Plant Revival Part 2

I had posted about my water hyacinths here when I first got them. Shortly after I took those pics, the leaves started to turn brown (yes, again!), and one by one, they all started to die. Everyone who came over to my apt commented on their sad state. Finally, I moved them closer to the window ... more to remove the eyesore than for their good, and surprise surprise! They started to thrive! And today, I'm left with only 2 clusters (I started with 5) but they are both doing so well. Just look at their pretty purple flowers with a yellow accent!

Plant Revival Part 1

I've never been much of a gardener ... practically every plant I touch turns brown within weeks. Sometimes I wonder if the new plants I bring home whisper to each other "oh no!" when they see my older plants.

However, somehow or other, this begonia - the pink one in the centre, which my mom actually bought fm Yilan a couple of years back for about USD$0.35 - managed to survive and even thrive! It used to be in a little pot, then I had to repot it into a larger pot, and I even managed to grow 3 more little pots from it! Amazing!

And the purple flowers together with the same specie in red were on the brink of death, when I finally decided to repot them, and suddenly, they decided they liked their new home, and started sprouting healthy leaves and flowering! Oh such joy!

Even the ones my friend D gave started growing back their lush foliage and one even started to give little white flowers! I never even knew it was a flowering plant :)

Now, when I look at my little balcony, I feel so happy seeing all the pretty flowers and plants that I managed to revive over several months. Never really understood the joy of gardening till now :)

Meals for One ...

Sometimes when I'm home alone, it gets pretty tedious trying to figure out what to cook for oneself ... apart fm instant noodles (best best best invention ever, btw!). So, I tried to cook up something simple yet tasty and nutritious, and came up with ...

Fish fillets with cajun blackened seasoning and spaghetti in that garlic-chili-anchovy sauce which I'd mentioned here ...

Minced pork in tom yum sauce and pasta ...

Chicken curry using my new favorite curry paste:

Taiwanese Beef Noodles etc ...

One of the most famous Taiwanese dishes is their beef noodles. They even have an annual beef noodle festival here in Taipei! This is from a stall at Mitsukoshi Dept Store's food court - they supposedly won an award for their beef noodles, so we decided to try them ...

Also from the same food court, I saw lots of ppl ordering this set, and thought I'd try it - basically fried chicken chop (which was very nice and crispy) with dumpling soup and noodles.

Sababa Pita Bar - Falafels!

We stumbled upon Sababa Pita Bar while we were at Yong Kang Street several weekends back, and I was so excited to find a restaurant serving falafels! They are one of my favorite foods! As it's basically vegetarian food, I feel healthy munching them down even if they are deep fried ... it's all in the mind :)

Anyway, after consuming that heavy meal at Ikki's, I thought maybe we should visit Sababa, and here it is ...

Isn't the decor charming? I really like the way the Taiwanese so creatively decorate their little boutiques and eateries. If I ever have a shop of my own one day, I'd like it to look as pretty as some of these in Taipei.

But back to the food - we ordered their "Hummus Tel Aviv", as recommended by our server ... it's basically a falafel on top of a platter of hummus and tomato salsa, served with pita bread...

And this is my "Pita Beirut", which apparently has everything - my fav falafel, baked chicken, hummus, egg, with tahini sauce in a pita bread ...

All I can say is DELISH! This really hit the spot! Am definitely returning whenever the craving for falafel hits! And next time, I'll be asking for their special hot sauce to be added to my falafel :)

Ikki 藝奇, Taipei

Hubby took me to this interesting restaurant - Ikki, near Ximending. They pride themselves in creative cuisine with a Japanese base. Apparently, it's pretty popular cos we had to make reservations, and while we were waiting for our table, some walk-in customers were told they'd have to wait an hour for a table!

The menu is basically a set 8-course (yes, 8!) menu with options for certain courses.

First up: Clam soup with chicken, fish and mushrooms

(charmingly served in a little teapot on a warmer - soup is poured into a little teacup)

1st Course/Appetiser:

Hubby's Choice: Fish Skin

(Personally, I'm aversed to fish skin as I'm not a fan of the texture, and it's usually pretty fishy. Surprisingly, this wasn't fishy at all! And it actually reminded me of those jelly fish dishes served in Chinese restaurants. Fascinating!)

My Choice: Seafood on a skewer with Papaya

2nd Course:

My Choice: Sashimi Platter

Hubby's Choice: Steamed Prawns with Loofah

Third Course: Hubby's Choice: Chawamushi

(the yellow bit on the top is actually the egg yolk! Certainly not the typical chawamushi we see in Jap restaurants)

My Choice: Deep fried codfish with grapefruit

(Surprisingly tasty combination!)

4th Course:

Mango Slushee to cleanse the palate for the main course

5th Course/Main Course:

Hubby's Choice: Lamb Chops

(The marinade was delicious! And it was oh-so-tender!)

My Choice: Stone-grilled Beef Slices

(Yummy!)

6th Course:

Hubby's Choice: Teriyaki Beef with Rice

My Choice: Salmon Miso with Rice

7th Course/Drinks:

Hubby's Choice: Ice Fruit Tea

(In Tpe, this is one of my fav drinks - they actually serve fresh fruits in the tea! Delish!)

My Choice: Camomile Tea

... together with my ...

8th Course/Dessert:

Fresh Fruits

Hubby's Choice:

Custard Pudding

(I noticed that the Taiwanese really love their custard puddings. If you look on the dessert shelves in the many 7-11s around Taiwan, you'll inevitably find custard pudding.)

Dress Down Pearls 2?

As mentioned in my previous post, I had tried a plain white tee with jeans to dress down my pearls, but the pearls dressed up the entire look, and since I was just going to the movies (Ironman 2 in case anyone's interested ... RDJ is soooo good!), I decided to swap out the pearls and accessorise with a belt fm a dear friend, and a floral bracelet cuff.

(J.Crew White Tee with White Flower Appliques,

Forever 21 floral bracelet cuff,

Belt - gift fm a dear friend,

Gap distressed jeans - these are super soft and comfy!

&

Gladiator Sandals worn here)