2026 osechi: part 1

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It’s New Year’s Day, and we decided to kick off 2026 with some osechi (御節), the traditional Japanese meal for the new year prepared in advance to be served during the first few days of the year. In the old days, many restaurants are closed during this period, and home cooks also get the chance to have a break, so having a few days’ supply of dishes that can be served without reheating became the way to survive for a few days.

I happened to have some Shangri-La Golden Circle points expiring at the end of 2025, and decided to redeem the points to exchange for the osechi from Nadaman (なだ万). We did this a couple of years ago, and while I don’t know if theirs is the best one in town, one certain can’t go wrong with this option.

The most delicious wines I tasted in 2025

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Following the precedent I started last year, once again I present a list of the most delicious and memorable wines I had the privilege of tasting during the year.

1985 DRC Échézeaux, tasted at Saffron in the Hong Kong Golf and Tennis Academy Town Club in Hong Kong - any time one gets to drink a bottle of DRC from this fantastic vintage is a real treat, even if this was "just" the Échézeaux 牙擦蘇.

The best dishes I had in 2025

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This is the 10th edition of my "best dishes of the year", and once again I go through my meals to pick out the dishes that were the most memorable, brought me the most pleasure, or evoked the strongest emotions. Needless to say I have had many, many delicious dishes this past year - many happy moments which brought smiles to my face. These were just the ones that made me exclaim "FUCKING GOOD!", "YEAH, BABY!", "PUTAIN!"... you get the drift.

I didn't travel as much this year, and I also dined out less. Maybe that's why the list got shorter this year. But truth be told, some of these dishes were incredibly emotional for me, and were perhaps the best I've ever had.

Luncheon meat and egg sandwiches with peanut butter and condensed milk (炒蛋午餐肉奶醬多士), from Yue Hing (裕興) in Hong Kong - this is my favorite sandwich in the world, and I thought I would never have the chance to taste it again when Dan passed away in 2021. Some 68 months after I last tasted one, Elaine reopened the stall and I made 2 visits within the first week. I was so emotional I almost cried.

Shanghainese peanuts

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The Peanut Gang haven't gotten together for a meal since the start of the year - between members' frequent travels and B Bestie's usual last-minute cancellations - and when we finally managed to grab everyone, we found ourselves back at yet another establishment serving Shanghainese cuisine. Very grateful to have a member who can get us a table at Shanghai Fraternity Association (上海總會).

Of course, we let the resident member do most of the ordering, but we did ask for a couple of items that we really wanted.

Mutton jelly (羊膏) - not sure I remember ever having these here... since I usually ask for the cured pork variety that is more common. Pretty nice and tender, and tasty.

Weekend in Guangzhou: a Gem in Shenzhen

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After a ride of nearly 2 hours on the high speed rail, we got off at Futian Station (福田站) and grabbed a taxi to dinner. I had been wanting to check out Gem Garden (珍庭) ever since my first trip to Shenzhen after the pandemic ended, and finally got my chance tonight.

As was the case with lunch, we had pre-ordered a few dishes for this dinner, then added more after we arrived. Our private dining room had a TV that played a video of the restaurant's signature dishes on repeat, and we ended up ordering some items which looked tantalizing.

Service started with a plate of kumquats (金桔), which was how our lunch ended hours earlier. These were bigger in size, and just as delicious as the ones I enjoyed at lunch. Served together with some wax apples (蓮霧).