citrus to it. Though quite nice, it was a tad too citrusy for me, and being a new product, there definitely wasn't a chance of the $75 eau de toilette going on sale anytime soon.
Luckily for me though, L'Occitane happened to be using Boxing Day to get rid of their old Green Tea products! I was able to find a 100mL bottle of the initial concoction for 30% off of its original price, in addition to a fresh-smelling cologne titled Eau Universelle for $21. =D
Like, no kidding. It is.
If you're ever in Richmond, you must try it.
We ordered a BBQ Chicken Salad from Koryo (SO MUCH YUM) and a gyros from Opa!, followed by pinkberry!
I'm usually a pretty loyal Yogurty's fan back home, but that's only because pinkberry's sole locations in Canada are along the West Coast, and all its others are in the states.
I tried green tea and mango during the summer, so this time gave chocolate hazelnut topped with pizzelle cookies a try =)
On our way, we also spotted these adorable "Cupigs" that Hallmark has situated near the front of the store in preparation for Valentine's Day. (Early much? Yes. But as it's the next holiday where consumers are likely to shell out large amounts of money, it comes as no surprise that they want to get a head start.)
By golly! Bubble Waffle Cafe's gotten WAY BETTER! Unlike anything I've ever tasted in Markham, the combination of the crunchy outer shell and soft, chewy interior was of utmost perfection; they weren't even the slightest bit soggy! Despite them being folded into a tiny little bag, there was no condensation. And plucking out the bubbles didn't leave your fingers greasy either.
THIS IS IT. I HAVE FOUND MY HOLY GRAIL EGG WAFFLES. * O *
(I mean, they were still crunchy after being left out for 3 hours! How's that even possible?!?!)
In all seriousness though, if you ever happen to visit Richmond, Bubble Waffle Cafe at Aberdeen is THE place to go for egg waffles. (Just a heads up: there's always a lineup here so come in a group and have one of your buddies line up while you browse the neighbouring anime tore/order drinks.)
First off, they don't allow reservations. And that's an IMMENSE pain when they open at 5:30 PM and the line up to get in can get take anywhere from 45 minutes to over an hour. We waited for about 50 minutes before finally getting seated.
But despite all that, the food was really good! I've read a few reviews about the food being severely overpriced and that you could find better K-BBQ elsewhere; but as I'm not from an area where traditional Korean food isn't easily accessible (and when you do, it's usually quite expensive), price wasn't that much of an issue to me. That, and since I wasn't the one paying XD
Nonetheless, I have listed the prices for the items so you can decide for yourself ^ ^
In regards to the food, I don't think I've ever tasted K-BBQ that had this much MSG in it - it dried out my throat for a good two days!
But I'd still have to say that the food was good, really good. Especially their Kalbi-Jjim. Like OMG. I'm known for not being a huge fan of red meat, but even I couldn't resist munching on a couple more pieces that night.
Going back to why it's unlikely that I'll ever visit again: I don't think it's worth spending extended period of time waiting to have dinner. Maybe those with connections will be able to get in easier, but as for the rest of us, we'll probably have to continue lining up until Sura decides to implement a better system.