Romeo is a purist when it comes to kueh bangkit and he usually stocks up on the ones from local bakery chain Home’s Favourite, which he says are airy and milky, with a coconutty aftertaste. The actor is so obsessed with these melt-in-your-mouth cookies that he can inhale half a bottle in one go.

“I like the traditional ones, not those with special flavours. I [used to] keep the good ones in my room and leave those that are not so fresh in the living room for guests. Shucks, my mum is going to scold me when she reads this!” confesses Romeo.

Available at all Home’s Favourite outlets while stocks last, including #B209-03, Takashimaya Basement 2 (beside Bengawan Solo). Tel: 6272 2028. https://www.homesfavourite.com/

Photo: Home's Favourite

Kayly loves pineapple tarts and as it turns out, she has rather unusual preferences when it comes to them. Preferring the buttery pastry to the sweet pineapple jam filling, the actress says the massive golf ball-sized tarts from Le Café bakery are her absolute favourite and the only ones she buys. In fact, she likes them so much that it isn’t unusual for her to finish an entire tub in one sitting. Seriously.

“I will just put the entire ball in my mouth. It is very big but at least I don’t lose any crumbs. I love the pastry more than the filling. Sometimes I find that they are too generous with the filling. I would love to ask them to just give me the pastry,” she reveals. Huh, interesting.

Available at all Le Café Confectionary & Pastry outlets including at #01-01, 31/33 Mackenzie Rd, S228686. Tel: 6337 2417. Open Mon-Sat 10.30am-6.45pm; Sun & public holidays 10.30am-4pm. http://www.lecafe.com.sg/

Hanwei loves to lo hei so much that he can eat yu sheng all throughout the festive season. But not just any yu sheng — he particularly loves the one from vegetarian eatery Ci Yan Vegetarian Health Food at Smith Street, which the lady boss makes specially for him.

“It is made by the auntie and she has her own ‘pattern’. She uses ingredients that are not commonly found in yu sheng, like fried yam slices and different types of fruits. It is like a salad — crunchy, healthy, simple, but very nice. I can eat it as a main dish. I won’t get sick of it regardless of how much of it I eat,” he says.

Ci Yan Vegetarian Health Food is at 8 Smith St, S058922. Tel: 6225 9026, Opens daily 12pm-9.30pm. 

Photo: Chen Hanwei

A story on Chinese New Year goodies would not be complete without the perennial favourite bak kwa (barbecued meat jerky). While Liping declines to tell us where she gets her bak kwa, she prefers those that are made from sliced pork and are not too fatty.

“I like the sliced pork bak kwa, not those made with minced meat, and the bacon ones are good too. Actually I prefer the loose pieces that they sell, like the ends or chao tah (burnt) bits because those are the best parts. They aren’t so good for your health, but they are very smoky,“ she tells 8days.sg in 2019, adding that she heats it up in the microwave before eating, so it’s warm and unctuous.

Photo: Lim Chee Guan

Also a fan of bak kwa is Code Of Law actress Michelle, who has already started on her Chinese New Year feasting. Her current craze is the new limited-edition applewood-smoked bak kwa from Bee Cheng Hiang. Instead of regular charcoal, sliced pork is grilled over applewood to give it a smoky-sweet flavour.

“It’s a flavourful update to our usual CNY porky snack. I enjoy it because it adds a smoky woodsy note to the bak kwa. It’s a family favourite and we usually cut the bak kwa into strips to enjoy. Rather than overindulge, I have a bit every day — this way it lasts long past CNY. And I always pair it with Chinese tea to make myself feel less guilty,” she says. 

Available at all Bee Cheng Hiang outlets while stocks last, including 1359 Serangoon Rd, S328241. Tel: 6291 5753. Open daily 9.30am-10.30pm. https://www.beechenghiang.com.sg/collections/freshly-bbq-bakkwa.html

Photo: Bee Cheng Hiang

Spice girl Hong Ling is gaga over mala and this year, she will be stocking her home with tongue-numbingly spicy fish skin and chips from Ooh. Generously coated with fiery, salty seasoning, these crispy morsels pack a punch and are the only mala chips that hit her spice spot.

“Their mala snacks are the best. I love it when the numbing sensation and heat hit you at the same time. The fish skin and chips are so addictive and not oily at all. I like the saltiness too. After I am done with the chips, I will [mop up] the seasoning in the pack,” she gushes.

Ooh mala fish skin and chips are at https://www.ooh.sg/.

Cynthia loves spring rolls in all forms, so we’re not surprised that the mini spicy shrimp rolls are her fave CNY snack. She’s pretty picky, though, and will only eat those that are worth her calories, like these ones from Tai Sun, which have a good “balance of popiah skin and hae bee hiam” and are not too spicy.

“Surprisingly, the ones from Tai Sun are really good. Some prawn rolls are overly spicy probably because there’s too much hae bee hiam filling, so I will usually taste a little first to see if they are worth my calories. [Though the prawn rolls are available all year round,] I only have them during Chinese New Year, though there was once my travelling buddies brought it for our trip and I was on cloud nine when I had it! But I must warn you, Tai Sun prawn rolls are not easy to find. I couldn’t find this during my last few visits to the supermarket, so good luck on the search.”

Tai Sun prawn rolls are available at all major supermarkets & hypermarts islandwide. www.taisun.com.sg

Photo: Cynthia Koh

Desmond loves handmade love letters best — extra points if they are done the traditional way over a charcoal flame. “My mum’s friend used to make it for me every year. It’s the best I’ve ever tasted and I have not found one that is similar. She used a tin cover as a mold to make it and the texture is amazing — it’s so crispy. I’ve not had it since my mum’s friend’s mother passed away [about a decade ago]. Now I get it from places like Bengawan Solo or even Johor Bahru where you can still find treats with the old school flavour,” he says

Crisp with a strong coconut aftertaste, Desmond tells 8days.sg in 2019 that the egg rolls are so addictive that he could polish an entire tin in one day, despite his bizarre way of savouring them. “I used to unroll the love letters and nibble it bit by bit, but over the years I’ve become lazy. I have OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) so I cannot stand it when people eat it downwards like they are drinking from a straw and the crumbs end up all over the floor. I have to eat [with the egg roll pointing upwards]. I do this also because I have dogs and I don’t want them to pick up the scraps,” reveals Desmond.

Available at all Bengawan Solo outlets while stocks last, including #B207-2-2, Takashimaya Basement 2, 391A Orchard Rd, S238873. Tel: 6735 5391. Open daily 10am-9.30pm. 

Like Kayly, James too loves his pineapple tarts shaped like a ball. And ever since he tasted Mdm Ling’s cranberry pineapple balls last year, he’s been hooked. “I think they add cranberry bits in the pineapple jam and the combination is amazing. The cranberry amplifies the flavour of the pineapple and the pastry is buttery and fragrant. My mum loves the tarts too. I will [usually] order [a few tubs] for myself and for my mum,” he says.

Available at mdmlingbakery.com.

Photo: Mdm Ling Bakery

The first thing Shane heads for at the Chinese New Year snack table is kuih loyang, or honeycomb cookies. Crunchy, aromatic and addictive, Shane prefers his cookies sprinkled with sesame seeds for an added flavour dimension. Though the ones from Durian Mpire come sans sesame seeds, he likes that they are “not too sweet, very crunchy, and don’t smell of oil”. “How I enjoy it is I will nibble around the edges first before eating the middle. It also helps to kill time when I am at relatives’ homes,” laughs Shane.

Durian Mpire is at #01-01 Highland Centre, 22 Yio Chu Kang Rd, S545535. Tel: 6487 2777. Open daily 12pm-8pm. https://order.durianmpire.com.sg/

Photo: Shane Pow

Most of us wouldn’t associate rice puffs with Chinese New Year, but for Taiwan-born Lee Teng, these remind him of mi xiang, a traditional snack he used to have in Taiwan. As mi xiang isn’t commonly found in Singapore, Lee Teng says this gluten-free treat is a good and healthier alternative: “It is similar to mi xiang, but modified into snack form. I like that it is not so sinful ’cos it is made of brown rice grains and not too sweet. It is crispy and tastes like cereal. I usually have it on its own or sometimes with milk, and one pack is enough ’cos it is very filling.”

Natureally Quinoa brown rice grain snacks are available at FairPrice supermarkets and https://www.natureally.sg/.

Photo: Lee Teng