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

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.  
  

Thrifty Tuesday - McDonald App Coupon

We don't usually get the normal round of flyers so when I found out that it's possible to save money without coupons but instead there's an app for that.  

In our technology savvy world, that is not a surprise.  When McDonalds App Coupon came out, I was drawn since McDonalds is not an expensive fast food restaurant to begin with.  Then add the discount coupon on the app and it's possible to save money.  Now what I didn't know is that the coupons do rotate and change every week.  

With the McDonalds Kiosks and McDonalds Coupon App, it's easy to order at the self serve kiosk and save money.  It's great for introverts like me who hate ordering in person and having to answer all of the questions.  The kiosk makes it much easier.  My coupon was for $1 off a breakfast combo so I ordered the sausage egg mcmuffin with hash browns and I splurged and upgraded my drink to a medium size of earl's grey tea with stevia.  There are customizations and options at the kiosk.  Have fun with it!  Comment and let us know what you ordered.  

Girl's Night Out - Earl's Restaurant Test Kitchen and Sephora

Girl's Night Out is our date night for Vancity Girlfriends.  We have a chance to catch up and go out on the town.  We decided to go to dinner and a movie and in between had time to make a quick stop at Sephora.  

Earls Restaurant was our first stop at the Earls Test Kitchen downtown Vancouver conveniently located beside the Scotiabank movie theatre.  We met early so we could go to Earls Restaurant Happy Hour.  Happy Hour is the perfect way to eat fabulous food at a fraction of the cost.  On Saturdays Frozen Lemonade is $2 off so we started with that and then we shared appetizers from the Happy Hour menu including Margarita pizza, Coconut prawns and Swordfish tacos.  

Frozen Pink Lemonade

Margarita Pizza

Coconut Prawns

Swordfish Tacos

Check out the Girls Night Out vlog to see which face cleanser Carolyn decided to try.  Was it Drunken Elephant Jelly Cleanser, Thomas Roth Foam Cleanser or ???  What did she buy at Sephora before we went to the theatre for popcorn, Timeplay and to watch the movie "IT".  The horror movie with a morale.  

Vancouver Cheap Eats - Dosa Factory

Everyone has talked about the Monday Dosa specials and I missed going with the large group of colleagues.  So I asked my Indian friend if she wanted to go again and bring me there.  Of course she said "Yes" as it's hard to resist a meal for $5.99.  That's the Monday special where you can order a dosa for $5.99.  At that price she basically told us to order one to go so we all would have lunch the next day.  Initially I wasn't going to but then I really thought about it and figured out that $5.99 is cheaper than a McDonald's Big Mac combo.  I might have offended my friend at that time for comparing authentic South Indian Food to McDonalds.  That justification won me over and I ordered one dosa to eat-in and one dosa to go.

Mondays at the Dosa Factory on Kingsway in Vancouver is a big deal so it's natural that you have to put your name down on the wait list and wait.  With a smaller group of 4 people it was easier than with a group of 10 people.  I did notice that they had many tables of 2 so a dynamic duo is a good number.  

It was worth the wait.  When we were seated there were bottles of water on the table for us.  The Monday menu was simple and we ordered one dosa to eat in and one order to go.  They were able to keep track of our order.  Even though it was busy and cheap, they still take the time to provide good customer service which I appreciate.  

I ordered a prawn dosa to eat in and the lamb dosa to go.  A dosa is pictured below and it's hard to see but inside it has the delicous filling of vegetables, potato, and the "prawn" or "lamb" or "menu option" of your choice.  What was more surprising is that it was filling and I was stuffed after eating one dosa.  I would definitely return to the Dosa Factory.  Everyday they have specials but Mondays are the cheapest.  I'll return again for another Dosa Day.  

Find out more about their daily specials here:  http://dosafactoryvancouver.com/dailyspecials.html

Thrifty Tuesday - Fatburger

I have to admit that I love saving money and using coupons.  So I have a problem.  I'm addicted to Groupon Vancouver this year.  It helps that a have a Groupon buddy, yes a friend who loves Groupon even more that I do.  One of the reasons I stopped with all group buying coupons for awhile is because I was addicted to buying them and then never redeemed them.  Now times have changed and I make sure that I make my appointments and use my groupons.  On occassion if I miss out, that's okay because the amount I paid never expires.  

One night I was heading downtown for an art workshop at Opus and I knew that I wouldn't have much time to eat dinner.  So when I saw the Fatburger Groupon for a burger, fries and drink for $9, it was perfect and I bought one right away.  Fatburger is a fast food joint with big juicy burgers.  It was easy to use the Groupon and I only had to pay the tax which was less than $1.45 or something like that.  Fatburger just outside Stadium skytrain station was packed because of a Canucks game the same night.  However since it's fast food, I was able to find a spot for one at the window and there is fast turnaround.  It tooks 10 minutes for me to get my meal which is pretty good because just look at that plump burger filled with toppings.  

Check out Groupon Vancouver at my referral link for Fatburger and other great deals.  Or come back to see #thriftytuesdays.  

Vancouver Restaurant - Rogue Ktichen and Wetbar Convention Center

Vancity Girlfriend's girl's night out can be impromptu and unplanned.  It was a surprisingly sunny afternoon so I ventured out to see Vancity Girlfriend Carolyn.  We went for a walk to enjoy the afternoon sunshine and got a bus to go to the heart of downtown Vancouver.  We couldn't wait to get off the bus and walk about.  Of course there are stores all around so we went to Payless Shoes on Granville Street to see how to use Carolyn's 20% off coupon.  She found a couple pairs of shoes for her family and got a good deal.  Then we walked down Robson Street to the large Sephora store.  I keep forgetting about that one.  It is huge.  I browsed and was in awe at how much selection the store had.  Carolyn, the beauty expert, found what she was looking for.  Then we continued on our adventure for a place to eat.  

Our plan was to go to AllStar Wings and Ribs and from the outside the stars and stripes were there, but we could also see that it was dark and empty.  There was no need to go any further.  That restaurant was closed.  

We were thinking of Red Robin, but I didn't have any coupons so then we decided to continue walking to the Convention Center.  There we landed at Rogue Kitchen and Wetbar Convention Center.  It was great because after all that walking we were ready for a drink and dinner.  Unfortunately we missed Happy Hour, but we didn't miss the drink special which was Bellinis for $5.49.

Rogue Ktichen and Wetbar Bellinis

  
For dinner we decided to share the fries x 3 (who can resist poutine, bacon and gorgonzola, and truffle oil with parmesan) and the Tempesta pizza with chili prawns.  What a winning combination!  I was impressed that Rogue Kitchen and Wetbar was able to split our bill to share the food and my portion with 1 bellini and dinner came out to $25 (including 15% tip) so I'm going to be taking note of this and going out with Vancity Girlfriend Carolyn more often!  It was a great night catching up!  

Rogue Kitchen and Wetbar Temptesta Pizza

This wasn't our first time at Rogue Kitchen and Wetbar, check out our Vancity Girlfriend Art Gallery and Rogue Date Night from 2015:  http://vancitygirlfriends.blogspot.ca/2015/07/girls-night-out-vancouver-art-gallery.html

Thrifty Tuesday - Ebisu Richmond

Ebisu Richmond is within walking distance of the Lansdowne Skytrain Station on the Canada Line.  I've been to Ebisu Vancouver on Robson Street.  This was my first time to Ebisu Richmond.  

Ebisu Richmond is where my brother likes to go for lunch when he is in town and now I understand why.   Lunch at Ebisu Richmond is a real bargain.  We arrived at 1:30pm and were told we had 25 minutes until the last call and only 50 minutes to eat since they close at 2:30pm.  That was not a problem for us.  The benefit of arriving late is that we didn't have to wait for a table.  

Since this was my brother's favourite lunch place in Vancouver, he knew exactly what to order.  We ordered a BBQ Eel sushi boat, Sashimi bento box and an assortment of 3 items from the lunch special which included a dynamite roll, tuna tataki salad, and spicy salmon don.  Each order was less than $15 which included a miso soup.  All of the dishes were elegantly displayed and tasted delicious.  Now I'm a big fan of Ebisu Richmond and hopefully my brother's trips will fall on a weekend when I can go out and enjoy this fabulous lunch menu with him.  

Ebisu Richmond - Tuna Tataki Salad

Ebisu Richmond - Sashimi Bento Box

Ebisu Richmond - BBQ Eel Boat

Check out Ebisu Richmond Lunch Menu - http://www.ebisu.ca/richmond/menu.html

Throwback Thursday: The Breakfast Buffet at the River Rock Casino Resort

This week I'm going to share the good breakfast deal at The River Rock Casino Resort and that would be the breakfast buffet at The Buffet.  

Even if you are not a gambler it is a good idea to still get an Encore card because it can save you a few dollars at The Buffet.  Encore cards are free and you just need a piece of ID to register usually at the casino customer service.  I already had my Encore card and was ready to save.

The breakfast buffet is from 6:30am - 10:30am so it is a morning buffet.  It is also cheaper because of this and is only $19.95 or $17.96 with an Encore card.  At the breakfast buffet they have coffee or tea and the assortment of juices.  They had an omlette station and fresh egg station, sausages, bacon, hash browns and your traditional Canadian breakfast.  They also had the Asian style breakfast with dim sum, rice rolls, and congee.  That is truly what I liked best.  The variety of the breakfast food.  Normally you have to choose between one or the other.  In this case there was no fighting over what type of breakfast joint to go to.  Everyone wins.  Being Chinese Canadian I had two plates and ate the best of both worlds.  I had my Asian style breakfast and then the Canadian breakfast for dessert!  It is perfect for getting together with picky eaters because everyone can go back and have whatever they want and it spend time together.  

An added bonus is that the daytime view of The Buffet at the River Rock Casino Resort is quite beautiful even on a cloudy day it is possible to see the boats moored on the water.    

Thrifty Tuesday: McKenzie Cafe at Simon Fraser University

Happy New Year!  University students are preparing to return for another semester of studies.  At Simon Fraser University (SFU), McKenzie Cafe at the AQ is a great place to go when there is not have time for breakfast at home.  McKenzie Cafe opens at 7:30am before the classes start.  TheClassic Breakfast is a filling breakfast for a reasonable cost.  It consists of eggs of your choice (the chefs crack the eggs and cook it in front of you), choice of sausage or bacon, hash browns, and toast (your choice of white or whole wheat).  All of this is under $6.  Universities often have good deals and cheap eats because they are serving the students.  Poor students who have student loans and won't eat unless it's for cheap.  The rest of us can take advantage of that.  

  

Thrifty Tuesday: Viet Sub on Robson Street

Downtown Vancouver have lots of restaurants that are almost like a food truck but instead of eating standing on the street you can eat at the bar stools at the window.  Viet Sub is a Vietnamese "restaurant", there is bar stool seating but not much else.  Don't let the decor stop you.  

It has a simple menu with salad rolls, spring rolls, Vietnamese subs, and a few other Vietnamese dishes.  But as their name suggests, it is famous for Vietnamese Subs.  I tried a "Special" sub and it was delicious!  The french bread was fresh and soft and the sauce soaked the meat and vegetables.  Yummy!  

Viet Sub is at 520 Robson Street and Yelp has given it 4 stars out of 5.  As this is Thrifty Tuesday, I've saved the best for last.  This Viet Special Sub pictured above was less than $5.  Just talking about it is making my mouth water.  Ahh, so happy for friends who know where to eat for cheap!  

Thrifty Tuesday - Chachi's at Metrotown Food Court

Vancity Girlfriend Carolyn is an avid foodie and always wanted to try Chachi's at Metrotown Food Court.  I guess pictures of Chachi sandwiches had hit Instagram and even though Chachi's has been open since May 2016, we figured it was better latet than never.

Even though I had seen the Chachi's sign in the food court, I never went because I wondered if a sandwich would fill me up for dinner.  Not this time!  It was a special food court date just to check out and taste Chachi's sandwiches.  I decided to go for the Pulled Pork with Macaroni and Cheese sandwich.  WOW!  Macaroni and Cheese in a sandwich.  Now that's a mouthful.  I had a cherry iced tea to go with it.  The sandwich was flavorful and delicious and it did not disappoint.  Chachi's was worth it.  The perfect dinner at the Metropolis food court.  

As their box says Chachi's works with local bakeries, butchers and cheese makers and it shows.  Yummy!  We loved it and will be back.  There are so many different hot sandwiches and options to try.  What will it be next time?

Check out their website for more:  http://www.chachis.ca/

Thrifty Tuesday: Bourbon Street Grill at the Metrotown Food Court

National Blog Posting Month

Blogging Everyday in November 

#NaBloPoMo Day 15 - Thrifty Tuesday Bourbon St Grill

Metrotown Food Court in Burnaby, BC which is one of the largest shopping malls in British Columbia is a popular place for a fast and affordable dinner.  The hardest part is always deciding what type of food to buy for dinner.  Do you go to the place with the shortest line up?  Or the longest line up?  Do you follow your tastebuds and follow the type of cuisine that you want to eat?  Or do you follow your pocket book and try to figure out which fast food place will give you the most for your money?

Well I decided to go to the newest place.  There was a shiny big sign that said Bourbon Street Grill.  I imagined good old southern home cooking with corn, and meats, and cornbread.  At the buffet holding trays, they had corn as an option.  And if you say "Can I try the Bourbon St Chicken?", they will give you a toothpick and a piece of chicken to taste.  Wow, that was nice!

What I actually meant was "I'll take the Bourbon St Chicken".  So I decided to order the Bourbon St Chicken, Bourbon St Rice with mixed vegetables.  Now it pretty much is a Chinese style food with a sweeter sauce anytime they say "Bourbon".  It was still good for my tastebuds and I would return if I am looking for a Chinese Canadian food.  I really cannot call it southern food at all.  It was still a dinner for less than $10 so it's a good deal for Thrifty Tuesday.