xiao long bao

Happy New Year my dearest favouritest readers in the whole wide bloggersphere! I truly hope you’re all hungunder, but if you’ve gone the other way and are hungover, I hope last night was worth the pain 😉

So all the bloggers out there seem to be doing “top 10 this and that of 2010” type posts, but I’m gonna bail on that and not do one. Mainly because I don’t remember enough of 2010 to make a list of top 10, let alone a top 1.

I know we say this every year, but dang it, didn’t 2010 just fly by? It sure did for me, though nothing of huge significance happened all year. I mean, what did happened? I skied in Chamonix, ate a butt load in Hong Kong, turned 31 and hey I found out that in 2011 I’m gonna be an aunt. And you see, while this is exciting information that was accrued last year (I am NOT an accountant, I did NOT just just say “accrued”), can you imagine how exciting this year’s gonna be???

GOD.DAMN.EXCITING that’s what.

garlic pea shoots

So this year I’m going to be an aunt. For anyone who knows me, you know I’ve been clucky since the beginning of time and I coo and squee over friends’ babies like they were my own big fat slice of Momofuku crack pie. So to have a little person in this world who is of my own blood, like seriously, restrain me now because I may just smother it with mushy gooey love for ever and EVER.

That there is a warning.

quick fried diced beef with garlic slices

This year is also exciting because for the first time in my long and sometimes arduous but mostly enjoyable decade as a corporate slave, I’m taking a 5 WEEK VACATION. I’ve never taken anything more than 2 weeks and even that is a rarity. So yeah, 5 weeks off baby! Watch your kids and lock up your burgers NYC, Vegas, LA, Sydney, Brisbane, Townsville – yes I said Townsville – I’m hitting your town!

And that’s all I’ll say about that.

glass noodles with minced pork

Aside from the little one and my 5 WEEK VACATION, this year is going to be truly exciting because of my work.

I don’t really talk about my work on this blog. People, you know, get “dooced” when they blog about their work. And then they get fired and go on to make squillions out of blogging about pretty much nothing of relevance so um, what the hell am I doing? I should totally blog about my work!

I’m starting a new role this year, in the same company that’s owned my soul for the past nine years, but this time, I’m pumped. Without risking myself being dooced before I even begin my role, I’ll just say that it sounds like a dream role for me and I am, for the first time in years, excited about work. That should say a lot.

There’s actually one more exciting thing about this year. But it’s still under wraps so shhhhhhhhhhhhhh… I’ll spill the beans when the time is right 😉

aubergine with mashed garlic & tao pan sauce

And oh if you’re wondering why there are photos of dumplings and various Chinese dishes in this post? Well, last New Years Day, I stumbled out of bed hungry and rolled right into Leong’s Legends for a feed. Since then the brainiacs behind the Legend have opened another branch, bringing their progress for world domination to a total of… three branches! Hey, three is better than two is better than one, ok?

If you haven’t tried the xiao long baos at Leong’s Legends, they are superb. So if you’re hungry today and all the lazy punk asses are closed, head to Queensway or Chinatown. Chinese people never rest. Go eat some dumplings.

And Happy 2011 xxx

crispy oysters with salt & pepper

Leong’s Legends III
82 Queensway
Bayswater, W2 3RL
0207 221 2280
website

Leong's Legend III on Urbanspoon

13 Thoughts on “Happy 2011! go eat dumplings at Leong’s Legends

  1. Linda at Pink Elephants coffee,LLC on January 1, 2011 at 10:59 am said:

    Happy New Year, Catty! Congrats on becoming an Aunt. And I like that your job is
    giving back to you. You are blessed, girl.
    And,….and….oooohhhhh, those crispy oysters! I’m doing pork ribs, tonight, with
    a potatoes and cheese puree, piped and baked, and a crispy green salad with a
    bleu cheese oil-and-vinegar dressing and homemade garlic croutons. For dessert,
    homemade white chocolate and candied ginger ice cream. It takes getting-used-to, but upon realizing you can’t find such a yum in the stores, I like it all the more.
    Terribly sweet, but it’s a Dynamo Hummmm.

  2. Happy New Year Catty and all the best for 2011! x

  3. jenny chan on January 1, 2011 at 1:28 pm said:

    happy new year catty! i hope you had a good new years.. thanks for so many entertaining reads over the year!

  4. kate skinner on January 1, 2011 at 1:59 pm said:

    Thank you catty for so many entertaining blogs in 2010 and I am looking forward to more mouthwatering slices of prose this year!!
    Your news under wraps has my curiousity peaking and my antennae working overtime probing and pondering all the interesting possibilities!!!
    Congrats on upcoming auntiehood and I hope your trip to Bris might include a dinner with Shari and Moi and others from the class of 96 (is that right??)
    Congrats on your new role at work and happy new year of the rabbit to you and Panu!!
    Will be in london in 2011 so we must catch up there too, around August/September, love kate

  5. wow! you’re going to have an exciting year ahead. congrats on being an aunt and also your new role at work. 🙂 enjoyed reading your blog and will continue to do so. happy new year!

  6. Happy New Year.
    Well I’ve tried number 1 and number 2 …. Looks like number 3 will have to be sampled pretty soon …..

  7. Congratulations on becoming an aunt- it happened to me three years ago and was one of the best things… We also brought in New Year’s Day with dumplings, though rather than settling for some pretty substandard har gau, we should have gone back to Leong’s- loved it the first time we went… If you’re after any NYC, Vegas or LA picks, shout out- we had a fantastic four week trip across the US earlier last year…

  8. Linda: white chocolate and candied ginger ice cream? I can’t think of ANYTHING more I want right now!

    Maria: Happy new year my lovely and can’t wait to see you in 2011!!

    jenny: you’re welcome haha thank you for READING! 🙂

    kate: KATE! Indeedy I am working with Shari to organise a dinner at least with you when I’m back in Bris end of Feb – I can’t wait, it’s been way too long! As for “mouthwatering slices of prose” haha…you know you’re my most cherished reader. I mean, you know who taught me to write, right…? Happy new year to you and Jim! xx

    Melissa: thanks so much m’dear! Thanks for reading all this time!

    Mzungu: Ah yes, well I think you’ll find it’s the same as 1 and 2, which is pretty great!

    Tori: I’ve done Joe’s Shanghai Dumplings in NYC – queued for it and boy was it worth it!

  9. Have you tried their soy bean milk? Closest version to Malaysian ones that I’ve found in Chinatown – it’s like crack to me. 😀

  10. Happy 2011! I didn’t know you are going to be an aunt this year. Super exciting. Curious about the surprise news to boot. See you in Feb 🙂

  11. Su-yin: I have!! But you know, I just buy Yeo’s soy bean drink from the supermarket and that’s pretty good 🙂

    Lara: Can’t wait to see you in Feb too! PIZZZZZA!

  12. OMG CATTY!! This look deeeeeeeeeeeelish!!! I LOVE aubergine.

  13. Hey Catty, Happy New Year! Congratulations on becoming and aunt and turning 31 – I’m there next week 😐
    If you’re after great Siu Long Bau you have to try Yum Cha in Camden. Go at the weekend, Sunday is best and let me know what you think.

    The aubergine looks awesome, I’ve not seen that around many places.

    Peep

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