Monthly Archives: January 2014

Kitchen Upgrade

The project to renovate and upgrade my kitchen came about from a broken dishwasher which was taken out and converted into a useful cabinet (see process and photos here). I thought, well if we’re going to get people to take the dishwasher away, why not replace the old stove and noisy fridge as well?

First, I went hunting for a new fridge and range. From my research, and looking at different places, I finally decided on buying them from Sears. They were the most knowledgeable, convenient, fair prices and good incentives, such as earning points on my Sears card which I later used to redeem interior decor.

Next was painting the neon green walls in the kitchen. Apparently, the previous owners thought it was a good idea to have these bright blinding green walls. I wanted to keep it simple, so I went with white. It also would match the rest of the suite which was also white.

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After painting the visible area of the wall white, I pulled out the fridge and painted the wall behind it. It was tricky since the fridge would only come out so far until it hit the dishwasher in front. I had to slip through the small opening you see above and painted in behind.

The new Fridge 18.2CF was for $679.99. It was difficult or limited to find a fridge that would fit perfectly into the space I had. Since it was an old fridge that was there previously, it didn’t allow for modern fridges which were much taller. Luckily, I found one. I was a bit worried when the delivery guys came and said, ‘I don’t think it’s going to fit.’ But viola! It was a perfect fit, even better than the old one. Goodbye old white fridge. Hello new stainless steel fridge!

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The wall behind the range was also green, so it was pulled out and painted white as well. Since the green was so vibrant, we needed to painted it over like 3 times.

Then the Range 30″ was delivered.  The range was $699.99 and the delivery cost (only one time fee even though they brought the fridge and range at different times) is $69.95

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I highly recommend getting appliances from Sears. I was really happy with the customer service when I was looking at their different appliances. Very helpful and knowledgeable. The delivery was somewhat of a hassle since they delivered the fridge and range on two different dates. Prices are good and have been pretty happy with their products.

 

Wang’s Taiwan Beef Noodle House on Cambie

Wang's Taiwan Beef Noodle House 王記台灣牛肉麵 on Urbanspoon

After dinner at Hakkaku Ramen, the 10 of us went to Wang’s Taiwan Beef Noodle House on Cambie – no, not for more noodles lol, but for dessert. It was suggested by one of us who was not surprisingly, Taiwanese.

It was a fairly large restaurant, and since it was already close to 10pm, there was only another table that was occupied. Though for a Friday night, it seemed empty for business… Upon reading some other reviews, it seems like this location was one of those places that businesses seem to fail and a new one makes it it’s home for a short period.

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Nice design for entrance/waiting area

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Wide selection of dishes in menu

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Nice hot tea :)

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Japanese Green Tea (iced)

Despite the lack of customers, I thought the interior was decent with a nice red illuminated Chinese-looking entrance. The chairs were modern and comfortable, with good booth benches as well. The lighting was good and had a nice ambient feel.

We were all served some Jasmine tea, even though we came just for desserts. Some of us had desserts to eat, but most of us ordered some kind of bubble tea or slush. I ordered the Japanese Green tea $4.50 to share with Sheepie. I’m glad, cuz I was already pretty full, and wouldn’t have been able to drink such a huge glass!

The taste was ok. Nothing spectacular or anything. Service was alright. I don’t recall it being super friendly or her being happy or anything, but nothing to complain about.
I will have to come back for actual dishes, especially noodles! to complete my assessment of the restaurant :)

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Bean Around the World

Bean Around the World on Urbanspoon
A nice comfy and spacious cafe. Many seem to be spending a fair bit of time just reading, working on their laptop, or chatting amongst friends. I tried the Creme Caramel $2.95 and it was great! It wasn’t sickening sweet – just the right amount of sweetness. The staff were friendly and nice. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to drink any of the coffee, which is their main forte. I’m sure I’ll get to go back again and try it. Will update my post as soon as I do!

 

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