It’s traditional to eat in with family for Chinese New Year, gathering around the table and partaking in a huge poon choi, cutting into a whole roasted suckling pig, with scattered plates of lin gou and dumplings. But if you’d like to dine out this year, or just get into the new year spirit by tasting some of these excellent restaurants’ unique takes on traditional dishes, we’ve compiled the CNY menus and takeaway desserts and giftboxes being offered around the city right now.
Pazta — The Tiger Menu
Pazta, the Italian restaurant in Tai Kwun, has crafted a delectable 4-course menu for Chinese New Year that is available all day. Priced at HK$480, the menu offers choices for each course (cicchetti, primi, secondi and dessert) of dishes made with authentic Italian ingredients and Chinese symbolism to bring diners good luck and prosperity. The dishes (some specially created for the holiday and some Pazta bestsellers) highlight the Gambero, a tiger prawn from the Mediterranean. The final note on the meal is the CNY dessert, ‘La delizia del Tigre’, a yuzu sponge cake with mascarpone and flambéed oranges to mimic tiger stripes.
When: From Jan 10 on; end date TBA
Where: Pazta, Shop 03-G08, Barrack Block, Tai Kwun, Central
Book: Email info@pazta.hk or call +852 2626 1186
Dynasty Garden — Takeaway puddings and poon choi
Dynasty Garden is making three sweet and savoury puddings for takeaway, bringing a touch of high-end Cantonese dining to your home. Turnip pudding with 18-head abalone and dried mandarin peel (HK$214-$268), New Year pudding with coconut and gold leaf (HK$150-$188), and a subtly sweet water chestnut and black glutinous rice pudding (HK$158-$198). They’re also making three sizes of poon choi for dine-in, for feeding two to 12 people, with goose web, fried prawns, and roast duck (HK$388-$2,188).
When: Now while stocks last; 20% early bird discount until 16 Jan 2022
Where: Dynasty Garden, Level 1, Goldin Financial Global Centre, 17 Kai Cheung Road, Kowloon Bay
Book: Reserve online or call +852 3188 2153
Rosewood is offering gift hampers (HK$2,288-HK$9,988), candy boxes (HK$488), a Lunar New Year advent calendar filled with daily treats like egg rolls and fortune cookies (HK$888); afternoon tea sets, and puddings on their online store. They are also offering special Chinese New Year menus at The Legacy House (Prosperity Poon Choi or 8-course CNY menu of Cantonese fine dining), Holt’s Café (brunch menu and 4-course dinner set menu), The Butterfly Room (Chinese New Year themed afternoon tea), and The Butterfly Patisserie (Tieguanyin Tea Tarte and Mandarin Imperial Tartelette).
When: 17-31 Jan 2022 for online shop; inquire with restaurants for menu availability
Where: Online store and at Rosewood Hong Kong, No. 18, Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui
Book: Book The Legacy House, Holt’s Café, The Butterfly Room and The Butterfly Patisserie online
Two-Michelin-starred Ying Jee Club has created two New Year puddings: ‘Turnip Pudding with Conpoy and Air Dried Meat’ (HK$298) and their new ‘Coconut Milk Pudding with Red Bean and Ceylon Tea’ (HK$238), packed in festive giftboxes. They’re also offering a takeaway shark fin soup, the Fo Tiao Qiang, a Fujian delicacy. Lastly, they’re offering an 8-course Chinese New Year set menu for dine-in (HK$2,388 for one, up to HK$12,888 for 10) with dishes like Salted Crispy Chicken and Scallop and Crab Roe.
When: Puddings available from 17-30 Jan 2022; set menus from 1-7 Feb 2022; Fo Tiao Qiang from 24 Jan 2022 to 7 Feb 2022
Where: Ying Jee Club, Shop G05, 107 & 108, Nexxus Building, 41 Connaught Road Central, Central
Book: Call 2801 6882, WhatsApp 5291 0503, or email reservation@yingjeeclub.hk
Boy n Burger — Prosperity burgers and slider box
Wan Chai’s freshest casual burger joint has created three special edition burgers for the Lunar New Year, all priced at HK$38: the Health & Wealth Tofu Burger, Golden Pork Burger, and Fortune Beef Burger with 20-day salt and moss-aged grass. For sharing, they’ve also made the Double Prosperity Slider Box (HK$168) holding two CNY burgers with DOUBLE PATTIES.
When: 17 Jan 2022 to 13 Feb 2022
Where: Boy n Burger, G/F, Shop 3, 208 Johnston Road, Wan Chai
Book: N/A
Dim Sum Bar — Pudding gift boxes
Contemporary dim sum restaurant Dim Sum Bar is making a classic red date pudding with a hint of ginger (the gold foil is not so traditional, but we can forgive them) which will make a perfect gift to bring to a relative’s home. They’re also making a turnip cake with conpoy and fresh turnip. (Both HK$128-HK$168.) You can get the dishes in gift boxes, adding $170 for a set that comes with XO sauce and handmade cashew cookies (HK$338).
When: Order by 16 Jan to redeem between 17-30 Jan 2022
Where: Dim Sum Bar’s Tsim Sha Tsui and Tsuen Wan locations, as well as online store
Book: N/A
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Header image credits: Ying Jee Club