After a tumultuous 2020, the upcoming year of the Ox is said to symbolise stability and nourishment based on its earthly element. And what better way to embody these properties than by celebrating the festivities with a wholesome and hearty feast? We’ve curated a list of dining and takeaway options that will satisfy your appetite this reunion dinner and beyond.
Crystal Jade
Yusheng: Toss to a year of good health and fortune with the Season of Wealth golden scallop yusheng (pictured above), a refreshing medley of fresh vegetables, fruits, as well as house-made accompaniments like pickled vegetables. Savour the likes of red dragonfruit and watermelon cubes, alongside salmon roe and sweet scallop slices. The latter is lightly torched before being drizzled with an olive-oil based dressing with flower blossom syrup and plum sauce.
Dining in: Expect to tuck into festive dishes across the Crystal Jade restaurants, such as crispy roasted chicken with spicy Szechuan sauce at Crystal Jade Palace Takashimaya, charcoal-grilled sous vide marbled beef at Crystal Jade Pavilion, and “phuture” plant-based meat bun with truffle paste—a yummy, vegan alternative to traditional pan-fried pork buns.
Takeaway: Perfect for dinners in the comfort of one’s home, the CNY Special Take-Home set menu comes in an elegant gift box and features six dishes from starter to dessert. There’s yusheng with abalone, sautéed tiger prawn with shimeiji mushroom in superior chilli sauce, and more.
Available at Crystal Jade Palace, Crystal Jade Golden Palace and Crystal Jade Dining IN for dine-in and takeaway from January 25, 2021; online from now until February 23, 2021.
Yàn
Yusheng: Those who prefer savoury flavours will enjoy Yàn’s abalone and yellowtail with gold foil lo hei in Shun De (a district in China’s Guangdong Province) style, featuring crispy vermicelli complemented by shredded purple and yellow sweet potatoes, kailan, and pickled ginger. Surrounding it is a ring of colourful vegetables, sesame seeds and gold flakes, alongside slices of yellowtail fish and braised abalone to herald abundance.
Dining in: Nourishing dishes take centerstage in the dine-in menu, such as double-boiled fish maw, chicken with cordyceps flower, and braised spring chicken with six-head whole abalone. Fans of the shrimp roe noodles, a classic Cantonese dish known for its bold umami flavours, will enjoy the wok-fried local lobster with superior sauce, shrimp egg, and ee fu noodles.
Takeaway: Treat your loved ones to the Yàn Harvest Pen Cai, which features 18 delicacies including abalone, whole conpoy, fish maw, and sea cucumber braised in duck gravy and nestled within a beautiful claypot. Alternatively, go for the six-course Lunar New Year Family Feast with succulent barbecue honey pork and roast pork belly, as well as steamed black cod fillet with truffle oil and minced garlic.
More information here.
Park Hotel Clarke Quay
Yusheng: Inspired by the vibrant hues symbolising prosperity, the tuna yu sheng comes with white and green radish, carrot, purple cabbage, pickled vegetables, torch ginger flower, and chiffonade of kaffir lime leaves, topped with slices of tuna prepared tataki style—coated in crunchy sesame seeds and seaweed flakes.
Dining in: Highlights include the steamed red garoupa with yellow bean paste, a mainstay of the hotel’s lunar new year menus throughout the year, as well as the salted egg yolk golden tiger prawn, which come in a sweet and savoury golden sauce. Another must-try is the steamed fragrant rice in lotus leaf with duck meat and Chinese sausage.
Takeaway: Set menus, from six to eight courses, are available for takeaway, inclusive of all the dine-in highlights mentioned above.
Available for dine-in or takeaway via self-collection or delivery from January 29 to February 26, 2021.
Goodwood Park Hotel
Yusheng: A plated work of art, the Joyful Blessings yu sheng features edible flowers, goldfish-shaped Japanese pickles, and a hand-illustrated Chinese character “spring.” Jellyfish, agar agar strips, an array of vegetables and fruit such as romaine lettuce, wild arugula, and yellow frisee complement raw salmon and wasabi flying fish roe for a tasty lo hei experience. Alternatively, go for the Auspicious Abundance “Lo Hei”, which features steamed Alaskan crab leg meat in a crunchy rice cracker, perched upon vegetables such as romaine lettuce, wild arugula, yellow frisee, red, white and green radishes, pickled ginger, and fresh pomelo.
Dining in: Whet appetites with the Min Jiang Five Fortune Appetiser Platter, a set of five items including chilled mini abalones with sweet chilli sauce, deep-fried prawns with salted egg yolk and pork floss, and spicy popcorn chicken in Sichuan style. Meanwhile, hearts and bellies will be warmed by the double-boiled abalone soup and eel fish maw with handmade prawn dumplings and minced pork balls. For sweet endings, go for the decadent D24 durian ‘nian gao’ roll, back by popular demand.
Takeaway: Elevate your reunion dinner with the Duo of Prosperity Fish, a pair of auspicious fish-shaped pudding in flavours including durian, as well as mango with pomelo and sago; or order the moreish macadamia and chocolate chip cookies, a snack that’s garnered a loyal following over the years.
Signatures as well as new goodies are available from January 24 to February 26, 2021 at The Deli and Min Jiang (Goodwood Park Hotel) as well as Min Jiang at Dempsey.
Shoukouwa Sushi Restaurant
Takeaway: Jazz up your annual reunion dinner tradition by ordering Japanese hotpot bundles from the two Michelin-starred Shoukouwa Sushi Restaurant. Designed to be shared among three to five persons, each set comes with delicacies like fugu—pufferfish from Yamaguchi, as well as creamy shirako (milt of male cod). There’s kegani (hairy crab) from Hokkaido in the Kani Hotpot bundle and Grade A4 omi wagyu from Shiga in the Beef Shabu Shabu Hotpot bundle. All bundles come with accompanying ingredients like Chinese cabbage, kuzukiri noodles, mushrooms, chrysanthemum leaf, tofu, leek, seaweed, complete with dashi, condiments, and rice, or udon. Fancy some abalone? Add on 300g of the prized mollusc from Chiba, which comes with chef Nishida’s signature abalone liver sauce.
More information here.
Tablescape
Yusheng: Making its return from last year’s festive menu, the classic raw fish salad is given a luxurious twist with the addition of housemade foie gras terrine. Accompanying ingredients include crispy fish skin and yuzu peel, along with daikon, cucumber, pickled red yams, wakame, pomelo, ginger, carrots, roasted sunflower seeds, and golden crackers. Expect appetising, sour-sweet flavours from the sauce, which features apple, passionfruit, plum, and sesame. Meanwhile, purists can opt for the classic Prosperity yu sheng platter with abalone and smoked Norwegian salmon.
Dining in: Don’t fancy jostling with the crowds at dinner time? Book yourself an east-meets-west festive afternoon tea set, which comes with raspberry eclairs, beetroot cups, and egg mayo with black truffle tarts. Other must-tries include breads and scones served with a selection of hand-churned butters, as well as treats like tomato brioche, cherry cheesecake mousse, and sable Breton with Mandarin orange compote and foie gras.
Stamford Catering
Delivery: Take the fuss out of planning your festive menu by ordering Stamford Catering’s reunion bundle deals, which are priced from S$168. Inclusive of the Abundant smoked salmon yusheng, each set features classic delicacies like the Superior Fortune abalone treasure pun choy, abalone and seafood claypot rice, as well as crispy butter roasted chicken with double salted egg crumble. New menu items this year include fruity Peking duck wraps with crepe and the nourishing truffle emperor chicken with wild mushrooms. Booking ahead of time? Take eight percent off your order with promo code “CNY888” from now until the end of January.
More information here.
Kin
Yusheng: Inspired by the sweet and savoury flavours of rojak—the well-loved fruit and vegetable salad commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, chef Damian’s lohei platter reflects his home country’s ethnic diversity. Expect plenty of textures from ingredients like jicama, cucumber, cabbage, peanut brittle, rice roll, and you tiao, all tied together beautifully by house-made plum sauce.
Dining in: Savour home-style dishes that reflect local sensibilities and a dash of Peranakan heritage via five a la carte festive dishes. There’s the hati babi bungkus (photo above), a heady dish featuring minced pork, liver, coriander and homemade spices, encased in caul fat before being twice-cooked in the oven, the classic ayam buah keluak made with piquant tamarind gravy, as well as the pong tauhu, a comforting meatball soup cooked in a prawn and pork broth, and enhanced with tau cheo. Kin also offers a set festive menu, designed to feed up to eight.
Takeaways: Enjoy a Peranakan feast at home, with takeaways of the above-mentioned dishes, including otah and itek sioh—Nyonya braised duck.
More information here.
*Check back as this post will be regularly updated with more Lunar New Year dining recommendations.
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