A trip to the dim sum shop never fails to bring back fond memories of my childhood. My late grandpa is a huge dim sum fan, and I used to tag along whenever he visits his favourite shop in my hometown, Taiping. There he will meet his breakfast kakis and they would chat over hot brewed Chinese tea and dim sum till their wives hurried them home. Not forgetting there is also the weekly treat of siew yoke (roast pork) sessions which we all shared.

We (my wife and 11-year-old son Ryan) woke up this morning finding a lot of time on our hands. It wasn’t the usual Sunday morning routine to rush and attend the 10:00AM church service. We attended service the previous evening.

The Weekend Chef team ushered into the Year of the Boar with a scrumptious meal at Riblee’s. The restaurant derived its name from the man who started the business, Mr John Lee and no surprise, its signature ribs. They serve beef, pork and wild boar ribs apart from the normal western-styled dishes like fish and chips and pasta. Riblee’s is situated opposite Burger King, and rests on the first floor above Al-Rahji Bank.

Ah Christmas. To different people the end of the year mean different things but to most it usually involves rushing shopping which we in inevitably always end up doing at the last minute regardless of our best intentions to get it done early. For me, the time leading up to Christmas is equally hectic but for different reasons. For the past few years, I have been baking fruit cakes and giving them away to friends just in time for the holidays and this year is no exception.