Page boys at the Peninsula Hong Kong celebrate Chinese New Year. Photo Credit: Peninsula Hotels.
Family reunions are an important part of Chinese New Year, and that means either a festive meal at home – or a lavish banquet at a Chinese restaurant.
If you are dining at a Chinese restaurant on or close to the Lunar New Year, chances are you will be offered a set menu that starts with three starters on individual plates, which will be served individually to each diner.
This will be followed by barbecued suckling pig, which will have flashing red lights where the eyes used to be.
The succulent porker will be put in the centre of the table, and two inch square slabs will be offered to each diner.
Fish Course
Pan-fried fish filet at the Hoi King Heen Chinese restaurant at the InterContinental Grand Stanford in Tsim Sha Tsui East, Hong Kong.
Subsequent courses will include something made with bird’s nest, some kind of fried rice, some kind of noodles, and – absolutely, positively – some kind of fish (which in Southern China will usually be steamed)!
Fish will be served for three reasons.
First, most Chinese people like it. Second, it is considered to be healthy. Third, it is considered to be auspicious.
The Chinese character for fish, you see, is a homonym for the Chinese character for abundance (yu).
If you eat fish during Chinese New Year, it should attract either lots of sons or lots of money (or some other type of good fortune) in the new year.
Chinese New Year is, of course, a good excuse for chefs to show off their culinary talents.
The top executive chefs at the top Chinese restaurants try to outdo one another by either tweaking tried and true recipes or coming up with something new and Innovative.
Chinese New Year Pudding
Following dinner, there will usually be sweet and sticky puddings (desserts to Americans), glutinous rice dumplings, and/or – if there weren’t any savoury bird’s nest dishes earlier – there will perhaps be something sweet made with bird’s nest.
Most of the larger Chinese restaurants - especially those at hotels - sell Chinese puddings and other sweet treats, often in gift baskets. They can usually be ordered on line.
Some Chinese restaurants will serve set menus and special dishes only on Chinese New Year’s Eve and the first two or three days of the Lunar New Year.
Other Chinese restaurants will serve their Chinese New Year special promotions for as long as one month.
Here is a quick guide to what some of the best Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Macau will be serving in celebration of the Year of the Rooster.
T’ang Court
The Cantonese restaurant at Langham Place, Hong Kong, is one of only two Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong – and four Chinese restaurants in the world – to have been awarded three Michelin stars.
Chinese New Year specialties will include baked sliced fresh lobster with mozzarella cheese and Portuguese sauce, braised bird’s nest with crab meat and crab roe, double boiled sea whelk and fish maw with chicken, ham, and dried barbary wolfberry fruit soup, and several other delicacies.
The menu will be served from 28 January to 3 February 2017.
T’ang Court, Langham Place, Hong Kong, Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Telephone: (852) 2375-1133.
Ming Court
Executive Chef Mango Tsang Chiu-lit and his team will serve three set menus for 12 guests at Ming Court, the Cantonese restaurant at the Cordis, a five star hotel in Kowloon’s Mongkok district.
The most extravagant set menu will feature suckling pig, lobster, bird’s nest, abalone, garoupa, chicken, fried rice, e-fu noodles, glutinous dumplings, and dessert.
The two Michelin star restaurant will also feature three new “nourishing and delectable” Chinese New Year puddings.
Ming Court, Cordis, Hong Kong, 555 Shanghai Street, Mongkok, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Telephone: (852) 3552-3052.
Yan Toh Heen
Chef Lau Yiu-fai will serve an eight course Chinese New Year Firework Dinner menu at the two Michelin star Cantonese restaurant at the InterContinental Hong Kong on 29 January. It is priced at an auspicious HK$2,888 a head.
A somewhat less pricey (but still not for foodies of slender means) Fat Choy menu will be served from 12 January to 12 February. The five course menu will be served with semi fermented oolong tea from the high mountains of Taiwan.
Yan Toh Heen, InterContinental Hong Kong, Salisbury Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Telephone: (852) 2721 1211.
Spring Moon
Spring Moon will serve three Spring Set Dinners –Fortune, Wealth, and Longevity – between 12 January and 12 February 2017.
The 10 courses dinners will be suitable for 10 or more diners. Featured dishes will include Simmered Boston Lobster with XO Chili Sauce, Braised Whole Abalone with
With Fish Maw and Vegetables, and Sesame Crispy Chicken in Rock Salt.
Spring Moon, The Peninsula Hong Kong, first floor, Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. Telephone: (852) 2920-2888.
Hoi King Heen
Executive Chinese Chef Leung Fai-hung and his team will serve pan-fried mandarin fish fillet with garlic, stewed oyster with shrimp paste and pork, and braised assorted dried seafood with chicken and roasted goose, and other delicacies throughout the months of January and February in celebration of Chinese New Year.
A Chinese calligraphy master will hand-write customized Fai Chun for all guests between 20 and 26 January, enabling them to bring the best wishes home.
The God of Fortune will visit every table between 28 and 30 January to wish guests luck and fortune in the Year of the Rooster.
The popular Cantonese restaurant will also serve four mouth-watering Chinese New Year puddings.
Hoi King Heen, InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong, 70 Mody Road, Tsimshatsui East, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Telephone: (852) 2731-2883.
Tao Li
Head Chef So Kei Pak and his team will serve a series of temptingly auspicious dishes at Tao Li, the Chinese restaurant at the New World Millennium Hotel in East Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon between 28 January and 3 February.
Featured dishes will include Sautéed Sliced Chicken with Fillet of Garoupa and Vegetables, Sautéed Fish Maw, Shrimp Roe, Crab Roe, Scallop, Minced Shrimp, and Osmanthus in Lettuce Wraps as well as a lavish selection of mouth-watering dim sum
Tao Li, New World Millennium Hotel, 73 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Telephone: (852) 2739-1111.
Lai Bun Fu
Chef Chung and his staff will celebrate revisit time-honoured favourites with a contemporary twist in celebration of the Year of the Rooster.
Featured dishes will include Chinese tapas with braised abalone atop mini toasts with Roselle sauce and braised lamb belly with shiitake mushrooms and bamboo shoots.
Lai Bun Fu, 5th floor, 18 On Lan Street, Central, Hong Kong. Telephone: (852) 2564-3868.
Summer Palace
The two Michelin star Chinese restaurant Shang Palace at the Island Shangri-la Hong Kong will serve “a scrumptious feast” from 4 to 31 January 2017.
Featured will be three traditional Chinese New Year puddings and auspicious gift hampers.
Summer Palace, Island Shangri-la, Hong Kong, Pacific Place, Supreme Court Road, Central, Hong Kong. Telephone; (852) 2877-3838.
Jinjuu
Tong Dak Whole Korean Fried Chicken will be served at this popular Korean eatery from 23 January to 11 February 2017.
Australian, free-range chicken is slathered in a batter of matzo meal and vodka and fried to crispy perfection on the outside and tender, juicy meat on the inside. served with side dishes, slaw and, sauces
Jinjuu, U/G, California Tower, 32 D'Aguilar Street, Lan Kwai Fong, Central, Hong Kong. Telephone: (852) 3755-4868.
Tin Lung Heen
Chef de Cuisine Paul Lau Ping-lui and his team will serve a Chinese Gastronomy with Opus One Wine Paring menu at the two Michelin star Chinese Restaurant from 1 January to 31 March 2017.
Tin Lung Heen, The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong, International Commerce Centre, 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Telephone: (852) 2263-2270.