Prosperous Banquets

Lunar New Year offerings to celebrate the Year of the Metal Rat.

- Katherine Arteche

Man Fu Yuan

Man Fu Yuan’s Lunar New Year menu is led by the young Executive Sous Chef Aaron Tan, who has prepared eight different menus, each named after prosperous terms such as ‘Success’ and ‘Wealth’.

A yu sheng assemble that’s definitely out to impress, Man Fu Yuan presents their signature 60-inch Prosperity Yu Sheng ($138). The bountiful dish is laden with Hokkaido scallops and crispy fish skin, before being drenched in passionfruit roselle sauce. The shredded vegetables are carefully arranged forming the Chinese character “yuan”, symbolizing abundance.

The Roasted Suckling Pig ($428) is definitely a musthave on the ala carte menu, which is otherwise exclusively offered in the six-course ‘Wealth’ menu that feeds a party of 10 ($2888++). The glistening skin crackles with a satisfying crunch, complementing the tender barbecued meat that wraps around a glutinous rice stuffing.

Man Fu Yuan also offers select premium steamboat ingredients available for takeaway, such as drunken kampung chicken, Angus beef balls with water chestnuts, and eight-head abalone, all of which are prepared in-house.

Jade

Its sakura-themed wallpaper and robin blue furnishings are always good reason to tuck into a luxurious getaway for mid-day dim sum, but Jade ups the ante with their Lunar New Year offerings this year.

Chinese Executive Chef Leong Chee Yeng has a rewarding reputation for creating admirable food creations from plating decorations to whimsical assemblies. The latter is demonstrated in his Special Edition Gold Rush Salmon Yu Sheng ($388++) which depicts a striking image of a rat with a traditional gold coin, arranged from colored radish strips. Unique ingredients include champagne jelly with gold leaf, cranberry cheese cubes, and lychee-filled spherical pearls that burst in your mouth.