A family soiree to remember

 

When cousin Eva and I met at our family reunion on the eve of Chinese New Year, she was delighted to discover that I should be around for a few more days and wanted to invite us over.

 

Uncle Steven giving Eva the thumbs-up
while Michael and Dexter look on

She whipped out her phone, promptly extended an invitation to the family for a barbecue at her place the following weekend and locked in the date.

 

It was still the Chinese New Year season so home visits like this was in the ‘open house’ tradition no matter what country we were in. Eva and Caro had moved into a new place and they were keen to welcome the family over to their home.

 

Cousin Gillian, who abstains from eating beef, politely reminded Eva about it and she made a note to prepare a choice of meats with special consideration for Gi.

 

Auntie Polly with Eva while she was
grilling the whole prawns

That evening, the drive over was familiar as they still lived in the same suburb but have shifted from an apartment into a cosy corner house with three floors designed with a garage and a rear courtyard.

 

It was still bright when we arrived and as we stepped indoors, the sound of cool, jazzy music wrapped us a very warm welcome. We were ushered into the charming courtyard where a dining table was arranged under the fronds of a shady tree.

 

To tell us about this tree, Caro plucked a few leaves and crushed them in her palm for its fragrance. One whiff of its aroma and we could tell it was a matured curry leaf tree.

 

Uncle Steven and Auntie Polly checking
out the beef rump bap on the rotisserie

There was also a small herb garden while potted plants lined the walls of the courtyard, creating a warm and calming green backdrop to our evening.

 

As we were the first to arrive, Caro invited us on a tour of their house. Meanwhile the others arrived and everyone moved to the courtyard where the meal would be served.

 

Drinks were offered and served, both hard and soft drinks, for everyone to enjoy with the finger food that was presented in separate courses.

 

Caro serving a platter
of grilled lamb cutlets

Eva, master-chef for the day, was working at a barbecue grill, grilling whole prawns. At the opposite end of the courtyard, a portion of juicy beef – a rump cap – was gently roasting in a rotisserie. After the prawns, tender lamb cutlets were grilled.

 

Eva disappeared into the kitchen for a while and when she emerged, she served a platter of fried chicken wings – specially for Gillian – but we were also welcome to have a taste.

 

The chicken wings were not deep-fried but stir-fried in a special secret recipe with a hint of zing which we all agreed, was finger-lickin’ good.

 

The sun was slowly setting so the small light bulbs strung across the tree in the courtyard while lit up. Candles were lighted and placed inside woven baskets, fastened to the tree. All this worked together to cast a golden glow on the courtyard.

 

Eva and stir-fried
chicken wings in her secret recipe

Eva went to check on the beef and decided it should be rested before being sliced and served as the main course.

 

Then vegetables like broccolini and colourful small capsicum were grilled together before the corn ribs were grilled. Meanwhile a portion of coleslaw was chilled, ready to be served. All this was happening ‘live’ as we enjoyed the leisurely meal in casual comfort.

 

Conversation flowed freely, with Uncle Steven and Malcolm taking turns to discuss topics of interest. After the small plates were cleared away, dinner plates and cutlery were brought to the table.

 

Suddenly Alex called out to me, said that her aunt was carving the beef and asked if I wanted to capture a photo of the action?

 

Broccolini and colourful
capsicum on the grill

So there I was in the kitchen to watch as Eva skillfully slice the Medium roasted rump cap into juicy slices. In the courtyard, dinner plates were laid out and Caro served portions of vegetables, corn ribs and coleslaw on each plate.

 

When Eva presented the platter of sliced, mouthwatering beef to the table, there was a collective exclamation of, “Wow!”

 

Earlier on, she had placed on the table, two choices of specialized compound butter as well as two types of creamy horseradish sauce for us to melt on the meat for added flavour.

 

Everyone was invited to help themselves to their pick of a piece or two of beef, whether big or small, and top it with a choice of sauce that meets with their taste.

 

Master-chef Eva in action!

No more talking while our mouths got busy savouring the food as jazz music spilled out into the courtyard and enveloped us with its cool vibe.

 

When we put down our forks and knives, everyone agreed that Eva certainly outdid herself by presenting us with such a satisfying spread. But it was not over yet. Wait!

 

Dessert was coming!

 

In the kitchen, Eva was putting the final touches to her homemade Banoffee pie.

 

When we saw her dessert pie, once again, there was a collective sigh of appreciation. She divided and served it, making sure everyone had a portion to enjoy a sweet ending that tasted of a classic biscuit base, oozy caramel, slices of fresh banana, cream and chocolate. Mmm… Simply irresistible!

 

Homemade Banoffee pie; next to it pink
jelly in grandmother's recipe made by Auntie

Throughout the evening, Eva and Caro were such good hosts who made sure all of us had our drinks refreshed and had enough to eat.

 

After we had polished off our dessert plates, Eva came around with a small basket of empty glasses – shot glasses and wine glasses – and asked us to pick one glass for ourselves.

 

I did not see when she had laid out a wooden cask on a nearby table, ready to serve us an after-dinner drink of aged port. Then one-by-one, she filled our glasses and served us her treasured old port for us to sip slowly to savour its complex flavours.

 

A family soiree in Sydney
to remember

As it was still Chinese New Year season, Auntie Polly presented hong pau [Cantonese for Red Packets filled with lai see or fortune money!] to the two present who were eligible to receive: Ben and I.

 

We were still lingering over our sweet digestifs when we felt the first raindrops. At first, we chose to ignore it but as more raindrops came down, we had to retreat into the house. And then it was time to leave.

 

Thank you, Eva and Caro for your warm hospitality at a memorable family soiree. Happy Chinese New Year and Congratulations on your New Home!

 

#MyJohorStoriesTravelogue

#MyJohorStoriesFebruary2026