As mentioned previously, I spent Christmas Day helping my grandparents pack, and thus, took no pictures. This was pretty much the case on the 28th as well, so there won't be a post for Day 6 either =P
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.
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 guess this would be an appropriate time to insert a backstory:
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
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
Later we headed to the food court for lunch - and let me just say this now: Richmond Centre's Urban Eatery is THE BEST.
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!
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!
"Once you've tried pinkberry, you'll never go back." is something I tell my friends all the time.
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.)
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.)
Following Richmond Centre, we also stopped by Yaohan Centre, which really isn't good anymore since both the accessories shop and Japanese bookstore that I used to really enjoy visiting closed down, and Parker Place, where I picked up two uber-soft fleece hoodes, before making our last stop at Aberdeen for a typical Asian afternoon snack of coffee/tea and egg waffles.
Last time I visitedBubble Waffle Cafe, I tried their green tea egg waffles. This time around, I vowed to check out their cheesecake-flavoured egg waffles, ordered an iced coffee to go with it; my parents ordered the green tea-flavoured ones, along with honeydew and and mango milk.
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.)
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.)
When I was here in the summer, the Korean BBQ restaurant near H-Mart was still under construction. This time around, it finally opened so it seemed like a good idea to check it out.
I wouldn't say that it was an amazing experience, but it wasn't completely horrible either. But let's just say that I don't think I'll be coming back.
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.
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.
Every member of the staff spoke Korean, and it was obvious that the manager gave special preference to the Korean people that ate at their restaurant. My mom wasn't too pleased either when the lady that was in charge of marking people's places in lines totally lost our spot when she became engrossed in conversation with one of her Korean friends that happened to walk by.
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.
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.
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