Pumpkin Soup, Soba & Perilla Oil!

Stopped by J's to collect our bulk orders of bak zhang. Instead of simply doing a pick-up, she had also invited Choya and I to stay for lunch. Wheeeeee!!! I didn't want to put her out, but she said she would simply do a portion for me of whatever she was having for lunch, and it would be easy. OKAY!

She has been food-prepping loads for easy lunches and dinners, so I was glad that she didn't have to rush to cook things 'fresh' that morning. Except to boil up the soba. J didn't mind Choya having lunch at hers either; Choya was comfortable enough to eat too. So I brought along lunch for Choya in her little jars and her plate. She was happily slurped it all up. She was especially thrilled with pieces of cheese generously offered by J.

There was a rather excellent bowl of pumpkin soup. And a happy bowl of Korean soba noodles tossed in perilla oil, and topped with a giant heap of seaweed. I loved it! I was in an absolute food coma after that. 

Then I had coffee. That was a very lovely afternoon catching up. Sooo thankful to have a comfy space to hang out for a few hours on an afternoon that I had intentionally cleared for J. When we don't meet often, an afternoon like this after months of not meeting, is precious. 

Grilled Eggplants & Brussels Sprouts

Happiness is managing to find a night to catch up with the friends before they flew out for their usual mid-year thing. For the comfort of the floofs, everyone's sanity and in case of mad rains, we decided to gather at home. They generously didn't mind cooking at all. 

There was good conversation to be had. Lots of hilarious things that went on. And an early birthday celebration for B. May this trip for them be all smooth without crazy flight delays. When you're doing these many flights across three time zones, it's exhausting!

There was so much food. We wanted to clear the fridge for them before they took a flight out two days later. Hehehe. That was the whole point. But they also added on a ton of ingredients for dinner tonight. Awwww. We felt the love.

There were starters of crab blinis and a lovely gazpacho that was perfect for this humidity. Then we had the main of a ribeye steak with grilled eggplants with spring onions and peppers, and beautifully charred brussels sprouts. Loved all the vegetables. Then a cheesecake and fruits for dessert. We were absolutely stuffed.

It was also Ryo's dinner-time. He was hungry. This Choya insisted on having a bit of whatever Ryo had for dinner. She was sooo greedy that it was mildly embarrassing. But she would still need her supper and bedtime pee. So we don't usually stay out past 11pm. Plus our dear friends need to clean up and rest too. Of course we didn't stay beyond 10.30pm tonight. We never do. We are sleepy by then too. Heh. 

Coffee at J's

Happiness is going to J's home and getting two gorgeous cups of coffee. It was a rainy morning, but no matter. The rains weren't the white-out sort. So it was very manageable. I haven't seen J for a bit. It's always nice to catch up IRL. Although our schedules totally do not match, and it takes like two months to find a common slot. 

Choya was invited too, and she was so pleased about it. (I made sure to brush out her coat so that she doesn't shed everywhere.) She followed J around for a bit, and found her comfy corners. This Smol Girl is really very 'guai'. She's fairly respectful of other people's space and wouldn't jump up on the bed or on the couch unless she's invited to. I can take her everywhere. 

J's got a gorgeous and practical coffee station set-up. It's her thing lah. So she's pedantic about coffee. Maybe more so than I am. Hehehe. I didn't want espresso things even though she has a lovely nifty 9Barista stovetop. I asked for filter coffee. J generously obliged. Two cups with two rather different beans. The different flavors totally hit a spot. 

We always have got good beans. Different sort of roasts. It's fun figuring out each roastery's quirks. Mmmmm. These cups have got to be the best coffee I've had this week. It was perfect weather to sit and chat for a bit. She had ordered financiers from Little Favors. Ahhhhh. What a treat! Those always go so well with coffee. Wheeeeeee. I wasn't able to do lunch per se. So it had to be a morning thing. 

Gifts of Food from the Heart

The friends decided to feed me. They knew I was having it rough these few weeks, and while it's not as rough as what some other people are going through, I'm grateful for their kindness and friendship. 

They didn't exactly ask me if it's convenient to deliver food — they knew I would be home worrying about Choya and not going anywhere. Hurhurhur. When friends are being 'presumptuous', I don't view it as over-stepping boundaries. I see their concern and their lovely hearts, and I'm soooo thankful. My dearest friends are truly angels. 

I got cakes! Two cakes and a tub of rice! There's a cake as a dessert, and a savory one for meals. Ahhh... these friends know. I'm not too opposed to cakes, but many cakes are simply too sweet and not worth the calories or me bouncing off the walls. I only eat cakes that friends bake, and even better if they go low on the sugar.  

Asian Turnip Cake and Glutinous Rice

J realized that it's super hard to find Asian turnip cake (蒸蘿蔔糕) and glutinous rice (糯米飯) to deliver to friends outside of the lunar new year festive period. Teheheheheh. She cleverly found these items at Pine Garden and sent it over.

These were delicious! They were honestly better than Crystal Jade's versions. The sizes were just nice too. There was nothing to portion for the freezer. The portions went to the fridge and we ate everything in 2.5 days. Even the husband didn't mind these carbs at lunch — he was blown away by how delicious they were.

I was very extra, of course, and added lupcheong and yuncheong plus braised baby abalones to the mix. I had plenty of XO sauce and chilli at home to sort out a delicious few meals. Absolutely satisfying and filled my tummy. 

Chocolate, Banana and Walnut Cake

Dear D baked a cake and sent it over still piping hot. It had to sit on my counter to cool. Woah. This cake came loaded with rum-soaked raisins. I can't even... ... Her bakes are the best. She went low on sugar and was generous with the ingredients. It's a dense and magnificent cake that we ain't getting at the commercial bakeries. 

This is one dessert I'm not throwing out and eating up all the crumbs. We froze half the cake. Sowly ate the other half over the next three days. Even the husband decided to inhale 40g and 150 calories once a day. Hahahaha. 

No regrets. I still have a frozen portion to savor for the next week. Wheeeeeee. 

A Breakfast Meet

It was a lovely morning meeting E and S for breakfast at home. I've missed them! I'm glad that we managed to plan and stick to this date. I'm not great for the evenings nowadays. Lunches are tough since that's my gym timings. Mornings right now work better for all of us. 

E ordered shio pan and coffee from Olsen Bakehouse. Black cold brew always work. I took the original and the simplest shio pan. Not keen on coffee or garlic or the sorts. My stomach was happy! 

I enjoyed hearing their tales of travel. I'm not traveling much at all, so it was nice to take a tour through the cities from their perspectives. I've missed traveling, and while I'm not resentful about it, it's always nice to read about people's experiences during their trips out of Singapore. 

I would like to do more of these meets, but I simply can't squeeze out the time. This morning was so precious. It was a good long chat that lasted till noon. Then we had to split to resume our daily schedules. These few hours spent in a safe space and sane company had been absolutely soul-nourishing. 

A Peranakan Feast!

It was such a fun party over weekend. The friends flew into town to watch the play. We get to spend time doing things we love, and we get to eat some good food. I'm still recovering from being so sociable, but I'm glad to see everyone whom I've missed. 

Of course it had to be Violet Oon at Dempsey — it takes big groups, serves food fast, and is always decent, and probably the most important point, Choya could come along, and we could all be seated comfortably at their lovely al fresco patio. 

We didn't over-order but we had a spread. We had kueh pie tee, beef rendang, babi ponteh, udang chilli, chap chye, and liver balls, of course. 

We made it to dessert — three types — we had the kueh bingka, gula melaka tea cake with gula melaka ice-cream, pulot hitam with coconut ice-cream. The pulot hitam is pretty similar to a Thai dessert we all love — khao niao dum piek / ข้าวเหนียวดำเปียก. The friends loved this version. 

We were absolutely stuffed. Had a bit of leftovers that we decided to tapau home. Why waste food. Heh. We didn't bother to adjourn elsewhere for drinks. Nowadays, we do our drinking at dinner. It's a lot more convenient that way. 

お家ですき焼きは

The friends said it was time to celebrate our birthdays! A belated one for me and an advance toast for the husband. Yes, but we didn't want to put them out about the meal and proposed a to-go or delivery. We agreed on sukiyaki (すき焼き). Heh. There's no need to complicate it with additional seafood or whatever and turn it into a Chinese hotpot. Sukiyaki is meant to be fuss-free. 

The friends thoughtfully also got trays of non-wagyu beef. Donki supplied all ingredients, including negi and shungiku. We're not fans of tang-oh but as shungiku, it lends a nicer flavor to the soup, although I wouldn't eat it. But negi is LOVE. Heheheh. The kamaboko-chikuwa, tofu and mushrooms were all yummy. I was really happy with the udon too. In this manner, five strands of udon filled me up!

Dipping beef in hot stock worked nicely for everyone. We could control our done-ness. I simply love dipping beef and everything else in raw egg yolk. The husband didn't finish his dip (cholesterol lah), so I slurped it up for him.

We had a gorgeous bottle of champagne to go along. Crisp and beautiful. Totally loved catching up with the friends too. It's been a hectic quarter at work. Everyone's glad to have an easy night. Our friends' generosity made this evening truly enjoyable — the best gifts, truly. 

A Fun Lunch at Bishan Park!

We usually prefer outdoor tables, and the patio at Grub Pasta Kitchen works so well for us. It's got a good airflow and the sheltered patio is decently comfortable against the mid-day heat. The tables are set far apart enough for us not to feel geli when people cough or talk or sneeze.

There're some overhead fans, but these can be not too useful against the brutal heat. I brought extra fans to place at the table for a bit of extra breeze. Choya was extra stoked to be invited to lunch. She was pleased to have been allocated her favorite table and the spacious corner to chill out at.

There was a good crowd at lunch today. A few floofs too. Choya was not perturbed. All the floofs were happily chilling out at their respective tables. Although the two schnauzers at the other end went bonkers when servers got near. Those floofs couldn't deal with 'invasion' of space. They nip. Although the owners were quite vigilant about holding them back, I was a tad worried that the floofs' teeth would sink into an arm or a calf. That would not be good.

It was such a lovely afternoon. I've missed chatting with D and J in IRL. We do text fairly often, but it's not enough to finish talking about all that we wat to talk about. Heh. The ladies came bearing gifts! I came home with J's gorgeous handmade plate, and D's latest batch of homebaked granola.  

赤馬年 :: 大年初一

We had an unexpected invitation to the dear friends' parents' home for a mee siam lunch on the first day. OH YES PLEASE. How gorgeous. This was a visit that we welcomed very much, and it was no chore to pop over with mandarin oranges and little gifts. 

When the friends' parents were all getting on in the years, and cooking is no longer viable for many, it's a precious thing to taste their food. These are the flavors we'll never be able to recreate, and we'll deeply miss it. While we can, we appreciate the food loads, and give thanks to God's grace. 

This year, the first few days of Lunar New Year saw such low temps. I didn't even perspire much. The rains are back. Day 1 was some sort of mad rain from the morning til the night. At our area, it began at 5.30am, took a break, and returned in earnest at 10am, lasting all the way till 10pm. Luckily it wasn't a monsoon surge, and the flooding all over was controlled. We had an okay drive to lunch and back. The floofs also found pee breaks in between the rains. They've got no issues with going out in a drizzle.  

At lunch, it was nice to see Fawkes too. She's a silly girl, and had fun sniffing all of us. I didn't realize how much she likes toys. I gave her a toy at Christmas and it's become her chou-chou. Hehehe. So I brought her a whole 'seafood platter' this time. She liked the selections — plush and with ropes. Wheeeeee. She was spoilt for choice! 

A Delicious Bowl of ABC Soup!

We were thoroughly pampered by the friends with a homecooked meal. They had just returned from their annual long ski vacation. They also wanted Asian food, and wanted to eat at home instead of us all going out for a meal. My flat can’t contain this number of humans. So we were invited over to their home to partake in this dinner. Awwwww. 

Sometimes we decline invitations to dine at people's homes because we're honestly not that close, and I don't want to put people out. And I don't exactly want to tell them that I'm intolerant to 1001 things/foods. Often I might choose to suffer the effects of the allergy flares (even with antihistamines) back at home. When these are good friends, I suck it up and never tell them what my food allergies are. I wouldn’t want to do it with acquaintances.

If the friends are simply interested in cooking and do this all the time, with either a hired chef, or helpers to clean up, then I'm less iffy about it. Plus I feel a lot more comfortable dining at friends' homes when we have a solid friendship and regular interactions going on throughout the year. 

There were so many delicious things on the table! There were roast pork with an awesome crackle top, easy stir-fried nai bai, steamed salmon, basil minced pork, prawn omelette and ABC soup! We contributed the home-baked/oven-grilled siu yuk and prawn omelette. I couldn’t very well go empty-handed. We feasted. I ate so much vegetables. The soup was so good that I had two servings. Wheeeeeee.

It was too cute because we all agreed to go easy on the alcohol. Only one bottle of champagne was had. Whewww! Our darling hosts wanted to open up a bottle of red. We hastily assured them that it was really not necessary. We were really happy with fruits and water after the champagne.  

Fried Chicken at Christmas!

We decided to do the custom of having fried chicken over Christmas. Went to Paaru for dinner, rehashing a memorable dinner we had there a few weeks back. I didn't want any fancy dinner venue. I definitely didn't want turkey, roast beef or ham. I wanted something easier, something real, and quiet of which the dogs could come with. Paaru met all my requirements. I was happy to support our local restaurants instead of a chain or random big-name.

We had one round of drinks. We were quite relieved not to have any pressure to drink a lot. Two highballs for me were more than enough tonight. And a umeshu for J. We were happy to share two portions of salad of burratina, parma ham, nashi, and earl grey. 

Boxes of 'Paaru Fried Chicken' - PFC arrived at the table first, before other food items! Today held sauces of curry mayo, mala and tartare sauce. I ordered a box for myself because I didn't want to share the mash and coleslaw! I only wanted some skin and gave away the meaty parts. The meat was all thigh — a full thigh including the drumstick. Paaru's fried chicken is really delicious! Their dinner menu special this December is really good.

We did have other food. Hahahah. We couldn't be eating fried chicken all the way. Besides the large portion of cacio e pepe that held a tad more pepper than usual (but still okay), tonight, we had an extra small serving of beef cheek pappardelle. Pasta always satisfy the inner carb monsters. And this table does like our carbs. We simply rein it in a little nowadays. 

Of course we got to dessert. Since the husband likes ice jelly and such, I had to have him try the anmitsu. It was a cheerful yet light bowl. I wanted the soba ice-cream with sticky date pudding. What I thought was pepper wasn't exactly pepper. HAHAHAHAH. Maybe I had black pepper bits in my mouth from the pasta. But the bits were cacao nibs. I really like jujube and red dates. However, I do not like the standard bakery version of it richly doused in butterscotch sauce or toffee. Think the one at PS.Cafe — not that. I hate that. I like a lighter version of it, say, the Korean versions. 

Paaru is lovely lah — we also received a complimentary blackforest parfait that held real cherries! That was surprisingly satisfying. Ahahahaha. Chocolate thingies.

It was a wonderful Christmas dinner! 

[11] I speak not as it were for want. For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, to be content therewith. [12] I know both how to be brought low, and I know how to abound: (everywhere, and in all things I am instructed) both to be full, and to be hungry; both to abound, and to suffer need. [13] I can do all these things in him who strengtheneth me.

~ Philippians 4:11-13, Douay-Rheims

An Effort to Meet Regularly

S and I made an agreement to meet more in 2025. And we did it. We've known each other for a number of years now, but we've not traversed too deep into the friendship till 2025. We have vastly different schedules, rather diverse interests and not many common hobbies. But we do have similar approaches to problem-solving and the approaches we adopt in handling matters. 

We made an effort to meet monthly this year. It took some planning. Adult friendships either grow because you run in the same social circles, or your children or dogs go to the same events and activities. In that sense, your social circles widen and maybe intersperse depending on the sort of things you pick up along the way. But if our routines are set, then it's hard to gather new friends and keep them. Because, time. You need make time for new people. And we all have only 16 hours awake in a day.

It was a lovely chat that night at Etna. So glad the rains stopped in time for us to toddle to dinner dry, and it remained cool enough for us to be fairly comfortable seated on the al fresco patio. This is our last meet for 2025. I totally look forward to another round of regular meets in 2026.

I'm not keen to sit in sharing circles, regardless of what kind. Not even trauma support. I'm the type who very much prefer to sort out issues on my own, or to share with a few friends. Please don't just share with one friend. It's not about secrecy. It's about lightening the burden of your ONE friend. It's not fair to tress them mentally. Everyone carries our own baggage. We have limited capacity to carry someone else's.

Through the year of conversations I realized S's strengths. She’s a gem. S is now a friend, but yet she would also be a perfect person to bounce off matters of people management and corporate governance. Heh. While I try not to talk to friends about work, sometimes it's okay too, especially when we're not looking to profit or benefit off of their professional expertise. No freeloading. Adult friendships are indeed precious. 

Beemster and Maaslander

Shamelessly went over to our friends' for dinner. They promised us an easy one-dish meal, and then we would do wine and cheese. They had Beemster and Maaslander to share. Yayyy! Okay. A one-dish pasta meal with salad sounded about right, and wouldn't put them out too much. Tomatoes, mushrooms and pici. That was a happy meal. I might have over-ate the carbs. The pici was boiled nicely al dente. Ooooof. 

Choya finally had a proper sniff of my godson's baby brother's feet. Hahaha. She knew there's an additional member in the home who's a baby, but when we visited the last time, he was still a newborn, so I didn't want her to approach him just yet. 

My godson was simply very thrilled to have Choya to toddle after. They hung out together like best buddies for a bit. We all ROTFL when Choya drank water from a bowl on the floor, and the godson followed suit by placing his bottle on the floor and he bent down to drink from it. 

The Smol Girl was surprisingly rather accommodating towards the godson. I think she likes him. Of course we watched the little boy's hands and his strength. His parents are mad strict with him not bothering Choya. But his own too-familiar Maddie the JRT is relentlessly 'bullied'. LOL Luckily Maddie knows how to run away!

Choya had the time of her life with cheese. Till she happily sat down for a long while to beg for it! She ate SO MUCH CHEESE. She even got a piece of parma ham. Goodness. Luckily I was smart and gave her probiotics that morning, and would give her another dose the next day. Her poop was excellent, and she said that her stomach was meant to contain a ton of cheese. 

Rooted in Town

I never regret traveling so much when I was younger, and went all out in my twenties and thirties; rarely staying in Singapore for more than three weeks at a go. Every weekend was a long weekend hanging out in nearby cities less than a 5-hour flight out. Those memories made and experiences absorbed, truly last a lifetime. While I do get a touch wistful every now and then about not traveling, I'm not resentful or discontented. I made a conscious choice to stay in town for Choya. I don't want to miss out on her short years. Well, it's not as if I don't travel, I do pop out on short trips. Like really short. Well, the husband cannot manage Choya on his own for more than six days. 

'Bring Choya to travel', people say. I had a serious whirl about it. No. Weighing in at 7.5kg and totalling 10kg in an airline-approved carrier, Choya busts all weight limits aboard commercial airlines. I'm not checking her into animal cargo for no good reason; a vacation isn't sufficient. To each pet owner's choice. 

I could fly her in a private jet. I do not want to join those newly popped up pet travel agencies because I can do a better job at logistics and sorting out administrative details even for pets. You know. Ha! BUT. Excuse me, I don't print money, so no to flying in a private jet to a vacation unless we have the free schedule to close up the flat for six months, put aside work and head out of town. Of course we can. But neither the husband or I are inclined to.  

I love it when friends send me photos when they're on vacation. I could stalk their social media, but when they take an extra step to send it to me in our chat windows, I feel extra loved, like they brought me along for that hour to their location. When people ask me if I'd like anything from the city they're in, there's usually nothing I want. I appreciate these little texts and words and photos. These make the best souvenirs for me. 

When J sent me a photo of the last bits of autumn, and blue skies and all, I sighed. This particular photo of gingko leaves on a sunny day. It's a gorgeous shot. (Who isn't in Japan right now! Tsk!) Ahhhh the turn of the seasons. I kinda miss that crisp feel of the cold. I shall renew all these experiences and begin the traveling again in the next season of life. For this season, I am rooted here.  

イチョウ 葉っぱ.

Chicken Congee & White Wine!

L decided to do a pot of her famous chicken congee, and rounded us up for dinner. I love her chicken congee! It's almost like we need to taste it annually. Teeheheheh. We are so thankful that we get to taste comfort food done superbly. 

Our dearest friend shredded chicken breast for the protein. And only chicken breast, skipping the thigh meat altogether. Wow! It was so well marinated. And of course we associate her version with cuttlefish; can't not have that. 

The porridge pot belonged to L's grandmother and she totally did justice to it. It's well kept, and oft-used. It's a much loved pot that produces lovely soup and chok. Oh that congee is LOVE. The consistency. Didn't need additional salt or soy sauce. You could sprinkle pepper I suppose. I ate THREE BOWLS. No shame. I can't get this outside at the commercial food stalls — that's something lacking in the consistency of the porridge, or the flavors that tell me they use cheap soy and other ingredients. This home truly has a magic porridge pot, along with L's special touch. Wheeeeee.

The small godson was hilarious. He rejected having a bowl of his mom's chok at his dinner-time. But when we all sat down around the table, he kinda abandoned bed-time and asked for food. He FOMO, wanted to join us. And he really ate. NICE. After that, he knocked out. Yayyy.

J got tubs of ah-balling from this famous stall that his whole family has been buying from for years. We know it's in the east, but we refused to ask him details. We want to him supply us with peanut and sesame ah-balling forever! I'm not a fan of ah-balling/tangyuan or even muah chee, mochi or daifuku. But I will eat a ball with sesame filling. It also sits in a weird beancurd paste that I can't deal with. I don't like tau suan or those odd dessert soups either. What I do like from this stall, is its ginger soup (薑湯). Gosh, it's seriously good in its ratio of spicy ginger with bits of sugar. 

Sixteenth

After four rounds of mopping and four rounds of vacuuming up paint flecks and wood dust from the fix in the ceiling, I was exhausted. I didn't have that much energy to like dress up for a fancy do and have a non-comforting dinner for our wedding anniversary. I don't need that anyway. The husband and I would very much prefer to have Choya with us on this date anyway.

Had to pick up the dog from 'daycare'. Heheheh. Our generous friends kindly took Choya for the day, to have her out of the way of the drilling, dust and cleaning. So sweet lah. The crew came in at 9.10am, and Choya went out with her Daddy, had a pee and a poop, and reached their home at 9.45am. Husband went to the gym. When I was all done and had a hot shower, it was already 5pm. It was time to retrieve the dog.

We had a G&T at the friends'. It was a good way to decompress. When we made no plans except to have a casual makan, the friends didn't mind hanging out some more with us (after seeing the dog for the whole day), we all toddled to Kizuna for a bite. Ahhhh.... comfort food. I couldn't say no to that. Pork jowl and a lovely bowl of steamed Japanese rice. And highballs. It's hilarious how we always spend our wedding anniversary with friends. 

The difference is, this year, everyone knows that October 18 is our wedding anniversary. Hahahaha. Nobody actually knew in the previous years because why would anyone expect others to remember their wedding anniversary. The husband and I don't do gifts. I don't have a habit of mentioning it to people or on social media, and I don't actually bother to 'celebrate' it. This year, I randomly mentioned it because of the 'anniversary dessert' at Charmgang, and the chosen date of injecting PU filler into the ceiling.

It's yet another mundane day. Hectic, but nicely concluded. I felt relieved at the end of it; I felt supported. I wouldn't want to have it any other way. 

家有喜事 :: 二少滿月、大少升級為哥哥、毛千金生日、父母萬歲！

There was much to celebrate and loads of joy in the friends' home. We celebrated Maddie turning 11, and my godson becoming a big brother, his new baby brother's 30 days on earth (滿月), and the parents surviving a newborn and an active two-year-old. I have no idea how the friends do this, but they do it amazingly. 

Choya was invited to this party. Before we went, I had a talk with her to remind her not to bully Maddie. They fight like fiends. Remember Choya nipped Maddie in the ass all the years ago? In recent years, they've learnt to co-exist. Nowadays, for some reason, Choya has decided to pounce on Maddie first. Aiyoh. I can't have Choya bully Maddie in her own home. 

Choya kept her word. She was a very good girl and left Maddie be. My godson was very pleased to have 'free access' to Choya. LOLOL He's now very gentle with Choya, and the shibe let him touch her ears and tail and all, and didn't mind him sitting next to her.

Maddie shared a piece of her birthday cake with her. It was beef and blueberries. I giggled. At least Choya got some cake now since us derelict pawrents didn't even get her a cake for her birthday last weekend. Then it was bedtime for Maddie and she retired to her room. It was snooze-time for Choya too.    

We had dinner delivered from Kelly Jie Seafood. It was perfect for us because we haven't a chance to pop by the restaurant to have a meal, and we've always wanted to. The man really wanted to have crab, and he was thrilled to get some roe and lovely meat. I was very happy to have fried mantou, chilli crab dip, a bit of crab and loads of beehoon and tofu. And salad youtiao! Wheeeeee.  

Us humans had a great dinner, fabulous wines and the best company. 

An Epic Dinner at Lucky House Cantonese Private Kitchen

We considered staying longer in Bangkok. But we had F1 Grand Prix gigs (Foo Fighters! Crowded House! The Wombats! The Smashing Pumpkins again!) to attend, and we had a dinner to get to. The traffic was insane, but we all made it before 7.30pm. 

Now this dinner. It's at Lucky House Cantonese Private Kitchen. Our dear friends booked it two years ago. Hahahaha. I know, it's epic. But we had just gotten out of Covid restrictions, so the waitlist was mad. None of us were bothered to push this date earlier. TWO YEARS LATER, ALL TEN OF US MADE IT TO DINNER.

J brought a ton of wine. Champagne, whites and reds. We brought a bottle of whisky that we found at Changi duty-free, and happily tried. Couldn't help it; it's the Bowmore port-cask 16 y.o in a new release. It tastes nothing like the expression I love. Ah well. We brought extra cups and a pack of ice cubes. The home can't stock that many glasses or provide ice cubes. They do have a flask of tepid water for us, and a kettle of hot pu-er-chrysanthemum tea. 

Started with a pot of good old Cantonese soup. LOVE LOVE LOVE. No salt, nothing, just splendid essence extracted out from the ingredients. It is extremely difficult to find a good pot of soup nowadays, and this is it. It's nothing fancy, just decent ingredients and an understanding of fire, heat and soup. It is everything that I want in a pot. Then it was Lucky House's signature roasted duck, the type that we rarely get it taste anymore. Roasted over charcoal fire and not done slickly like how a restaurant does. One of those lovely original flavors. 

The steamed fish of the night was a golden grunter, or ikan tebal pipi emas. With old chye poh. That was absolutely delicious. We polished everything off and left only the bones. Hurhurhur. It was quite the star.

There was a corn-fed chicken with lupcheong and yuncheong from Hong Kong, and abalone. The meat was shaped into little dollops, very cute. It was very tender, and hit a spot as far as chicken goes. We still welcomed the stir-fried vegetables — we always need fibre — choi sum with Japanese anchovies.  

Chef Sam trotted out a complimentary dish of braised mushrooms and fish stomach. I LIKE! Then it was time for carbs. The crayfish hor-fun arrived. I loved it! I could skip the crayfish. I was just there for the hor-fun. I took a piece of crayfish, but gave the rest away. I loved the fried shallots that topped it. Mmmm. I honestly wouldn't have minded a second serving, but no more hor fun. Everyone ate theirs! Kekekekeke. 

I couldn't deal with the dessert. It was some hot liquid in a bowl. Green beans with beancurd skin in soy milk or something. Good gawwd. The smell of it. I couldn't. After having two sips, I left it. This is totally not the kind of dessert I take. Not red bean soup, green bean soup, beancurd skin soup... nope. The birthday cake brought along to celebrate J and L was so much better. Teheeheheh.

After all these years, Chef Sam Wong's cooking is still excellent. I love the flavors in his food. He has done nothing to tweak his kitchen set-up or charcoal stoves. But he has refined his menu and some presentation plates. It was nice to see Sam and Lee Yee again, and their young daughter. 

It was a great night catching up with everyone at the same table. It has been a while indeed. While we do meet separately, we hadn't sat down together like this for a long time. I couldn't believe we really made this dinner date two years in advance. Everyone locked it in their calendar and re-confirmed two months ago. Heh. And showed up. 

Visited a Newborn!

I went to visit my godson's brand new baby brother. He's just 5 days old. Teehehhehe. He was fast asleep and didn't care that we were milling around him for a bit. Then we left him be. We were there to see his parents, our dear friends. 

There's a nanny for my godson. But they would need extra help. So I'm glad that schedules worked out and they have a confinement nanny to help with the newborn. Otherwise it's really painful.  

This means that the mother gets nutritious (albeit boring) food for the month. Our dear friends aren't into confinement things, but to have decent homecooked food daily, that suit that tastebuds? Why not. The mother is recuperating after the trauma of birth (birthing is trauma). The newborn's parents are settling into new routines of parenting two young children, and juggling full-time jobs and still keep their own identities.

The husband and I weren't intending to stay for dinner. We went at 5pm and had a drink with them. Then we were just chatting and over-stayed. So we shamelessly crashed their dinner-time. Our friends generously fed us. It was really 三菜一湯, plus two types of rice. We were seriously pampered. And grateful for this meal. Dinner portions tonight were more than enough to feed everyone! LOLOLOL 

Ryo Turned 6!

In between pulling off N's surprise 50th birthday part, of course we actually celebrated Ryo's birthday! The date was smack on the floof's birth date. The handsome boy turned SIX. We turned up earlier at N's to have a glass of champagne, and also to drop off Choya. After all, the kiddos would stay at home their nanny while we humans went out to dinner. 

N and B are our friends too, and our bonds of friendship aren't just about the dogs. The humans have much in common and we have plenty of conversation topics. My husband gets along great with N's husband, B, which is quite rare. You know, the thing about forming adult friendships. 

Ryo got to sniff his gifts before we went out to dinner. He was super pleased to kick them around and have a nibble. To my surprise, Choya didn't attempt to steal his toys. Heh. We wanted the kiddos to settle in before we erm abandoned them. The boy likes new toys, so he's got a number of gifts from his school fwens and Aunties, and of course from Choya. She got him a lovely 200-gram slab of grass-fed Tasmanian Angus fillet. 

We went to a super fun dinner, and returned to sort out Ryo's birthday pupcake! The kiddos were hilarious! They only took tentative licks of the pupcakes in my hand. They didn't know what to make of it! Hahahahaha. They don't know how to eat things off of my hands, so I broke the pupcakes over their bowls. Then they happily ate it. 17-kg Ryo could do one whole pupcake, but he had dinner, so he didn't need all of it. 7.5-kg Choya took a quarter out of his. 

Happy Sixth, dear Ryo. We love seeing you come into your own. May you grow in confidence, be a happy silly boy and be in good health.