First and foremost, thanks to those who left such lovely words of encouragement on the post about my upcoming art show! Now that I've officially announced it, there's no turning back... I'm actually starting to get a bit nervous. hehe. Honestly, the past few years have been rather bleak in terms of artistic inspiration and passion. It's just been hard to find motivation and inspiration to stay creative, and Lord knows how many times I've gone back and forth on whether I want an art-related career (quarter life crisis!). I've always gotten lost in feelings of insecurity and self-doubt..., but to make a long (and boring) story short, I think I've finally pulled through the desert wasteland and returned to my roots. There just comes a point when you have to stop all the analyzing and second-guessing, and just do . I really have no idea where all of this will take me, but I feel good about the general direction things are going in, and I can see positive things on the horizon.
Anyyyhooo. The last time I checked, this was a food blog, so let's get back to my favorite topic of conversation: yummy vegan eats! The other day, some friends and I got together for dinner at the Indian chain restaurant The Taj by Gangnam Station. I went there one time before and really enjoyed the food, so I was glad to return.
The last time I went, they messed up my vegan order by garnishing my palak curry with some dairy cream, so I was extra vigilant this time around. After thoroughly questioning the waiter and getting some recommendations from him, I went with the 'Khumb Aloo Hara Piaz' (16,000won) which was a curry dish of potatoes and mushrooms. Whenever I go to Indian restaurants, I usually go with the typical order of palak curry, dal, or aloo gobi, so this was me throwing caution to the wind and trying something new. Yesh, I live right on the edge. Anyway, the risk paid off because this was so spankin' good! I've decided it's my new favorite curry. The potatoes and mushrooms were cooked together with a ton of flavorful chopped chives, and the perfect blend of spices definitely delivered a nice slap across the face. Love at first taste.
My basket of roti (2000 won). I asked the waiter if their roti was vegan, and he said that it's usually made with some milk, but then after confirming with the cook, he said that they could make a vegan version for me. Sweeet! I gotta say, I was very happy with the accommodating service at Taj.
The side condiments: hot peppers, pickled shallots, and a "mint sauce."
The prices are steep, but it's worth it. Everest restaurant in Dongdaemun will always be my #1 (their prices simply can't be beat), but I think Taj just might have claimed the coveted #2 spot. :) My friends also thoroughly enjoyed their dishes (non vegan), and a good portion of our conversation was about about how much we all love Indian food! :) Happy tummies all around.