On the same day that we admired the Divali offerings at Pavilion -- yes, this is the work-induced time-lag my blog is suffering at the moment -- we had lunch at Hakka, Jalan Raja Chulan.

Menu:

-- Crispy minced pork pancake with salted fish;

-- Brinjal (deep fried and deliciously fluffy, with garlic, chili, and dried shrimps);

-- Braised assorted yong tau fu (I'm not an expert in this dish, but it consists of tofu and vegetables, variously stuffed or sandwiched with a pork or fish mixture);

-- Iced melon (honeydew and watermelon) and sago, in a sweet white liquid I couldn't identify (not soya, not coconut milk);

-- Glutinous rice balls in hot ginger syrup.

Hakka cuisine, it turns out, is quite robust. Lots of chili and lots of fishiness. No wonder it went down so well in Southeast Asia.