Eight Noodles restaurant review

I have noticed more and more Lanzhou Ramen places in Toronto, but I am sure this is one of the first restaurants to have appeared (I think this place has been opened for more than 3 years). I'm actually not sure if it is called "Eight Noodles"(this was the name I found online... the Chinese name for this place is 麵對麵). They didn't have a sign over their store... just a sign indicating that they are a Lanzhou Ramen place.

This ramen restaurant is located in the plaza right at the Warden & Sheppard Avenue Intersection (south of Sheppard). There is a yellow banner over the store (it is 2-3 stores beside McDonald's).

Atmosphere:
I thought the atmosphere was very casual... and quiet.... just like a very simple nice and comfy noodle place.... it was nicely decorate and clean...

Food:

Cold Dish Garlic Pork Appetizer

I got a cold dish to share... we decided on this because we wanted some meat but didn't want a full dish....

impressions:

• very garlic-y (as expected)
• a little spicy (hot)
• nicely marinated

The garlic was strong and what I found quite unique (I haven't seen these in other restaurants) was that they had put lots of sugar with the garlic to enhance the flavour. And I think they did a great job

Beef Lanzhou Ramen

impressions:

• light soup base
• hint of herbs
• portion is actually really big
• decent

I thought the soup could be slightly stronger... since the noodles/ramen had no flavour to it. The noodles were different sizes (some were thick and others were thin). I am not sure whether this is an indication that these noodles/ramen were "hand pulled" but it tasted quite good. At first, we thought the portion looked small (the bowl looks quite small) but towards the end, we were both full!

Service:

Service was ... ok... it's actually hard to define the service... 1. It was extremely hard to get any waiter's attention but 2. They were very careful, when we were a party of 2 getting just one noodle, the waitress gave us an extra bowl... so they were not attentive, but tried to take care of your needs...

score: 7/10

website: no website

Korean Ginseng Granule Tea review

packet of Korean Ginseng Granule Tea

Korean sellers on eBay are super nice because they always provide free samples!... for one of my orders, this packet of Korean Ginseng Granule Tea was provided... (cool, huh?)

I know that Korean Ginseng Granule Tea is super famous (because Korean Ginseng is really good for you

here are some benefits I know of:

• strengthen your immune system
• can aid in preventing diabetes

directions

directions are very simple:

Dissolve 1-2 tea bags* into a glass of cold or hot water and stir well (sweeten with honey or sugar if desired). 

*notice they call it tea bags... these are NOT tea bags... the formula has been crystallized... not tea bag form.

Since I only had one packet, I had to test out the taste... but no matter how little water I used, the taste was not strong...

impressions:

• very mild taste, tastes almost like water
• feels healthy, you are in control of the sweetness
• easy to dissolve, even in cold water

how it looks before honey

I know that some find the taste of Ginseng unbearable... not me though... I like it's defining taste... but for those who do find it unbearable... you will like this tea, because it is practically tasteless... you can "sort of tell" it is ginseng... but you literally need to swoosh it in your mouth to be able to taste it.

I was looking forward to a heavy ginseng taste, but it was not....

verdict:

I like anything with ginseng in it, it is one of my favourite roots (?)... I like the health benefits and I like the taste... I wished this tea tasted more "Ginseng" though... I like how easy and convenient it was for the crystals to dissolve (even in cold water)... and I like how you can control the sweetness of your tea (most other brands take the initiative to add way too much sugar...)... I found these listed on eBay and the price is quite good.. you can check the listing here.

score: 7.5/10

website: no website

Daiso Hyaluronic Acid Sleeping Pack review

Daiso Hyaluronic Acid Sleeping Pack

tagline:

Hyaluronic Acid makes your skin supple and shiny while you sleep.

Lately, the atmosphere has been killing my skin... my skin feels so dry... no matter how much I try to take care of it... it is still dry... I desperately need to apply facial masks!!!!! 

As I raved about sleep masks in my previous sleeping mask posts, they are my types of masks because they are so easy to use and they save time (think about it, all you need is to sleep and your face will feel so refreshed and moistened in the morning).

info

impressions:

• very easy to apply
• a little goes a long way
• noticed slight brightening
• absolutely no scent or fragrance
• very mild (do not expect "amazing" results)
• you will feel its presence

How to use:

1. clean your face with a cleanser
2. apply toner, serum, moisturizer
3. take a small amount of this sleeping mask and apply it to face
4. wait for it to dry
5. wash it off when you wake up! :)

Since this mask is acid base, I prefer to use it after applying moisturizer so that my skin can absorb it better (as compared to an acid based toner).

how the product looks and the consistency

The mask is a very clear looking mask... (ok... I totally exaggerated the amount needed, with the amount shown in the image, I can actually use it for 2-3 times... you really only need a little bit). The consistency is of a watery gel.

Once you apply it, let the gel dry (which shouldn't take long)... the gel is extremely easy to spread all over your face.

I am aware of its presence, so I do touch my face from time to time... but it isn't a big concern.

After removing the mask, my face feels a bit softer and a slightly brightened (not lighter, but I look more "awake"). I wouldn't suggest this mask if you are expecting amazing results... it is mainly to used to maintain the condition of your skin and to enhance it "slightly".

score: 8.0/10
website: no website (couldn't find this product on their website)

also... if you are interested, please check out my personal blog and follow me around Tokyo :)

Uoshiki Sushi Japanese restaurant 四季魚 review

Maki and Sushi set

Today's my birthday, so I will make this review slightly shorter (but I promise I will write it so that everything is covered). There is a Chinese/Japanese name for this restaurant: 四季魚.

This is an All You Can Eat place, but they have a regular dine in menu available. I was introduced to this place by my friend. Since we were planning for a quick dinner, we decided to just order from their regular menu.

Discounts:

If you pay with cash, they will give you a 10% discount.

Food:

Like most Japanese places, each entree comes with a Miso Soup and Salad. The dish looks small, but it's actually quite filling. I almost couldn't finish this plate.... I found that both the maki hand rolls and sushi were both well made. The fish was quite fresh (this was quite surprising for me). (I forgot the exact price for this item... I think it was around $7.99 - $8.99).

Mango Yogurt - Complementary dessert

Mango Yogurt (Complementary Dessert):

I was really happy they provided a complementary dessert, they have a list of items you can choose from, so I got Mango Yogurt. Mango Yogurt was good...

Service:

The service was quite decent... and they were quite attentive.

Verdict:
I will be returning to this place because it is affordable (quality and quantity matches its price). I'm not sure if I will try their All You Can Eat (I am not a big fan of AYCE). But I was definitely impressed by the quality and quantity.

score: 7.5/10
website: no website

paldo JJA JANG MEN chajiang instant noodle review

paldo JJA Jang Men

I am a big fan of Korean Instant Noodles! I love the thickness and chewiness of the noodles and they always do a great job with seasoning. I can't remember the exact price, but it was definitely around $1 (CND).

ingredients, instructions and nutritional information

Instructions:

1. boil noodles
2. run noodles in cold water
3. drain noodles
4. microwave sauce (I skipped this step)
5. mix in sauce with noodles

mixing sauce

it was easy to make... but I wasn't a fan of having to microwave the packet of sauce...

noodles in raw form

impressions:

• sauce is too sweet
• noodles are not chewy enough
• easy to make

finished look looks quite different from the picture...

... eh... close enough? XP... 

I didn't really like the taste, it was too sweet... and the noodles tasted less chewy when compared to other Korean instant noodles. I tried to add in black pepper and it tasted better (and less sweet). The sauce also had little bits of potatos and some kind of vegetable in it (I couldn't tell)

I don't think I would be purchasing this again...

score: 4/10
website: http://www.paldofood.com/User/Product/Noodle0104.aspx

Clinique rinse-Off eye makeup remover review

Clinique's eye make up remover

So, as I mentioned, I had to attend 2 weddings over the past weekend... I see this as a good opportunity to test out my eye make up removers!

My beauty consultant at Clinique introduced me to this eye make up remover indicating that it is perfect for sensitive skin... so I decided to give it a try.

These are the claims:

Unique formula quickly removes all eye makeup, from lashes to brows. Perfect for quick makeup changes, touchups, repairs. Cleans eye area easily without disturbing other makeup. No rubbing necessary. Oil-free, blur-free, sting-free. Ophthalmologist Tested.

after a few rubs

I was quite happy with the results on my eyes... but I wanted to see how effective it was to remove the make up...to put this to the test, I decided to put eye products on my hand and see clearly how effective this make up remover is.

impressions:

• got some product out of my eyes (please see the test results below)
• stinging sensation (I had to squint and wash the product off immediately)
• mild smell

these were the products I used

These are the lit of products I decided to use for this test, and they correspond to the lines on my hand

1. Kate eye shadow palatte
2. Kate Super Sharp eye liner
3. Maybelline's Falsie waterproof mascara
4. Maybelline's Express Turbo Boost mascara

the results

steps to using this make up remover:

• Moisten cotton ball with Rinse-Off Eye Makeup Solvent or use a cotton swab for spot work.
• Sweep over eye makeup.
• Tissue off or rinse with water.

The results are quite disappointing, (you can only tell that the final mascara still is present in this picture, but the others were still apparent (except for the eye shadow). I guess I had too much eyeshadow on my eyes, and that caused an illusion that this makeup remover cleaned off the products well... 

I was really disappointed with the stinging sensation I experienced with this product... I thought it was for sensitive skin... but the stinging sensation was literally unbearable...

happy clean face

At the end of the day, I'm so glad I got my face well cleaned with LOTS of water!

score: 6/10

website: http://www.clinique.com/product/1673/5864/Skin-Care/Cleansers-Makeup-Removers/Rinse-Off-Eye-Makeup-Solvent

September!

Hey my lovely blog readers!

Thank you so much for your support, Simple Moment Blog is officially one year nine months old!

I want to apologize that there will not be a reviews post today (yes, today is Tuesday)... over the weekend, I had attended 2 weddings, so I didn't get a chance to write any reviews :(... hope you understand... reviews will continue again soon!

For those who do like to read... I did write a Question of the day: what is considered an ideal date? on my personal blog... please check it out and share your thoughts!

And if you haven't already... please like me on Facebook!

Talk to you real soon
Steph

Magic Noodle Lanzhou ramen review

partial menu

My friend introduced me to this LanZhou Ramen place. Prior to coming here, I had absolutely no idea what LanZhou Ramen (拉麵) was. Basically it is a type of hand made ramen where the master would pull and thrash the dough until it becomes noodles.

Environment
This place is always packed, it is opened 24 hours, and I can see the need to... no matter when you visit this place, it is packed. It is also a really small shop, so do not expect to have "good seats". At most seats, you will find yourself elbowing or being elbowed by others.

better view of menu and prices

I think the prices were a little on the pricey side. The "cheapest" ramen is $6.99. The bowls are big... but compared to other noodle shop places, it is considered a little expensive.

menu

There's a huge selection of ramen as well as side dishes. They also have the slicing type of "noodle" where the chef would shave off pieces into a broth. (I didn't get to try this kind of noodle while I was there).

side dish

I wasn't impressed with the side dishes they offered... my friend and I got this marinated tofu type of side dish and we didn't like it... we didn't even finish it... the seasoning was ok, but we didn't like the tofu.

Lanzhou Ramen with lamb 

ramen impressions:

• very authentic "Lanzhou Ramen
• broth is too oily
• lots of meat

However, I am not sure if this is the traditional taste... the broth reminded me a bit like "Little Sheep's Hot Pot broth" with lots of Chinese herbs.  I found the broth to be too oily though.

There were lots of big lamb pieces, they weren't consistent with one kind... there were several types (e.g. some had bones, some were from the belly, etc).

shredded beef pancakes

Another disappointing side... this was not authentic at all... it was just 2 pieces of Chinese buns holding some meat inside. The meat was not properly marinated and the bun was too oily.

beef brisket Lanzhou Ramen

For this particular visit, I got a beef Lanzhou Ramen (since I felt the lamb ramen was too oily)... unfortunately, this was also oily... the beef brisket was too oily... and the broth was not seasoned well.

Magic Noodle's House Ramen special

I was definitely unimpressed with this House Ramen special... House specials are usually the best choice, but this one was really bad.... they fried everything... if the previous ramen bowls were considered oily, this was considered flat out oil... the chef overcooked and fried the pork chop and eggs; there were hardly other ingredients... I felt like I was drinking oil. DO NOT ORDER THIS!

Verdict:

My suggestion is to stick to their ramen options (specifically their lamb ramen), their side dishes aren't worth the price at all.... I really appreciate the authentic of the ramen (拉麵) but feel they definitely need to improve on their broth and flavouring, next time, I think I will just get the Spring Noodles Broth Ramen (simple broth with Ramen in it's plain form).

score: 5/10

address: 2190 McNicoll Avenue, Scarborough, ON M1V 5M2, Canada
website: no website

Plastic Telephone Spiral Cord Hair Ties review

plastic telephone spiral cord hair ties

My friend introduced me to these hair ties 2 years ago... and I fell in love with it the first time I put them into my hair... not only are they easy to put on, but also to take off.

this happens a bit too often

Pros:

• does not damage your hair
• easy to clean
• very effectively keeps hair in place

Cons:

• breaks easily (once you break it... you cannot fix it)
• can be a little bulky
• hard to find (I go to eBay)

Ever since using these, I have ditched my old scrunchies... the only issue I have with these are they you can't pull too hard, or they will break....

score: 9/10