Owl of Minerva and MIA

Hello lovelies (:

I will be MIA for the next two weeks because I'm going on vacation!! The destinations will be Vegas and Florida ^___^. Does anyone have any recommendations for Vegas? I'll be seeing the Grand Canyon and doing some shopping!

On a side note, did any toronto bloggers also go to the Shiseido warehouse sale?? When I am back from vacation my next post will detail what I purchased and how much cash I saved by going to this sale =D

Before I take my leave I wanted to share information on a korean franchise that I tried this week called Owl of Minerva in the Greater Toronto Area.

Food: ♥♥♥♥♥ - I would prefer appetizer refills! I ordered the bulgogi in glass noodle and quite enjoyed it!
Service: ♥♥♥♥♥ - really cute korean boys serving you!
Atmosphere: ♥♥♥♥♥ - it's hard to find parking but once you're inside, there's a lot of customers and the chitter and chatter will fill the restaurant
Price: ♥♥♥♥♥ - the prices are comparable to other places I've tried ~about $10/person including tax for a meal

There are several locations in the GTA. The one I visited is located at 5324 Yonge Street North York, in uptown Korean town. 

Have a wonderful week and talk to you guys soon! I will not be updating during the time I'm away but may be updating on my travel adventures through my twitter (if you follow me you will know!) I will be back in two weeks time (:  


♥

Mario Badescu & Korean Cuisine

Last month I signed up for some Mario Badescu samples because there was a huge hype on this line of product and I was curious if whether or not its reputation holds up. 

I filled MB's questionnaire and the samples I received was catered to my skin type. I received samples of moisturizer, mask, a scrub, toner and a special eye cream. 

(some samples received are not photographed here)

I have not been consistently using the mask/scrub (or rather, it's avoidance) because it is a littlle unhygenic for me to scoop it out with my fingers out of the little jar... however I am hooked on the moisturizer!!

I received the Hydro-Moisturizer with Vitamin C and it's definitely hydrating. I have normal skin, but lately because of the harsh and dry weather, my skin is lacking freshness and is in need of some pampering. On MB's website, the moisturizer is described as a "lightweight, antioxidant moisturizer suitable for normal, combination skin. Vitamin C formula restores clarity and health to tired, dehydrated skin. Non-greasy".

The ingredients are: Deionized Water,Propylene Glycol,Carnation Oil,Squalene,Isopropyl Myristate,Glyceryl Stearate,Myristyl Lactate,Cetyl Alcohol, Ascorbic Acid,Cetrimonium Bromide,Methylparaben,Stearic Acid,Propylparaben.

I can only describe the consistency of the cream as watery-like and non-greasy. I really like that it feels so light on the skin and has not been clogging my pores. Also I like the fact that it's scentless. The only thing I wish it had was SPF! The cost of a normal 2oz bottle is $18, which I can still afford.....BUT I'll most likely try out their other moisturizers with SPF (nothing against the sun, but I don't like to tan!)

I've also used the MB eye cream daily, the Special eye cream V, described as: rich and creamy formula made with essential oils and antioxidant Vitamins A and E. Best for dry and mature skin types. Simple, effective and gentle for sensitive eye area". I'm not sure if I have mature skin (O_o).... but it definitely keeps the area around my eyes moisturized. It actually feels a tad bit "greasy" and stays that way until the rest of the day! I guess that's how it maintains the moisture. I feel that it works great for when your eyelid goes wonky, you know those days when you get THREE creases instead of the normal two/double eyelids. The cream actually  minimizes the multiple creases.

Cho Won Restaurant:

17 Drewry Avenue, North York

Mr. W and I decided to try another korean restaurant instead of our normal favorite, Nak Won up in Richmond Hill. We tried Cho Won Family Restaurant, which is located at 17 Drewry Avenue. The intersection is Yonge and Cummer (which becomes Drewry) in North York. The atmosphere and food is decent, but for those in the GTA vicinity, I do not recommend going on Friday nights because you will not find parking and there will be a rather long line up all the way out the door....

When I first entered the restaurant I thought the place was the tiniest place on earth, because it seemed like it could only seat 8 people (and these 8 customers would not even be sitting comfortably), but my eyes were deceived. The restaurant actually has two parts and Mr. W and I managed to score ourselves a table on the inner part of the restaurant, otherwise I would have been so upset to have waited 45 minutes before getting seated!

The prices are normal and not extremely expensive in comparison to what you would normally get (but in comparison to Nak Won, I think it still pales in comparison!). You get all the normal korean appetizers and it's relatively fresh.

We ordered a Udong vegetable hotpot

Kimchi pancake

The Kimchi pancake was done well but portions are huge! The hotpot soup base tasted a little salty and very similar to chicken instant noodle soup base. I got terribly sick of the taste after several bowls, so I definitely recommend sharing any hotpot dish from Cho Won among at least three people. I'm not sure if I will be returning to this restaurant mainly because of the turnover rate and mediocre dishes. To be fair, I did not order  their best dish, the Bimbimbap, so perhaps I will give Cho Won another try.

What's your favorite korean dish?