Have you seen the abundance of red dotting our little island? Because the Year of the Rooster decorations went up pretty much right after Christmas to usher in the next big festive season: Lunar New Year. Now that you’ve got the gong-clashing melodies ringing in your ear, it’s time to feast (once again) on yusheng (or lo hei) — the ubiquitous dish that brings people together once a year to toss ingredients in the air and enthusiastically shout out auspicious wishes.
Regardless if you’re a stickler for tradition or an adventurous eater who likes to experiment with fruits (and even chocolate) in your yusheng, check out our list below for suggestions on where to host your reunion get-together this year.
If you couldn’t get enough of the ‘Queen’s Yusheng’ last year, you’ll be pleased to know it’s making a comeback at this patisserie. Forget raw fish and veggies – Antoinette’s rendition (good for eight to ten people) is all about the goodness of rich, creamy chocolate. Served up as a massive golden chocolate egg surrounded by sweets, almonds, mandarin orange butter cake, meringue bites and yam and sweet potato chips, the fun part comes when you break it open to find pineapple, Thai green mango, dragon fruit and pomelo nesting inside. Then before you start tossing, drench the plate with mandarin orange, plum and gula melaka dressing.
From now to Jan 29. $88.
Those of you who’ve made a resolution to keep healthy this year can try this #eatclean version called ‘Shi Quan Shi Mei’, which means ‘completely perfect’ in Mandarin. The dish comprises of 10 herbs and veggies, three types of nuts, spices, tea-smoked salmon, salmon skin and silver bait — all drizzled with spring onion-infused olive oil and wild honey yuzu dressing.
From Jan 16 to Feb 11. Small $48, large $68.
Capella Singapore’s fine dining Cantonese restaurant offers two options for your festive gatherings. The ‘Prosperity Lou Hei’ – good for a table of two to four people – features ingredients like fresh greens, salmon and passionfruit sauce. But if you’re bringing the entire gang there, indulge in the signature plate served with lobster and sea urchin, and throw in abalone while you’re at it.
From Jan 14 to Feb 11. Signature Lou Hei $38/person, Prosperity Lou Hei $68/two to four people.
Chock full of Chinese herbal ingredients, this nourishing yusheng includes strips of yam, cordyceps flowers, sweet lily bulb petals, organic salad veggies and marinated jellyfish, with plum and lemon sauces as well as a sesame-based dressing mixed into Chinese vinegar for a finishing touch.
From Jan 16 to Feb 12. Small $78, large $118.
Ready your tossing skills at Grand Hyatt Singapore for the ‘Double Happiness and Good Luck Yusheng’ that features slivers of Norwegian Atlantic salmon and New Zealand yellow tail kingfish.
From now to Feb 11. $48/three to four people.
Visit each Min Jiang restaurant and you’ll be treated to different yusheng creations by the respective chefs. At the Goodwood Park Hotel outlet, amberjack is the star in this delicate dish that’s served with shredded Japanese pickled turnips, fried sweet potato, baked cod, pine nuts, jellyfish, wasabi caviar tobiko, and a colourful veggie variety that includes wild arugula, red mustard greens and baby radishes. All this is topped off with a blend of mustard, lime juice and sesame, peanut and plum sauces.
As for the always-popular fruity version at One-North, this year’s plate of black plums, veggies, lotus root chips, mango, dragon fruit and rockmelon is sprinkled with a new rosemary plum sauce.
From now to Feb 11. Prosperity Amberjack Lo Hei: $168 at Min Jiang at Goodwood Park Hotel; Fruity Lo Hei with Rosemary Plum Sauce: Small $78, large $128 at Min Jiang at One-North.
Part of Osteria Mozza’s Chinese New Year festive set menu, the Italian Rivera-style seafood yusheng includes slices of hamachi, salmon and scallops nestled with veggies, fruits and crunchy cannoli bits, and finished off with a sesame vinaigrette.
From Jan 27 to Jan 29. $128/person for CNY set menu.
Even the meat-obsessed restaurant in Park Hotel Alexandra is gunning for an auspicious Year of the Rooster with its ‘Golden Eight Treasures Yusheng’ that dishes up cured Norwegian trout, fried fish skin, salmon roe, baby octopus, jellyfish, scallop frills and seaweed topped with plum sauce and crispy pok chui (fried flour crackers).
From now to Feb 11. $38.80/four to six people.
This new Clarke Quay bar/restaurant/lounge knows its Chinese food, so you can expect an elevated, modern take with natural ingredients. Think carrots, cucumber, radish and house-made passionfruit plum sauce as a base for your salmon, hamachi, abalone or lobster. There’s even a vegetarian option, in case all that raw fish and seafood don’t quite agree with your palate.
From Jan 16 to Feb 11. Salmon yusheng $48-$88, hamachi yusheng $58-$98, abalone or lobster yusheng $88-$168, vegetarian yusheng $42-$78.
Too cool for school? Try a deconstructed yusheng at SO Sofitel Singapore instead of going the regular route. This plate consists of cured salmon, lightly-torched tuna, pickled cucumber, sun-dried apricot and shredded pomelo.
From Jan 16 to Feb 5. $88/four to six people.
The elegant National Gallery Singapore space offers a traditional salmon yusheng, but why go for that when you can indulge in the ‘signature yellowtail fish yusheng with golden flake in Shun De style’? The plate comes with a tower of fried vermicelli that’s surrounded by ginger, spring onion, capsicums, peanuts and slices of yellowtail. A concoction of homemade soya sauce and peanut oil finish off the dish, and you can opt to throw in cubes of crispy lobster fillet for extra crunch.
From now to Feb 11. Prosperity salmon yusheng: Medium $68, large $88; signature yellowtail yusheng $128 (order one day in advance).
Tossing to an auspicious year at The St Regis Singapore’s Cantonese restaurant is a pretty fruity affair – the platter with Norwegian salmon is served with papaya, honeydew, pomelo, strawberry and snow pear. If you prefer to avoid picking out slices of raw fish, get the veggie version instead.
From now to Feb 11. Prosperity yusheng with Norwegian salmon: Medium $68, large $108; vegetarian Prosperity yusheng: Medium $58, large $88.
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