Standing out from the sea of Chinese festive dishes is the curious sighting of a roasted quail dish that belongs to the realm of Western restaurants. Chef Brian Wong, who has introduced inventive Western touches in a menu revamp last year (think baked Alaska doused in brandy as a dessert), is continuing the approach in his Chinese New Year menus at Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza.

The quail dish is also a much-welcomed respite from the usual meats such as chicken and duck. The bird is marinated with a umami-laden fermented red beancurd, which gives a red-brown hue to the bird’s paper-thin crisp skin. The surprisingly meaty bird is roasted to yield tender meat beneath the crisp exterior. Save the best of the last by nibbling on the wings. 

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Executive Chinese Chef Daniel Cheung who hails from Hong Kong took over the reins at the one Michelin-starred Cantonese Shang Palace at Shangri-La Singapore last year. Diners can expect some Hong Kong touches in chef Cheung’s debut Chinese New Year menu in Singapore.

One of the chef’s signature dishes is the steamed garoupa fillet carpeted with a crispy layer of bean crumb sauce. The savoury crust makes the dish intensely addictive and gives an impression that one is digging into a deep-fried fish.

Another popular dish is the Spring Onion Chicken, which should come with a warning that this is for those who love their spring onions and fried onions. This dish is lavishly heaped with so much condiments that the steamed chicken is well-nestled within the shower. 

A mesmerizing aroma from the sea of chopped condiments greeted me as I tried to sweep away the condiments to scour for the chicken, which is steamed and doused in soya sauce.

Also save space for the stir-fried glutinous rice is served on a thin layer of egg and studded with preserved meat (yun cheong and lap cheong), as it is traditionally served in Hong Kong. 

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New this year to the Chinese New Year menus of the one-Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant is the duo of abalone and dried oyster dish. The plate comprises a voluptuous braised two-head Australian greenlip abalone and pan-fried dried oyster stuffed with prawn paste that has a slightly pungent touch. The two seafood items on the plate are then drenched in a glossy and tantalising abalone sauce.

Also new from chef Cheung Siu Kong, who helms the fine Cantonese restaurant at Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore is the velvety braised superior bird’s nest soup, laced with chunks of Alaskan crab king.

The veteran Hong Kong-born chef is encapsulating his childhood memories into the poached Iberico pork glutinous rice dumpling, which his mother used to prepare for Chinese New Year feasts. His luxe version of the meat-stuffed tang yuan is supple and springy bathed in a superior chicken stock. 

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Sweet and sour pork ribs take on a refined twist as the stalwart Cantonese restaurant’s Chinese New Year menu gets a refresh at Mandarin Oriental Singapore. Gone are long-time favourites such as the five-grain fried rice with Cantonese pork sausage.

In its place are festive dishes like the braised pork ribs enrobed in glossy and tangy pineapple-spiked brown sauce. The pork rib is crowned with a wafer-thin fried beancurd crust for added crunch.

We also love the pan-fried pearl fried rice nestled in a mini golden pumpkin. Scrap off the tender pumpkin meat and alternate it with spoonfuls of rice and bites from the sweet pan-fried Hokkaido scallop.

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Chinese restaurant chain Putien, which celebrated its 22nd anniversary last year, has recently expanded its seating capacity to include more private dining rooms on the second storey of its flagship one-Michelin-starred restaurant at Kitchener Road.

The restaurant has given its Chinese New Year’s feast a Putian touch, paying homage to ingredients from the eastern Fujian province of China. 

Ingredients in its pencai (which all bear auspicious symbols) include abalone from Nanri Island in Fujian, dried clams from Duotou Village, seaweed, scallops, stuffed Fuzhou fishball. Biting into sticks of yam, which soaks up all the flavours from the gravy and ingredients at the botteom of the port, is bliss. 

Other festive dishes that are only available  include the Yellow Croaker fish that is deep-fried to crisp perfection, before slathered in a rempah-like sambal sauce that is warm and piquant. The stewed Muscovy duck soup is soul-warming with a hint of black garlic. Other signatures include the stir-fried yam, which has a sweet and crispy coating. Its Fortune Set Menus start from $188 for two people to $968 for 10 people. 

Find out more here.

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