What are you doin’ on Chinese New Year’s Eve?
MAKATI/TAGUIG
The Peninsula Manila greets the Year of the Pig with a traditional lion and dragon dance at The Lobby of The Peninsula Manila on Feb. 5, 10:30 a.m. to noon. Dine on the Lucky Three-Course Lunch and Dinner Specials — Crispy five spice pork belly with pan-seared radish cake and long beans, and Salted egg prawns with ginger bok choy, and Vegetable fried rice — from Feb. 4 to 6, for lunch at 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and for dinner from 6 to 11 p.m. for P2,150.
Makati Shangri-La Hotel’s guests can bring home good luck and prosperity with Shang Palace’s signature Nian Gao, or tikoy as it is known in the Philippines. These freshly made treats are available in the following flavors: Traditional, Mango, and flavor, Almond, and come individually wrapped in gift boxes. A one-piece Prosperity Fish box is priced at P1,888 net and a two-piece Happiness Fish box is P2,888 net. Guests may also bring home other classic treats and sweets, such as the eight-piece Longevity Cookies (in walnut and ube flavor) at P988 net; or a basket of their choice of goodies from an array of items available at Shang Palace’s boutique. The Abundance Basket is priced at P9,888 net. The hotel rings in the festive season with a roaring lion and dragon dance and firecracker ceremony at the lobby driveway on Chinese New Year Day, Feb. 5, at 12:30 p.m. One can celebrate with the family at Shang Palace. For lunch on Feb. 4, there will be a regular Dim Sum Plus priced at P988++; for lunch on Feb. 5, there will be a Festive Dim Sum Plus feast priced at P1,888++. For dinner on both days, there are special Chinese New Year set menus: the Gold menu is P2,888++, the Jade menu isP3,888++, and the Diamond menu is P6,688++. For details call 814-2580 or send an e-mail to rric.slm@shangri-la.com.
New World Hotel Makati welcomes the Year of the Earth Pig with traditional Chinese New Year favorites prepared by award-winning Jasmine’s Chinese executive chef Wong Kam On, including Roasted suckling pig, Steamed live garoupa, handmade dumplings, and many more. Festive set menus at Jasmine start at P13,888 from Feb. 1 to 10 while a limited ala carte menu will be offered from Feb. 3 to 6. A Yum Cha lunch is also available at P1,688 per person with unlimited chilled juices, soda, and local beer. The Chinese New Year celebration will be held on Feb. 5 at 12:30 p.m. featuring a traditional eye-dotting ceremony followed by a dragon and lion dance. One can also welcome the Year of the Earth Pig with auspicious tikoy (nian gao) from Jasmine. The tikoy comes in round (P1,188) and koi (P1,388) shapes, packaged to bring luck and prosperity to the recipient. Jasmine’s tikoy is available until Feb. 8. Get a special discount of 30% when you order in bulk, with a minimum purchase of 25 boxes. For details call 811-6888 ext. 3679.
Holiday Inn & Suites Makati celebrates the Chinese Lunar Year with a Chinese Food Festival all weekends of the month of February at Flavors Restaurant. Starting on Feb. 1, enjoy the delicacies of the Hunan, Canton, and Sichuan regions. Each weekend will highlight the cuisine of one region beginning with Hunan. The weekend lunch and dinner buffet at Flavors starts at P1,675 nett. On Feb. 5, welcome the Year of the Boar with the traditional Lion & Dragon dance and eye dotting ceremony to usher in prosperity. This is to be followed by the annual Spring Salad Toss at Flavors Restaurant where all guests are welcome to join. For details call 909-0888.
Shangri-La at The Fort’s Canton Road restaurant features a sumptuous spread of regional Chinese specialties prepared by Executive Chinese Chef Wang Wei Qing. The Pun Choi, a signature dish, headlines this year’s special menu offerings. Also known as “basin food,” Pun Choi is a classic made of different ingredients meticulously layered into a bowl. Alongside it is the traditional Norwegian salmon Yee Sang or “Prosperity Toss,” and suckling pig stuffed with glutinous rice. The Happiness menu is priced at P29,888 nett, P32,888 nett for the Abundance menu, and P38,888 nett for the Wealth menu. These special menus are for a table of 10 persons and are inclusive of a non-alcoholic beverage package. There are also eight private dining rooms, the biggest of which can seat up to 28 guests at a time. Learn the art of dimsum making as Canton Road holds two-hour dim sum making classes on Feb. 2, 7, 9, 14, and 16 from 10 a.m. to noon. The class includes a dim sum feast at one of the restaurant’s private dining rooms. The dim sum experience is priced at P2,988 nett for adults ages 18 years old and above, P1,888 nett for children ages eight to 17 years old. For inquiries and reservations, call 820-0888 or e-mail cantonroad@shangri-la.com.
ORTIGAS CENTER
Marco Polo Ortigas Manila welcomes the coming of the Earth Pig with Feng Shui Master Joseph Chau on Chinese New Year, Feb. 5, 11 a.m., at the hotel’s ground floor lobby. Mr. Chau will be facilitating a Taoist Ritual Blessing Ceremony to guests attending the event. This will be followed by the dragon and lion dance. The hotel also offers guests the opportunity to share their blessings through the gift of nian gao (tikoy). This year’s selection, available through Lung Hin, sees this traditional delicacy take the form of a gold bar and the round variant, both of which come in either brown sugar or orange flavors. These nian gao are available starting at P798. For more information, call 720-7720 or e-mail restaurant.mnl@marcopolohotels.com.
MANILA
Century Park Hotel is set to welcome the Year of the Earth Pig with a bang on the eve of the Lunar New Year on Feb. 4. Sumptuous Chinese dishes will be showcased at the lunch and dinner buffet (P1,495 net) at Café in the Park. Then at 7 p.m., an eye-dotting blessing ceremony will take place before the lion’s first dance at the Atrium Lounge. The ritual will empower the lion to bring about protection, good luck, health, and prosperity to the attendees. A lion and dragon dance follows right after to chase away evil spirits and welcome the new year. This performance will be accompanied with loud drums and cymbals. A fireworks display will cap off the occasion.
The Manila Hotel celebrates the arrival of the Year of the Pig by transforming its Main Lobby into a modern Prosperity Garden thanks to Rachy Cuna. Two flavors of pig-shaped tikoy — pandan and white sugar — are on sale at The Lobby until Feb. 6. The traditional Chinese New Year festivities start at 10:15 a.m. on Feb. 5 with a Dotting the Eye Ceremony at the main entrance followed by a Lion Dance performed by the Golden Lion dancers. At Red Jade, two set menus of 10 dishes each will be available from Feb. 3 to 6 for both lunch and dinner. More festive dishes will grace the Chinese station at Café Ilang Ilang for New Year’s Eve dinner on Feb. 4, and New Year’s Day lunch on Feb. 5. For queries and reservations, call 527-0011.
New World Manila Bay Hotel’s Market Café will be offering classic Chinese dishes along with a spread of international dishes on Feb. 4 and 5. These include Cantonese noodles, dim sum, sizzling Szechuan specialties, BBQ favorites, and traditional Chinese desserts. The buffet is priced at P2,800 including free flowing sodas, iced tea, chilled juices, local beer, coffee and tea. Over at Li Li, set menus will be offered for the occasion featuring Cantonese specialties such as braised pork knuckle, wok-fried tiger prawn, and bird’s nest soup with rates starting at P2,688 per person. Guests can also purchase a box of pig-shaped nian gao (tikoy) from Li Li until Feb. 5. The gift box is priced at P1,088.
The Diamond Hotel guests can explore the tastes and flavors of Chinese cuisine at Corniche from Feb. 2-5 for P2,880 nett per person featuring the specialties of the hotel’s Chinese chef Yang Yong. A minimum spend of P5,000 entitles guests to Pick-A-Prize for a chance to win gift certificates from the hotel and more. On Feb. 5, get a free 10-minute Feng Shui consultation by Angel Macalino for a minimum spend of P5,000 at the Corniche lunch buffet. Also, catch the Dragon and Lion dance by the Philippine Ling Nam Athletic Federation and the performance of Chinese instrumental music by Kim Hwa Ensemble. Lucky charms available for sale at the hotel lobby. For details call 528-3000 or e-mail guestservices@diamondhotel.com.
PASAY CITY/PARAÑAQUE/MUNTINLUPA
Crimson Hotel Filinvest City, Manila’s festive Chinese New Year celebration runs from Feb. 1 to 10. These include Café Eight’s A Feast for Prosperity buffet that will include a selection of Chinese cuisine for P1,550 net per person. Café Eight will also have a Dumpling Festival in both the buffet’s dumpling station and a la carte menu. On Feb. 10, Feng Shui Master Joseph Chau will conduct a welcome ceremony and shares the 2019 predictions. The traditional eye-dotting ceremony and lion and dragon dance will be held at the hotel’s lobby. Guests who avail of the Sunday brunch buffet at Café Eight that day will have a chance to attend Master Chau’s 2019 Chinese forecast. For details visit www.crimsonhotel.com/manila/.
City of Dreams Manila’s Crystal Dragon is offering specialty menus — available lunch at noon to 3 p.m., and dinner from 6 to 11 p.m. until Feb. 9— which highlight the traditional “Yu Sheng” salad with a fruity twist. These are the Prosperity Abalone Yu Sheng with Fruit Salad (medium, P1,350++; large, P2,700++) and the Shredded Roasted Duck with Fresh Fruit Salad with dressing (medium, P1,280++; large, P2,380++). Crystal Dragon also showcases a Poon Choi menu which consists of Stewed abalone Poon Choi Cantonese-style (P6,500++), and Stewed tiger prawn Poon Choi Cantonese-style (P3,500++). There are also two set menus good for a minimum of five persons: The six-course Happiness Set Menu (P3,880++ per person) and the seven-course Magnificent Set Menu (P6,880++ per person). Both are served with variations of the Yu Sheng salad and Poon Choi, among other dishes. There is also a special a la carte menu for the occasion. Meanwhile, the Lunar Festive Menu is available for the whole month of February at Red Ginger. A Mini Yu Sheng (P188++) will be available from Feb. 5 to 7, and as a special offer, the Mini Yu Sheng can be availed of for only P128++ if the guest orders a dish from the Festive Lunar Menu. Over at the Activity Area in front of Café Society, from Feb. 8 to 10, fortune tellers will help guests chart their destiny from 3 to 8 p.m., and the God of Fortune mascot will make an appearance from 2:30 to 8 p.m. Cultural dancers will perform at 4:20 and 6:25 p.m. For details visit www.cityofdreamsmanila.com.
Marriott Manila celebrates the Lunar New Year with the traditional Poon Choi “big bowl feast” (good for eight to 12 persons) from Feb. 1 to 6 at Man Ho for P18,880 nett. Also available is Lohei, a raw fish salad tossed with vegetables (P2,200++), and stuffed chicken filled with sticky rice and lotus seed (P2,588++). Finally, there is the sticky rice cake nian gao, locally known as tikoy, molded as a koi fish enclosed in an oriental gift box, which is available for P1,888 nett until Feb. 15. For details visit www.manilamarriott.com.
Conrad Manila’s award-winning Chinese restaurant China Blue by Jereme Leung welcomes the new Lunar Year of the Earth Pig with Executive Chinese Chef Eng Yew Khor’s interpretations of authentic Chinese clay pot rice dishes, set menus, and nian gao (tikoy), available until Feb. 5. The nian gao is available in four flavors — almond, passion fruit, yuzu jelly, and red bean — shaped like a koi fish or mini gold bar, in a box of eight pieces at P1,500 net. For details visit www.conradmanila.com, or call 833-9999.
Resorts World Manila’s Lucky Tikoy is a set of eight miniature of koi and gold ingots presented in an oriental gift box is available at the Passion Cantonese Restaurant at Maxims Hotel, Resorts World Manila, until Feb. 5. Passion has a dimsum lunch buffet and Lucky Delights, for the whole month of February. Café Maxims offers a box of dark chocolate pralines filled with lotus paste and coated with an earth pig print. An authentic ceremonial lion and dragon dance will be performed on Feb. 6, 10 a.m., at the Garden Wing Casino Main Entrance by the Ling Nam Athletic Association. RWM VIPs will be treated to an exclusive Yee Sang Prosperity Toss on Feb. 15 at the Marriott Grand Ballroom.