Chinese New Year follows hot on the heels of Christmas every year which honestly leaves me with no time to shed off the extra pounds and well..like what my colleague always muses "If you can't lose weight, make the other fatter."
Thebad worst thing about CNY is the calorie laden snacks, absolutely nothing adheres to the advisable daily intake of sugar. The next worst thing about CNY is the snacking usually begins so WAY in advance. I'm always so guilty of that...from sampling to pre-festive nibbling to festive bingeing. My defence is always, one life to live.
Kim Peng Hiang Bak Kwa ($42/kg)
I've got friends who bought this by the kilos and deep froze them to avoid any queueing. Queueing for bak kwa has to be a must do every CNY, to justify "having done something worthwhile during CNY." Some brands deliberately break the price records of previous years and for barbequed meat tipping the scales of more than $50/kg? Sounds incredulous for me.
This is our third or forth year (damn the lousy memory!) pledging support to KPH. Unlike the other brands, their bak kwas come with a special ingredient - Pineapple. The bak kwa ain't as tough as Bee Cheng Hiang and still more tender than Lim Chee Guan. Found it a tad soft this time round though this has to be attributed to the pineapple bits woven so brilliantly into each slice. Pineapple juice is a great tenderizer as opposed to the chemical cousins.Bak Kwa sandwich, bak kwa with cheese...I've indulged way too much before this new year has even begun!
Bee Cheng Hiang ($46/kg)
Bee Cheng Hiang was gifted to us this year...the familiar thick meaty slabs, yes..the jaws work hard to these. The seasoning for this is less sweet than KPH's. Perfect with bread and eaten on its own too!
L.E. Cafe Pineapple Golf Balls
Every other year I do not have much luck with L.E. Cafe's gargantuan of a pineapple tart - pineapple golf balls. The attitude stinks as much, "book or regret". The boss managed to clean the small stall at Cambridge Road of its last remaining bottles and possibly help it reach its monthly quota within the few minutes.
The boss so kindly donated one bottle to me! Hooray. :)
I have to admit it was disappointing, after the first bite, despite an awesome buttery pastry..the filling within was too sweet.
Amethyst Pineapple Tarts ($23 for small)
A walk around Takashimaya's food square brought me to Garden Pastry and Amethyst. I remember being wowed by the former last year and I had every intention to buy some this year. Amethyst triumphed for its generous portions...full tarts dished out without being sliced to death at some booths! Loved the sweet and sour tangy fibrous filling inside.
Yet when eaten weeks later, this was slightly disappointing. The paste was alot denser. Definitely did not taste as good as straight off the oven but it's back to finding THE pineapple tart again next year!
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Lavender
Never a fan of coconut-laced cookies, nor kueh bangkit...definitely not suggee too so a combination of both is what these are.
Kok Zai
I like mine deep fried and filled with peanuts..not in clumps nor chunks nor undiscernible blobs.
Prawn Rolls
These always make me feel like a teen all over again, next to peanuts and chocolate with all the pimples they cause a-popping thereafter. I usually get my stash from Bugis. Utter sadness that my favourite lobster rolls have ceased production.
Fish Shreds
The newest addition this year..cod fish shreds that replaces cuttlefish as the new snack. Tough on the jaws after all that gnawing but I'm certainly not complaining!
Cranberry Kueh Lapis, Lavender
A spongecake version of kueh lapis..to the extent it was soggy. Not liking it one bit. The only things reminiscent of one is the outlook and the layers.
Have an awesome Rabbit Year everyone! 祝 one and all 兔飞猛进!
The
Kim Peng Hiang Bak Kwa ($42/kg)
I've got friends who bought this by the kilos and deep froze them to avoid any queueing. Queueing for bak kwa has to be a must do every CNY, to justify "having done something worthwhile during CNY." Some brands deliberately break the price records of previous years and for barbequed meat tipping the scales of more than $50/kg? Sounds incredulous for me.
This is our third or forth year (damn the lousy memory!) pledging support to KPH. Unlike the other brands, their bak kwas come with a special ingredient - Pineapple. The bak kwa ain't as tough as Bee Cheng Hiang and still more tender than Lim Chee Guan. Found it a tad soft this time round though this has to be attributed to the pineapple bits woven so brilliantly into each slice. Pineapple juice is a great tenderizer as opposed to the chemical cousins.Bak Kwa sandwich, bak kwa with cheese...I've indulged way too much before this new year has even begun!
Bee Cheng Hiang ($46/kg)
Bee Cheng Hiang was gifted to us this year...the familiar thick meaty slabs, yes..the jaws work hard to these. The seasoning for this is less sweet than KPH's. Perfect with bread and eaten on its own too!
L.E. Cafe Pineapple Golf Balls
Every other year I do not have much luck with L.E. Cafe's gargantuan of a pineapple tart - pineapple golf balls. The attitude stinks as much, "book or regret". The boss managed to clean the small stall at Cambridge Road of its last remaining bottles and possibly help it reach its monthly quota within the few minutes.
The boss so kindly donated one bottle to me! Hooray. :)
I have to admit it was disappointing, after the first bite, despite an awesome buttery pastry..the filling within was too sweet.
Amethyst Pineapple Tarts ($23 for small)
A walk around Takashimaya's food square brought me to Garden Pastry and Amethyst. I remember being wowed by the former last year and I had every intention to buy some this year. Amethyst triumphed for its generous portions...full tarts dished out without being sliced to death at some booths! Loved the sweet and sour tangy fibrous filling inside.
Yet when eaten weeks later, this was slightly disappointing. The paste was alot denser. Definitely did not taste as good as straight off the oven but it's back to finding THE pineapple tart again next year!
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Lavender
Never a fan of coconut-laced cookies, nor kueh bangkit...definitely not suggee too so a combination of both is what these are.
Kok Zai
I like mine deep fried and filled with peanuts..not in clumps nor chunks nor undiscernible blobs.
Prawn Rolls
These always make me feel like a teen all over again, next to peanuts and chocolate with all the pimples they cause a-popping thereafter. I usually get my stash from Bugis. Utter sadness that my favourite lobster rolls have ceased production.
Fish Shreds
The newest addition this year..cod fish shreds that replaces cuttlefish as the new snack. Tough on the jaws after all that gnawing but I'm certainly not complaining!
Cranberry Kueh Lapis, Lavender
A spongecake version of kueh lapis..to the extent it was soggy. Not liking it one bit. The only things reminiscent of one is the outlook and the layers.
Have an awesome Rabbit Year everyone! 祝 one and all 兔飞猛进!
yum! Gong Xi Fa Cai!
ReplyDeletehappy CNY to you too (:
ReplyDeletehi ladies! gong xi gong xi...have a rabbitty year ahead!! :)
ReplyDeleteLim Chee Guan Singapore's queue is just crazy every year. But not much of a choice. Just have to queue cos they make the best bak kwa in town.
ReplyDeletei thought the queues haven't started! enjoy ur bak kwa! :)
ReplyDeletehello, do you think amethyst and garden which one has better pineapple tarts?
ReplyDelete@ladyck: i actually think both are on par - those eaten fresh at the food fairs are not a good judge of how they'd taste when you finally open them. I've had disappointing experiences with either...
Delete*disappointing experiences with both, i meant.
Delete