8 Chinese New Year Snacks To Try

Also handmade by the mother-and-daughter team at Cheng’s. This steamed number stayed soft and moist even when we ate it at room temperature. Studded with juicy grated radish, chewy cubes of salty lup cheong, springy mushrooms and dried shrimp. Delish on its own, or with the accompanying feisty sambal. Verdict: ***1/2

Available till Jan 27 at Cheng’s @ 27, 27 Yong Siak St, S168654. Tel: 6223-7883. www.chengs27.com

Chef Malcolm Lee of one Michelin star Candlenut restaurant makes this traditional nonya tapioca cake with hand-grated tapioca, shaved coconut and luscious coconut milk. The kueh is served with gula melaka ice cream and ginger cookie crumbs when you order it in his restaurant, but even without the frills, it is insanely fragrant, lemak and not too sweet. It’s also tender yet springy, and moist with a bit of crunch from its caramelised crown and coconut bits. Verdict: ****1/2

Available till Jan 23 at Candlenut, Blk 17A Dempsey Rd, S249676.Tel: 1800-3042-288. www.comodempsey.com/candlenut

Each morsel (centre) is buttery and airy with a faintly crisp, melt-in-the-mouth texture. It’s also beautifully fragrant as the cookie dough contains floral pureed fresh lychees. Yum. The savoury sambal shrimp-tinged Hae Bee Hiam flavour (middle ring of cookies) is also decent. This local snack brand is run by self-taught baker Pauline Tan, 43, who also owns a headhunting firm and started selling handmade tidbits as “a passion project”. Pauline says she uses French, Belgian and Australian grass-fed butter for her bakes (which accounts for the heftier price tag). But the difference in quality is obvious. Verdict: ***1/2

Available till Jan 26. Divine Bespoke Cookies, Tangs department stores and online at www.divine.sg. Tel: 9113-5507.

These are baked (not fried) by Divine’s Pauline as well. The starchy arrowroot chips (colloquially called “chiku” in Hindi) are tossed with fresh salted egg yolk, curry and kaffir leaves, plus lemongrass. They’re plenty spicy but too light on the briny egg. Also, because they’re baked, they’re less crunchy than their fried counterpart. Verdict: ***

Available till Jan 26. Divine Bespoke Cookies, Tangs department stores and Takashimaya CNY Fair 2017, B2 Takashimaya Square. Or www.divine.sg. Tel: 9113-5507.

Local 30-year-old tart brand Kele was voted by the public for having the best pineapple tart in a contest organised by Jurong Point mall three years ago, which naturally inflates our expectations. Each large open-faced tart is topped with an oversized, comically misshapen blob of sweet, chewy pineapple jam. The owners say they get the jam from a Thai supplier. Maybe that’s why we found it a bit too sugary, without the welcome tang of the homemade stuff. The crumbly pastry could be more buttery, too. Their Pineapple Balls ($25.80) fare better with its crisper crust and better jam-to-pastry ratio, but it still cannot beat our favourites from SunnyHills or Le Café. Verdict: ***

Available year-round at Kele, 2 Smith St, S058917. Tel: 6560-1249. www.kele.sg.

A sophisticated version of Pocky biscuit sticks (‘Mikado’ is a title given to the emperor of Japan). The batons are house-baked by ice cream and dessert specialist Sunday Folks, then coated with smooth white chocolate. The sweetness is elegantly counterpointed by piquant bits of candied Japanese yuzu peel dotting each crunchy stick. Both the adults and kids will love this. Verdict: ***1/2

Available till Jan 31 at Sunday Folks, #01-52 Chip Bee Gardens, 44 Jln Merah Saga, S278116, or www.order.sundayfolks.com. Tel: 6479-9166.

This premium produce shop — owned by luxury conglomerate Como Group — also sells bak kwa from Kim Joo Guan for CNY. Albeit an atas version with free-range Australian pork marinated with fish sauce and sugar. The bak kwa comes in a fancy pink box and matching paper bag. Pretty posh, and the meat ain't too shabby either. Each caramelised slice is juicy with a smoky tinge. We like that it isn't too fatty and oily, but the trade-off is that some slices are slightly dry and tough. Verdict: ***

Available till Jan 24 at SuperNature, 583 Orchard Rd, #B1-05/09 Forum, S238884. Tel: 6854-7399. www.supernature.com.sg