Pandan Leaves?

My organic chilli plant had motivated me so much that I wanted to next plant 'pandan leaves'! Whats pandan leaves?

Pandan leaves = screwpine pandanus.  Pandan leaves is used in alot of Asian cooking typically to add flavour and smell to savoury and sweet dishes. It is really one of the most commonly grown leaves in any household for reason that it is easy to grow and that it is hugely used! Since young, my household had used Pandan leave for cooking most desserts eg : barley water, barley smashed beancurd, aballing, cakes, jellies and much more.. 

I am excited that in future, I will just need to pluck whatever pandan leaves I need from my small little garden! I need not pay 10cents for them from the market! Yippie!!!!



Transferring a bunch of pandan leaves over to a new pot



My new pot of pandan leaves



My Chilli Plant

Have you ever planted anything in your life?  Does the thought of seeing small seeds turn into leaves and bearing fruits delight you? 

The only plants I grew were bean sprouts (from green beans) during my primary school days for science projects.  Otherwise, I associated plants with time (alot of time required to have them full grown), mess (the soil, the fertilisers..), and patience (I plant them and they take forever to bear fruits!).  So, needless to say I never tempted to grow anything else thereafter. 

Recently, my hubby out of fun took some chilli seeds and throw them into our few pots of bamboo plants which is used for fengshui purposes (to ward away the bad omens).  1 fine day, we noticed that small little plants are growing out from the seeds.  The feeling is nice and rewarding.  It feels like.. "wow, your efforts are reciprocated".  From then on, we studiously water the plants and watch it grow.  TIme passes by and before we even know it, a huge plant has grown out from those chilli seeds.  These plants slowly bore flowers and these flowers slowly turn into chillies!  many many Green Chillies are budding out from the flowers!  Each stage seems so fast!  Its nothing like what I used to think - That it takes forever for plants to bear fruits!

Just 3 days back, I was asking my hubby when our greeen chillies will turn red so that we can pluck them and have it for our organic meal.  Know what?  here is what I witness this morning : YES my chillies are turning red!!! all ready to be eaten!

I am not sure - Have I grown older and in the process cultivated more patience?  Have I been too busy that time just flew by?  Something which I thought takes forever to bear fruits now seems to be able to bear fruits at a speedy rate?  Or maybe this is the 1st time I see the fruits of my labour and the wait doesn't seem too long since there is always something to look forward to?  1 thing I am sure is that planting can sure be fun and rewarding! you too can get to eat your organic chillies...!! so...what should I plant next?






Yummy Yummy Chillies!!! Aint they cute???

 


Ready to be eaten! pluck them all out!





My organic chillies :)



Kids below 6 are banned from some restaurants

We never had this in Singapore and in my memory, this Japanese restaurant situated in Great World City is the 1st to put forth a rule whereby kids below 6 are not allowed to dine.  When this was first announced, there were much uproar about this especially from community with young kids.  I love the comments that since the government is encouraging and taking measures to increase childbirth and improve family bonding, this ruling certainly doesn't help!  Of cos, I too hear the other side of the argument whereby kids will scream and shout, disturbing other diners who wanted to have a quiet meal.  Both makes sense to me...Thus, really I am sitting on the fence and going with the flow...However, I am keen and curious to try one of these restaurants..

I made a reservations for Kuriya at Great World, to experience what it will be like to dine in a place without kids below 6.  In my imgination, it should at least not be noisy (well, they say kids disturb other diners!) and for the price that they are charging, I would expect decent food.  From the outlook of the restaurant (from the outside), I thought it looks decent and is all ready for a good meal.

When I finally did have my meal there, I was really not too impressed.  Many diners there spoke much louder that my son! Somehow, the place sounds like a food court without the kids! The interior decoration was not too impressive too.  Really, I do not see why any kid should not be allowed into this restaurant!

I must say, the food is decent and taste OK.  Its really not fantastic but do-able.  There were supposed to be renowned for their sashimis.  I was not too impressed.  Its Alright.

I came to the conclusion that reastaurants who wanna ban kids below 6 years of age should really do so with a good reason.  If your restaurant setting is supposed to be fine dinning with quiet corners, I totally support your rules.  However, if somehow your restaurant is not anything near fine dining, where you know your cohurt of diners are loud and big, than banning kids below 6 REALLY DOESN'T make any sense!

Sharing my picutures of the meal :



Sashimi and sushis - nothing too different from other Jap restaurants



Seafood Chawanmushi - just like seafood soup with toufu...haha!

Salmon Cheek - this is really good.  Cook to the right degree, soft and sweet