Bethel "lil b" L.'s Profile

Thanks to Marc D.'s review, I headed over to FS with coupon-in-hand eagerly expecting some icy froyo. Unlike Marc, I love it when the yogurt is hard, so I was so sad to receive my cup of super creamy (to the point that it looked like cream cheese or cake frosting) swirl.

I'm a plain-yogurt-froyo nut and have been engulfing them from the place of their origins (Red Mango in Korea) to the first US copy (Pink Berry in California) to copycats all over the world (Tutti Fruitt in Vietnam, Pho shops in WA, Yogurtland in CA, etc...), and in comparison, Froyo Swirl falls short. I agree with Marc here, it definitely didn't taste tart enough cause it be lacking the yogurty flava-flav. Their narrow cups also restrict the amount of toppings that can balance atop the yogurt without rolling onto the floor.

The thing I did like about Froyo Swirl was the cute and clean ambiance (loved how there were fun magazines laying out for customers to pick up) and the friendly management - the owner happened to be there when we arrived and she was sweet and sophisticated.

It's hard to please with so many different preferences out there, but for my taste buds, Froyo Swirl didn't satisfy.

Guu Rocks!

If you're in the mood for something that's low-key and high-energy at the same time, this is the spot for you! I would've never walked into this place if it weren't for all the reviews I read on Yelp. It's unassuming from the outside, but once you walk in and everyone starts greeting you in shouts, you know you've found something special.

There's tons of tapas to choose from, so we took advantage of our 30-min wait to be seated by scoping out the menu and writing down what we wanted. We ordered as soon as we sat down and our dishes began to arrive just moments later.

My favorite of the night were the shrimp & squid calamari and the pork & kimchi hotpot. I can't wait to go back to try out some more!

Lovely!

It was a gorgeous day this past Saturday - the perfect time to enjoy an outdoor brunch at Provence M. While the portion sizes are smaller than what you might be used to, the dishes are all delicious and prepared with care. The bread basket is pricey ($12), but SO worth it! Starting off with these scrumptious pastries made the whole experience 10 times better! Oh man, I'm craving their chocolate croissant now...drool....

p.s. I asked for their fresh-squeezed orange juice, because a few Yelpers have raved about it, but our waitress wrinkled her forehead, smiled, and told us that they don't serve fresh-squeezed... they serve Tropicana, lol!

Cute & Convenient -- You won't leave empty-handed!

I love swinging by Viti to pick up my "spirits." The shop is small, so there's a chance they won't have what you're looking for, but the staff really knows what they're talking about and they can help you find exactly what you never knew you needed - and I've got a beautiful half-empty bottle of wine on my counter to prove it ;)

They also offer complimentary wine tastings Thursday (4:30-7:30pm) and beer & whisky tastings Friday (4-7pm)!

I'd go again, but it wouldn't be my first choice.

I liked the feel of the place (e.g. drippy gothic candles, swanky bar area, random candle of Jesus watching over you as you eat...) and the food was aiiight, but nothing stood out to me as being exceptional. The best surprise of the night was the Veggie Burger - wasn't expecting much, but it was very tasty indeed. And their fries TOTALLY remind me of In-'n-Out fries - but for some reason, while I love eating them in the fast-food-world, it seemed anticlimactic to have them in a restaurant like Subeez. Go figure.

H is for Happy!

One of the greatest things about moving from Victoria to Vancouver is that there's an H-Mart nearby! I love coming here to buy all the ingredients I need for some good 'ol Korean home-cook'n -- but I also buy my daily fruits and veggies here because the prices are so reasonable! This store has everything you need from chopsticks to body scrubbers to high-tech rice cookers. Upstairs, there's a bakery with all my favorite Korean goodies and a food court with meals that are satisfying and cheap. I've also met the manager a few times and he's a great guy who really cares about his customers. If you're gonna be a regular be sure to pick yourself up an H-Mart card!

Good music, people, food, and TVs :)

At the gym, my husband and I realized there was a Duke-UNC basketball game playing, so we cut our workout short and ran down the street looking for a pub where we could watch it while eating dinner (aka adding to the carbs we didn't burn off). Luckily, we found Roxy. A hockey game was finishing up, so they gladly changed the channel for us, wahoo!

Every day of the week Roxy offers a special -- it was Wednesday, which meant Wings and Beer for only $4 each. Bad news: waitress wouldn't let me order beer since I didn't have my ID. Good news: Wings and Mini Burgers were satisfying on their own.

Bonus good news: Roxy's kitchen is open every day until 4am! Dang!

A lesson in greed:

Their simple yet genius sign "PIES" has the power to pluck pie-lovers like me from as far as the eye can see. I LOVE pie, so my mouth began to water as I approached the door and read things like "organic" and "famous." I was so excited that when I saw their prices and realized I didn't have enough mulah to buy a whole pie, I was still going to fork out $7 for one measly slice. My husband and his friend looked at me like I was crazy, but couldn't they see that it was famous organic pie?!

On the ferry to Victoria, I slowly opened the plastic container holding my precious slice, and my husband and I began to dig in. I tried to ask him random questions, so that while he was busy talking (good thing I married a talker!) I could shovel in more of the pie into my greedy little mouth - afterall there was so little to go around! The pie was tart, not too sweet, and crusty, just the way I like it. But once it was eaten (in about 10 seconds), I felt this feeling of regret. Did I really pay $7 for 10 seconds of pie? It was good, but it wasn't really any better than what I make at home, and I'm just a casual baker.

So, while Aphrodite's pie is good, it's so pricey that I'd rather buy organic ingredients to bake a big one that I can share with my loved ones. (But if anyone wants to take me there on a date, I'm free! Husband? What husband?)

So much potential, but misses the mark.

I was in the mood for dessert and with a name like "Death by Chocolate" I was ready to have my socks blown off, so I was disappointed when I couldn't decide on what to eat because everything looked so darn unappetizing. The neon-colored drizzle on some of the cakes made me want to cry. We ended up trying their fudge caramel chocolate cake and their mango raspberry cheesecake - the chocolate wasn't bad, but the cheesecake was way too spongy.

Owners of this place, please go through a mid-life crisis and renovate! Your shop is such a great idea, but you need to redo your décor and turn up the quality of your desserts!

My husband and I were looking for a gym to join, so we visited Pantheon, Fitness World, YMCA, and the West End Community Centre. We didn't want to go to the Steve Nash Sports Club because we had heard that it was "a scene" - the kind of place people have to get ready for to work out - and we wanted something more laid back.

But after comparing the other deals we were being offered, and not being all that impressed, we decided to give the SNSC a try, and once we did, there was no looking back. I've been to some pretty swanky gyms before, but this one has class and everything else you need. From ergonomic top-of-the-line machines to shampoo & conditioner, they thought of it all. I love the lockers powered by electronic keypads, so that you don't have to bring a lock or carry a key around with you.

It is a bit pricey, but the majority of their classes are included as are all the other amenities (towel service, shower, steam room, etc). Check with your employer, because most provide gym reimbursements. And as always, students and spouses get a better monthly rate - as a spouse my rate drops from $95 to $65. Also keep in mind that with the bad economy, if you talk with a salesperson toward the end of the month, sometimes they will offer you some crazy deals.

The SNSC is definitely a scene (95% of the ladies are branded with Lululemon and have full makeup on and 95% of the men are as pretty as the ladies), but go ahead and do a free trial week - bet you won't regret it!