Girls' Night Out - The Keg, Sephora and Yaletown

Vancity Girlfriends had a little hiatus with the busyness of life!  Thought it would be nice to share with our readers what we've been up to including our Girl's Night Out dates.  

I had a gift card for the Keg so we decided to meet at The Keg on Alberni Street downtown Vancouver which Carolyn also describes as the Shangrila Keg.  This was the first time I went to this location and I loved the atmosphere.  First we met at the bottom of staircase that led up to the front doors of the restaurant.  The staircase was lined with bamboo on both sides creating a natural and beautiful entrance.  I had made Open Table reservations for 5pm and that's also when the dining room and outdoor patio opened.  It was a beautiful sunny evening so we asked to sit in the elegant patio and dine outdoors.  

Happy Hour was from 3-6pm so we had time to indulge in $6 glasses of wine.  I had the white on tap and Carolyn had the red on tap.  Both were lovely blends that I would return to have again.  It was worth going for an early dinner just to be able to have $6 glass of wine.  

For our meals, we didn't order from the Happy Hour menu but instead had the Keg classic dinners which start with a caesar salad and the steak of your choice comes with grilled vegetables and a side of your choice.  I chose the Top Sirloin (8oz) steak with bernaise sauce and a twice baked potato.  The Keg Classic dinners did not disappoint.  We were both completely satisfied with our meals and the ambiance at The Keg on Alberni in Vancouver.  

After our meal, we walked down Robson Street and stopped at our favorite beauty store, Sephora.  I was looking for a new cleanser and moisturizer and found the Ole Henriksen A Brighter Truth skincare kit with the cleaner, serum, and moisturizer.  The brighter truth has vitamin c to help with the sun spots and age spots which I need so I bought the reasonably priced kit at $42.  It has a light fruity scent that is refreshing so we'll see how I feel after I test it for a month.

Then we continued our journey down Robson Street past the Vancouver Art Gallery where there was a busker playing music on the street.  We were both completely full from dinner so the evening stroll downtown was a way to walk off our dinner.  Since Carolyn needed to travel by the Canada Skytrain Line, we decided to walk to the Roundhouse Yaletown skytrain station.  Just outside the skytrain station we were pleasantly surprised with the Underbrella art exhibit.  Umbrellas in the sky.  It was the perfect way to end our girl's night out.  

NaBloPoMo Day 7 - Thrifty Tuesday A & W Coupons

Thrifty Tuesday A & W Coupons

NaBloPoMo 2017 Day 7 

I love using coupons to save money especially on fast food.  A & W is a Canadian classic and has been around since 1956.  I love eating in and getting the A & W root beer in a frosty mug.  The A & W root beer is made with cane sugar.  I was lucky because I was babysitting my niece who likes A & W kids pack.  She ordered the chicken strips kids pack with orange juice and fries.  I ordered a teen burger combo with a root beer and often the coupons are for upgrades which is what I did here.  I paid for the Teen Burger combo which normally comes with french fries but with my coupon I got a free upgrade to onion rings.  What I didn't notice until after we sat down was that they even have a self serve kiosk at A & W now.  I'm an introvert so I love self serve kiosks because all of the choices are there without having to interact or try to figure out what the cashier is asking for.  It wasn't busy so ordering at the counter did not take very long and there were spaces in the restaurant for us to enjoy a lovely A & W lunch with my niece.  Every now and again they change up the coupons too.  Here's the link for the A & W coupons to save a buck or two:  https://awcoupon.ca/en

NaBloPoMo Day 6 - Janzen Tea and Pho Hoa Restaurant

Janzen Tea and Pho Hoa Restaurant

NaBloPoMo 2017 Day 6 

I was first introduced to Janzen Tea in the summer and happened to go for a late lunch during happy hour.  Happy Hour is a perfect time to try different types of food and drinks because the fruit tea and smoothies, salad rolls, and spring rolls are all on sale.  It's hard not to try a little bit of everything.

We went to the location in Coquitlam 3025 Lougheed Hwy #750 closest to Coquitlam Central Skytrain Station.  On Mondays they have Meatless Monday specials with their Vegetarian Pho.  There are other locations in Vancouver, but I've only visited the location in Coquitlam.  

The hardest part is deciding what you want to try.  Janzen tea is the Taiwanese tea part of the restaurant that serves fruit, milk, smooth or snow sips.  So many different types to choose from.  The Pineapology is pictured below with a shrimp salad roll and peanut sauce.  In the other picture is the vegetarian pho.  I've tried the delicious popcorn chicken as well and spring rolls.  Even just writing this blog is making me long to return to Janzen Tea and Pho Hoa to treat myself to Taiwanese teas and Vietnamese appetizers and pho.  That sounds like a winning combination for the winter.  Time to plan my next trip!

NaBloPoMo Day 5 - Weekend Getaway Kelowna BC

Weekend Getaway Kelowna BC and Quails Gate Winery Restaurant

NaBloPoMo 2017 Day 5

Every year I have an annual girls weekend where we choose a place for Vancity Girlfriends to enjoy a weekend away from Vancity and to relax without any duties of home.  This year we planned a year in advance and saved up enough Air Miles so we could fly to Kelowna for a weekend in October.  

We stayed at the Sandman Hotel which has a beautiful indoor swimming pool and hot tub (we were too busy drinking, eating and shopping to use it) but it was still calming to walk by the pools everyday and see the serenity of the pool.  We stayed on the business floor and the room had all the amenities such as a shower and bathtub, mini-fridge, coffee maker, TV, and two queen sized beds.  It is conveniently located across the street from Orchard Park Shopping Centre, a BC Liquor Store and close to several restaurants such as The Keg, Milestones and Moxies.  

The first night we made reservations at the Quails Gate Winery Restaurant called The Old Vines Restaurant to get the weekend started right.  I would highly recommend The Old Vines restaurant for any special occasion.  We started with a wine flight and then ordered our main meals.  I had the bison and Vancity Girlfriend Carolyn had the salmon which was served with popcorn.  That may seem like an unusual pairing but it was absolutely amazing.  Dessert is a must.  The names on the menu does not describe the unity of flavors on the dessert plate.  It's a subtle dance on the tastebuds for each bite.  The desserts that are featured below are the Iced Peanut Butter Parfait and the Milk Delice.  I'll never forget the experience of dining at the Old Vines Restaurant at the Quails Gate Winery.  They were unforgettable culinary journey in Kelowna BC.   

Old Vines Restaurant at Quails Gate Winery

Red Wine Flight at Quails Gate Winery

Free Range Bison at Quails Gate Winery

Dessert Plates at the Quails Gate Winery

Salmon at the Quails Gate Winery

NaBloPoMo Day 4 - The Meaning of Vancity Girlfriends

The Meaning of Vancity Girlfriends

NaBloPoMo 2017 Day 4

It began as two friends who wanted to get together and start a vlog on YouTube, but we needed a name.  We are two country girls who now live in the city.  We like to eat out, go for drinks, and enjoy the city of Vancouver.  That's how we decided on Vancity Girlfriends for our name.  That's who we are, two girlfriends, who hang in Vancouver, BC.  

The photo on the right is when Carolyn was showing me all the cool things you can do with Snapchat filters during our girlfriend getaway.  Boy, that was a fun weekend!  

Follow us on: 

YouTube:  VancityGirlfriends.ca

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/VGirlfriends

Thanks to Blissful Lemon for their 50 Blog Post Idea which inspired me to write this idea.  I'm participating in NaBloPoMo 2017 but started today on Day 4.  Better late than never.  

 

Thrifty Tuesday - Bow Bow Cafe Taiwanese Restaurant

Bow Bow Cafe is at 4611 Kingsway in Burnaby and if you aren't looking for it or are looking for it but aren't paying attention, it is very easy to miss.  That's what I did, but my girlfriend who I was meeting found me on the street, turned me around, and led me to the hole-in-the-wall kind of place.

Bow Bow Cafe is a small restaurant serving Taiwanese noodles.  That's what it's famous for.  This is a no frills kind of place.  The menu is written on a chalkboard on the wall.  Read it and order.  It's that simple.  If you are a place that specializes in noodles, then you order the Taiwanese Beef Noodle.

We decided to also order the chicken noodle dish below.  However, I admit, I loved the Beef Noodle better.  The advantage of Bow Bow Cafe is that it's pretty simple and fast food and there's not much fuss.  The disadvantage other than trying to find it beside an adult sex shop, is that it is a cash only type of place.  I don't mind this as the dishes were reasonably priced at around $10-$12 each.  My friend treated me so I don't quite remember but it's a good place to try again now that fall is here for the beef noodle in a soup.  
  

Self Care Sunday - Kiehl's Skin Care Routine

With the fall weather and humidity, it seems like my skin has become more dry.  So I decided to go to Kiehl's so I could get a skincare consultation.  To my surprise, my friend was working there and it was a fabulous reunion.  She tested my pH of my skin and determined that I had combination skin.  All I could feel was my dry cheeks and was sure that I had dry skin.  But as with others the T zone was oily so that combination is combination skin.  

She brought out a few different products for me to take a look at and try.  And she explained the purpose of serums which really gave me education about all skincare products.  Before I went to Kiehls I knew that I wanted a skin moisturizer and I had used the one at Kiehls before.  What I didn't know is that I would come away with enough samples and products to have my new Kiehl's Skincare Routine.  

Purifying Foaming Cleanser
Cucumber Herbal Alcohol Free Toner 
Calendula and Aloe Soothing Hydration Mask
Hydro-Plumping Re-Texturizing Serum Concentrate

Ultra Facial Cream

I've thrown out my drugstore skin care and have adopted the new Keihls's Skincare routine to see if my skin can start to mend and not be dry anymore.  The full sized products that I bought to help save my skin was the Hydro-Plumping Serum $67 and the Ultra Facial Cream $36.  This was more than I expected to spend but after using it a few weeks my skin is no longer dry and cakey at the end of the day and I'm loving trying a whole skincare routine from the same line.