Chinese New Year will soon be upon us. If you are not one to slave over a hot stove trying to whip up an elaborate meal for your family, it’s not too late to make a booking at a restaurant to enjoy good food in air-conditioned comfort. From lavish and extravagant sets to comforting but no less delicious fare, here’s our list of where you can go to have a hassle-free reunion feast with your loved ones.
Dine with your family in style at this luxury heritage boutique hotel, which by the way, was crowned the region’s Best Luxury Banquet/Event Hotel at the World Luxury Hotel Awards in 2018. You’re in for a treat with the hotel’s “Tastes of Tradition” In The Park. Choose from five set menus (that are six to eight courses), which include dishes such as Signature Fortune Yu Sheng (Salmon) — which feature abalone (for an additional $188+) and smoked salmon slices; Steamed Black Garoupa in Hong Kong Style; Braised Baby Abalone with Bai Ling Mushrooms and Spinach; Sautéed Scallops with Hon Shimeiji Mushrooms and Asparagus in X.O. Sauce and Deep-fried Prawns coated with Wasabi Mayonnaise.
Sweeten your celebration with classic desserts such as Cream of Red Bean with Lotus Seeds, Lily Buds and Glutinous Rice Balls (tang yuan) and Cream of Yam Paste with Gingko Nut and Pumpkin. Available from Jan 7 to Feb 19, from S$68++ per person (for a minimum of two persons) to S$968++ for 10 persons. If you wish to add an extra dose of prosperity, order the Blossoms of Abundance Treasure Pot (Pen Cai), which is brimming with premium goodies like the eight-head Australian Abalone, Sea Cucumbers, Canadian Scallops, Dried Fish Maw, Dried Oysters, and more ($388+). What a great start to the year.
Hotel Fort Canning is at 11 Canning Walk, Singapore 178881. For reservations and enquiries, call 6559 6796 (11am to 7pm) or email thesalon@hfcsingapore.com.
Image: Hotel Fort Canning
Ring in the new year with an extensive buffet spread that will please both young and old. Comforting dishes include Braised Fish Maw Soup and Ginseng Chicken Broth, Double-boiled Herbal Chicken, Pork Ribs in Ginger Marmite Sauce, Braised Duck with Sea Cucumber & Chinese Mushroom, Steamed Seabass Fillet with Nyonya Curry and more. You get to catch the chefs in action as they serve up hearty traditional barbeque delights such as Roasted Crispy Belly Pork, Roasted Whole Suckling Pig, Roasted Chicken and Peking Duck.
Fresh seafood on ice such as oysters, scallops, tiger prawns and black mussels are also available, along with sweet treats like pineapple tarts, festive cookies, caramel custard, rich chocolate opera cake and assorted mini French pastries. Psst, you get a complimentary platter of Salmon Yu Sheng drizzled in strawberry sauce if you make a reservation for Feb 4. Available from Feb 4 to 6. From $68++ (adults) and $34++ (children six to 12 years old).
Cafe Mosaic is at Level 1, Carlton Hotel Singapore, 76 Bras Basah Road, Singapore 189558. For reservations, please call 6311 8195 or email cafe.mosaic@carltonhotel.sg.
Image: Carlton Hotel Singapore
Escape Restaurant is pulling out all the stops to present a fun yet satisfying reunion buffet meal for you and your family. Customise your own lo hei at their DIY Yu Sheng Station, where you’re guaranteed a unique dish suitable for your preference and health requirements. Other dishes include an assortment of seasonal sashimi and maki, fresh seafood on ice, a CNY Goodies Station, a carving station, local delights like Sauteed Roast Pork with Chinese Leeks and Slow Cooked Duck with Yam and Chestnuts, as well as the Wealthy Poon Choi (only available for dinner).
There’s also a special treat for diners: An exclusive Baked King Prawns with Golden Egg Yolk Lava Sauce will be served from ‘kitchen-to-table’, limited to one serving per guest. Available from Jan 4 to Feb 11. Price ($88++ for lunch and dinner from Deb 4 to 6; $62++ for lunch and $78++ for dinner on other days) includes free flow of gourmet coffee, tea and soft drinks. Children between the ages of five to 11 years get to dine at 50 per cent off.
Escape Restaurant is at One Farrer Hotel, 1 Farrer Park Station Road, Singapore 217562. For reservations and enquiries, call 6705 7828 or email escape@onefarrer.com.
Image: One Farrer Hotel
If you wish to feast with your family in an intimate and elegant setting, Wan Hao is your choice. The sophisticated Cantonese restaurant is offering Lunar New Year Eve Set Menus on Feb 4 (from $108.80++ per person if you have four to eight people to $2,088++ per 10 people), with decadent dishes that will thrill any foodie. Our pick has got to be the addictive Deep-fried Tiger Prawn with Chicken Floss and Salted Egg — which is both sweet and savoury with a satisfying crunch — and the Double-Boiled Fish Maw with Boletus Mushroom in Almond Superior Stock.
The creamy, almost buttery broth is a perfect complement to the thick slices of crunchy fish maw, and delivers an explosion of flavours. If you prefer a la carte instead, go for the Braised U.S. Short Rib with Mandarin Orange Peel. Its tender flesh melts in the mouth with little resistance. Prosperity Set Menus (of the same price) are also available from Jan 14 to Feb 19.
Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant is at Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel, 320 Orchard Road, Singapore 238865. For reservations or enquiries, call 6831 4605 or email mhrs.sindt.fb.reservations@marriotthotels.com.
Image: Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel
To usher in the Year of the Pig, Yan is rolling out six set menus, ranging from $128++ to $278++ per person. Highlights of the latter ($278++ per person with minimum eight to 10 persons) include a Kaleidoscope of Prosperity Yu Sheng that comes with a mountain of crispy fried vermicelli topped with gold leaves and ringed with a vibrant medley of vegetables, sesame seeds, crispy youtiao, as well as slices of fresh salmon or yellow tail before it is topped with bak kwa. There’s also a delicious Signature Roast Crispy Suckling Pig which features the meat done three ways: Crackling skin, carved shoulder and an oven-baked pig fillet with lemongrass; and the flavourful Shark Cartilage Broth with Fish Maw and Bird’s Nest.
Seafood enthusiasts should love the Steamed Half Lobster with 18 years Nu Er Hong Rice Wine — not only is the meat infused with the vintage wine’s flavours, you get to enjoy another cup of Nu Er Hong on the side, which you can choose to either sip or pour over the lobster. Other sets come with dishes such as the silky smooth Superior Chicken Broth with Fish Maw, Roast Duck and a Prosperity Salmon Lo Hei. Available from Jan 18 to Feb 19.
Yan is at #05-02 National Gallery Singapore, 1 St Andrew’s Road, Singapore 178957. For reservations, call 6384 5585 or email reserve@Yan.com.sg.
Image: Yan, National Gallery Singapore
The best way to kick-start Chinese New Year is to indulge in a scrumptious pot of seafood and meat, aka the Poon Choi. Try Wah Lok’s three-layer Longevity Poon Choi ($408 for six pax, $688 for 10 pax) that includes whole abalone, sea cucumber, scallops, prawns, roasted duck and more soaked in premium stock. Or if you want an interesting alternative, go for its new Auspicious Golden Pot which comprises Deer Sinew, Goose Web, Morel, Pork Ribs, Fish Maw, Tianjin Cabbage, Chestnut and Black Moss ($208 for four pax, $308 for six pax). For larger groups, take your pick from the award-winning restaurant’s seven or eight-course set menu which includes dishes like Roasted Whole Boneless Suckling Pig, Steamed Live Soon Hock and Braised Whole Abalone, Dried Oysters with Vegetables. Set menu prices start from $398++ for four persons to $1,688++ for 10 persons. Available from Jan 21 to Feb 19.
Wah Lok is at Level 2, Carlton Hotel Singapore, 76 Bras Basah Road, Singapore 189558. For reservations, call 6311 8188 / 6311 8189 or email wah.lok@carltonhotel.sg.
Image: Carlton Hotel Singapore
Toss to a new year of good fortune at Sky22’s Prosperity Weekend a La Carte Buffet. Load up on its buffet line of appetisers, soups, salad bar, European cheeses and a DIY Lo Hei Bar before digging into your choice of hearty mains (cooked-to-order and all you can eat) such as the Grilled Minute Steak with Curry Pepper Sauce, Fried Red Snapper with Ginger, Chilli and Mandarin Orange Sauce, Singapore Chilli Baby Lobster with Mantou Bun and Char Siew Lamb Cutlet. We say go for their Golden Fortune Suckling Pig Lo Hei (for an additional $8++ per pax) which features crispy roasted suckling pig skin, crackling puffed pig skin, Bak Kwa flakes, blood orange and pickled ginger with abundant amounts of red carrot, green carrot and white radish. It’s a meal that will leave you stuffed. Available from Jan 25 to Feb 17 on Saturdays and Sundays as well as Lunar New Year eve, day one and two. Prices start from $48++ (adults) and $24++ (children 6 to 12 years old) for a buffet lunch.
Sky22 is at Level 22, Courtyard by Marriott Singapore Novena, 99 Irrawaddy Road, Singapore 329568. For reservations, call 6378 2040 or email fnb.courtyardsg@marriott.com.
Image: Courtyard by Marriott Singapore Novena
If you’re looking to splurge on one good meal to start the Lunar New Year right, consider one Michelin-starred Summer Palace, which is known for its attention to detail. With 11 specially crafted set menus, including an incredibly elaborate Gold Menu for 10 ($3,988) and individual menus from $88 per person, there’re plenty of choices to suit your taste and budget.
Their Pearl Menu Lunch Set ($88 per pax, minimum four persons, only for lunch) includes exquisitely crafted dim sum in the form of Barbecued Pork Buns with Pine Nuts; Steamed Minced Shrimp Dumplings with Bird’s Nest; and Deep-fried Chicken and Lobster Roll; Braised Dried Oyster with Black Moss in Bean Curd Skin, Steamed Soon Hock in Light Soya Sauce and more. In their Phoenix Menu ($1,288 for 10 persons), dig into a Braised Fish Maw Soup with Crab Meat, Bamboo Pith and Conpoy in Superior Chicken Stock, Steamed Live Pearl Garoupa in Hong Kong-style and Roasted Crispy Chicken with Prawn Crackers. Available from Jan 25 to Feb 19.
Summer Palace is at Level 3, Regent Singapore, 1 Cuscaden Road, Singapore 249715. For reservations, call 6725 3288 or email summerpalace@regentsingapore.com.sg.
Image: Regent Singapore
Meat lovers, save your stomach space for this one. Expect mouth-watering premium roasts at The Carvery, such as the Golden Roasted Pork Porchetta, Spit-Roasted Marmite Chicken and Dry-Aged Australian Beef Prime Rib. Other hearty selections include a Seafood Stew, Smoked Duck Glass Noodle, Drunken Chicken Terrine, Honey-glazed Pork Ribs and the Sea Bream with Scallion Cream. To end the meal on a sweet note, make sure you try some of their signature trifle dessert and Honey Apricot Mousse, among other delights. Price starts from $46 (for lunch) and $58 (for dinner) per person (from Jan 15 to Feb 19, excluding Feb 5 and 6). Prices from $50 (for lunch) and $66 (for dinner) for Feb 4 to 6.
The Carvery is at level seven, Park Hotel Alexandra, 323 Alexandra Road, Singapore 159972. For reservations, call 6828 8880 or email thecarvery.phal@parkhotelgroup.com.
Image: Park Hotel Alexandra
For sumptuous Chinese fare that tastes like home, try the CNY sets offered by Gu Ma Jia (Mandarin for Auntie’s House). Its founder, affectionately known as Gu Ma, wanted her restaurant to serve delicious home-cooked food in a spot that could foster family bonds. While the decor is simple, its food isn’t. Take your pick from sets for five to six people ($398++ or $499++) and eight to 10 people ($599++ and $799++). The most expensive set is a satisfying spread, comprising Yu Sheng with abalone; a cold platter with lobster, pacific clams, smoked duck and bean curd; a braised duck with sea cucumber; a lychee sweet and sour grouper and more.
Gu Ma Jia is at 45 Tai Thong Crescent, Singapore 347866. For reservations or enquiries, call 6285 2023 or email sales@gumajia.com.sg. For more information, visit here.
Image: Gu Ma Jia
For an interesting Thai twist to your usual reunion dinner, try this halal establishment’s extensive buffet spread that is offering a spicy sweet and sour kick to its dishes. Tuck into appetisers such as the Deep-Fried Shrimp Paste Chicken, Sugarcane Prawn, Thai Roast Duck Salad and Spicy Sea Jelly Salad with Baby Octopus, and toss to a prosperous new year with their Thai Chin Yu Sheng, which comprises shredded green papaya, mango, pomelo and six types of pickles topped with salmon gravlax and crispy crackers. A generous dose of housemade plum and passionfruit sauce is then drizzled over it.
Move onto their more classic Chinese dishes thereafter, such as the Claypot Rice with Chinese Sausage, Braised Duck with Egg and Beancurd, Steamed Seabass with Ginger Sauce, Braised Ee Fu Noodle served with chicken, mushroom and yellow chives and more. Dessert includes assorted Nyonya kueh and Thai Chendol. Wash the food down with a cooling Lemongrass drink, or Blue Jasmine’s signature Thai Milk Tea, served hot. Mmm, the best of both worlds. Available on Feb 4 and 5 for dinner only; $52++ per adult and $26++ per child (six to 12 years old).
Blue Jasmine is at Park Hotel Farrer Park, 10 Farrer Park Station Road, Level 5, Singapore 217564. For reservations or enquiries, call 6824 8851 or email hello@bluejasmine.sg.
Image: Park Hotel Farrer Park