Bird is the Word: 8 Year of the Rooster-inspired menus to crow about

Cockadoodle doo, mothercluckers. In case you hadn’t noticed, Chinese New Year’s coming up. As of midnight, we’ll all be in the Year of the Fire Rooster. (Which, to this 90’s kid, sounds like a bad description of a Moltres. But I digress.) In celebration (and capitalism), loads of our best-loved restaurants have cobbled together some special menus for the festive period. Behold:

Lai Bun Fu

Over at Lai Bun Fu, Chung Kin-leung, the former chef at Government House, is whipping up a Lunar New Year feast fit for world leaders. For appetisers, Lai Bun Fu’s serving a modernised version of “Lo Hei”, or “Prosperity Toss”, a Chiu Chow salad of fish and veggies that is tossed in the Chinese people’s neverending quest to do weird stuff for good luck. (I can say that, I’m Chinese.) Traditionally, it’s believed that the higher the toss, the more luck the tossers (lol) get. Having said that, you’re probably not going to want to waste the Lai Bun Fu lo hei of Salmon Sashimi and Abalone with Wasabi Soy Sauce (HKD488). Other CNY appetisers include a more traditional Cantonese-style Braised Hair Seaweed and Dried Oyster (HKD298), and a Crispy Pork Knuckle served with Apple Vinegar (HKD198).

Chef Chung’s also whipped up a menu of “auspicious” main courses such as Steamed Marble Goby Fish Stuffed with Sea Cucumber, Abalone, Minced Pork, and Shrimp (HKD588), and Steamed Egg White with Prawns and Crab Roe (HKD198). In following with the rooster theme, there’s a Poached Chicken Duo (HKD488), half of which is prepared in a dark soy sauce, and the other half in a lighter-coloured clam sauce, apparently to represent Yin and Yang. Or maybe just two different sauces.

Read our full review of Lai Bun Fu here.

Drunken Pot


The Fortune 4 combo broth

Hip hotpot spot Drunken Pot (say that five times fast) is jumping on the New Year bandwagon with a series of festive hotpot broths and ingredients. Both the Causeway Bay and TST branches will be serving a boozy “Fortune 4” broth combo of beer & fish, spicy chilli snails in Chinese wine, chicken in yellow Huadiao wine, and clams in sake (HKD328). If you fancy something similarly holiday-themed to dunk in said alcohol soup, you can check out The Happy Rooster (HKD88), a.k.a. orange and white chicken-shaped cuttlefish and pumpkin balls and Golden Ingots (HKD88) – abalone-topped egg dumplings shaped into… well, golden ingots. 

Clipper Lounge at the Mandarin Oriental

For the Lunar New Year weekend, the Mandarin Oriental’s Clipper Lounge is going to amp up their regular weekend buffets with extra festive goodies. For the R de Ruinart Champagne Brunch tomorrow (HKD638 for children, HKD1,088 for adults), there’ll be entire deep-fried chickens, Peking duck, and a station for Chinese New Year cakes on top of the regular buffet fare (full, super long menu here). Those brunching tomorrow will also get the chance to do the lo hei prosperity toss, eat a braised Eight Head Abalone, and meet a “God of Fortune” (or off-peak Santa), who will distribute lai see packets.

If you’re not too bothered about the lai see and lo hei, the dinnertime buffet selection is much the same, except without free-flow champagne, and a lot of the cost (menu here). It’s HKD688 per adult and HKD438 per child on Jan. 28, 30, and 31, and HKD748/HKD438 respectively on the 29th, when the fireworks display takes place.

Dragon Noodles Academy


DNA’s Prosperity Toss/Lo Hei

For their first Lunar New Year, the new-ish Dragon Noodles Academy (or DNA for short) is sticking to a pretty traditional menu. Groups of four to six diners can engage in a grown-up food fight with the Lobster and Salmon Prosperity Toss (HKD488) which comes with lobster meat, smoked salmon, lotus root, deep-fried taro, ginger, carrot and cucumber.

For the requisite chicken dish, DNA’s serving up Eight Treasures Beggar’s Chicken (HKD399), with an “auspicious stuffing” of the usual lotus seeds, roasted pork, bamboo shoots and mushroom, and special ingredients of abalones and wood ear mushroom. Other CNY specials include a Steamed Grouper with Pomelo Peel (HKD399), a Flash-fried Baby Abalone & Shrimp (HKD199), and Slow-brased Pork Knuckle and Rice (HKD399).

Read our full review of DNA here.

Yum Cha


Twin Goldfish Shrimp Dumplings (L) and Golden Nuggets (R). Cat not included.

From the restaurant that brought you puking custard buns comes more funky-shaped food. This New Year, Yum Cha’s dishing out Twin Goldfish Shrimp Dumplings (HKD99), which, like all CNY symbols, are supposed to represent good fortune, rose-shaped Golden Nugget Abalone Puffs (HKD69), Braised Vegetable Parcel (HKD169), Cheesy Tiger Prawn Vermicelli (HKD129), a Whole Seabass in Honey Balsamic Sauce or Champagne Sauce (HKD239), and a Slow-Braised Pork Knuckle with Tea-Smoked Eggs (HKD189). For larger groups, there is the option of a pretty standard Lo Hei/Prosperity Toss (HKD388), but I have to admit, I don’t think Hongkongers give that much of a toss about lo hei. 

Read our article on Yum Cha here.

Before the Rooster Comes the Egg


Fofo’s egg dish

So technically this isn’t one specific restaurant, but more of an egg-themed collaboration between five different restaurants and a chef. However, for efficiency’s sake, here they all are:

On Lily & Bloom’s menu is an Egg in the Nest (HKD185), which comes with roasted corn, truffle, and farro, while Catalunya’s offering an elevated brekkie dish with the Tramezzini Soldier Egg (HKD148), a soft-cooked egg, cauliflower gelatine, caviar, and Italian white toast. Diners at Fofo can try the Egg with Lobster, White Beans Ragout and Wild Mushrooms (HKD188) which doesn’t really need explaining, or visit Mercato to sample a Crispy Soft Boiled Japanese Egg with Tomato Confit, Maitake Mushrooms and Tarragon (HKD128). Sushi Kuu’s fusion-y egg dish is an Udon Carbonara with an Onsen Egg (HKD118), whilst special guest chef Hilda Leung has prepared a Soft Boiled Egg in a Crispy Noodle Nest (HKD155), served alongside a quail egg fried in duck fat, honey chorizo, pickled seaweed, and saffron chicken jus. 

All six dishes are available at Lily & Bloom until Tuesday, Jan. 31, or at their respective restaurants (except Hilda’s, obviously).

The Optimist

For those who aren’t too fussed about eating Chinese food, but still want to get down with some chook, Spanish restaurant The Optimist will be serving Pollo a la Parrilla (grilled chicken) and chicken croquettes alongside their regular brunch fare (you know the drill: cheese, cold cuts, salads, seafood, hot mains). In honour of the long weekend, the brunch will be available from 12pm-3pm, Saturday (Jan. 28) to Tuesday (Jan. 31). Base price is HKD348 per person, with the option of free flow sangria punch, prosecco and wine at HKD180.

Gaucho


The Apple from Fujian mocktail

As a steakhouse, Argentinian eatery Gaucho has wisely (or its staff have, because restaurants aren’t sentient) decided to skip the chicken and head straight for that other holiday staple: alcohol (and juice, for teetotallers). Until Feb. 19, customers can check out a special menu of 9 cocktails (HKD128) and 3 mocktails (HKD88), each representing a different animal in the Chinese zodiac.

Since 12 is a lot, here are five arbitrarily chosen examples, in zodiac order:

  • Cheesecake Martini (Rat): Ketel One, Frangelico, vanilla syrup, and mascarpone cheese
  • Viper Martini (Snake, duh): Tanqueray 10, Lillet Blanc, absinthe, lemon spiral garnish
  • Mandarin Punch (Monkey): Muddled fresh mandarin, Havana three-year rum, Grand Marnier, lemon juice
  • Hu Send Ma Lei (Dragon, and apparently a racist one): Bloody Mary with Sichuan chilli peppers
  • Apple from Fujian mocktail (Pig): Apple juice, elderflower coridal, cucumber, and jasmine tea

Honourable mention: KFC

An honourable mention goes out to ye olde faithful chicken chain, KFC, which is doing a Golden Butter Corn Chicken ’til Feb. 15. Price TBC, but it’s certainly not going to break the bank.

 


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