The Mooncake festival traditionally takes place on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month in the Chinese Calendar. To celebrate the harvest from the summer traditionally , farmers had the festival on this day when the moon was the fullest and the brightest, thus marking the end of the season.

It is one of the two most important events in the Chinese Calendar, with the other being the Lunar New Year. Family members will come together for a day of reunion and eat moon cakes and pomelos together.

In Singapore, one might also be able to catch children in the parks and gardens walking around with their brightly lit lanterns (whether battery powered or the traditional candle, they are still lanterns..how I miss mine)

This year the Mid Autumn festival will fall on the 14th of September and there will be beautiful lightings and scenery at the Chinese Gardens.

The mooncakes you see displayed in this post are made by my Aunty Florence. Her pastry is firm and crispy while the filling is not too sweet. These mini versions of the standard sized mooncakes are to me more enjoyable as it does not leave you with a memory of over-indulgence (Though I can finish a few at a time=)

Hainan 2nd Streeet Coffeehouse Speciality - Hainanese Pork Chops!

Nothing beats having a perfectly deep-fried, crumb coated, crispy yet tender Pork Chops tantalizing your palate! The Hainanese Pork Chops is very different from what you see at Western stalls, with their version being deep fried compared to the Westerns who grill theirs.

Hainan 2nd Street Coffeehouse is one of the many more prominent Hainanese Coffeehouses and restaurants situated along Purvis street. While arguably not as famous as Chin Chin or Yet Con, it is still a fighter in the Hainanese food scene.

Mooi Chin's Hainanese Chicken - Gratifying and Sumptuous

Not too far from the busy urban streets of Bugis lies an almost deserted shopping centre whose heyday was in the 80's. Golden Landmark Shopping Complex, with at most slightly more than half its shops open at any time, surprisingly boasts an authentic Hainanese Cuisine Restaurant located in the Golden Landmark Hotel adjacent to it.

The chicken can be summed up in one word - good. It was not too dry like the ones usually found in hawker centres and coffeeshops nor was it too rough. I enjoyed the wholesome texture of each piece of meat with the light soy sauce mixed with sesame oil being a perfect compliment to the overall taste. Together, the meat seemingly just slides down your throat.

Hainanese Chicken Rice - Fragrant, though it came to me as a tad dry.

While there is good chicken, there ought to be good rice. I found the Chicken Rice fragrant but apart from which it was a little too dry and grainy. It would have been better for a softer variety of rice to be cooked. Somehow, if there was better rice, there would have been a better rating.

Price : $12.00

Overall Rating for Hainanese Chicken and Hainanese Chicken Rice : 4/5

The two sauces served (Chicken Rice Condiments on the left, whatever not Sambal Chilli on the right) is perhaps a must for the meal. Arguably, the chicken went well with the spicy looking red chilli sauce which turned out to be quite sweet and not blazingly hot. It might be an idea to mix the Chilli, Ginger and Sweet Black Sauce all up for that savoury taste,

Also, the Sambal Chilli is perhaps one of the freshest which I have seen in a restaurant setting. The chilli is not too hot and with the squeezed lime, the tangy taste really added flavour to the dishes. I must comment that the spices used in Mooi Chin's have been toned down (obviously...) for the foreigners and tourists visiting the establishment. So you might want to ask for that Sambal Kang Kong of yours to be spiced up!

Sambal Kang Kong

The Sambal Kang Kong was perhaps a disappointment for my tastebuds. Though it was nice and crunchy with the occasional spice in it, I felt that the chefs have been slightly too skimpy in the sambal. It was a dish that really needed more hotness for that kick in it. Once again, ask for more sambal when you order (I learnt that to my disappointment)

Price : $10.00

Rating for Sambal Kang Kong : 2.5/5 

Hainanese Mutton Soup - The mutton simply melts in the mouth!

Its not everyday you are able to come across Hainanese Mutton Soup. This particular one at Mooi Chin's is in a class on its own. Served generously with a wide variety of mutton meat and tendons, bamboo shoots, black wood ear mushroom and beancurd skin, in addition to that herb infused broth, this soup aims to please. The meat was tender and the fat (yes fat...stop running from it) simply melted in the mouth. Pair this with the Sambal Chilli provided and it will taste exceptionally great! One point to note is that this soup won't leave you sweltering with perspiration as I suspect that they (once again) reduced the quantity of herbs used to suit the tastebuds of the foreigners.

Price : $12.00

Rating for Hainanese Mutton Soup : 4.5/5

Sambal Deep Fried Fish Fillet - An Definite Award Winner!

Now this is what I call fantastic! Crispy on the outside, fresh, tender and cotton smooth on the inside, with an absolutely delicious fried sambal chilli topping to boot - the Sambal Deep Fried Fish Fillet is perhaps what you can call a gift from the heavens. Each bite leaves you with a tantalizing desire for that next piece of fishy goodness and by gosh, this may turn you into a Sambal Fishatarian. (if there was ever such a word)

Price : $10.00 per piece of Fish Fillet

Rating for Sambal Deep Fried Fish Fillet : 4.5/5

The Chempedak Fruit - looks similar to the Jackfruit, smells like the Durian, but it is the Chempedak!

Who can ever forget the 'ugly' looking fruit that resembles a hybrid of mixed species. Even if you might not have seen it, you could almost certainly recognise its distinctive waft of 'Durian and Jackfruit' mixed together at the market. Some might even consider almost gas-like, so take cover!

Chempedek Fruits are distinctive in their silky smooth skin and extremely fragrant aroma akin to that of the durian and jackfruit combined.