One month ahead of Chinese New Year 2018, Takashimaya has once again organised their annual Takashimaya Cny Fair 2018.  The CNY fair runs from 18 Jan to 14 Feb 2018.  As usual, the event is located at the event hall on  Basement 2 of Ngee Ann City, Orchard Road.   Is it more of the same thing every year? Well yes and no. Yes, there are enough traditional CNY goodies that you can find every year. But we were happy to see a fair amount of refreshing new ideas at this year’s Takashimaya Chinese New Year Fair 2018.  As there are too many things to see and buy, we will focused most of our attention on these.  Do note that some stalls have discounts and special prices for multiple purchases, the prices indicated here may be subject to variation.

We were fortunate to be there on opening day when the lion dance troupe was making its rounds. The drums and cymbals created a nice festive atmosphere at the Takashimaya Cny Fair 2018.  The Event Hall packed in around 60 stalls.  Here is a picture of the list of exhibitors at the fair which is entitled “CNY Festive Celebrations.”  Even at off-peak hours on a weekday, the place is mildly busy. This is the best time to visit as every one is relaxed and we had a chance to sample many items.

Takashimaya CNY Fair 2018 – Fresh and Interesting

Peony Jade Restaurant showed off their Michelin credentials and creativity at this year’s Taka CNY Fair.  They have a large booth with many things. The most interesting product was this box of 9 dogs.  Not cheap at $118.88 but it is certainly a generous gift for the year of the doggie.  Another expensive item is their Mao Shan Wang prosperity fish.

Fishes make their appearance at quite a few stalls this year.  This is a more affordable example from Wu Gu Feng.

King of Melon Seeds has a large stall in the middle and they have a wonderful array of snacks for Chinese New Year.  They have produced crisps and nuts in all kinds of flavours – nasi lemak, Katong laksa, tom yum etc.  The large ground nuts with black or striped nuts will definitely surprise your guests when they crack them open.  They also have a wide range of preserved fruits. We can easily spend a lot of money here.

Salon De Royal Kyoto makes an appearance at Takashimaya CNY Fair 2018 with a range of beautiful and expensive confectionery.  Despite the high prices, they were generous with the samples.  I tried all four flavours offered. I don’t know what they are but they were  very good and different from the usual CNY cookies. This is a “must sample” stall if you are visiting.

Kele blurs the line between traditional pineapple tarts and Western cookies with a range of cookies with new flavours. How about golden cheese pineapple balls for a change?  The people at Kele are also very friendly – offering me a lot of samples.

Dog themed items will be popular for the year of the dog. These look adorable.

Friendliest

Japanese products are well represented at the Takashimaya CNY Fair 2018.  Tozai has a wide selection of Japanese dried seafood and nuts.  They were also the friendliest group that we encountered.  I had so many samples from them I had to stop them from giving more.  The best item from Tozai was Squid Senbei – thinly sliced crisp dried squid.

JAB Ginseng offers Korean fresh ginseng in the form of whole roots.  I am not sure how these should be used but, they certainly look impressive.

Takashimaya CNY Fair 2018 – Traditional