Chinese New Year 2018 – Goodies Galore

Familiar names at Takashimaya's Chinese New Year Festive Celebrations include Bengawan Solo, Christine's by The Cookie Museum and Home's Favourite. Instead of presenting two boxes of cookies in a tiffin-looking tall box, HarriAnns uses real tiffin this year. There were also many salted egg yolk baked and fried goods, and more stalls selling healthier choices. Despite reducing the amount of sugar in its eggless cookies, Divine Cookies' cookies were not bland – crumbly Coffee Baileys cookies with a lovely aroma and taste of coffee, and refreshing Yuzu Orange. A tad expensive though. I like Coco & Frank's flourless cookies without colouring and preservatives, and will be buying its Macadamia and Earl Grey Almond cookies (could smell and taste the tea with real leaves in it). As three beautiful tins can be packed into a complimentary gift box, which can go into a "Fu Dai" bag, am undecided between the Salted Egg and refreshing Tangerine Dark Belgian Chocolate cookies for my third tin.

Chinese New Year 2017 – Goodies Galore

Now that the Christmas feasting is out of the way, it is time to indulge in Chinese New Year (CNY) goodies. There were a few stalls at Takashimaya this year that I do not recall seeing previously such as Frenzies, Kele and Nature's Krafters. The latter is a Singapore company that harvest Bentong ginger from the foothills of Malaysia's Bukit Tinggi where the air is crisp and the water pure, into different forms – powder (also available with molasses sugar), fermented slices (with honey or honey and lemongrass) and mixed with other natural ingredients. Probably the beverage we would need to aid digestion after over-eating. Tried Kele's golden pineapple balls, supposedly the best in Singapore, for the first time and was surprised I did not find them earlier. Now, it ranks among my favourites.

Chinese New Year 2016 – Goodies Galore

With Chinese New Year (CNY) round the corner, have you bought festive goodies and new clothes? While I would not be able to help you on the latter, could share on the former. I went not once, not twice or even thrice but four times to Takashimaya's CNY Festive Celebrations. There seemed to be fewer stalls selling nuts, baked and fried goods. Instead, there were more dried goods and frozen seafood stalls with even SK Jewellery jumping on the bandwagon. What stood out this year was many stalls were baking pineapple tarts on the spot, so the place was filled with the aroma of butter and sweet pineapple. I ordered the ones from SunnyHills, and kueh lapis from Bengawan Solo. As Kee Wah Bakery did not bring in its Chinese sweet crispies, I bought its pineapple shortcakes and almond crisps which I fell in love with after someone bought and brought it back from Hong Kong as souvenir.

Chinese New Year 2015 – Goodies Galore

The Cookie Museum was strategically located at the main entrance of Takashimaya's Chinese New Year (CNY) Festive Celebrations so customers could sample and purchase without squeezing through the alleys. But there was none to speak, potential or otherwise, when I was there over the weekend. Could it be because most people would have tried its cookies before and needed no more convincing to buy? Doubt it was due to its atypical of the usual CNY goodies' packaging since Christine's by The Cookie Museum and Home's Favourite use similar colourful metal tins, and their stalls were packed with people jostling for samples. Near a side entrance where one of the cashiers was, Christine's by The Cookie Museum were giving out freshly-baked mini versions of the actual cookies. They were good, just like The Cookie Museum's sakura apple cookies, though I found both price tags too steep.

Chinese New Year 2014 – Goodies Galore

I know I should be writing about Chinese New Year (CNY) but have been dragging my feet on it and now, the festival is less than a week away. As I have tried most of the CNY goodies from stalls at Takashimaya's CNY Festive Celebrations in previous years, I would just highlight the new participants this year – 3 Bites Full, Fresh Seafood House, Kuuki which offers cookies (I tried and like the hazelnut ones) in transparent bottles with metallic covers and brightly-coloured stickers or colourful metal tins, Kuo Yuan He from Taiwan, Serenity Spanish Restaurant that opened its 2nd branch on the 5th floor of the shopping mall after VivoCity, and Yi Lai.

Chinese New Year 2013 – Goodies Galore

Used to bask in Chinese New Year (CNY) atmosphere at Chinatown's Festive Street Bazaar every year but now prefer the CNY Festive Celebrations at air-conditioned Takashimaya Square (B2) with tamer crowds. A smaller affair with fewer stalls and none selling clothes, potted plants and pomelos meant customers get a bit of everything here and less of the same. No more dizzying choices with just one to three stalls each hawking dried and waxed products, canned abalone and frozen seafood as well as mandarin oranges, noodles and decorative items. Other than a few Japanese stalls, participants this year include Macau's Choi Heong Yuen and Taiwan's Isabelle. Interestingly, Hong Kong's Eat Drink Tea sells neither tea leaves nor tea bags but sachets of organic white, green, red and black tea essences in pretty boxes. The only traditional nuts and preserved fruits stall, by King of Melon Seeds, also has childhood munchies in sampler packs.