21 auspicious Chinese New Year Yu Shengs for every budget

When it comes to Lunar New Year food, one cannot forget Yu Sheng for lo hei. The iconic and quintessential lo hei literally translates to “toss up”, signifying attaining greater heights, prosperity and blessings for the new year.

Here, we have gathered 21 delicious types of yu sheng platters available for the Year of the Rat 2020 to suit different palates and budgets, whether you have a more traditional taste or want to put a new spin on the age-old dish.

If you’re feeling indulgent or want some extra luck, you can even exhaust this list for each day of CNY this year. Huat ah!

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You can trust the world’s first Michelin-starred Peranakan restaurant to deliver authentic Straits-Chinese cuisine.

Their Yu Sheng “Lo- Hei” Platter incorporates traditional and unique ingredients that give it a Peranakan twist, such as homemade plum dressing with gula melaka and ginger flower, alongside other interesting additions like candied winter melon, pomelo and arrowhead chips.

What’s more, you can opt to add on Norwegian Salmon or abalone at $28++ and $48++ respectively.

Available at $68++ (four to six pax) from 23 January to 8 February 2020 for dine-in and takeaway, with one-day advanced order.

Candlenut is at COMO Dempsey, 17A Dempsey Rd, Singapore 249676, tel: 1800 304 2288.

Photo: COMO Dempsey

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From Marriott Tang Plaza’s Chinese restaurant comes one of the most bountiful options this year with lobster, scallops, fresh salmon, Alaskan crab, caviar, and crispy fish skin all festooned with passion fruit pearls and a sprinkling of gold flakes, with a white peach. $268

320 Orchard Road. Tel: 6831-4605

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Those who would prefer not to stray away from tradition can choose to dine at Prima Tower Revolving Restaurant, where you can toss to greater heights.

The Prosperity Yu Sheng serves up the classic ingredients, and if you should choose to dine there, you will be treated to authentic Beijing fare in not only one of Singapore’s longest established restaurants, but also a panoramic view of Singapore and its waters.

Available from $58++. Abalone can be added at $30++ per plate.

Prima Tower Revolving Restaurant is at 201 Keppel Rd, Singapore 099419, tel: 6272 8822/8988.

Photo: Prima Tower Revolving restaurant

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Over at Como Cuisine, also situated within Dempsey, their COMO Cuisine’s Prosperity Toss Salad is made from scratch with fresh, vibrant ingredients that will whet your appetite.

It comprises market-fresh vegetables pickled in-house such as carrot and zucchini spirals, beetroot, shaved white and red cabbage, daikon and cucumber rounds, diced dragon fruit and snake gourd and fresh pomelo.

Available from $24++ on 26 and 27 January 2020 for dine-in during lunch and dinner, no pre-order required.

Como Cuisine is at 18A Dempsey Rd, Singapore 249677, tel: 1800 304 6688.

Photo: Como Dempsey

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Yusheng gets the flavour-du-jour treatment at Hotel Fort Canning with their mala hotpot-inspired take.

The salad features the requisite julienned vegetables and freh salmon slices, with the addition of fresh green papaya, lotus root, peanuts, and wild rice.

The main star though, is a homemade spicy-numbing sauce that is available in two levels of spiciness – just like a meal at a mala xiang guo. $98

11 Canning Walk. Tel: 6559-6796

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Save some kilos for the actual snacking by indulging in a guilt-free yu sheng packed full of superfoods.

The Andaz Healthy Yu Sheng features a variety of fruits, vegetables and nuts like kale, beetroot, green apples, flaxseeds and chia seeds – assuring you of the health you would receive in the new year to come.

Delicious slices of Scottish smoked salmon grace the platter with its savoury, peppery taste for contrast.

Available at $68++ from 17 to 31 January 2020 for dine-in only.

Auntie’s Wok and Steam is at Andaz Singapore, 5 Fraser St, Level 25, Singapore 189354, tel: 6408 1288. Visit their website for more information.

Photo: Andaz Singapore

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One that would definitely whet your appetite would be the Thai Chin Yu Sheng by Blue Jasmine, a restaurant known to live up to authentic Southern Thai cuisine.

The colourful platter features slices of silky salmon gravlax on a bed of vegetables and fruit, including the quintessentially Thai green mango and papaya alongside pomelo and pickles. A prime way to unite Thai and Chinese cuisine in delicious fashion!

Available at $68 (eight to 10 pax) for takeaway from 24 January to 5 February 2020. Orders need three working days’ notice and can be collected from 12pm to 9pm.

Blue Jasmine is at Level 5 Park Hotel Farrer Park, 10 Farrer Park Station Road, Singapore 217564, tel: 6824 8851. You can also email hello@bluejasmine.sg.

Photo: Blue Jasmine 

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You can look forward to tasting exceptional salmon from Chui Huay Lim Teochew Cuisine & Zui Yu Xuan Teochew Cuisine. Both restaurants are opened by JUMBO Group, which is birthed from one of Singapore’s biggest restaurant chains specialising in seafood, JUMBO Seafood.

Their rendition of the Teochew Style Prosperity Salmon Yu Sheng brings forth tangy flavours that will stimulate your appetite with fresh greens like romaine lettuce, star fruit, mandarin orange zest and salmon sashimi.

Available from $68, from 6 January to 9 February 2020.

Chui Huay Lim Teochew Cuisine is at 190 Keng Lee Rd, #01-02 Chui Huay Lim Club, Singapore 308409, tel: (6732 3637; Zui Yu Xuan Teochew Cuisine is at 130/131 Amoy St, Far East Square, Singapore 049959, tel: 6788 3637.

Photo: JUMBO group

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Lovers of Japanese cuisine can look forward to celebrating Chinese New Year with an authentic Japanese spin by a restaurant opened by one of Tokyo’s best unagi restaurants, Miyagawa Honten.

The Unagi Yu Sheng with Crispy Udon is made up of premium Japanese ingredients featuring the restaurant’s proudest creation – the signature grilled unagi – grilled with special in-house tare so it’s crispy on the outside and tender inside.

The crispy udon that graces the dish is also made by udon specialist Udon Kamon, so you know you’re in for a treat. Other ingredients include the takuan (picked radish), beni shoga (pickled ginger), chukka karrage, ikura, ebiko, yuzu peels and pork floss.

Available at $88++ for pre-order, reservation and takeaway exclusively at the restaurant’s Suntec City outlet, from 18 January to 8 February 2020. All orders must be placed at least four days in advance.

Unagiya Ichinoji’s Suntec City outlet is at #03-307 Sky Garden Suntec City, 3 Temasek Boulevard. Singapore 038983, tel: 6268 8043.

Photo: Unagiya Ichinoji

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A takeaway yu sheng bound to wow guests will be this one from Raffles Hotel. With the choice of smoked salmon or Asian live lobster, you can enjoy the usual crunch and zingy flavours of the Yu Sheng with a specialty Yunnan rose dressing crafted by Master Chef Jereme Leung.

Everything comes together in a blend of delectable fragrance your guests will not be able to resist.

Available from $168++ (seven to 10 pax), from 10 January to 8 February 2020, with two-day advanced order.

Yi by Jereme Leung is at Raffles Hotel Singapore, 328 North Bridge Road #3-02 Raffles Arcade, Singapore 188719, tel: 6272 8822.

Photo: Yi by Jereme Leung

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The restaurant serving perennial delights with a Thai-Teochew flair will be keeping their style consistent even in their yu sheng offerings.

Soi Thai Soi Nice’s two refreshing platters comprises shredded papayas, mangoes, fresh vegetables and, most importantly, their special homemade sweet and sour Thai dressing.

All you have to do is to make the tough choice between their fresh salmon sashimi and golden fried soft-shell crab.

Available from $32.80++ (four pax) from now until 8 February 2020.

Soi Thai Soi Nice is at JEM, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, #03-21, Singapore 608549, tel: 6339 1391; and The Seletar Mall, 33 Seng Kang West Ave, #01-29/30, Singapore 797653, tel: 6581 2190.

Photo: Soi Thai Soi Nice 

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If you’re that person who’s always trying to pick out the crunchy bits of every yu sheng, Swensen’s has something more to offer – the Prosperity Yu Sheng with wanton skin.

It is one of the platter’s 18 ingredients including pomelo, preserved white and brown melon, Shimeiji mushrooms, fresh greens, smoked salmon and, of course, golden crackers, all seamlessly brought together with the appetising and tangy blend of sweet and sour plum sauce.

Available at $23.90 (four to six pax) for dine-in; $36.90 (eight to 10 pax) for takeaway from 6 January to 8 February 2020.

Order online or at any Swensen’s or Earle Swensen’s outlets islandwide.

Photo: Swensen’s

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Toss to prosperity before tucking into juicy xiao long baos at Din Tai Fung when you order their signature Prosperity Smoked Salmon Yu Sheng with a contemporary twist. Besides the usual plum dressing, you can now opt for a new Thai-inspired dressing made in-house.

Savour the tastes of Thai chilli, roasted peanuts and refreshing lime for that sweet-sour-spicy kick together with fried salmon skin, sliced smoked salmon, white sesame, pine nuts, chopped peanuts, peanut oil and crispy yam strips.

Available from $32.80 from 2 January to 8 February 2020.

Din Tai Fung has multiple outlets.

Photo: Din Tai Fung

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Just when you think Yusheng can’t get any different, Monti surprises with their bold take on the classic Lunar New Year dish. Smoked salmon carpaccio, salmon roe and carabineroes prawns (which hail from the deep waters off the shores of Spain, Portugal and Morocco) top the colourful mix of fresh vegetables. What’s more, Monti has taken Yusheng and made it their own with house-made “caviars” using everything from pomelo, mango, and orange, to sake, yuzu and mangosteen. From $54 with their Chinese New Year 2-course, or from $88 a la carte.

82 Collyer Quay Tel: 6535-0724

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A refreshing take on the traditional yu sheng awaits at Crystal Jade. The culinary brand with one Michelin star is rolling out a new Prosperity Golden Lobster Yusheng with fresh ingredients like marinated plum tomatoes, pickled cucumber, juicy pomelo segments and fresh ice plant – all tossed in an appetising olive oil-based dressing with flower blossom syrup, plum sauce and sesame seeds. This is all complementary to the centrepiece, the succulent local lobster and ikura.

Available from $98 from 6 January to 8 February 2020, for dine-in and takeaway. Also available online until 4 February 2020.

Crystal Jade has multiple outlets.

Photo: Crystal Jade

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A Shunde-style Yu Sheng will be presented by restaurant Yàn, which serves up authentic traditional Cantonese cuisine.

In a heap of crispy vermicelli taken after bu bu gao sheng (meaning “to climb steadily”), you will find shreds of purple and yellow sweet potatoes, kailan, pickled ginger, a vibrant medley of vegetables, crushed peanuts, sesame seeds, yellowtail and youtiao.

The Kaleidoscope of Prosperity yu sheng is topped off with gold flakes for a luxurious touch and coils of crunchy mee pok for an interesting texture.

Available at $138 for dine-in only, one-day advanced order required.

Yàn is at Level 5 National Gallery Singapore, 1 St. Andrew’s Road, Singapore 178957, tel: (65) 6384 5585.

Photo: Yàn

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Save some kilos for the actual snacking by indulging in a guilt-free yu sheng packed full of superfoods. The Andaz Healthy Yu Sheng features a variety of fruits, vegetables and nuts like kale, beetroot, green apples, flaxseeds and chia seeds – assuring you of the health you would receive in the new year to come. Delicious slices of Scottish smoked salmon grace the platter with its savoury, peppery taste for contrast.

Available at $68++ from 17 to 31 January 2020 for dine-in only.

Auntie’s Wok and Steam is at Andaz Singapore, 5 Fraser St, Level 25, Singapore 189354, tel: 6408 1288. Visit their website for more information.

Photo: Andaz Singapore

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Bigger groups can take pleasure in tossing up a beautiful Yu Sheng platter like this one from Hai Tien Lo. Inspired by Chinese paintings of natural landscapes, Chef Ben curated this scenic Abundant Wealth Yu Sheng that serves up to ten people.

This piece features shan shui or “mountain water”, depicting a majestic mountain towering over a cluster of smaller ones to represent flourishing growth.

Boats carrying deep-fried flour crisps also seem to cruise down a meandering river made of peanut crumbs.

The exquisite platter is also served with lobster, abalone and accented with gold and silver flakes.

Available at $388 (7 to 10 pax) for dine-in upon advanced order. Those who want a choice of takeaway can opt for the Nutritious Blossoming Treasures Yu Sheng featuring gold and silver flakes, Hokkaido scallops, walnuts, shredded mixed fruits and vegetable salad in sweet and sour Thai sauce at $138 (four to six pax) and $198 (seven to 10 pax); or the Fortune Yu Sheng with Lobster, Surf Clams, Crispy Whitebait and Jelly Fish at $128 (four to six pax) and $188 (seven to 10 pax) from now until 8 February 2020.

Hai Tien Lo is at Level 3 Pan Pacific Singapore Hotel, 7 Raffles Boulevard, Singapore 039595, tel: 6826 8240.

Photo: Pan Pacific

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Go all out with Oakwood Premier AMTD Singapore’s Blissful Yu Sheng, which boasts star ingredients like smoked salmon, smoked snow fish and crispy fish skin, as well as juicy sliced abalone.

The health-conscious would be glad to know that you’ll toss it all up in the Chef’s healthier version of sweet plum sauce, which is infused with antioxidant-rich fruits like kiwi, strawberries and oranges.

Available from $58.80++ (two to four pax) from 20 January to 8 February 2020. Enjoy a 15 per cent discount on takeaway orders (24 hours advanced order required).

SE7ENTH is at Oakwood Premier AMTD Singapore is at 6 Shenton Way, #07-01 OUE Downtown 1, Singapore 068809, tel: 6812 6050. You can also email dining.opsg@oakwood.com to order.

Photo: Oakwood Premier AMTD Singapore

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The Auspicious Abundance Yu Sheng is a good option for those who are looking for something slightly more indulgent.

The generous dish serves up pan-seared U.S. scallops crowned with red caviar, surrounding a heap of fresh and vibrant vegetables stacked on top of one another, each symbolising good luck, abundance and fortune.

Crispy silver needle noodles (lao shu fen) also make auspicious word play for the Year of the Rat.

Available at $38 nett per table from 10 January to 8 February 2020.

Park Hotel Clarke Quay is at 1 Unity St, Singapore 237983, tel: 6593 8888. Visit their website for more information.

Photo: Park Hotel Clarke Quay 

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Another variation of a healthy, hearty Yu Sheng can be found at Chopsuey Café, with their Lucky Lunar Lo Hei. Tuck into fresh trout, kale, celeriac, sprouts, red radish, blueberries and wild rice instead of the traditional ingredients to set yourself up for a nutritious diet.

And while yu sheng dressing is usually loaded with calories, fear not for the cafe’s homemade version combines guilt-free calamansi, lemon juice, plum sauce, marmalade and Japanese vinegar.

Available from $28 from 13 January to 8 February 2020.

Chopsuey Café is at 10 Dempsey Rd, #01-23, Singapore 247700, tel: 6708 9288.

This article first appeared on Singapore Women’s Weekly and The Peak.