The Magical Ocean @ Chinese Garden

Yes, the Mid-Autumn Festival’s over and everyone’s waiting for the Hari Raya Aidilfitri holiday, but a good event should always be posted and not go to waste. So, here’s my review on the Mid-Autumn Festival at Chinese Garden (Jurong) in Singapore.

I’ve never been to any of the festivals held at Chinese Garden eventhough it’s near my residence. There’s always an excuse not to go; the entrance fee, lack of company, uninteresting theme, etc. Things started to change when I got my new camera and since I started this blog. As uninteresting as it may sound, photography and blogging (for me) are really some of the most interesting hobbies in recent times.

This year’s theme was "The Magical Ocean". As I entered the main entrance, I was greeted by dolphin lanterns decorating both sides of the bridge that connects the entrance to the main entrance to the garden, which by the way was majestically decorated with sea creatures (or seafood, since this is a food blog) while a Chinese Neptune lantern was rotating at the center of the entrance, waiting to strike a pose for the visitors.

The next setup was the sheltered koi pond illuminated with colourful traditional Chinese lanterns. Classically romantic.

After touring the pond, I left for the outdoor where the real action really kicked in. As I crossed another bridge, the "8 Fairies Crossing The Sea" lanterns greeted me with such vividly coloured lightings. The "lotuses" accompanying the "Fairies" complimented the whole scene very well. As the lanterns were placed on the lake and the surrounding was dark, the "Fairies" looked as if they were really floating in the air! Definitely one of the best sights of the night.

After crossing the bridge, I was led to many other ocean-themed displays, including the Atlantis and Finding Nemo. As with the "Fairies", the creative use of poles on the lanterns plus the dark surrounding made the lanterns come to "life". Schools of "fishes" were "swimming" while "seahorses" were "dancing" side-by-side.

There were also wishing trees where visitors could purchase an auspicious pendant, make a wish and throw the pendant towards the trees (as high as possible). If the pendant hangs on one of the trees, the wish will come true. If not, the steps have to be repeated until it hangs on any the trees. A good activity if you plan to bring along you other half. Sweet.

The festival boasted many other interesting displays but were mostly based on cartoon characters, catered for the family group. A tad too mild for my liking as I am a Big Mac guy rather than a Happy Meal person. There were fireworks and cultural shows too, but I missed all of it as I arrived late due to work. Nevertheless, $12 (per adult, including a lantern) was well spent. Slightly expensive if your family is large but the atmosphere and the quality time spent with your family make it all worthwhile.

Mid-Autumn Festival Lunch (at home)

Since I will be working in Singapore during the Mid-Autumn Festival, we had an early celebration last Sunday afternoon before I board on my (almost) weekly bus back to Singapore.

There was no moon (since it was afternoon) but we had a great spread of home-made delicacies for lunch. It sure beats dining out!

We started off with a herbal soup. Among the ingredients in the soup included chicken, pork, longan, Chinese ham and ginseng. The soup was clear and left a slight bitter aftertaste. A very good start!

As per any Chinese festival meal, steamed chicken is a MUST. We had a kampung chicken (chicken that runs around freely and fed with natural food) and it was well cooked. The juice from the chicken tasted sweet and slightly salty (just nice) and the meat was tender and full of chicken flavour, unlike those frozen chicken where the meat tastes like stale fish (I’m having goosebumps thinking about it). A soya sauce and shallots dipping complimented the chicken very well.

Another traditional dish presented on the table was the siu yoke or roasted pork belly. This winning combination of crispy skin (after reheating in the oven) plus salted meat plus the smell and taste of lard really works everytime. The price of siu yoke usually hikes up during Chinese festivals; therefore, we really treasure this dish.

We also had braised spare ribs and chicken feet with shitake mushroom. I love the chicken feet for its soft texture and wonderful aroma (thanks to the deep frying process). The spare ribs and mushrooms were cooked just right. A taste of the sauce revealed a well combined flavour between the mushrooms, ribs and garlic.

For the greens, we had stir-fried chive buds with siu yoke, carrots and garlic (no onions, though). The buds were cooked well but since the taste was bland as compared to the other major dishes, it attracted no one (what a waste!).

I should not leave out Mum’s special sambal ikan bilis (ground chili paste with anchovies). The sambal, infused with tumeric, garlic, onion and tamarind created an explosion of flavours. The slightly tangy taste was a real appetizer! I think this was the dish that killed other dishes. Definitely a potent underdog.

At the end of the lunch, there was no more room for desserts (mooncakes). But I couldn’t help but be awed by the packaging design of some mooncake makers these days. Take Hei Yue Thong, for example. The box came in the form of a lantern. I wonder if the cost of the mooncake is actually lower than the lantern.

Here’s wishing everyone a belated blessed Mid-Autumn Festival (I'm writing this on the 17th day of the Lunar Calendar). Hope you guys had eaten some great mooncakes!