Tuesday 21 May 2013

Victoria Day weekend in Ottawa! (lots of pictures)

Hello !

Over the weekend, my parents decided to take my sisters and I to Ottawa to check out the Tulip Festival.
It's been a long time since we've traveled together as a family, so I agreed to go with them.
We were there for two days - one night; our first stop was Parliament Hill.

Saturday 11 May 2013

FOOD: Yamaoto Japanese Cuisine (The *New* Watami)

Hello !

The other day my boyfriend and I decided we would go to Market Village (beside Pacific Mall) to have lunch. We walked by Watami Sushi & Grill (the Japanese restaurant) that we frequent and it turned out that they had closed that location and moved to a different location.

We were in a rush so we didn't check it out, but I did take a picture of the sign. I wish they had been more clear on the note - they were actually a few stores down in the plaza! (Silly me, I thought by a few steps was like across the street or down the street... not down a few stores...)






















The new restaurant is called Yamaoto Japanese Cuisine. A few days ago I had the chance to check out the restaurant. Upon walking into the restaurant, we were faced with a very weird smell and (for lack of a better word) "aura" of oil and greasiness. It used to be a grill house, so I assume that the oils had seeped into the walls and carpet. Once we got over that, it wasn't that bad.

I took a picture of their lunch menu, it seems that they raised their prices by a bit (the lunches used to start at $5.99.)

The interior is quite pretty, but I'm not sure if they kept the same decor as Mongolian Grill, since I've never been. They had these "balls" that changed colour, and pretty sakura wallpaper at the back of the restaurant.






















It was pretty dark inside, so my pictures came out a big blurry. Here's a few pictures of the dinnerware, it's a bit bland and plastic looking, but I guess it gets the job done.
















Lastly, a super blurry picture of the bento box I got. I got my usual (from Watami) which is the Omega-3 or Salmon special I believe. It was alright, nothing too great. Both my boyfriend and I felt that even though there was the same amount of food, the portions seemed to be smaller. (Perhaps they should use smaller bento boxes?)

















I would probably wait awhile before I visit again though, in the duration that we were having lunch - we witnessed three tables get the wrong orders (one table had told their server that they had already received that dish, but she server insisted and just kept putting down the plate, until the table finally accepted it after the third time she tried to put it on their table.)

The restaurant itself is also quite nice, the walkway to the washrooms and the washrooms itself was pretty -- the plumbing on the other hand, was supremely outdated and in need of a major upgrade.

All-in-all, I would probably go again if I'm out of ideas for lunch. On a brighter note, they now serve all you can eat! It's $13.99 (I believe) for Mon-Fri lunches, which is a pretty good deal if you've got a big stomach, since lunches range from $8-10 anyway.

- Aggie

Thursday 9 May 2013

Lisa's cosmetics warehouse sale!

Hello!

Sometime last week my friend invited me to check out Lisa's Cosmetic's warehouse sale with her. 
We went around 2pm (so that the employees in the neighbouring buildings would be finished their lunch breaks and there wouldn't be too many people) but to our surprise the main parking lot was full! We had to park in a parking lot two buildings away!

The odd thing was, that there was no line to get into the warehouse (which is always a good thing.) 

I spent quite a bit of money, but my excuse is that I absolutely love the Burberry Body fragrance and it was $55!! The retail price is (said to be) $95! Its the Eau De Toilette in 85ml. There were a lot of Gucci and a few Prada fragrances, but I wasn't able to get close to the tables and smell them all. I'll have to go to Sephora or The Bay and check them out prior to visiting the sale next time! 


I bought a few random things, like a swiffer duster, some sunscreens, but my second favourite purchase is the H2O Waterwhite Brightening set. I felt that since I was finished with school (hopefully) I finally have time to treat my face better and give it the love it deserves. 

The H2O Waterwhite Brightening Milk Cleanser is $15, the Waterwhite Brightening Tonic is $10, and the Waterwhite Advanced brightening essence is $19. The set is completed by the moisturizer which I couldn't find there, so I'm just using my Vichy moisturizers. 

The Lisa's Cosmetics (http://www.lisascosmetics.com/) warehouse sale is going to continue for one more weekend! It's the last chance to buy some gifts for Mother's day! There were lots of nail polish and nail tools, a table of Stila cosmetics, sunglasses (some were $25, and more expensive ones included Raybans), men's underclothes, and lots and lots of perfumes and colognes. 

The remaining dates are: Friday May 10 (10am - 8pm) , Saturday May 11 (9am - 6pm) , Sunday May 12 (10am - 6pm) and Monday May 13 (10am - 8pm). 

The address is: 1380 Rodick Rd  Unionville, ON L3R 4G5 (on the corner of Rodick Rd. and Apple Creek Blvd.) 

Oh! A few last thoughts, we had gone when there weren't too many people, but there were some individuals who didn't care and just walked in front or even pushed, so be careful. The line to the washrooms was the longest line I stood in, and the cashiers were basically waiting for people to approach them ( I guess many people looking, but not too many were buying.) There is a rule that children under the age of 12 aren't allowed in, and I guess that's also a good thing because some people are vicious when they see good deals and the children might get lost or pushed.

Happy shopping!
- Aggie