Chinese New Year is just around the corner. Begin the Year of the Rat the right way by dining out with friends and family to mark the new lunar year together. We’ve gathered some celebratory suggestions from Chinese New Year restaurants around town.
Buenos Aires Polo Club
If you’re in town, Chinese New Year is the perfect weekend for a lazy brunch or two. Buenos Aires Polo Club might be a good place to start. Brunch is on from 25 to 28 January and we’re told it will be a formidable feast. It all begins in the Club Room with a towering assortment of freshly-baked pastries and cakes. Then, the Bar offers a seafood selection and an extensive assortment of Iberian cold cuts and cheeses, while the Lounge boasts an egg station and carving table with Prime Rib. There’s a choice of free-flow drinks or ordering cocktails à la carte. Prices start from $398.
Man Ho Chinese Restaurant
Man Ho Chinese Restaurant at the JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong (Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty) is an option if you’re looking for something more traditional. From 25 January to 8 February, it’s offering new dim sum items and refined à la carte creations just for the Lunar New Year celebrations. If you’re looking for special foodie gifts for colleagues, try one of Man Ho’s signature gourmet puddings (HK$288), homemade Man Ho XO (HK$328), candied walnuts (HK$138), seaweed cashews (HK$138) or palmiers (HK$168). These are on sale for a limited time only.
2-for-1 Deals
There’s no need to overspend these holidays. A whole load of our favourite restaurants are offering buy-one-get-one-free offers from 24th to 31st January. Head to SPIGA, Tango Argentinian Steak Houses, Bombay Dreams, Bouchon Bistro Francais, Olive, or Nahm to indulge in these deals.
Plant-based options
This CNY, Impossible Foods has collaborated with four local Chinese restaurants to offer plant-based dim sum. Yum! Head to Causeway Bay and get stuck into some veggie dim sum at Red House, The Drunken Pot, Modern China Restaurant, or Seansin Seafood Hotpot Experts.
Places to watch the fireworks
ALTO Bar & Grill in Causeway Bay has a beautiful rooftop that’s well-positioned for the new year celebrations. The ALTO Chinese New Year menu has a salad and seafood buffet, choice of main and a dessert buffet. HK$688 for adults and HK$488 for kids. If you’re headed up The Peak, try Bread Street Kitchen and Bar before you jostle for a position to watch the sky light up. They’ll have a CNY set menu for $588 that includes canapés, a starter, fish course, choice of main and dessert.
The Cakery
The Cakery is the place to go for beautiful cakes, and the bonus is they’re organic, sugar-free, gluten-free and vegan. They make great gifts – and Chinese New Year is a time when you should bring gifts if you’re visiting friends! They’ll be offering a range of gift boxes but they also have a cute afternoon tea set. The tea set is available until 8 February and it’s themed on traditional Chinese New Year dishes that represent good fortune. It’s a savoury selection of vegan and health-conscious bites that includes Omni Pork Dumplings, Omni Pork Lotus Root Cakes and Turnip Cakes. Sweet treats include Red Sugar Sweet Rice Cakes, Mini Cupcakes, Mango Chia Puddings, Mandarin Citrus Tarts and Mandarin Mantous. The vegan Chinese New Year set is priced at HK$488 for two guests.
The Cakery is in the Landmark (Shop 303) and Lee Gardens 2 in Causeway Bay (Shop 124, 1/F)
2816 1838
Ho Lee Fook
This has to be one of the funnest Chinese New Year restaurant options. CNY meals don’t have to be formal and serious. If you’re looking for something more relaxed and funky, try Ho Lee Fook. This CNY, it’s offering the Yee Sang Platter (HK$358), a colourful, Singaporean dish made with a sweet and sour yuzu and plum dressing drizzled on top of Hamachi sashimi and a confetti of vegetables, sesame seeds, peanuts and crispy wonton skins. It’s delivered to your table and you mix it yourself while belting out blessings and well wishes for the New Year. Sounds fun! The higher you toss, the greater your luck! The Yee Sang Platter will be available from 24 to 31 January.
3-5 Elgin Street, Central
2810 0860
Aqua
Aqua has one of the best views in town, which makes it the perfect perch for the CNY fireworks or light show (details pending). They are offering a five-course menu starting at HK$1,288. If you don’t want to do a full meal, try upstairs at Aqua Spirit. The bar will host its annual fireworks event with drinks, canapés and a live DJ from 7.30pm onwards – advance tickets are HK$280 including one drink, or HK$380 with a glass of champagne; VIP tables also available. Purchase tickets online here. This just one of the venues in the Aqua Restaurant Group. They also have Hutong, Dim Sum Library, and The Chinese Library. Each has a great festive season menu. We think the Double Happiness dessert dumplings at Hutong (upstairs from Aqua) look pretty cute, too!
See all the Aqua Dining options here: Aqua Restaurant | Hutong Restaurant | Aqua Luna Cruise | The Chinese Library | Dim Sum Library
Sing Yin Cantonese Dining & KITCHEN
There are two options for Chinese New Year eating at The W Hotel: Sing Yin Cantonese Dining and KITCHEN. Sing Yin offers delicious Cantonese dishes if you’re looking to celebrate with a more traditional meal. Executive Chinese Chef Johnny Chan’s Festive Menu features nine dishes steeped in tradition with a contemporary twist. This menu is available from 25 January to 8 February. KITCHEN is less formal and has something for everyone with its dinner buffet, served from 24 to 29 January.
1 Austin Road West, Kowloon Station, Kowloon
singyin.hk@whotels.com | kitchen.hk@whotels.com
Chilli Fagara
If you want to spice up your Chinese New Year, try Chilli Fagara, Hong Kong’s mainstay Sichuan restaurant. You can pick and choose from ten dishes like Crispy Fried Chicken Sichuan Style (HK$198) or whole Sweet and Sour Mandarin Fish (HK$288). And make sure you order the Homemade Rice Dumpling Surprise (HK$88) to end your CNY meal. The tuan yuan (glutinous rice balls) mimic the shape of the moon and mark the Lunar New Year. They’re designed to bring harmony and family togetherness. Awwwww, sweet.
7 Old Bailey Street, Central
Red envelope deals at Ovolo Hotels
Ovolo Hotel venues are offering a fun take on the traditional CNY red envelope. Guest dining at Kömune, VEDA, TQM Central, and TQM Taqueria Southside will be given a red envelope containing a mystery ‘fortune’ as they are seated. What’s inside? Fun offers of freebies! The giveaways are presented as hints such as, “there is a white wine in your near future”, giving the recipient a complimentary glass of white wine. Or, another promises a free taco with this fortune: “You’ll be hungry again in one hour, so have a taco on us”. These fortunes will be redeemable any day until the end of March 2020. Ah, fun times!
BEDU Brunch
From Saturday 25 – Tuesday 28 January, BEDU will offer an exclusive set brunch menu. Enjoy four dishes, each representing one of the Chinese New Year wishes; Wealth, Prosperity, Good Fortune, Growth and Succession. Try steamed prawn dumplings, whole steamed fish, Luo Buo Gao skewers and more. Wash it all down with one of their specially created cocktails throughout CNY. Try the Har Spritz (HK$110) or the Jasmine Pear Bubble Tea (HK$65).
40 Gough Street, Central | bedurestaurant.com
The Rosewood
The Legacy House at The Rosewood will offer a festive menu of limited edition dim sum delights, courtesy of Chef Li Chi Wai. Choose from Deep-Fried Sesame Dumpling with Egg Custard (HK$80), Pan-Fried Coconut Glutinous Rice Cake (HK$80), Steamed Pork Dumpling with Dried Oyster and Dried Black Moss (HK$90), Baked Salmon Puff (HK$90) and more. The Rosewood also has some puddings and hampers that will make impressive CNY gifts. Don’t forget that Asaya, Rosewood’s wellness centre, is open now. This is another indulgent option for some rejuvenation over CNY.
18 Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui
Do you have a venue to be included? Contact us at editor@expatliving.hk!
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