Reunion Dinner 2008

What a great year! 2008 marks the year of prosperity, good luck, and abundant wealth! Just what I need for a lovely year ahead! Also, since it's the Year of the Rat, the Tiger is going to be on the prowl. *evil grin*

a pretty table setting at the apartment

We came early so that we could have more time together before the dinner. My mom booked us the second seating at 8.30pm to prevent any hurry during the dinner. True enough, that was the best choice she could have made. Choosing the 6pm slot would not only a rush for everyone, but it also means we would have to vacate the restaurant by 8.15pm.

my sister receives her hong bao!

Every kid loves red packets during the Lunar New Year! It's a blessing from our elders symbolising a year of good fortune and great wealth (yes yes yes!) ahead!

We had wine tasting with Gordon as our teacher! He opened a great bottle just a few days before, and specially invited us early so that we could share the bottle with him! Wine appreciation just got a level higher!

the children appreciating wine

Barolo - The most collected wine in Italy, is also one of many to claim the title 'Wine of Kings' and 'The King of Wines'. It is produced in Cuneo's province, south-west of Alba, within the region of Piemonte. Using the Nebbiolo grape variety, Barolo typically smells of tar and roses, and can take on an unusual orange tinge with age. When aging of at least 5 years, the wine can be labeled a Riserva.

1999 barolo - a definite riserva

The initial nose would remind you of a pine tree, the body surreal. I was asked to compare this against another bottle, and boy was I surprised at the difference. Barolo would boast about its tannin and body, silky to the palate. What a joy to taste such a good wine with family!

Gordon was going to throw away the bottle since we finished it, but I had to request to take it home for Isaac. He would love to keep this bottle. The Chef is finally learning to appreciate wine, so you diners can look forward to food paired with good wines really soon!

I requested a family photo be taken for us since we've never had one. Gordon was excited about it as well, and took out his toys (tripod, 40d etc) for the perfect execution of our best family photo yet. Playing around with the flash, he was finally able to attain a good amount of light for a fabulous photo with all 4 of us in it!

finally a family photo!

Lovely isn't it? This is the best that came out of probably 30 different shots that we took. It felt like a photo studio in the apartment man. Haha.

After a great time of taking photos and appreciating (and learning) wines, we were off for our annual reunion dinner! We took a bus down to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. We cut through Marina Square and it was a literal ghost town. I've never seen Marina Square this empty before. Haha.

such a sweet couple~

Cherry Gardens

Boasting of their Cantonese cuisine, this restaurant has its decor to brag about as well. Although we were not seated in the main restaurant, we took a peek after dinner. The interior makes you feel like royalty. The entrance, all the way to your table, takes you into a whole new world.

the hotel greets us

We were up for a 7-coursed dinner. It was rather modern, and not the traditional one that you would expect every year. It was gastronomical, and the dinner ended on a beautiful note (which wouldn't? With family with you, everything ends on high).

Trio Happiness "Yu Sheng"
with crispy fish skin, "hokkagai" surf clam,
in plum and spicy XO sauce

As we tossed, the well wishes for everybody filled the table. I wished for a great chapter ahead for Gordon and Mom, and a prosperous future of wealth for Sarah! Since they said the higher you toss these, the better your luck for the year ahead, I was about to do a Jireh - stand on the chair to toss. However! We are cultured people eating in a very fine restaurant, so I'll keep my manners. Haha.

Double-boiled Shark's Fin
with water chesnut, dried conch, scallop, carrot,
agaricus mushrooms, and nourishing herbal roots,
in chicken consomme

A really flavourful soup! Every mouthful was delightful! You wouldn't believe how sweet the carrots tasted. The mushrooms were a new variety which I don't think I've tried before, and they were really tasty. Mmmm~

Crispy-fried Prawns
with peach mayo cream sauce

Just like the first course of any wedding dinner, this cold dish was well accompanied with the peach mayo cream sauce. I also noticed an interesting find - passionfruit! No wonder there was something that tasted really familiar. The only downside to this would be the batter being a little to tough to bite through.

Baked Abalone
fresh mushroom and chesnut in pocket

What a lovely combination of so many varieties of mushrooms! I know I don't have enough knowledge to name them all, but tasting the different varieties sure played with my palate! Leaving the abalone for last, this was definitely a star.

Deep-fried Fillet of Sea Perch
with garlic in soy and vegetable bouillon

My 2 thumbs up for the evening! This was my favourite dish of the whole dinner. Deep-fried to perfection, the sea perch was crispy on the outside, yet amazingly tender on the inside. It flaked to the touch of my knife, and was a joy at every bite. Accompanied by a magnificent sauce, the caramel onion with garlic in soy sauce was just beyond any reduction I've tasted before. Truly a great fish paired with a lovely sauce for the win!

Poached Crystal Pea Noodle
with seafood in sour and spicy broth

Gordon was impressed with the amount of seafood they offered in this dish. My sis was reminded of Thai Food, where such a broth would be easily a take by the locals. The scallops were fresh, and the prawns were huge and succulent. The noodles were not separated well, but the nice spring to it saved the former.

Glutinous Rice Dumplings
in double boiled ginseng, tremella mushrooms,
honey dates and ginger tea

What a better way to end the reunion dinner than with symbolic tang yuans in a delectable soup! The soup was very nutritious (and by that some of you know it's a tad bitter as well), and it took a while for me to take to it. But once your tastebuds acquire the taste of the soup, you'll find yourself enjoying every sip of it down to the last drop.

What a lovely dinner with family! Gordon enjoyed seeing how generations come together for a nice dinner. For me, it was the coming together of families to enjoy a wonderful evening together. A grandfather playing with his grand-daughter, a family of 30 celebrating an elder's (80th?) birthday, to even the filial piety of a son having a small table with his mom and wife. Truly, a night to remember!