10 insta-worthy CNY centrepiece dishes that you need to have at your reunion dinner

Insta-worthy CNY dishes

1/11

Chinese New Year traditions tend to stay the same year by year, so one of the few ways you can shake up your CNY is to offer unique and creative dishes.

Yes, staples like bak kwa and pineapple tarts are still going to be crowd favourites, but we think some of these new creations like an ingot cake and a yu sheng encased in a golden egg are things that will intrigue, if not impress your guests.

Click on the arrow to start looking at some of the prettiest and yummiest CNY dishes this 2018.

 

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Antoinette's The Queen's Yu Sheng

2/11

Get ready to boomerang this one. You get to break this golden chocolate egg with a mallet to uncover sweet and savoury treasures on the inside. We're talking chocolate fish and ingots, yam and sweet potato chips, meringue, nuts, and mandarin orange butter cake. Mmm.

That's a lot of good stuff in one egg, so make sure you have about 6-8 people to share it with.

 

The Queen's Yu Sheng ($88) is available at Antoinette Penhas Rd and Mandarin Gallery for takeaway and dine-in.

 

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Chopsuey Cafe's Lucky Lunar Lo Hei

3/11

Flatlay, anyone? This insta-worthy lo hei by Chopsuey Cafe fits right in. 

The customary shredded vegetables are swapped for much more chic alternatives like kale, red radish, blueberries and wild rice. 

Tender slices of trout and a zesty-sweet homemade sauce top it all off. 

 

The Lucky Lunar Lo Hei ($48++) is available from 5 February to 2 March at Chopsuey Cafe Dempsey and Martin Rd.

 

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The Fullerton Hotel's Masterpiece Yu Sheng

4/11

This dish is the priciest one in the list. Probably because of the amount of effort required.

You can see that each shred has been painstakingly cut and arranged to create a very precise looking image of a Pekingese dog.

If you want one of these, you're going to have to shell out $999. They will be the most expensive carrots you've ever had, but hey, it's bound to impress your elders who believe that spending a lot during the auspicious period is a good thing.

 

The Masterpiece Yu Sheng ($999), is available at Jade, The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, and has to be ordered three days in advance.

 

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Swissotel's Salmon Yu Sheng

5/11

Now if the previous yu sheng was little too much for you, and you'd like something much simpler, consider this cute little pooch shaped yu sheng. 

Tangled messes of shredded carrots make up the fluffy ears, and olives are used for the pup's brown eyes. It's so adorable you almost won't want to eat it, and you can be sure nearly everyone at the table will be busy snapping a picture as soon as it arrives.

 

The Salmon Yu Sheng is available as part of the Prosperity Buffet ($68++ to $80++) at Ellenborough Market Café, Swissotel Merchant Court Singapore, and is available from 5 February to 2 March 2018.

 

Photo: @mightyfoodie

 

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The Summerhouse's Farmer's Yu Sheng

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We like how this yu sheng tries something a little different from the usual instead of the other dog-themed ones.

As you might know, The Summerhouse is big on locally and regionally sourced food, and this ethic translates into the little garden-themed yu sheng. You'll be using miniature shovels to scoop up the edible 'dirt' made from dehydrated mushrooms and nuts, but only after using a tiny watering can to drench the edible garden with passion fruit and earl grey hollandaise sauce.

How cute is all of that? Make for a lovely boomerang too. 

 

The Farmer's Yusheng ($15++) is available as a supplement for The Summerhouse's Chinese New Year set dinner, which is available from 16 February to 3 March 2018.

 

Photo: Prestige Online

 

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Peony Jade's "Lantern of Overflowing Wealth" Gift Set

7/11

Love mochi? There's finally something CNY themed that has mochi in it.

You're looking at a giant kumquat shaped mochi that's filled generously with yuzu lotus paste. Surrounding that are eight smaller peach mochis that contain balls of nian gao.

And if you're wondering why it's called the lantern of overflowing wealth, it's because the centrepiece you see here comes with an auspicious tassel you'd find on a Chinese lantern.

 

Peony Jade's "Lantern of Overflowing Wealth" Gift Set ($68.88) is available at Peony Jade Keppel Club & Clarke Quay, as well as Takashimaya Festive Market (B2).

 

Photo: @mightyfoodie

 

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Peony Jade's Golden Prosperous Dog

8/11

Weird or cool? You decide. But whatever you think of it, you can't deny it's really eye-catching.

What you're looking at is the dog-shaped equivalent of pen cai that's been coated in a thick salt crust and baked for six hours.

When you break the crust apart, you'll find 8-head Australian abalone, golden conpoy, fatt choi, shiitake mushrooms, spiked sea cucumber, whole hock ham, and chestnuts wrapped in a pouch of lotus leaves.

The lotus leaves and salt crust make sure the ingredients are plump and juicy from having all the moisture and flavours sealed in as they cook.

 

The Golden Prosperous Dog ($388.88) is available at Peony Jade Clarke Quat and Keppel Club.

 

Photo: @peonyjadesg

 

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Thye Moh Chan's Auspicious Fish Jelly

9/11

We've seen a lot of nian gao fishes around, but these ones look especially delicate and pretty with translucent jelly that clearly shows the osmanthus flowers, wolfberries and logans it holds.

A quick serving tip: place the nian gao on a patterned plate and keep some flowers or flower petals near the dish to give it an elegant touch.

 

The Auspicious Fish Jelly ($18.80) is available at all Thye Moh Chan outlets.

 

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Goodwood Park Hotel's Prosperity Salmon Abalone Lo Hei

10/11

This lo hei comes with a hand-painted depiction on the plate that was personally drawn by Master Chef Chan Hwan Kee of Goodwood Park Hotel.

The painting shows a Pekingese standing at the base of a mountain while cherry blossoms bloom at the peak while the mounds of salmon and abalone represent the setting sun. Looks yummy, doesn't it?

All the 'paint' is done with food colouring though, so no worries if you literally want to lick the plate clean. 

 

The Prosperity Salmon Abalone Lo Hei ($168++) is available for dine-in only at Min Jiang, Goodwood Park Hotel.

 

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Goodwood Park Hotel's Tree Of Blossoming Treasures

11/11

Most of the times cakes make it to the table during CNY, they're square and layered. Not so with this extravagant ingot cake.

This fondant covered dessert is filled with rich vanilla pound cake, but not too rich that your elders will complain. The branches you see stemming out of the cake are made of more fondant icing, and the ingots are actually chocolates covered in gold foil.

If you're having a lot of kids over, this cake is bound to be a hit with them.

 

The Tree of Blossoming Treasures ($98) is available from  29 January to 2 March 2018 at the Deli of Goodwood Park Hotel.

 

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