Chinese New Year is a very special occasion close to my heart. To me, Chinese New Year is a gathering and celebration of the new year and new beginnings with family and of course, it always comes with a feast of food. I usually head to Malaysia every year to celebrate Chinese New Year with family and friends but this year was an exception, as I was unfit to fly due to a ruptured appendix. Nevertheless, I did manage to celebrate Chinese New Year here with family friends, friends and foodies.

Two weeks ago, I was invited to the Dainty Dowager along with fellow foodies to celebrate the Year of the Monkey with a CNY banquet. To kick start our CNY feast, owner of Low Key Chow House and Dainty Dowager, Owen Chua gave a small talk about the background of Dainty’s. We were also introduced to Dwight, the resident mixologist who told us a bit about the special Valentine cocktail he created.

We started the CNY feast with Yee Sang, a traditional and colourful CNY dish comprising of raw salmon, noodle, sesame salad with peanut sauce. We did a prosperity toss and wished for good fortunes in the Monkey year.

Next up was the Chiu Chow Fan Gor, a traditional glutinous teo chew dumpling. The dumplings were delicious and the minced meat filling was flavoursome.

We had the crispy wonton also known as a san chow bao parcel. I loved how Dainty’s puts a twist in this dish and presents the minced beef on the wonton skin. The crispy texture of the wonton skin together with the tasty minced beef was a scrumptious combination.

Next up, was the long life Hokkien noodle and the crispy silken tofu with crab and white egg sauce. In terms of flavour, the Hokkien noodle was not too bad but could be better. As a big fan of tofu, I loved the crispy silken tofu with crab and white egg sauce. The tofu was slightly crisp on the outside and smooth inside, complementing well with the tasty soup.

Here’s the best part of the night. We had the the trio of roast duck, roast pork and char siu pork. The roast pork was a winner. It’s crispy on the skin and juicy and tender with a thin layer of fat. A crunch on every bite. My dining partner, Jess (@keepcalmandjusteat) enjoyed the duck. According to her, the duck had a crispy skin and a chewy texture, making it an delectable dish.

To finish off our CNY feast, we had glutinous dumplings with peanuts and dark chocolate filling in a ginger Schuluck soup. Loved the pretty purple colour on the dumplings and the thick chocolate filling when you bite into the dumplings.

We had an enjoyable night catching up with each other while celebrating the Year of the Monkey with delicious food. Yes, it definitely felt like a foodies reunion. How did you celebrate the Year of the Monkey?