Delicious ways to usher in the Chinese New Year

In this era of plenty, deciding what to eat, where to eat, what to order in or where to have reunion dinner this Chinese New Year can be mind-boggling. Do you gather your extended family at a lavish hotel buffet or order an elegant meal to enjoy at home? Do you want to usher in the Year of the Dragon at a grand hotel ballroom dinner? Or would the elders prefer a reliably good meal at your favourite family restaurant?

To help streamline your choices, we scoured this year’s boundless Chinese New Year meal options and picked the most appealing ones for your consideration.

For generations of Chinese across the world, CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala is a cherished part of Chinese New Year celebrations. This year, diners at Shangri-La Singapore’s Reunion Gala Dinner on Feb 9 can make it part of their tradition too as the show will be televised on large screens while an eight-course dinner gets underway. On the menu are offerings as sumptuous as Fortune Yusheng with Norwegian smoked salmon, braised bird’s nest, braised whole abalone, prawns with assorted mushrooms and XO chilli sauce, and steamed Atlantic cod fillets. The dinner is priced at S$178 per person and includes a free flow of soft drinks and Chinese tea.

EIGHT PROSPERITY REUNION DINNER AT WINDSOR BALLROOM, GOODWOOD PARK HOTEL

Prepared by the chefs at Min Jiang, this eight-course meal features highlights like the restaurant’s popular roasted Silver Hill Irish duck, sea perch fillet with golden and fresh garlic, and slow-braised abalone with sea cucumber, black moss and lettuce. The Eight Prosperity Reunion Dinner will be held on Feb 9, with two sessions: 5.45pm till 7.30pm and 8.15pm till 10.30pm. Priced at S$188 per person, with a minimum booking of six people per table.

A LA CARTE DELICACIES AT HAI TIEN LO

Abundance is the order of the Chinese New Year, so on top of the set menus at this stalwart Cantonese restaurant are extravagant a la carte options like braised imperial swiftlet’s nest with lobster and bamboo pith (S$128 per person) and barbecued crispy whole suckling pig (S$438 while, S$288 half). You could also spring for the Abundance Yu Sheng (S$288) with whole abalone, lobster, scallops and coral clams or the Double Dragon Blessing Premium Treasure Pot (from S$598 for six diners) with 14 “heavenly ingredients” including fish maw, Queensland grouper fin and eight-head abalone.

ROASTED MEATS AT WAN HAO CHINESE RESTAURANT

Whether you are planning to dine at this Cantonese restaurant or enjoy your meal at home, the options at Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant are appealing, especially for meat lovers. To start, Irish Hampshire pork char siew (S$32 per serving), which is marinated over 12 hours in a mix of fermented red bean curd, hoisin sauce and Chinese wine before roasting to a gentle char. For the main event, consider the roast Irish duck marinated with black truffles and wild mushrooms (S$70 for half, S$138 for whole). The bird is steeped over two days in a mushroom sauce comprising morels, black truffle and boletus mushrooms, before it is air-dried for 24 hours and roasted to yield crisp lacquer-red skin.

ABUNDANCE OF WEALTH AFTERNOON TEA AT REPUBLIC

When your belly doth protest against another lavish festive dinner, plan instead for a Chinese New Year teatime gathering. At this award-winning bar, afternoons between Feb 9 and Feb 18 are reserved for a special teatime experience featuring an assortment of sweet and savoury treats. Think barbecued chicken char siew choux au craquelin, kataifi prawn rolls with spiced mango aioli, and mini lohei kueh pie tee created for the occasion. Available from 3pm to 5pm, prices start from S$88 per person and includes a glass of Champagne Barons de Rothschild Ritz Reserve Brut NV.

DINNER AT 5 ON 25 PRIVATE DINING SUITES

The Andre Fu-designed private dining suites at 5 on 25 are gorgeous. Clad in a rich palette of ruby, dark chocolate, dusky pink and emerald, they are stylish spaces in which to celebrate the season with close friends and family. The Emerald suite seats up to 12 guests, while Ruby seats up to eight, with a minimum spend that starts from S$1,200 at lunch and S$1,440 at dinner respectively. Both rooms can be elegantly combined to fit larger groups. On the menu are all the auspicious classics — Buddha Jumps Over The Wall, braised jade tiger abalone and dang gui roasted duck, just to name a few.

INTIMATE MEALS AT SHISEN HANTEN BY CHEN KENTARO

Even if you are a party of two, you can enjoy a festive set menu at this celebrated Sichuan restaurant. They are available from S$198 to S$388 per person (minimum two diners), with elegant delights like steamed hybrid grouper and pork ribs braised in glutinous rice wine. Alternatively (or additionally), order irresistible dishes like barbecued mala flavoured Iberico pork ribs (S$52 for the whole rack).

A BOUNTY OF SEAFOOD AT JADE