Siew Yuk and Stealing Dreams

Went over to J and L's for a potluck dinner! They roasted a slab of beer-marinated crispy pork belly that was really quite delicious. There was none of the stink of pork, all of the tender meat, and crazy crackling on the skin. It's their long-held family recipe that the hosts have obviously perfected.

The rest of us brought dessert and food to match the meat. Dessert was such an OTT affair. Such good vegan and gluten-free ice-cream in three flavors, and bowls of surprisingly thin-skinned nicely boiled Teochew glutinous rice balls (filled with sesame and peanuts) from some famous stall. A and J also grilled up vegetables which were great for munching and the caramelized vegetables complemented the salt and char of the meat.

The man made a one-pot chicken, pumpkin and mushroom basmati rice in two versions- usual with soy sauce and oyster sauce, and a gluten-free version that also held no ingredients from soya beans. I fried up a little sambal for those who wanted an additional kick, mainly for myself. Hahahaha. I ate loads of those grilled vegetables because I picked out the chicken in the rice. My meat quota for the evening, one piece, was given to tasting the hosts’ siew yuk, or in Hokkien, sio bak.

Lots of elegant Japanese gin and fabulous French and Italian wines accompanied the food. You know I’m such a klutz with wine glasses. Those with stems. I never fail to break one at parties at restaurants or bars. And I almost broke a glass that night too. Almost. After dinner, we checked out the new card game ‘The Singaporean Dream’. It’s quite funny. Teehehehehe. Bank swaps and the stealing of Dreams are hilarious. The objective of the game is not about accumulating the cash- it’s to gain as many Dreams as possible. It was yet another awesome night.

I think I speak for everyone present when I say we truly prefer hanging out at home with one another than to head out to get drunk. Hahahah. I mean, we can comfortably sit in a bar or a restaurant, but nothing beats rocking up to a home with potluck dishes (either bought or cooked) and sitting down at the dining table to chill out. The hosts are fantastic. Their spacious dining room is very welcoming of friends and tons of laughter. It feels like a natural happy space to gather with good company, eat, drink and be merry. To friendship. 🥂