This week, both Ann Kok and Zoe Tay celebrated their birthdays with an abundance of mouthwatering eats and longevity buns; Li Nanxing put together his own prawn mee from scratch; and Lee Teng and Hazelle Teo had a hair-raising experience eating ramen. Read on for more.

What she ate: Chinese delights

Yummy factor: Ann celebrated her birthday (Jan 11) in advance with friends — including Patricia Mok — at Famous Treasure, and boy did they indulge. Think KL Hokkien mee with generous amounts of fried lard, crisp suckling pig (with its meat stir-fried with salt and pepper), Sichuan mala chicken, Teochew-style marinated cockles, and more.

What she ate: Mala chicken wings

Yummy factor: Jade’s soft spot for all things spicy and numbing made her try out Ikea’s mala chicken wings, and she ended up loving the “hybrid mala-rendang” rendition, as she describes it. And according to Jade, you’ll want to pair the dried chilli pieces with every bite of your chicken for a more fiery kick, as the wings are only mildly spicy.

What they ate: Chong you bing waffle

Yummy factor: Sandwiches, green tea soba served with mushrooms, onsen egg and a hint of truffle oil, as well as a most interesting waffle inspired by Chinese scallion pancakes... these were just some of the yummy nosh Jesseca and Jeremy had during their spontaneous date at Mod Cafe. Yum!

What she ate: Smoky chee cheong fun

Yummy factor: Yvonne was over the moon, not to mention super touched, when she received Ben Yeo's limited edition Smoky Chee Cheong Fun. Yes, he had the food parcel delivered all the way to Taipei just so she could try it. Her verdict? So good, feels like home!

What they ate: Dim sum

Yummy factor: Seeing how it’s Zoe Tay’s birthday week, it’s no surprise that she’s been celebrating with her loved ones. Check out the delectable dim sum she shared with Phyllis and Zhao Rong at Yan Ting — there were fancy iterations of siu mai, char siu sou, crystal dumplings and more. But what stole the show was probably this larger-than-life longevity peach “tree” complete with perched cranes, lian rong pau and a fun-sized chocolate cake.

​​​​​​​What they ate: Fire ramen

Yummy factor: Hazelle and Lee Teng, as well as his wife Gina Lin, literally had their ramen set ablaze in front of them at the recently-opened Menbaka Fire Ramen (thanks to the Japanese scallion oil used), and their reactions were priceless! Well, at least everyone left with happy tummies and eyebrows intact.

​​​​​​​What she ate: Japanese New Year’s cuisine

Yummy factor: We won’t fault you for thinking that Sharon’s back in Japan visiting her loved ones — after all, the cloth-wrapped bundle in her hands contains boxes of osechi, or Japanese New Year’s foods. She got hers from Paris-based Japanese restaurant Komatsubaki, and the set seems to contain an exquisite combination of fresh seafood (including a whole lobster), juicy fish roe, as well an assortment of traditional sweets.

What she ate: Paper thosai

Yummy factor: It was a rainy weekend, which explains why Kym couldn’t be happier to get started on her crispy paper thosai with chutney — she’ll need all the delish carbs she can get to keep warm! We wonder if she managed to finish the entire pancake though?

What he ate: Prawn noodles

Yummy factor: Ah Ge Li Nanxing welcomed 2021 by whipping up his own hae mee from scratch — including the umami-rich broth — and was generous with the prawns, sliced pork, and fish cake. He even included extra ingredients on the side for good measure, because why not?

What she ate: Birthday cakes

Yummy factor: Happy belated birthday, Carrie! The 27-year-old celebrated her birthday (Jan 1) with plenty of cakes, and probably started the New Year on a sugar high. Plus, isn’t her film-inspired, two-tier cake the cutest? It even has a clapperboard with her name on it.

What they ate: Fusion food

Yummy factor: The ladies of Lion Mums met for lunch at Hathaway Dempsey and it was a gastronomic affair that featured the best of both western and eastern cultures to say the least. Think Hakka lei cha, langoustine tartare, wagyu beef and chicken skewers, and lamb rack served with herb-crusted bone marrow and tulang gravy. There were also Peranakan influences in the desserts — warm kueh salat was paired with apam berkuah ice cream and pengat pisang sauce.

What she ate: Homemade pasta

Yummy factor: Sora decided to offer her homemade prawn aglio olio for a potluck gathering, and not only was she generous with the prawns, she even made the effort to prepare a non-spicy version for the kiddos. Her dish turned out to be a hit with other guests, including one lady who doesn't even like pasta. #achievementunlocked

What she ate: Korean BBQ

Yummy factor: Rainy days are perfect for a sizzling hot dinner, like Korean BBQ. Meigui looks absolutely comfy in her sweater grilling marinated meats to have with banchan and fried seafood pancake. And bliss is having hot soup bubbling on the side waiting to be drunk.

What she ate: Japanese bento

Yummy factor: Why dine out when you can have your favourite meal delivered to you? Food delivery has never looked so oishii — Jamie’s bento set from Ishinomaki restaurant at Palais Renaissance featured grilled salmon, tempura, sushi and fresh sashimi.

What he ate: Budget “cake”

Yummy factor: Justin was surprised with a birthday “cake” tower fashioned out of Mongshell cream pies (a popular Korean choco pie-like snack) by his producer, and despite him looking a little shocked, he seems pleased with his chocolate treats... Never mind that it resembles something else!

What she ate: Pen cai

Yummy factor: Never mind that there’s still more than a month to go till the Lunar New Year, Xiuhuan has started indulging in CNY must-haves like pen cai, and it’s filled to the brim with premium ingredients like abalones, prawns, dried scallops and more. And if you’re interested in getting your own, she got hers from Yummy Palace, and it comes with the electric cooker too!

​​​​​​​What she ate: Lobster risotto

Yummy factor: Safe to say, Bonnie had the best of both worlds at EagleWings Loft, where she enjoyed both the lobster risotto and lobster roll. And there’s just something about the whole lobster placed atop the risotto, with sprinklings of mentaiko, that makes it all the more enticing.

What he ate: Pork chop

Yummy factor: If you are what you eat, and Siming just had a juicy pork chop... What does that make him? In any case, his iced latte and generously-sized brunch — pork chop with thick-cut fries — looks like it’d make an amazing start to the day.

What he ate: Fried tang hoon

Yummy factor: It looks like Nick’s first attempt at frying glass noodles for his fam on New Year’s Day turned out pretty successful, despite him panicking a little. And he paid attention to the garnishing too — there were sliced bell peppers, fried shallots and Chinese parsley for a riot of colours.

What she ate: Croissants

Yummy factor: A craving for some solid croissants got Kewei asking for recommendations on Instagram, and that led her to Merci Marcel. She may have gotten slightly distracted by the extensive menu though — aside from croissants, she also ordered poached eggs with smashed avo and pomegranate on toast, fries with truffle mayo and more. No harm in exploring her options, right?

What she ate: Car-themed cake

Yummy factor: AJ’s birthday is probably one of the best occasions for Yvonne to show off her baking skills, and she sure rose to the occasion with a car-themed cake for her six-year-old. Featuring the logos of automotive brands as toppers and even a toy Bugatti model, we bet AJ couldn’t be happier to see his mum’s creation.