CNY Snack From Poon Confectionery (Review & Giveaway!)

My favourite festival of the year is coming!!!!

I must be one of those rare ones who don’t get irritated by the loud dong-dong-chiang music on loop at supermarkets and everywhere because it makes me feel really happy! Apart from gathering with family and friends for sumptuous meals, the best part of every Chinese New Year is of course snacking on yummy goodies! CNY is the only legit reason not to watch our diet! This year, Poon Confectionery sent out several of their CNY goodies and it was my first time tasting their products – I must say I was impressed!

If you check out their website, you’ll probably feel like ordering everything, just like me. =P Glad that their goodies are not only homemade with the best and freshest ingredients, they are also reasonably priced. All that translates to happiness in our tummies without burning a hole in our pockets!

Let me start off by introducing two of their products which I thought are more interesting and novel – Cuttlefish snack with seaweed and Pork Floss Roll Snack. Both are equally addictive, and you will keep popping them one after another. Remember to drink lots of water while snacking!

Their Pineapple Tarts and Cheese Pineapple Tarts are AMAZING, seriously. The crust crumbles in your mouth and the filling is sweet and soft. The combination is simply magical! I’m so in love with their pineapple tarts – One of the best I’ve tasted so far.

Love letters are not to be missed during the CNY season as well, and I love these pandan-flavoured ones. Crispy, thin and fragrant. Another one I have to consciously stop myself from taking one after another!

Hae Bee Hiam Sambal Prawn Roll is another snack I would usually binge on during CNY. Love the crispiness and right tinge of spiciness. Love it! Peanut cookies remind me of my late father and I’d always think about him when I snack of these. :)

Following the salted egg yolk everything craze, Poon Confectionery also has several salted egg yolk snacks. This canister sent over is the Salted Egg Yolk Chips – I reckon this would be gone very, very soon too!

We are merely 3 weeks away from Chinese New Year, so if you have not purchased your CNY goodies, hop on to https://cnydelivery.com/product-category/chinese-new-year-goodies/ and cart them out right away!

GIVEAWAY!

Thanks to our generous sponsor, we have a canister of Pineapple Tarts to give away to three readers of The J Babies. Do follow instructions in the Rafflecopter to qualify! Thank you and Happy CNY in advance!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have your CNY Reunion Dinner at Gu Ma Jia Private Kitchen!

Media Tasting

My favourite time of the year is coming very soon and I was so stoked to be able to have my first Lo Hei experience this early! I’ve heard so much about the delicious dishes offered at Gu Ma Jia Private Kitchen, but missed all the previous food-tasting sessions. So glad the husband and I could finally make it this time round, and it was for their Chinese New Year menu! Happy to report that we were not disappointed – even with high expectations, every dish was delicious and yummy!

The first dish that greeted us was of course the colourful Prosperity Yu Sheng ($40.80/$50.80), which was not only pretty to see but refreshing, sweet and very appetizing. I super LOVE IT! The Yu Sheng was served with gui fei abalone (I was secretly pleased because I don’t take fish sashimi, haha!) and the mix of sweet and tangy sauce along with the rest of the crunchy ingredients made this a very balanced dish. I had helpings after helpings because it was just so appetizing and refreshing!

This next dish made everyone ‘wow’ when it arrived, and rightfully so. This Lobster Cold Platter ($138) of lobster, thai-style pacific clam, smoked duck and Gu Ma beancurd was not just visually appealing, it tasted really fresh & yummy too! I especially like the beancurd – Praiseworthy!

This next dish of Lychee Sweet & Sour Grouper (Market Rate) was one of the highlights of the evening for me personally. I love how perfectly the lychees matched with the sweet & sour grouper. The fish was extremely fresh, tender and sweet! Super well-done dish!

Apart from the CNY menu, we also tasted some of Gu Ma Jia’s signature dishes. When this dish of Assam Fish Head was served to the table, it caused a wave of excitement at my table, especially for those who had tried it before. It was indeed very delicious and might be one of the best assam fish head I’ve ever tried. The sauce was flavourful with just the right tinge of spice and sourness. The fish was very fresh with firm meat and paired well with eggplant, tomatoes and lady’s fingers. So good with a bowl of steamed rice!

The Kyoto Pork Ribs was a show on its own because it was lit up with fire just before served to the table. Tender pork ribs are served in aluminium foil to retain the juiciness and natural flavours of the ribs. Drenched in sweet tangy sauce, the dish is sweet and savoury at the same time.

The fragrance of this dish of Claypot Wine Chicken with Ginger & Sesame Oil totally won me over when it was served. It’s one of my favourite dishes and Gu Ma Jia’s rendition was yummy! Imagine tender chicken chunks with fragrant ginger and sesame oil!

Just when you thought that vegetables cannot get any more interesting, this dish of Kai Lan 2 styles (Yuan Yang) was so good I couldn’t stop eating it. This dish features Kai Lan vegetables cooked in two styles, blanched and fried. Crispy Kai Lan leaves are deep-fried to perfection, coupled with thick and crunchy Kai Lan stems. I super duper love the fried Kai Lan leaves – So savoury & good!

We were served vinegar enzyme drinks along with our meal, and it was so interesting and refreshing! Enzymes act as catalysts for the human cells to function. The body‘s ability to digest, absorb and utilize nutrients depends on the presence of enzymes. Having the drink alongside the meal aids in our digestion! Concluding the wonderful meal was a Double-boiled Beautifying Peach Gum with Red Dates ($32.80) which was sweet and really nourishing!

If you wish to plan your CNY Reunion Dinner at Gu Ma Jia Private Kitchen, I encourage to place your reservations as early as possible. They offer set meals for easy selection and they are available from 18 January to 19 February 2019 both for dine-in as well as for delivery. Here’s the set menu for your easy reference.

Gu Ma Jia Private Kitchen is located at 45 Tai Thong Crescent Senette Estate Singapore 347866. Tel: 62852023 or Whatsapp 6583550476 for reservation. For more info, you can check out their website at www.gumajia.com.sg.or look for Gumajia on Facebook/Instagram.

Thank you Gu Ma (the lady in blue in centre) for a great meal! :)

Have A Spectacular Celebration At RWS This Lunar New Year!

Media Invite

This Lunar New Year, have lots of family fun at Resorts World Sentosa!

Interesting programmes are happening at Universal Studios Singapore and S.E.A Aquarium for the whole family to enjoy the festive celebrations! We spent a day just soaking in the whole CNY atmosphere over the weekend, and had so much fun! Enjoy the photo trail and video clip at the end of the post!

S.E.A Aquarium

Make sure your kids grab an activity card at the counter near the entrance so that they can get stamps during their walk through the aquarium and have fun learning! Once they’ve collected all the stamps, they will receive an ang pow with chocolate coins! =D

Here’s one of the stamp station!

Along the way, watch out for divers doing their daily work – Cleaning the tank, feeding the fishes etc.

Make sure you catch the special underwater dragon dance performance – The Sea Dragon Rises! (1.30pm & 3.30pm daily at Open Ocean Habitat and additional 11.30am show during weekends at Shipwreck Habitat)

There are storytelling sessions by The Sea Goddess for your kids as well at Ocean Dome. I must say she’s a pretty good and engaging storyteller! The kids can also take a photo with her after the session. :)

Universal Studios Singapore

Catch the Dim Sum Dinettes’ special CNY performance in cheongsums and a Chinese song! You can watch snippets of that in the video clip later.

Catch the energetic Fu Fighters at the New York Public Library as well!

My favorite part of the programme this year has got to be the Majestic Dragon Trail, which starts at New York, passing through Sci-Fi City and all the other zones before ending back at New York. The most fun part is following this trail through all the various zones and meeting all the different characters in the different zones – It’s one mega Meet-and-Greet! We met Bumblebee, Shrek & Fiona, Puss In Boots, etc. So much fun!

Enjoy this video clip I took in USS – Make sure you plan a trip there this festive season and don’t miss the chance to soak up the joyous atmosphere! =D