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Empty restaurant overflows with bold flavours

> V Café seeks to find demand amongst college crowds

Aaron Guillen
Staff Reporter

 

he moment you step inside

V Café, you feel like you've
found a home away from home.
The atmosphere of the simplistic
space, filled with white chairs and
wooden tables, takes the aspect
of a hipster hole-in-the-wall and
adds a hospitable vibe similar
to entering a friend’s home. Yet,
on a Tuesday afternoon, you'd
be surprised to find that not
a single customer is inside.

All in all, the customer
service was phenomenal, with
a warm greeting upon entry,
and attention to every detail
of the order. After making
chitchat about the newness of
the café itself—the restaurant
having opened at the tail-end of
September—the woman offered
me a green smoothie she had
been experimenting with for
a new menu item for free. Her
kindness was further displayed
throughout the time I spent
there, as she brought over the

food to the table and checked
in after to see what I thought.

I decided on the three-
item special ($1.50 off} which
boasted a mish-mash of soups,
drinks, sandwiches, and rolls to
choose from. The vegan banh
mi sandwich, tofu salad roll,
and a Vietnamese iced coffee
called my name. The total price
came to $12 before taxes. Within
10 minutes, the food was in my
mouth, lighting up my taste buds.

Firstly, the banh mi sandwich
($5), a classic pick, is similar to
something made at home. What
the portion size lacked, the rustic
traditional feel made up for.
The baguette, filled with tofu,
veggies, and a light spread of
sauces is unapologetically aware
of its simplicity. Understandably,
some might forgo this choice
due to that exact reason. The
optional addition of jalapefios
packed a spicy punch partnered
with the sriracha at my table.
For those who can't take the
heat, steer clear of any jalapefios,
as the deadly combination
might be too hot to handle.

Next, the salad roll ($5),
being light and refreshing, is the
epitome of the perfect on-the-go
snack. The roll holds the tofu,
vermicelli, and veggies tight
within the thin translucent rice
wrap. While the generously filled
wraps are decent on their own,
the shining star is the satay sauce.
The blend of hoisin and peanut
sauce together creates a dip that
you will run out of quickly.

Lastly, the coffee ($3.50) tied
the meal together with a delicious
bittersweet hit of flavour. The
woman asked for my preference
and worked accordingly, allowing
me the ease of not having to
add more sugar. While the ice to
coffee ratio was on the dot, I was
disappointed with the amount
of drink in my cup. While most
beverages are expected to be filled
to the brim, this coffee came up
only three quarters of the way up.

In you ask me, the V Café is
a hit. On top of their great food,
the local business is in the perfect
location in terms of distance
from the Douglas College New
Westminster campus. When

it comes to future success, it’s
not a matter of how, but of
when. With free WiFi (psst! the
password is: Ilovevcafe), an ever-
changing menu (pho coming
soon), and potential student
discounts in the near future, V

Beauty on a budget: The Body Shop

> A guide to getting the most bang for your buck

Lauren Kelly
Editor-in-Chief

 

he best thing you can

buy at The Body Shop is
membership in their Love Your
Body Program. It’s a points card
that costs you $10, which could
seem like a lot when you can sign
up for Sephora’s rewards program
for free. However, the Body Shop’s
card is worth it. Membership
lasts for one year, and gives you 10
per cent off every purchase. This
means that once you've spent
$90, you've made your money
back. After that, it’s all reward.

Like Sephora, The Body
Shop gives out a birthday gift to
its members during their birth
month—in this case, a $10 credit,
which you can use towards any
purchase. Additionally, every $25
spent nets you 1 point in their
rewards program. You have to
be careful here, though—s25
for one purchase will get you a
point, and $50 or more on one
purchase will get you 2 points,
but that is the maximum you
can get for one purchase. This

TE on Sr
LOVE Yous Boy ®

means that if youre spending
over $75 in one go, you need
to split up your purchases
to maximize your points.

Now that we've talked about
how to get points, here’s how
to use them. Once you reach 4
points, or $100 spent, you get a $10
credit to your account. After you
reach 8, you receive a $25 credit
and a free membership renewal

 

and your points start back at zero.
This means that in a calendar year
you'll get $45 in credit, as well as
10 per cent off everything and a
free membership renewal if you
reach eight points. In return for
$200 spent at Sephora, you'll be
able to get two 100-point rewards,
worth probably $5-10 each.
However, the one big point in
Sephora’s favour is the point-per-

dollar system allows you to not
worry about strategic purchasing.

Speaking of strategic
purchasing: Be strategic. The
Body Shop often has BOGO
sales, usually Buy 2 Get 1 or Buy
3 Get 3. This lets you buy any
individual products, and receive
other full-sized ones for free.
Since the products aren’t super
cheap, you want to capitalize on
these. If you get 3 $20 products,
and 10 per cent off each from your
card, you'll be hitting the 2 point
sweet-spot at $54, and you get 3
more products for free. This is
a great way to get gift shopping
taken care of as well, since they
have products for everyone. Their
wide range of products includes
skin care, make up, brushes, and
other accessories. They also have
many lines of skin products, so
no matter what problems you
may (or may not!) have, you
should be set. As I can get oily, I
love their seaweed line, especially
the Seaweed Clay Mask.

One last recommendation
to save money is to invest in
their pedicure and manicure
products. Although I used to

  

Photos by Aaron Guillen

Café is set to be a fan favourite
among college students. Before
you stop by, keep in mind that
the hours are tentatively 10
a.m.—7 p.m. and the business is
currently accepting cash only.

treat myself to the odd pedicure,
now I do them at home with the
Body Shop line of peppermint
foot products. There is a soak, a
scrub, and various lotions, and
the peppermint and menthol
in the products help to leave
your feet fresh. The winter can
be especially drying, so this a
nice way to take care of yourself
without breaking the bank, since
the whole set should cost about
as much as one pedicure if you
watch for deals, and it will last
for many. The same goes for their
hand products—pick one of their
hand butters and their almond
cuticle and nail oil, and give your
hands a treat in this dry weather.
If your nails are brittle, the latter
will be especially helpful.

Do some research on
their website and arrive armed
with the knowledge of what
works best for you. Many
customers take advantage of
the review system, so you can
find tons of information on
nearly every product. Shop
smart and you will have some
very nice skin this season!