Unique Chinese New Year Eats 2021

Header photo: WP at Home’s oxtail delivery set

In light of COVID-19, we encourage diners to take precautions when going out. You can also support your favourite restaurants by getting takeaway and delivery.

Dining in & out

Acme

Baked (see below) owner Zahir Mohamed recently opened contemporary Middle Eastern diner Acme, paying tribute to his roots. Ring in the Year of the Ox with Acme’s ox tongue hummus ($120), with the ox tongue in question grilled on the Josper and served with coriander yoghurt, crisp fried onions, ox tongue jus and Acme’s signature hummus. Chef Alfonso Portillo playfully blends the best of the Middle East with the East in this creative dish. Available on the lunch menu for the entire month of February.

59 Elgin Street, Soho, Central, 2885 6066, book online

Baked

Photo credit: @eatwithtimmy

Keep the Lunar New Year sweet by savouring café-bakery Baked’s signature sourdough cinnamon bun alongside a fresh brew of their Baked Beans house blend – or any coffee of your choice – for only $80! This makes for a great little CNY gift for yourself. Available from 8–10am and 3–5pm on Tuesday–Friday for takeaway only, while stocks lasts in February.

14D Elgin Street, SoHo, Central, 2885 2121

Café Siam

In these times of uncertainty, bring comfort to your family this Lunar New Year with two unique
celebration dishes from Michelin-recognised Thai restaurant Café Siam. Food for the soul, the Bangkok-style braised pork knuckle ($168/$288) is slow-cooked for four hours with bean curd, star anise, cinnamon, fish sauce and spices. This rich and heart-warming dish is perfect for sharing. The impossibly tender chicken in the Siam chicken pot ($168/$288) is infused with the flavours of curry paste, onion, pepper, shallot and Chiang Mai coriander and will take you on a sensory journey of escape to Thailand. These flavoursome winter dishes are available for dine-in, takeaway or delivery through Deliveroo from 1 February–14 March at Café Siam’s Central and Kennedy Town branches.

Central: 2–3/F, The Plaza, 21 D’Aguilar Street, LKF, 2581 3545, book online

Kennedy Town: 38 Forbes Street, 2855 0810, book online

Flying Pig Bistro

Part of Bistro Concept Group, Flying Pig Bistro has become the ultimate Sai Ying Pun neighbourhood hang-out, embracing the local vibe whilst offering creative international dishes at great value. The newly refurbished space, which is both family and pet friendly, features a strikingly colourful interior design complemented by hand-painted ceramic plates used for serving. With a recent update of their daily brunch and à-la-carte menus, the food selection includes steak, ribs, pasta, burgers, salads and homemade desserts, with the weekly Sunday roast a highlight. This CNY, enjoy an afternoon chilling out with Flying Pig Bistro’s daily happy-hour offerings from 3pm. Stay tuned to the eatery’s Facebook page for updates on their upcoming Festive February menu promotion.
62 High Street, Sai Ying Pun, 2540 0311, book online

La Rambla

La Rambla’s La Subasta del Buey brunch ($780/adult; $390/child aged 8–12) on 13 and 14 February is a Spanish homage to the Year of the Ox. Translating to “the auction of the ox”, it’s focus is on beef, with dishes such as Spanish tenderloin sando, veal carpaccio, Spanish beef skewer and Wagyu beef cheek paella making an appearance on the menu. Free-flow packages (from $380/person) are also on the cards.

Shop 3071–73, 3/F, ifc mall, 8 Finance Street, Central, 2661 1161, book online

Relish

Well-loved catering company Relish is offering a CNY high tea set ($1,000/2 or $2,000/4) to be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home. Diners can curate their own set from a variety of decadent sweet and savoury treats, from jasmine tea-smoked salmon sandwiches to a truly festive banana cake with salted caramel that’s finished with gold leaf. Each set comes with scones with clotted cream and preserves, madeleines and macarons, a bottle of Veuve Clicquot champers and artisanal teas. Orders must be placed at least 24 hours in advance.

Order online

Sexy Crab

A table at glam new crab-centric restaurant Sexy Crab may be hard to come by, so we’re super excited to hear about the eatery’s delivery options for Chinese New Year, with free delivery offered until 20 February (orders must be placed at least five working days in advance). The stars of the show are the Bang for Luck hairy crab poon chois ($2,588/6–8; $3,888 for 10–12). These “big bowl feasts” are headlined by roe and meat from 12 hand-picked premium hairy crabs along with premium South African fish maw and shrimp-head sauce, enhanced with a side jar of house-made lobster sauce.

Shop 401A, 4/F, K11 MUSEA, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, TST, 6655 7629, info@expresscatering.co

TM’s by The Den

Our Foodie Forks 2020 Readers’ Choice Hidden Gem winner TM’s by the Den has the ideal catering menu for those celebrating CNY at home or the office. Choose from a range of catering sets (from $988), serving from 4–12 people. Each set comes with crab fried rice, longevity noodles, vegetables and freshly baked dessert. Depending on the set you opt for, meat options include pork knuckle, roast chicken or goose, Wagyu beef, suckling pig and lamb.

23A High Street, Sai Ying Pun, 2872 6288, book online

WP at Home

Inspired by this year’s Chinese zodiac animal, WP at Home has created a delivery set that even includes oxtail! The cut and portioned Angus or Wagyu oxtail ($120 for Angus; $140 for Wagyu) would be perfect for reunion dining at home. Or, if you’re in the mood for hotpot at home, order up some Wagyu shabu-shabu ($115–415), which is sliced and packed in 250g or 500g trays and available in different cuts such as short rib, premium chuck and striploin.

Order online

Gifting

Dang Wen Li

Instead of traditional CNY puddings, Chef Dominique Ansel has come up with some fab fusion alternatives at Dang Wen Li. Available until 17 February, opt for the gorgeous red date and mandarin glutinous pound cake ($368) or the mandarin and mascarpone cheese lava chocolate truffles ($268) in the aptly named A Box of Luck.

Order online for pick-up at Harbour City

Order online for pick-up at ifc mall pop-up

Hennessy x Little Bao

Cognac superstar Hennessy has collaborated with May Chow’s contemporary Chinese diner Little Bao to offer a CNY gift box ($$828/$1,288) with a difference. It includes the chef’s signature beetroot turnip cake and taro cake and Ma May’s homemade chilli sauce alongside a bottle of Hennessy XO or VSOP. What a match! Collection at Little Bao from 2 February.

To order, WhatsApp 6794 8414

KiKi Noodle Bar

Beloved Taiwanese chain KiKi Noodle Bar is back with its classic-with-a-twist Chinese New Year puddings ($118), in both sweet and savoury flavours of dried longan and brown sugar and dried sakura shrimp and turnip. We’ve tried the shrimp and turnip pud, and it’s an umami-packed hit. Collection until 4 February.

ifc mall: Shop 2017, 2/F, ifc mall, 8 Finance Street, Central, 2114 3426

K11 MUSEA: Shop 406, 4/F, K11 MUSEA, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, TST, 2111 3764

Pacific Place (KiKi Tea @ Sun’s Bazaar): Shop 112, 1/F, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, 2117 5903

Lady M

We always look forward to Lady M’s beautifully packaged CNY offerings, and this year is no exception. The red-and-gold pentagon-shaped 2021 Lunar New Year gift set ($628) is a treasure trove containing a collection of innovative confections – we especially heart the lucky tangerine gummies, prosperity pink almonds and Lunar New Year chocolate coins, which are all packaged in reusable keepsake boxes – as well as eight Lady M red envelopes for gifting. Available until 17 February at all Lady M boutiques (only from 9–17 February at the Times Square and Harbour City shops).

Multiple branches around town; click here for locations

Paul Lafayet

Popular patissier Paul Lafayet’s Golden Ox gift box 2021 ($688) is a three-tiered festive treat. The first tier showcases the bakery’s brand-new dessert creation, the cookiron, which is macaron-cookie hybrid filled with Madagascan vanilla cream ganache – a textural delight. In the second tier, an assortment of French confections await, from pistachio and almond nougat to hazelnut milk pralines. You can serve these goodies on the specially designed collectable bone-china plate in the bottom tier. In-store collection from 25 January.