EPICURE NEWS
The best spots for Chinese New Year celebrations
Man Fu Yuan at Intercontinental Singapore offers eight prix-fixe menus for Chinese New Year, but the one of note will be their Bliss eight-course menu ($1,388/10 people). Start with Harmony Yu Sheng, topped with salmon and crispy fish skin before moving on to Double Boiled Chicken Soup with Fish Maw and an indulgent Braised Abalone and Sea Cucumber dish. The menu also features two Man Fu Yuan signatures: Tea Smoked Duck, and Sauteed Whelks and Scallops in X.O. Sauce. Available till 8 February. Level 2, 80 Middle Road. Tel: 6825 1133
For a Japanese-style celebration, head over to Pan Pacific Singapore’s Keyaki.
The Keyaki Garden Pavilion Luncheon Package ($2,888/10 people) will be held in Keyaki’s lush Japanese garden, surrounded by sculpted greenery and a koi pond. The special Wafu Yu Sheng comes loaded with seafood, including lobster, yellowtail, ikura and uni. The meal is completed by traditional Japanese dishes of Yakimono, Sashimi, and grilled items. The premium version ($3,288/10 people) includes more indulgent ingredients, including sole, grilled lobster and braised U.S. beef. Available till 8 February.
Level 4, Marina Square, 7 Raffles Boulevard. Tel: 6826 8240
To truly impress, pay a visit to Mandarin Orchard Singapore’s Shisen Hanten. The two-michelin starred Sichuan-japanese restaurant’s nine-course Majestic Menu ($2,988/10 persons) is a grandiose affair. Beyond an entire Whole Roasted Suckling Pig, diners will get to enjoy three brand new dishes from chef Chen Kentaro. The Roasted Brown Rice-fed Chicken with Garlic uses Benja chicken, a new breed that has been fed exclusively with selected brown rice grains for a more pronounced flavour; a Malaglazed Barbecued Pork, sporting a glaze that’s inundated with Szechwan peppercorns for a potent kick; and a luxurious Braised 'Rat Noodle' with Lobster in Superior Broth. Level 35, Orchard Wing. Tel: 6831 6262/6266
For diners who prefer more flexibility in their reunion dinner feasts, the Chinese New Year à la carte menus from Si Chuan Dou Hua will be a hit. Besides healthier sweet treats like Mouse-shaped Nian Gao and Bi-coloured Prosperity New Year Cake, indulge in a selection of outlet exclusive savouries. These include TOP at UOB Plaza’s Braised Mee Tai Mak with Fresh Lobster ($28), PARKROYAL on Beach Road’s Deep-fried Spare Ribs in Sichuan Spices ($48), and PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road’s Double Boiled Kampung Chicken ($18). No matter which outlet you decide on, do add the fugu sashimi ($98 supplement) to your choice of yu sheng; Si Chuan Dou Hua remains the only Chinese restaurant to do so. Available till 8 February. sichuandouhua.com
Whisk your treasured guests to Capella Singapore’s Cassia to partake in an exquisite Cantonese fine dining experience. Choose between a selection of special Spring Set Menus (from $89/person to $199/person) and enjoy the Prosperity Lou Hei ($48/two to four persons), complete with salmon slices and a piquant kumquat sauce. The menus will serve an assortment of Cassia specialties like Slow-roasted Pork Rib with Barbecue Sauce and Stewed Ee-fu Noodles with King Prawn in Superior Stock. A special dim sum menu will also be offered, that includes new, unique dishes like Stewed Kangaroo Meat Dumpling with Bitter Gourd in Black Bean Sauce ($6/two pieces). Available from 25 January to 8 February. 1 The Knolls. Tel: 6591 5045
The Golden Bliss Menu ($3,796/10 persons, three days advance order) from Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium’s Xin Cuisine is one lavish treat. It starts with the new Japanese Octopus and Salmon Yu Sheng with Blueberry Sauce, followed by other Cantonese classics like Roasted Suckling Pig, Steamed Garoupa in Superior Light Soya Sauce, and Braised Ee-fu Noodles with Lobster. Diners will also get to savour Xin’s Imperial Sea Treasure Pot, filled to the brim with abalone, fish maw, sea cucumber and pig’s trotter, and drenched with an unctuous sauce. Available till 8 February.
Level 4, 317 Outram Road. Tel: 6731 7173
Fans of Wah Lok’s Cantonese cuisine will enjoy their Chinese New Year set menus (starting from $398/four persons to $1,688/10 persons). Many of the award-winning Cantonese restaurant’s signatures mark their return, including the Steamed Live Soon Hock, Pan-fried Hokkaido Scallop, and the grand three-layer Longevity Poon Choi which comes with abalone, sea cucumber, roasted duck and pan-fried tiger prawns. It's a choice between two signature yu shengs: the Alaskan Crab Lo Hei and the Hamachi Yu Sheng in “Soon Tak” Style. Available till 8 February.
Level 2, Carlton Hotel Singapore, 76 Bras Basah Road.
Tel: 6311 8188/8189
Pamper your A-list clients with Summer
Palace’s Gold Set Menu ($3,988/10 persons). The nine-course menu starts off on an indulgent note with the Mexican Abalone Prosperity Toss yu sheng and follows up with a festive classic: Barbecued Suckling
Pig. Choice ingredients are to be expected, including a luxurious Stir-fried Lobster with Egg White and Stir-fried Bird’s Nest with Crabmeat, and banquet dishes of Steamed Garoupa in Superior Soya Sauce and Ee-fu Noodles. The latter comes with Pan-fried
Crab Claws that have been stuffed with a silky shrimp mousse. Available till 8 February.
Level 3, Regent Singapore, 1 Cuscaden Road. Tel: 6725 3288
If you prefer a more intimate reunion dinner at home, Goodwood Park Hotel’s Abundant Feasting Takeaway Specials are the way to go. Min Jiang will be offering a sixcourse menu ($532.85/six persons) that includes their Five Fortune Takeaway Platter of appetisers like Crispy Prawns in Buttermilk and Chilled Mini Abalone, and the Pot of Gold, a braised dish of meltingly soft pork belly and pumpkin slices. Their contemporary take on Longevity Noodles is a breath of fresh air too; capellini noodles are tossed in kombu, shallot oil and soya sauce, and topped with braised baby abalones and roasted Ibérico pork loin. Available till 3 February.
Lobby Level, 22 Scotts Road.
Tel: 6730 1704
Enjoy a contemporary Chinese New Year meal in a modern setting ― V Dining, V-ZUG'S first fine dining restaurant.
The 10-course Lunar New Year Menu ($1,608/10 persons) is conceptualised by head chef Lee Jing Peng, who applies an innovative spin to traditional Chinese fare using V-ZUG’S cutting edge appliances. The meal starts with a snack platter of Drunken Chicken, Cabbage Roll, Dumplings and Chawanmushi, that utilises V-ZUG’S Vacuisine as an alternative to sous vide cooking. The menu is completed with other modern takes, such as a Herbal Duck Confit and a crisp Pork Belly served with mustard, apple sauce and seafood sauce. Available till 8 February.
#03-13, Scotts Square, 6 Scotts Road. Tel: 6950 4868
As one of Singapore’s pioneer seafood restaurants, Long
Beach is the perfect spot for impressing foreign clients with the finest, freshest live seafood, including Southern Australian Lobster, Geoduck and Green Wrasse. This season, complement the tantalising seafood plates with the health conscious Fruits Yu Sheng ($228). Seasonal fruits like dragon fruit, mango and jackfruit are incorporated with the shredded vegetables, along with a generous serving of abalone conch. If fruits aren’t your fancy, the Signature Prosperity Abalone Conch Yu Sheng ($68/ nine-10 people) will do just fine. Available at all Long Beach outlets till 9 February. longbeachseafood.com.sg
Traverse the open kitchen at One Farrer Hotel's Escape Restaurant & Lounge and discover festive treats with their Chinese New Year lunch ($62/person) and dinner ($88/person) buffet. Start off with the Signature Salmon Yu Sheng, tossed in a mixture of homemade ginger flower & honey sauce and fragrant osmanthus oil, and continue with the tender Abundance Mongolian Pork Ribs and Roasted Chinese Suckling Pig. The lineup is completed by a specially prepared Koi Fish dessert, comprising layers of coconut jelly, green tea panacotta and gula melaka red velvet. Available till 2 February. Lobby Level, 1 Farrer Park Station Road. Tel: 6705 7828
Jade Restaurant at The Fullerton Hotel Singapore presents a fitting tribute to the Year of the Rat with their Special Edition Gold Rush Salmon Yu Sheng ($388). Intricately plated to resemble a rat clutching a golden coin, the regular yu sheng comes with champagne jelly, gold leaf, cranberry cream cheese and a tangysweet honey pineapple dressing. The regular yu sheng can be enjoyed in Jade’s Family Style Set Menus (starting from $118/person) or Individual Set Menus ($98/person). To experience executive chef Leong Chee Yeng’s artistic prowess, add on an order of the Full of Luck Deep-fried Chilean Seabass ($280, one-day advance order). The flesh is carefully butchered to resemble a mouse – complete with 'fish scale' ears – before it's deep-fried and served with a cherry tomato and peach sauce. Available until 8 February.
Lobby Level, 1 Fullerton Square.
Tel: 6877 8911/8912
Jereme Leung’s much anticipated return to Singapore, yì by Jereme Leung at Raffles Singapore, will be an extremely popular choice this Chinese New Year. Impress your guests in the comfort of the swanky restaurant space with the nine-course Opulence set menu ($168/person). It starts with the Prosperity Yu Sheng with Asian Live Lobster, finished with a special Yunnan Rose Dressing. The rest of the menu consists of Leung’s artistic adaptations of classic Chinese dishes, including Stir-fried Angus Beef Fillet with Lingzhi Mushrooms, and Rainbow Cauliflower and Broccoli in Tomato Broth. The dinner concludes with a duo of desserts: Osmanthus flavoured Nian Gao, and Rainbow Glutinous Dumplings. #3-02 Raffles Arcade, 328 North Bridge Road. Tel: 6412 1323
Peach Garden’s Chinese New Year set menus are full of the brand’s signature festive items. The Mini Buddha Jump Over The Wall with Black Gold Black Garlic is back by popular demand; double boiled for hours, the sublime broth includes layers of decadent ingredients, including fish maw, sea cucumber, two-head abalone and pork tendon. Other signature dishes that are included in the set menus are the Roasted Crispy London Duck with Black Truffle Sauce, Stewed Spinach Noodle with Baby Lobster and Chef’s Special Sauce, and Fried Glutinous Rice with Chinese Sausage and Baked Lobster. Menu prices from $88/person to $268.80/person. peachgarden.com.sg
Enjoy a feast of Singaporeanstyle homecooked dishes at Grand Mercure Singapore Roxy’s Jia Wei Chinese Restaurant. While their Lunar New Year Reunion menus start at $359 for four persons, we recommend the Golden Harvest ($1,399/10 persons), which comes with a bottle of Laurent-perrier La Cuvée. The homestyle feast will feature signature Jia Wei dishes like Steamed Chilean Seabass Fillet with Pickled Lettuce and Crispy Cai Po, and Stewed Ocean Gems and Clams with XO Sauce Mee Pok. The Jia Wei Roasted Duck is also not to be missed, complete with a rich, tangy Tangerine Hoi Xin Sauce. Available till 9 February. Level 2, 50 East Coast Road.
Tel: 6340 5678