Celebrate the Year of the Wood Dragon With These Delicious, Auspicious Dishes
Reunion dinners during Chinese New Year are a cherished tradition especially among Chinese families as it's a symbol of unity and is meant to reinforce family bonds. The foods served also carry with them deep symbolic meanings, embodying wishes for prosperity, health, and good fortune in the coming year.
For families who prefer to avoid the preparation and cleanup associated with a large meal, there are restaurants that provide a comfortable setting for family members to gather and savor delicious, auspicious food.
Below are two restaurants you can check out at City of Dreams Manila:
Crystal Dragon
Crystal Dragon’s version of the yu sheng salad consists of sliced abalone, colorful julienned papaya, pomelo, carrots, radish, onion leeks, chopped peanuts, and deep-fried flour crisps drizzled with oil and sweet plum dressing. The abalone symbolizes abundance, while the oil represents a wish for a smooth sailing year. The chopped peanuts and deep-fried flour crisps signify prosperity, and the sweet plum sauce symbolizes a sweet and harmonious family relationship. The green papaya represents youthfulness, radish suggests swift progression, leeks denote cleverness, while pomelo and carrots bring good luck.
Yu sheng is a uniquely Lunar New Year tradition that’s popular in Chinese communities in Southeast Asia, particularly in Malaysia and Singapore where heritage Chinese restaurants introduced it in the 1960s.
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Other culinary delights offered in an a la carte menu for lunch and dinner this season augur harmony and good fortune: Sea Treasures Broth with sea cucumber, crab meat and crispy dried scallop; Slow-braised Pork Knuckle with 10-head abalone, conpoy (dried scallop) and sea cucumber; Steamed Star Grouper with aromatic coriander and yellow chili paste; Slow-poached Yellow Skin Chicken (whole); Wok-fried Prawn in fragrant oat with pomelo fruit salad and roasted sesame dressing; and Wok-fried Fragrant Rice with Chinese liver sausage, lap cheong (Chinese sausage), and mushroom. For luck and togetherness, Crystal Dragon also offers Deep-fried Nian Gao (tikoy or sticky rice cake) with cheese.
A pineapple pastry caps the meal for guests dining on the eve of the occasion and on the day of Lunar New Year for good fortune.
The outlet's Lunar New Year specialties will be available from lunch to dinner on January 25 to February 12.
Red Ginger
The Asian bar and bistro renders a Southeast Asian twist to yu sheng salad with its Prosperity Prawn and Pomelo Salad, featuring sustainable prawns, local pomelo, hydroponic-grown lettuce and Vietnamese Nuroc cham dressing. In keeping with the tradition of eating fish to symbolize abundance during this occasion, the restaurant also features Deep-fried Whole Tilapia, accompanied by calamansi, ginger, and steamed bok choy.
Other menu highlights include the Crispy Orange Chicken sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds, alongside Red Ginger's unique take on the traditional Nian Gao, featuring a custard-filled glutinous rice cake and fish-shaped tikoy.
The restaurant's Lunar New Year menu is available for lunch and dinner from February 8 to 18.
Other festivities
Activities that bring good fortune and delight are lined up during the festive season, highlighted by an eye-dotting ceremony and a lion and dragon dance on February 10 at 5PM at the main casino entrance. A pop-up bazaar featuring jewelry and charms from Alfredulla and Charming Lady will grace the festivities at The Shops at the Boulevard from February 8 to 11, between 1 pm and 10 pm. Tarot and palm readers will be available to help guests chart their destiny and find out what is in store for 2024.
For inquiries and reservations, call 8800-8080, e-mail [email protected]Â or visit www.cityofdreamsmanila.com.
