Chinese New Year 2024: A guide to celebratory menus, restaurants, and dining experiences

Inspired by the grandiosity of emperors’ banquets, Sunset Terrace will put forth traditional Chinese delicacies to greet the new year. Waxed duck rice, coral trout congee, and golden bean curd will be spotlighted in an abundant buffet from January 15 to February 24. The Resort Café has curated an eight-course reunion dinner menu of steamed whole dragon tiger grouper and oven-roasted five-spiced chicken to be unveiled on February 9. Ushering in the new year, New York style is Black Tap Craft Burger & Shakes with its Lunar New Year-inspired Asian black pepper burger and tamarind Chile cocoa churro shake.

Sunway Resort Hotel
Address: 1, Persiaran Lagoon, Bandar Sunway, 47500 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. +603 7495 2009

From January 5 to 25, The Brasserie and private dining rooms will encapsulate the season of prosperity with seasonal menus expertly crafted by Chef Cheong Boon Fei. The meticulously crafted items can be experienced in private dining rooms for an intimate celebration.

The restaurant’s Auspicious Brunch will be held on February 18, guaranteeing a vibrant celebration fortified by premium yee sang. Guests will also be able to usher in the new year with an aptly themed spring cocktail at Astor Bar. 

The St. Regis Kuala Lumpur
Address: 6, Jalan Stesen Sentral 2, Kuala Lumpur Sentral, 50470 Kuala Lumpur. +603-2727 1111

The festive season will see The Librari offer an exclusive Chinese New Year-themed afternoon tea, complete with traditional pineapple jam tarts. From January 3 to February 24, Seven Lobby Bar's lunar tipples inspired by the dragon will be available. Cocktail offerings include Loong, a blend of gin, mandarin orange, passion fruit, lemon, honey, and orange bitter foam, and Emerald, a gin-based drink featuring blue curacao, mango, banana, and lime. 

The RuMa Hotel and Residences
Address: 7, Jalan Kia Peng, Kuala Lumpur, 50450 Kuala Lumpur. +603-2778 0745

The curated festive menu of Malaysian-Chinese noodle bar Fifty Tales, will be available from January 4 to February 26. The Seapark haunt's Cincai Dinner will feature pu-erh tea smoked corn-fed chicken leg, pork ribs with spring onion chimichurri, and claypot glutinous rice with 32-day aged duck ham. The seasonal spread will complement Fifty Tales' yee sang dressed in house-made plum sauce, topped with red snapper cured in-house. 

Fifty Tales
Address: 19, Jalan 21/11b, Sea Park, 46300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. +6012-249 2697

The exclusive set menus curated by Toh Yuen Chinese Restaurant offer authenticity at its finest. The Golden Set Menu, tailored for groups of ten and the Jade Set, for groups of six, spotlight traditional festive fare. Adding Hokkaido scallops and truffle oil to yee sang, the menu is symbolic of fortune to welcome prosperity in the new year. Toh Yuen’s Jade Set Menu infuses each dish with opulence, featuring double boiled hairy fig soup with fish maw and braised whole five head abalone with sea cucumber.

Available from January 10 to February 24, reservations are essential to savour Hilton PJ’s exclusive dining experiences. 

Toh Yuen Chinese Restaurant, Hilton Petaling Jaya
Address: 2, Jalan Barat, Pjs 52, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. +603-7955 9122

Offering four varieties of yee sang for dine-in or takeaway, Shang Palace’s festive dining experience will be available from January 10 to February 24. Five distinct set menus will blend tradition and modernity. To begin the year with abundance, Poon choi will grace tables, featuring abundance and prosperity-bringing ingredients. At Lemon Garden, guests can usher in the new year with a lavish banquet inclusive of traditional flavours like Ham Hiong prawn and steamed sustainable grouper. 

Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur
Address: 11, Jln Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, 50250. +603 2032 2388

Nobu Kuala Lumpur is launching two exclusive seasonal dishes to ring in the new year. A yee sang platter with an in-house twist featuring orchard-fresh apples, freshly picked garden vegetables, and salmon sashimi will be available from January 26 to February 17. The festive season will also see Nobu-style duck served three ways, spotlighting foie gras croquette with wasabi aioli, duck leg confit rillettes tostada, and aged duck breast with kumquat shiso salsa. 

Nobu Kuala Lumpur
Address: L4A-05, 4A/F, Shoppes at Four Seasons Place, 145, Jln Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur. +603-2380 0028

Jade Pavilion is celebrating new beginnings until February 29 with curated nine course reunion set menus. Creating signature Cantonese dining experiences, six varieties of yee sang will be available from salmon yee sang with hokkigai and jellyfish flower to yee sang with crispy abalone mushroom and shredded fruit.

Jade Pavilion, Pavilion Hotel Kuala Lumpur
Address: 8/F, Pavilion Hotel Kuala Lumpur Managed by Banyan Tree, 170, Jln Bukit Bintang, Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur. +603 2117 2823

From January 27 to February 14, Four Points by Sheraton’s Dancing with the Dragon will offer various celebratory fixings. Quan’s Kitchen will house a bountiful buffet inclusive of a Golden Prosperity yee sang brimming with pomelo and pickled cucumber, with optional additions of chicken bakkwa and crispy soft shell crab.

Famed for handcrafted cocktails, Jann has curated the Tales of the Wooden Dragon collection. Featuring three seasonal concoctions honouring tradition, the Prosperity boasts notes of mandarin orange, ginger and chocolate, the Fortune melds kumquat and chrysanthemum, while the Auspicious blends bak kwa and longan. 

Four Points by Sheraton Kuala Lumpur, Chinatown
Address: 2, Jalan Balai Polis, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur. +603-2035 7333 

Chynna commemorates the Year of the Dragon with festive grandeur steeped in tradition and heritage. Curated by Chef Lam Hock Gin, Chynna’s menu will feature Tasmanian ocean trout accompanied by crispy rice and Assam chilli alongside salted egg fish skin and soft shell crab yee sang.

Prioritising the use of fresh ingredients and visual flair, guests will be able to experience inventively symbolic plates from January 8 to February 24. 

Chynna, Hilton Kuala Lumpur
Address: 5/F, 3, Jalan Stesen Sentral, Kuala Lumpur Sentral, 50470 Kuala Lumpur. +603-2264 2264

Casual fine dining restaurant Carbon, has curated its ode to the festive season that will be offered starting January 17. Encompassing yee sang with pine-smoked salmon, Sabahan clams with glass noodles, and wild-caught soon hock; the yee sang and duck baos will also be available for takeaway. 

Carbon
Address: 7, Jalan Pekaka 8/1D, Kota Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. +601-2988 7219

Celebrating its first Dragon Year, Four Points by Sheraton Kuala Lumpur, City Centre will be serving an array of celebratory offerings at Sichuan Kitchen from January 19 to February 24. The menu includes salmon yee sang, Poon choi, and a variety of hot pot selections. 

Sichuan Kitchen, Four Points by Sheraton Kuala Lumpur, City Centre
Address: Corner of Jalan Sultan Ismail, &, Jln Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur. +603-2706 9099

From January 15 to February 24, Pullman KLCC Hotel is paying homage to the Year of the Dragon with auspicious Chinese New Year set menus. Red Chinese Cuisine’s signature abalone oyster crab roe Poon choi, representative of prosperity, will be complemented by salmon trout yee sang, Australian abalone treasure yee sang, and more. 

Red Chinese Cuisine, Pullman KLCC Hotel & Residences
Address: Hotel & Residences, Pullman Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 4, Jalan Conlay, 50450 Kuala Lumpur. +6016 290 3864

In a tribute to classic Cantonese cuisine, Lai Ching Yuen welcomes the new year with auspicious feasts. Signature Chinese wax meat rice dishes enveloped in lotus leaf, wok-fried prawn in Bei Fong Tong-style sauce, and barbecued whole suckling pig will be available from January 2 to February 25. With set menus ranging in degrees of extravagance, guests can also anticipate three speciality dim sum creations and six yee sang variations.

Lai Ching Yuen, Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur
Address: 1/F, Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur, 160, Jln Bukit Bintang, Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur. +603-2117 4888

See also: Yee Sang 101: Why do we toss it and what does it symbolise?

Traditional cooking techniques will be upheld at Yue in a showcase of Cantonese cuisine. Individual set menus and feasts curated for groups featuring yee sang with smoked salmon and fig, braised six head abalone with sea cucumber and ngaku, and chilled bird’s nest with coconut milk will be available from January 8 to March 3.

Whether you’d like a dine-in experience or celebrate lavishly at home, curated items will be offered as takeaways. 

Yue, Sheraton Petaling Jaya
Address: Lorong Utara C, Pjs 52, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. +603-7622 8888

The Michelin-selected Li Yen to highlight gastronomic artistry with The Reunion Stars seasonal collection. Six set menus of traditional reunion delicacies will grace tables from 27 January to 24 February. Guests can expect barbecued Iberico pork doused in honey sauce, ancient-style steamed tiger dragon grouper, and wok-fried Australian asparagus with yellow and elm fungus.

Hong Kong-style waxed meat claypot rice proves the standout plate of the collection, created with specially imported Chinese sausages and rice intricately infused with traditional herbs. 

Li Yen, The Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur
Address: 168, Jln Imbi, Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur. +6018-646 8033

Throughout January and into February, Sofitel will offer an array of festive delights. The set menus of Imperial Cantonese restaurant Wan Chun Ting spotlight seven distinct yee sang selections, with chef-recommended a la carte options of wok-fried Hokkaido scallop with prawn and rice cracker, crispy roasted spring chicken, and braised sun-dried oyster with sea cucumber and goose web sea moss.

Lavish buffet spreads featuring Chinese, local, and international dishes will also be available at Kwee Zen.

Wan Chun Ting, Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara
Address: Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara, Level 1, 6, Jalan Damanlela, Bukit Damansara, 50490 Kuala Lumpur. +603-2720 6648

Don't miss: Yee sang: The ingredients, their symbolism and the auspicious greetings

For those in search of a laidback but festive lunch, Feeka at The Five has launched an assortment of seasonal creations. Familiar local favourites, from pan mee to roasted chicken rice, will be available throughout February. The coffee specialist has also created an iced cafe latte and matcha latte dotted with orange zest exclusive to the Lunar New Year period. 

Feeka at The Five
Address: E-GF-02, Block E, The Five, Kompleks Pejabat Damansara, 49, Jalan Dungun, Bukit Damansara, 50490 Kuala Lumpur. +603-2011 5850

Inspired by the legend of the dragon, Tao Chinese Cuisine is presenting an auspicious feast to usher in the new year. Nine course set menus and five Yee Sang varieties will be available throughout the celebratory period while festive buffets will take place from February 9 to 11. The hotel has put nutrition and nourishment at the forefront of its offerings, introducing its vegetarian Yee Sang with dragon fruit, star jelly and chia seeds.

Tao Chinese Cuisine’s signature dish of roasted London duck will also grace tables in three unique preparations. 

Tao Chinese Cuisine, InterContinental Kuala Lumpur
Address: 165 Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur. +6016 202 4623

While its focus may be on the art of handcrafted pasta, Staple Dough has put together a festive menu for the season. Start off your meal with its Boston lobster yee sang, available from February 1 onwards. Three other limited-run plates will also spotlight the restaurant’s contemporary fusion with mapo burrata, lobster girasoli, and classic pineapple tarts. 

Staple Dough
Address: Megah Rise, 3, Jalan SS 24/9, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. +6013-475 9859

From January 15 to February 24, Pullman KLCC Hotel & Residences is paying homage to the Year of the Dragon with auspicious Chinese New Year set menus. Red Chinese Cuisine’s signature abalone oyster crab roe poon choi, representative of prosperity, will be complemented by salmon trout yee sang, Australian abalone treasure yee sang, and more. 

Red Chinese Cuisine, Pullman KLCC Hotel & Residences
Address: Hotel & Residences, Pullman Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 4, Jalan Conlay, 50450 Kuala Lumpur. +6016 290 3864

Recently opened in December 2023, Hotel Indigo will be celebrating its first Chinese New Year at Wok Star. The elevated street dining restaurant will house a five course menu and six varieties of yee sang from January 29 to February 24. Wok Star’s festive menu draws inspiration from the city’s cultural heritage by highlighting local produce.

Guests can expect baby octopus and fish maw salad, snapper coated in Nyonya sauce, and roasted duck with mushroom mousse and black ginger. 

Wok Star, Hotel Indigo Kuala Lumpur On The Park
Address: 5, Jalan Puncak, Kuala Lumpur, 50250 Kuala Lumpur. +603 2630 3888

The latest Dolly Dim Sum outlet has recently opened in the city centre. It is celebrating its first Chinese New Year with crispy fish skin yee sang dressed in house-made plum sauce, scarlet-coloured scallop and fish dumplings, black pepper wagyu beef puffs, and dragon fruit smoothies. Its limited-run festive offerings will be available from January 29 to February 24, alongside its mainstays. 

Dolly Dim Sum, Suria KLCC
Address: Suria KLCC, Petronas Twin Tower, Lot 426-428, 4/F, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur. +6012-678 7842

Oversea Restaurant is ushering in the year of the dragon with a dining experience steeped in opulence and abundance. The restaurant’s seasonal signatures—Hong Kong-style wax meat rice, prosperity treasure pot, and yee sang—will be available until February 24. Its prosperity treasure pot is filled to the brim with premium Cantonese roast duck, crispy roast pork belly, and whole abalone to ensure good fortune in the coming year.

Its popular fruity yee sang with dragon fruit sauce will also be on offer, along with four other varieties. 

Oversea Restaurant
Address: 84-88, Jalan Imbi, 55100 Kuala Lumpur. +603-9057 9911

With a line-up helmed by elevating the new year experience, Mandarin Oriental delves into the tradition from January 28 to February 24 with Lai Po Heen’s set menus. Each set is unlike the other, housing its own unique yee sang variations. Sea urchin and tobiko yee sang, double-boiled black chicken soup with dendrobium orchid, and fried rice with Japanese shrimp and foie gras are just some of the curated dishes on offer.

The Chinese New Year celebrations cater to everyone, with a vegan set menu of maca root vegetable soup, gluten mock fish in black petter sauce, and stewed rice noodles with shimeji mushrooms and honey peas. 

Lai Po Heen, Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur
Address: Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur. +603-2179 8885

NOW READ

Inside Off Menu KL 2023, Tatler Dining’s annual food festival

A century of Japanese spirit culture: The House of Suntory x Skillet KL

Maillard Grill has a new way of ageing its steaks—Sabah Coral Grass