Kimbap Cheonguk || Eatz

This is my first official eatz!

A good friend first brought me here for lunch and my first impression was questionable. Super small, hole-in-the-wall type of shop. I forgot to take a picture of the place but believe me it's definitely not your typical Michelin 3 star restaurant. But don't be fooled! 

I’ve been back a few times since, and this time I was brave enough to take multiple pictures of the food that my sister and I ate. I used my andriod this time but I might just bring my huge camera to the next eatz. There isn't a lot on the menu: the kimbabs, the rice, the soup noodles -- very normal korean fast eats. Took us a while but, my sister and I ordered some tasty noms!

First thing you'll notice is that they will give you a big plastic bottle of water. That is for drinking (of course). Then they will give you a teapot. Now you're thinking tea right? Wrong. Inside this amazing kettle is some really delicious broth. Yes, it's soup in a teapot! Just use the self-serve teacups that are beside you and pour yourself a cup of the goodness. The broth is super clear and very tasty. Unfortunately, I think they only serve this when the weather is cold.

Kimbab Cheonguk is well known for their kimbab. What is a Kimbab you say? Well ya’ll probably heard of sushi yes? Well you can call this the ‘korean sushi roll’. It’s still the rice and the seaweed but it’s a lot less complicated when it comes down to filling. The rolls all consists of some kind of vegetable (in this case carrots), yellow pickled radish, and burdock root. Once it’s all wrapped up, a good brush of sesame oil (for taste and the sheen) is brushed on. What makes them different is the last remaining filling. They have bulgogi (Korean marinated beef), kimchi (Korean fermented cabbage), tuna (canned) and, my favourite, cheese.

Yes cheese. And it’s not just any kind of cheese. They only use one type of cheese: processed cheese! You may think it’s weird but once you taste it, it’s the only kind of kimbab you will want to eat. Just imagine the crunchy veggies, the creamy cheese, the soft rice, and the chewy seaweed. Super tasty!

Next thing on the list is the Mul Naeng Myeon. This is a perfect dish for the summer time. The main component is the noodles. But this isn't just any kind of noodles -- buckwheat noodles. Super thin noodles but got a really good bite to it; you definitely need a good chew on these things. You are wondering why is said this is a summer dish right? The noodles are first boiled; then it is put into a bowl of broth with ice! With the noodles, it came with some thinly sliced beef,  sliced korean pear (we thought it was pickle radish), cucumbers and (the best part) boiled egg. Now before you eat it, ask them to cut it for you because, like I said, it's super chewy. Right beside you, you will find a clear bottle and a yellow one as well. Those contain the most important things: vinegar and mustard. Add those in and mix it up! You should get a sweet and sour taste and the famous sesame oil scent! The only thing that bummed me out was my egg. Sadly, my egg was over cooked and had the ugly gray rim around the yolk.

Last thing we order was an order of Soon Dae. On the menu, it kind of looks like a blood sausage. But this is (almost) vegetarian. Traditionally, it's made with a pig's intestine and is stuffed with pig's blood, rice, potato starch noodles. And that is exactly what we got! Now don't be grossed about it. Authentic sausages used intestines as the casing so this shouldn't be a problem. Because it's all rice and noodles, it doesn't have much of a flavour. The Soon Dae is served with some coarse salt and all you need to do is dip it in and eat! This is definitely an all starch dish so don't be fooled at how small it looks like.

We ordered two more kimbabs to-go and the total came up to just under $30. This is for two people plus take out! That is a steal! The last thing I will say is that this restaurant is authentic. Don't let the processed cheese and canned tuna fool you. It is run by Koreans and this type of restaurant would be considered their "traditional fast food". The restaurant is located in 'Koreatown' and boat loads of korean people come to this joint for a quick bite. 

Kimbap Cheonguk 

3A-341 North Road, Coquitlam, BC

Price: $

★★★✩✩

If you live around the Burnaby/Coquitlam are, check this place out!

Good Eatz Everyone!

- V

Cheddar Green Onion Scones || Eatz

On Friday, it was girls night for Friday night fellowship and we decided to have a little get together and do high tea. We all had to sign up to bring something that you would typically eat during high tea. I decided to make savoury scones and here's the recipe. Oh. I can't take all the credit. The original comes from Martha Stewart.

Oh beware, if you don't like washing dishes, this may not be the recipe for you. But you have to try it because it's super tasty!

1. Preheat oven to 400°C. Prepare cookie sheet with parchment and leave it to the side. In a small bowl, combine cheese, green onion and 1 1/2 tbs flour. Set aside.

2. In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs and add the milk. (Note: If you are using the 2% milk mixture, mix the milk first and let stand for 5 mins.) Mix until incorporated; you should still be able to tell apart from milk and egg. Do not over mix! Set aside.

3. In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine flour, baking power, and salt. On lowest setting, mix in butter. Mix until the butter are pebble sized. Add egg mixture and incorporate just enough that it is mixed. You still want to see lumps of butter. Fold in cheese mixture into dough with a spatula. The texture of your dough should be lumpy. If it's smooth, Sorry you'll have to start over.

4. Transfer dough onto floured surface. Split dough into three and make circles that 1/2 inch thick. Then cut the circle into triangles. Each circle should produce 6 triangles.

5. Transfer triangles onto baking sheet. Wash each triangle with your egg wash.

6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Let it cool on a cooling rack and you're done.

7. Oh wait. Wash all your dishes.

Alright and here's the final product. Best served warm with butter.

Here's some more pictures of the delicious food we had :) The spread was amazing and it really felt like we were having a tea party.

Hope you enjoy this recipe! I'm not sure when I will post my next recipe but I do have a restaurant review coming up soon. Look out for it!

Good Eatz Everyone!

- V

OPI I Eat Mainely Lobster || Manicure Weekend

So late...should be sleeping. But if I don't do this now, I'll probably forget to do it tomorrow.

Just want to do a quick post of what I'm wearing right now. The first time I used this colour was when I was in a good friend's wedding. I was a bridesmaid and, the day before the big day, the girls went out for a mani and pedi. The main colours of the wedding were emerald green, cream, and black. We were stumped on what colour to choose but then the bride remember that some of the flowers in our bouquets were a blush/coral colour. In short, we unanimously chose this beautiful colour. I think we used this for the pedi.

I love the name of this varnish! When I first read out the name, I did have a laugh at it. But it totally makes sense. It's a really nice orange-red and not quite a coral but not pink; just like a lobster have it comes out of a steam bath :) It also has micro glitter mix into the formula which looks really pretty in the sun; gives off a really nice shine and not like its been hit by a disco ball. I would definitely say this is one of my favorite summer shades to wear. It's easy to match with any outfit and it's just a nice pop of colour.

Summer is just around the corner: what is your favourite summer shade? Comment below!

Stay Beautiful!
- V

Nails Inc. Ice Cream and Sprinkle Collection Part 3 || Manicure Weekend

Hi everyone!!!

I finally posted on time! Actually, I posted early. I'm off to a wedding this weekend and will be super busy. So I thought I would just post this up now before I forget.

This is the final post for the Ice Cream and Sprinkle Collection. This last colour is one of the colours that I was not excited for. I am not a huge fan of the baby pink family; majority of my closet does not match the pastel pinks. But for the sake of finishing, here we go!

In the bottle, Charing Crossroad is a pale pastel pink. But when I painted on the first coat, it was brighter then I expected. It turns out to be more of a baby shower baby pink. You will need two coats of polish since it is streaky.

That's it! All three colours have been reviewed! I think this trio combo is a really nice combo for the summer. You can definitely mix and match the colours and wear them together. I think the brown and pink combo would look really girly and match a lot of summer outfits.


Stay Beautiful!
- V

Nails Inc. Ice Cream and Sprinkle Collection Part 2 || Manicure Weekend

Hi Everyone!

Sorry for skipping another week. I'm sooooo bad at keeping on top of things! Like I promised, here is part deux of Nails Inc. Ice Cream and Sprinkle Collection.

I've got on Ladbroke Square on for this week. Even though I was attracted to all three colours in this set, Ladbroke Square was what caught my eye. I'm not a huge fan of nail varnishes that have chunky glitter or anything that is too over the top. But I think it was the combination of the minty blue and the coordinating coloured sparkles. Mint greens and blues are the huge colours for spring/summer this year and I thought I would give this a try.

I love the base colour. It's a vibrant mint blue is not too loud but gives a punch of colour to any outfit. I like the colour choices for the glitter particles. Unfortunatly, not a big fan of how chunky the gliftter is. When I do get glitter nail varnishes, I tend to go towards the micro glitters or ones that are majority microglitter with a bit of "normal" sized particles. This colour is great as an accent colour and works well with both Upper Regent Street (Chocolate Brown) and Charing Crossroad (Pastel Pink). I can't say I hate it, but it's not a favourite.

The formula that came out of the bottle has a different consistancy when comparing two the other two solid shades. I think this is because of the glitter; making it goopy and thick. I really had to take off the excess varnish from the applicator just to make sure I don't get a thick layer of it (or it would never dry.) I applied two thin coats and this way I got the right opaqueness and a nice even coat of the glitter.

This colour is definitely for those who loves colour and the glitz. If Nails Inc. comes out with a full version of Ladbroke Square, I don't think I would purchase it. I'll stick with my tiny version.

Next week (cross your fingers) is the last colour out of the trio :)

Stay Beautiful
- V