Girl's Night with Chef Emmy - Chinese New Year Special!

On Tuesday, Kelly and I had dinner at my friend Emerald's house in Kakogawa. The girl grew up in Taiwan, but you would never know it when you meet her - she moved to Canada at 16. It was a fun night of girl talk and hanging out and Emerald is a fabulous cook... if someone tells you their ambitions are to open a restaurants (and that a member of their immediate family is a famous food critic with seven published books)... take them up on their dinner offer! Talent.

What do you eat for Chinese New Year (or when working with food in Japan)? Here's a peek at the dinner... it was SO good!

Grilled diakon (Japanese radish) cakes with a tangy brown sauce from Taiwan

Pickled radish (made mostly with vinegar)

This was like Chinese bruschetta

Chai tea bought in India, with extra spices (tea bags are easy to find here for loose leaf tea)