With less than a month to go until Chinese New Year, you may already have noticed shops everywhere are ready for the festivities with extra stock and prosperous decorations while restaurants are steadily getting booked out for reunion dinners. If you haven’t managed to snag a table somewhere, try one of these establishments to welcome the year of the Goat.
Summer Palace
Ten special menus (prices range from $888 to $2,988 for 10 people) featuring exquisite creations by chef Liu Ching Hai are available this Lunar New year. Highlights include the double boiled Treasures Soup, which comes with all the good stuff, like fish maw and cordyceps, as well as the barbecued truffle suckling pig trio.
Summer Palace, 3/F Regent Singapore, 1 Cuscaden Road, Singapore 249715, p. 6725 3288.
Szechuan Court & Kitchen
Take your pick at Szechuan Court. Order a la carte specials (like fried shredded filo dough roll with prawns and lychee ($8.80 for three pieces), and double boiled bird’s nest chicken soup ($58 per person)), or specially crafted dim sum creations, such as steamed prawn dumplings with miso sauce ($9.80 for three).
Szechuan Court & Kitchen, 3/F Fairmont Singapore, 80 Bras Basah Road, Singapore 189560, p. 6431 6156.
Fried glutinous rice dumplings with minced pork and mushroom at Peony Jade
Peony Jade
Peony Jade is creative this festive season. There are eight special dishes to choose from, plus two new desserts. Sure, the traditional stuff is on offer (think golden suckling pig (from $68.88), and braised duck in claypot ($108.88)), but we’re totally digging the “goat specials”, especially the goat-shaped fried glutinous rice dumplings with minced pork and mushroom ($9.88 for three pieces).
Peony Jade, M Level, Keppel Club, 10 Bukit Chermin Road, Singapore 109918, p. 6276 9138.
Lime
Pig out at two all-you-can-eat buffets at Lime at PARKROYAL on Pickering. The Chinese New Year Buffet (12 to 20 February 2015, $68 per person for lunch, $88 per person for dinner)) showcases items like wok-fried crayfish with white pepper sauce and black truffle oil, and char siew roasted lamb, while the Reunion Dinner Buffet (18 February 2015, $128 per person) is a one-time special featuring a slew of delights, including pan-fried foie gras with Peking duck, as well as complimentary yu sheng.
Lime, Lobby Level, PARKROYAL on Pickering, 3 Upper Pickering Street, Singapore 058289, p. 6809 8899.
Braised whole abalone on seafood “ingots” with vegetable at Joyden Seafood
Joyden Seafood
Keeping things traditional is Joyden Seafood. Their Lunar New Year highlights include a crispy charcoal roasted suckling pig ($238), and braised whole abalone on seafood “ingots” and an Imperial 8-Treasure Duck (both part of the Abundance Set ($888 for eight to 10 people), with stuffing that includes prawns, scallops, mushrooms and a variety of greens.
Joyden Seafood, #01-11 West Coast Recreation Centre, 12 West Coast Walk, Singapore 127157, p. 6779 5355.
Seasonal Tastes
Tuck into classic creations and contemporary bites with the Lunar New Year buffet specials (from $52 per person for lunch and $72 per person for dinner) at Seasonal Tastes. There’s stuff like fried nian gao and fried glutinous rice balls with sesame to be be had, but not-to-be-missed items include the deconstructed Peking duck and a mini Buddha Jumps Over the Wall double boiled broth.
Seasonal Tastes, 32/F The Westin Singapore, 12 Marina View, Asia Square Tower 2, Singapore 018961, p. 6922 6968.
XO lobster with glass noodles at Pince & Pints
Pince & Pints
Get your hands on Pince & Pints’ XO lobster with glass noodles ($58). Available 19 January through 17 February 2015, this exclusive creation features fresh, wild-caught lobster stir-fried with homemade XO paste and topped with glass noodles. Comes with a bowl of rice and a side of mixed greens. Be quick though, only 20 portions are available on weekdays (it’s 30 portions on Saturdays).
Pince & Pints, 32-33 Duxton Road, Singapore 089497, p. 6225 7558.
Carousel
Head on down to this award-winning restaurantg for the highlights of the Chinese New Year buffet spread (from $55 per person for lunch and $80 per person for dinner), including the Emperor’s Cod Fish Soup, deep-fried sea perch with mushrooms and yuzu glaze, wok-fried veal spare ribs, and steamed crab with glutinous rice and garlic ginger emulsion.
Carousel, Lobby Level, Royal Plaza on Scotts, 25 Scotts Road, Singapore 228220, p. 6589 7799.
Deluxe Treasures Pot at Man Fu Yuan
Man Fu Yuan
Chef Kwan Yiu Kan has put together ten set menus (prices range from $118 per person to $3,688 for 10 people), ranging from five to eight courses. Don’t miss highlights like the five-course Deluxe Treasures Pot set – which features poon choi, yusheng, and deep fried perch fillet with spicy lime sauce – or if you prefer, the six-course premium set, which consists of a range of decadent options, from abalone to lobster with crab roe, and bird’s nest with almond cream.
Man Fu Yuan, 2/F, InterContinental Singapore, 80 Middle Road, Singapore 188966, p. 6338 7600.
db Bistro Moderne
Order the roast stuffed suckling pig (from $98 for two people), which comes with glorious elements like Gratin Dauphinois, wild mushrooms, chilli garlic kailan, and spiced pork jus. Other noteworthy items include the lotus leaf-wrapped red snapper ($120 for two people), and the seafood platter (from $98), which consists of oysters, lobster, shrimp, razor clams, mussels, and tartare. Have a go at the cocktails – like the sour plum, vodka-based My Beautiful Lady ($22) – too.
db Bistro Moderne, #B1-48 Galleria Level, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956, p. 6688 8525.
KU DÉ TA
Your favourite swanky high-rise dining spot offers a Modern Asian tasting menu ($168 per person) this Chinese New Year. You’ll start with freshly shucked oysters (topped with awesome local flavours like pink pomelo), do some yusheng tossing, and feast on other creations, like the Dynamite Butter Prawn (fried with spicy cereal and butter sauce) and braised pork ears.
KU DÉ TA, 57/F SkyPark at Marina Bay Sands, Tower 3, 1 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018971, p. 6688 7688.
Top image: Peach Blossoms in the Snow at Summer Palace