8 best places to have an indulgent CNY reunion dinner

Swathed in ornate decor and resplendent hues, get Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant on your short-list for an elegant feast.

Toss to prosperity and health with its six types of yusheng, from a luxurious platter of lobster, Hokkaido Scallop, sea urchin and caviar ($268++, large) to a smoked duck breast and crispy fish skin yu sheng ($128++ for large, $68++ for small), which you can enjoy with a kumquat pineapple sauce.

Its Prosperity Set Menus are brimming with new dishes, from Crispy Pork Trotters with Spicy Sesame Sauce to Bird’s Nest Dumpling with Crab Roe Superior Soup and Wok-Fried Boston Lobster with Fresh Milk, Egg White, Caviar, Broccoli & Gold Leaves.

And, of course, the Wan Hao Imperial Pot of Prosperity Pen Cai ($688++ for four to six persons) is quite a delight, boasting an assortment of 14 ingredients including three-head Australian abalone, marinated free-range chicken, goose feet, whole pork trotter, sea cucumber, and black moss dace fish paste in a rich stock.

When: Jan 3 to Feb 15, 2022
Where: Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant, Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel, 320 Orchard Road, Singapore 238865
Cost: Prosperity Set Menus from $118.80++ per person to $208.80++ per person. Eight-course Lunar New Year Set Menus of Abundance from $128.80++ per person to $209.80++ per table on Jan 31, 2022.

Visit its website for reservations or for more information. celebratorydelights.com/cny, call 6831 4605, or
email mhrs.sindt.fb.reservations@marriotthotels.com

Conrad Centennial Singapore’s award-winning Cantonese fine-dining restaurant Golden Peony helmed by chef Ku Keong is so well-received, we heard it had reservations for Chinese New Year since earlier this year.

A standout is the roasted suckling pig, which comes stuffed with an umami concoction of stewed pork belly and preserved vegetable rice, as well as Hakka salted chicken roulade (order 24 hours in advance, $388 for whole), which draws on chef Ku’s Hakka roots.

Other specialities include the Half Lobster ($38++ per person) baked with custard, mozzarella cheese, and Sichuan peppercorn sauce, as well as tender Hamachi Collar ($58++, small) braised with ginger and Chinese wine, New Bedford Scallops with beetroot sauce ($22++ per person) as well as Loin Prime Rib ($22++ per person) with fermented red beancurd.

There are also several yu sheng platters to choose from, with the highlight being the luxurious Fortune ‘Yu Sheng’ starring hamachi sashimi, tiger prawns, and Alaskan king crab leg meat and fresh veggies ($188 per portion).

When: Jan 17 to Feb 15, 2022
Where: Level 3 Conrad Centennial Hotel, 2 Temasek Blvd, Singapore 038983
Cost: From $148++ for the Prosperity Tiger Set Menu

Call 6432 7482/8 or e-mail sinci.goldenpeony@conradhotels.com for reservations or more information.

Traditionalists flock to Xin Cuisine Chinese Restaurant for its repertoire of both classic dishes and ones with a twist – and there are six different set menus to choose from.

Look forward to well-loved plates like deep-fried prawns coated in an addictive salted egg yolk sauce (one of our favourites), Home-style Roast Duck with Tea Leaves, and Xin’s Traditional Pen Cai, as well as Hong Kong-style steamed garoupa. New on the menu is the Inaniwa Udon Noodle with juicy lobster chunks in light savoury pumpkin broth.

This year’s yu sheng sees sesame-crusted tuna slices that are lightly seared on the outside and is drizzled with a refreshing pineapple sauce. Or you can go for the restaurant’s signature gold leaf salmon yu sheng.

When: Jan 5 to Jan 23, 2022 (Closed on Mondays & Tuesdays), and Jan 24 to Feb 15, 2022 (available daily)
Where: Level 4, Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium, 317 Outram Rd, Singapore 169075
Cost: From $188++ for two persons to $1,998++ for five persons

Call 3138 2531 or email xin.sinhi@ihg.com for reservations or more information.

Kickstart your celebrations with one-Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant Jiang-Nan Chun at Four Seasons Hotel Singapore, which spotlights fresh seasonal produce in a luxurious setting. Executive Chinese chef Albert Au helms the kitchen, curating seasonal specials like Wok-fried Australian Lobster with Chilli Sauce and Crispy Noodle, which makes its debut this year.

There’s also the Braised Imperial Chicken with six-head abalone, sea cucumber and other delicacies in an umami stock.

When: Jan 31 to Feb 15, 2022
Where: Four Seasons Hotel Singapore, 190 Orchard Blvd, Singapore 248646
Cost: From $178++ per person

Call 6831-7220 or e-mail jnc.sin@fourseasons.com for reservations or more information.

Chinese restaurant House of Wei has taken over the premises of what was formerly Szechuan Court at Fairmont Singapore. Helmed by master Chinese chef Mok Wan Lok, its concept melds both traditional Chinese techniques together with modern elements.

Its special festive set menus start from the eight-course Auspicious set menu that heralds in the year of the Tiger with a delectable repertoire of dishes. If pen cai is on the cards, you can look forward to the House of Wei Prosperity Gold Pot , which uses a time-honoured recipe handed down by chef Mok’s mentors and stars abalone, prawn, sea cucumber, conpoy, dried oyster, and roasted pork slowly braised with superior ham stock.

Another star player is the Braised 6-Head Abalone with Fatt Choy Oyster Roll, an elevated take on a homecooked dish that’s enjoyed by the chef himself.

When: Jan 15 to Feb 15, 2021
Where: Level 3, Fairmont Singapore, 80 Bras Basah Road, Singapore 189560
Cost: From $118 per person (minimum two persons) for the Auspicious Set Menu

Best known for traditional Cantonese dining with an inventive touch by executive chef Ben Zeng, Hai Tien Lo has a series of eight festive menus that shine the spotlight on Braised Classic Whole Abalone with Sea Cucumber in White Truffle Oil, Double-boiled Fish Maw with Bamboo Pith, Dried Scallops in Fish Bone Broth and more.

There are also a la carte plates like Barbecued Crispy Whole Suckling Pig ($338 whole, $188 half) for a satisfying sharing dish and the succulent Steamed Lobster with Fermented Minced Garlic ($38 per person).

When: Jan 17 to Feb 15, 2022
Where: Pan Pacific Singapore, 7 Raffles Blvd, Singapore 039595
Cost: From $138++ per person for a minimum of two persons

Visit its website, call 6826 8240, email specialevents.ppsin@panpacific.co for reservations or more information.

You can’t go wrong with a feast curated by the award-winning Min Jiang Restaurant situated at the elegant Goodwood Park Hotel. Its line-up for the festive season sees tempting delights like the new Braised Spring Chicken with Iberico Pork Rolls & Abalone in Pot ($338++ for six persons) cooked with deep-fried goose web, spring chicken, Ibérico pork belly rolls, Chinese ‘Jinhua’ ham, and more.

There are six-course and eight-course celebratory menus, and the specially created Eight Prosperity Reunion Dinner Menu is available for dine-in at the Windsor Ballroom. Feast on dishes like the restaurant’s signature Roasted Silver Hill Irish Duck and Braised 6-Head Abalone with Sea Cucumber in Seasonal Greens.

And for the quintessential lo hei, you can go for its traditional yu sheng platters (from $88++ for small) or the less-conventional Trio of Prosperity Blessings ‘Lo Hei’ with lobster, salmon and abalone with fresh vegetables like affilla cress, arugula and edible flowers, as well as deep-fried yam strips.

When: Jan 7 to Feb 15, 2022 for set menus. Jan 31, 2022 for two seatings, 6pm and 8.15pm, for the Eight Prosperity Reunion Dinner Menu
Where: Min Jiang Restaurant at Goodwood Park Hotel, 22 Scotts Rd, Singapore 228221
Cost: From $148++ for the six-course Prosperity Harvest Menu. From $168++ per person for the Eight Prosperity Reunion Dinner Menu

Visit its website for reservations or more information.

Best and formerly known as the Original Sembawang White Beehoon, White Restaurant has a slew of CNY menus to tantalise your taste buds. Of course, its signature white bee hoon is on every menu, alongside tasty accompaniments like a pumpkin seafood soup, platters of meat and seafood rolls, deep-fried soon hock, cereal prawns, and more.

Each set comes with an abalone yu sheng platter.

When: From Jan 9, 2022
Where: White Restaurant is at multiple locations
Cost: From $138++ for the four-pax Joyous Set

Visit its website for reservations or more information.

This article was first published in The Singapore Women’s Weekly. 

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