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Feasting for the Chinese New Year has not officially ended. Remember there are 15 days to it. Somewhat traditionally, another important day is the 7th day known as the ‘Ren Ri’ (the common man’s birthday) when ‘yu sheng’ is eaten for continued wealth and abundance in this part of the world. Plaza Brasserie has a [...]

There are so many different varieties of Almond Cookies and biscuits, with the more popular ones coming from Hong Kong or Macau. Always crunchy, and sometimes crumbly, these have recently become the must-have Chinese New Year snack. Before I talk about the taste of this particular Almond Cookies, this bottle did not come to my [...]

A long time ago, being fat during the Chinese New Year equates to prosperity and a huge pinch on the cheeks (until I couldn’t fit into any pair of decent jeans). In today’s context, you need to be both slim and fit. After all, this could be the only time you are showing off to [...]

Have you realised that the Pen Cai has become a local Chinese New Year staple in recent years? This Big Bowl Feast is a traditional Hong Kong village cuisine, said to origin during the late Song Dynasty when locals collected all their best food to serve a fleeing Emperor. It is not difficult to understand [...]

Some food reviewers claimed that “they are the best pineapple tarts” and “the king of pineapple tarts”. These tarts from Le Cafe Confectionery & Pastry, better known as ‘golf balls’, are big, fat and huge – almost the size of a ping pong. One or two may be enough to make you feel slightly full [...]

The Kueh Bangkit, also known as Tapioca Flour or Coconut Cookie, is originally used as an alter offering. Therefore, they are usually shaped like a golden coin to symbolize prosperity. Those shaped in other forms usually represent fertility. Kedai Kue Kue, known for their authentic Indonesian cakes, has their lovely Kueh Bangkit shaped like petite [...]

Talking about pineapple tarts, these bite-sized pastries are perhaps the most representative item of the Chinese New Year in Singapore. Topped or filled with pineapple jam, the tarts are a must-have for many because the pineapple in dialect is called ‘ong lai’, symbolising the arrival of prosperity. You may have tried the popular ‘bo lo’ [...]

The last time I visited SunnyHills, they were a kiosk at Funan The IT Mall. A year later, they are occupying an entire shop at Singapore’s very renowned Raffles Hotel. I would say this is a major upgrade for the Taiwanese pineapple cakes sellers. While having Ah Teng’s Bakery, Royal China and Tiffin Room as [...]

Come Lunar New Year, every restaurant seems ready to outwit, outplay, out last all others with interesting (and sometimes strange) takes on Lo Hei and Peng Cai. For this 2012 Chinese New Year menu, Crystal Jade seems all set to impress with their innovation of the Pagoda of Eight Treasures, a Chinese take on the [...]

It’s very Taiwan this Chinese New Year. If you walk down the Chinatown street bazaar, it won’t be too exaggerating to say that 20% of the stalls are selling some Taiwan goodie… … Mochi ball, fruit jelly, pineapple tarts, peanuts and anchovies. Why the trend? The flavours are aplenty. You can get Taiwan jellies from [...]