When it comes to “concept dining”, my favourite way of eating food is definitely tapas style. Located in Blood Alley in Gastown, adjacent to Salt Tasting Room, Judas Goat Taberna is a 28-seat tapas bar which serves small plates influenced by Spain, Italy and France. Despite the foreign food pairings, the environment of Judas Goat reminds of me a family grocery store. A viewable food preparation station and high countertops close enough to make small talk with the patrons sitting beside you. Square yellow stools huddle around small tables.

Similar to its sister restaurant, The Salt Tasting Room, Judas Goat combines a variety of flavours and textures and teases the pallet with its small portions. I love the option of nibbling on a variety of food and sharing dishes. Between the two of us, we ordered 7 items, which included two “hot” dishes, two “pressed, potted, or cured” dishes and a salad. Agreeing with everyone I have spoken with, what you pay for the portions is not really worth the price; but then again, “concept dining” is about the experience of “trying something new”, right??

If you’ve been following my Twitter and Twitpic updates, you’ll remember that not too long ago I invited two of my beauty-saavy girls over to play around with Maybelline Eye Studio cosmetic products. I was one of the fortunate recipients of a Maybelline Eye Studio kit and given the chance to play around with eyeshadow pallets, mascara, gel eyeliner and baked, marbleized eyeshadows. The kit came from Matchstick, which is a word-of-mouth promotional company.

My girls came over with fresh, clean faces and armed with their own make-up brushes and make-up remover (Hey! Nobody’s perfect!). After much testing, note-taking and a general discussion and jotting down of our thoughts….here are our conclusions!

Indulge in an array of macaroons at a patisserie on a sunny day, this year, your Parisian vacation comes early with the release of three new limited edition scents under the Marc Jacobs Splash collection.

This new trio of fragrances are inspired by the simple pleasure of sitting outside at a patisserie and enjoying the rich and beautifully displayed sweets. Spring 2010 marks the addition of Apple, Pomegranate and Biscotti to Splash. Everything from the advertising to the actual coloured tint of the perfume itself evokes a reminder of sweet pastry scents.

In the fashion industry, trendsetting can be compared to a pyramid. High fashion and couture, starting at the top, and their runway looks for the upcoming season are way beyond the budgets of the average shopper (and MMV reader). But as time passes, these trends trickle down the pyramid as assessable ready-to-wear fashion available at our favourite clothing chains.

Described somewhat as a “fashion visionary”, being a fashion globe-trotter is part of Barb Atkin’s job description as the Vice President of Fashion Direction for Holt Renfrew (737 Dunsmuir Street). At Holt Renfrew’s Spring 2010 Media Preview, Barb gave a presentation about forecasted fashion trends for Spring/Summer 2010 and brought back to local media, her insights and observations about upcoming trends, neatly packaged into 4 easily-understandable “looks”

I had the opportunity to check out Bombay Brow Bar (1056 Mainland Street), a new concept boutique specializing in shaping your brows but with Yaletown service style. Newly opened by sisters Ravy and Amy Minhas, Bombay Brow Bar brings in a Bollywood experience, with a Yaletown twist!
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So what are some Indian stereotypes that the sisters would like to bust? According to Amy, more often than not, Bollywood style services have been associated with tacky, overdone decor, clutter, and loud music. However, when I entered Bombay Brow Bar, I was very pleased with the classy decor. Magenta walls, with patterned wallpaper from the UK. The decor of this cozy boutique fits right in with Society Dining Lounge and Blo Blow Dry Bar. Four plush chairs for clients to sit in, a gold framed mirror, a plush window seat with cushions….true to the vision of the Minhas sisters, the furniture makes you feel right at home. The “Bombay Loft” as Amy calls it!

Founded in 2002, Vida Spa offers uniquely luxurious, personalized and healing spa experiences including an expansive menu of treatments based on the ancient Indian science of Ayurveda, all designed to enhance wellness, engage the senses, and nurture body and mind. Because every individual has unique needs, Vida Spa tailors their full range of traditional body therapies, wraps, exfoliations and facial treatments to each client, providing a customized way to restore energy and promote well-being.
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Last week, I was invited to their Sheraton Wall Centre location for the festive treatment of Vida’s “Pine and Juniper Berry Massage”. The waiting area (see above picture) was extremely tranquil. Big comfortable chairs, couches, and other cushion-y things to sit on were arranged inside the waiting area. The lights were dim, and a small waterfall/fountain was at one end of the room. I was offered tea and water (with lemon or cucumber) as I filled out the health form while I waited for my masseur to lead me to the other room.

Earlier this month, the Glowbal Group’s newest initiative “Society” (1257 Hamilton Street) opened in Yaletown. With the tagline of “Opposites Attract. The Unexpected Reigns”, Society most definitely has unique, unexpected menu offerings!! Described as a “union of opposites”, the menu offers comfort food – but with a twist.

So for example, classic tomato soup accompanied by mini grilled cheese sandwiches (hmm, following the “tapas” trend?), Mac & Cheese balls (think crabcake style), apple pie with vanilla ice cream and a Nutella milkshake (spiked with Baileys). As for prices, Society’s express lunch menu is a pretty good deal. Less than $10 for sandwich-y types of food. Also, several of their menu items contain cotton candy as an ingredient, including on their drinks menu, the “Candy Collins” which is probably the most creative drink I’ve ever had. It came with a generous fluff of cotton candy on top, and I was advised by the bartender that I could either eat it plain, or melt it into my gin to sweeten as desired.

Surprise!! The GAP has literally turned its retail world upside down with the launch of its “SPRIZE” card. Last week, on a regular Thursday morning, the downtown Vancouver community awoke to upside-down logos, signs, mannequins, and even cars (!!) surrounding the GAP on Robson Street. All this “shopping turned on its head” in preparation to prepare the public for the SPRIZE offering.

With an easy one-minute in-store sign up … the SPRIZE card offers customers an incentive to purchase now, instead of waiting for an item to go on sale. How? If something you buy from GAP goes on sale within 45 days of your purchase date, you are notified by email and automatically given an in-store credit (called “Sprize Bucks”) of the difference in pricing.

Shoppers Drug Mart Corporation opened its first Murale store in Vancouver at Oakridge Centre. As I walked into the new venue (located near the food court, on the GAP and Aritzia side), the bright lights, white floor and neatly lined shelves of beauty products mimicked Shoppers’ Drug Mart’s beauty boutique – but much more spacious.

Brands which immediately caught my eye included Cargo, Smashbox, Benefit, Biotherme, Nars, Bobbi Brown…as well as your classic brands like Clinique, Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent.

Apothecary & Apparel. Sounds catchy, doesn’t it? And that’s exactly what’s inside and online at Kiss & Makeup, a “friendly fashion and beauty resource”, newly relocated to West Vancouver’s The Village at Park Royal. Owned by Heather Huntingford, with her eye for niche products, Kiss & Makeup carries beauty lines that are “conscientiously made, original, organic, natural and amazing”.

With an eye toward eco-nomics, the new store features reclaimed pine floors from the original tenant, and Kiss & Makeup’s existing furniture, vanities and shelves are being whitewashed and repurposed in the new space. Vintage chandeliers and clothing racks complete the vision that Heather refined. What else is in Heather’s vision for Kiss and Makeup? Read on for Modern Mix Vancouver’s interview with her!