Out of the many things that one losok forward to during Chinese New Year, food has to be one of them.
There are some dishes that hold greater meaning during festive seasons.
Like pen cai (which I unfortunately haven't had much chance to appreciate) and pineapple tarts (which I look forward to, year on year)
Some people look forward to new furniture, new outfits and all the socializing.
I look forward to the food.
Soft drinks, chocolates, snacks, special meals- the like.
And I enjoy whatever it is that comes along my way.
Celebrations on the eve of the eve of Chinese New Year began with a plate of roast duck.
It didn't come from any of the popular Chinese restaurants or the franchises, but from this little joint at Jalan Besar near Lavender Street and Hoa Nam Building.
A quiet, cozy place, it looked like it were more for the millennial and the millennial couple than a four-generation family.
But the skin of the roast was good, and the meat- even though a little tough at parts- wasn't too bad either.
The plum sauce (like the kind used for Peking Duck) was particularly good- so we asked for two.
Next day on Chinese New Year eve I had a (much awaited) bowl of katsudon and a (much anticipated) dessert of tofu cheesecake with a cup of lemon tea.
I say much awaited, because I'd been wanting to have this katsudon of breaded pork cutlet and egg with rice for nearly two weeks.
And I say much anticipated, because despite having eyeing the tofu cheesecake in the menu many a time, today would be my first try.
I loved the katsudon.
I loved the cheesecake as well.
Such a delightful meal- one that I thoroughly enjoyed- and so full was I from the late lunch that I decided dinner would be simple.
The plan was to buy a McDonalds takeaway but then I thought about it, changed my mind and cooked a bowl of ramen topped with siew mais boiled in the pot instead.
It was a comfortable, heartwarming meal.
Did I mind?
Nope, not at all.
Chinese New Year Day One saw us having a fusion-style lunch at a Vietnamese cafe that happened to be open all three days of the New Year holidays.
It took us a while to study the extensive menu, but after some deliberation we settled for one well-seasoned pork chop, one side of deliciously fried onion rings, a basket of salted egg yolk buns, and a basket of Chinese-style steamed dumplings served with sliced ginger and vinegar.
It might seem unusual, but the onion rings were good and the pork chop even better.
In case you think it's a little odd to have foods cooked in the Western style for Chinese New Year, let me just tell you that breakfast that morning we had a cup of coffee, buttery, crispy pan-warmed croissants from Maison Kayser and scrambled eggs made in the pan.
No traditional Chinese breakfast for me (what is a traditional Chinese breakfast anyway), but there were green pea cookies, pineapple tarts (two kinds!), and strawberry flavored love letters bought from HAO supermarket down the road.
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Of course, one of the most memorable meals this season would be the zichar dinner we had at Ah Hoi- these guys at Hotel Jen Tanglin never fail to disappoint- which portions were so huge we couldn't finish everything at dinner, and tapaoed the noodles to cook with Hokkaido scallops at lunch the next day.
I'll write about this later but, yes, I cannot compliment enough the soft shell crab, the fish, and the noodles.
You'd think that all these meals would be more than enough for a three day celebration, but noooo, there was still the lunch at Ichiban Boshi which we decided to have on the third day.
I couldn't resist the chewy fried udon.
I couldn't resist the egg salad of mashed hard boiled egg, lettuce and cherry tomato.
Nor the carefully sliced beef simmering slowly in the pot with onions and garlic and a dark brown gravy.
