Cover Chefs Edward Chong of Peach Blossoms, Ling Heng Yao of Royal China, and Liu Ching Hai of Summer Palace have crafted celebratory Chinese New Year menus that are paired or infused with Martell Cordon Bleu and Martell Chanteloup XXO (Photo: Nicolas Ee)
Chefs Edward Chong of Peach Blossoms, Ling Heng Yao of Royal China, and Liu Ching Hai of Summer Palace have crafted celebratory Chinese New Year menus that are paired or infused with Martell Cordon Bleu and Martell Chanteloup XXO (Photo: Nicolas Ee)
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As the Year of the Fire Horse approaches, chefs Edward Chong, Ling Heng Yao, and Liu Ching Hai explore the natural affinity between cognac and Chinese cuisine—infusing Martell into celebratory menus that honour tradition while embracing contemporary techniques
It is a pairing that has endured for generations: cognac and Chinese cuisine. With its layers of umami, sweetness and spice, Chinese food naturally stands up to the structure and intensity of a well-aged cognac, allowing both to meet on equal footing at the table.
As we usher in the Year of the Fire Horse this February 2026, chefs Edward Chong of Peach Blossoms, Ling Heng Yao of Royal China and Liu Ching Hai of Summer Palace take this relationship a step further, crafting celebratory Chinese New Year menus that are paired with, and infused with, cognac. It is a challenge the chefs embraced readily. Chong explains that “we’ve always used alcohol, like yellow wine, to lift fragrance. Cognac offers a similar effect, but with more refinement and depth” suited for occasions like Chinese New Year.
Above Peach Blossoms’ amaebi with Martell XXO jelly
Above Royal China’s braised Inaniwa noodles with dried scallop, fresh crab meat in golden chicken broth infused with Martell Cordon Bleu
Peach Blossoms’ amaebi with Martell XXO jelly
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Yao echoes the sentiment, noting that “a well-chosen cognac can lift sweetness in seafood, soften the richness of meats and add warmth to sauces”. In Liu’s eyes, the spirit mirrors the ethos of Cantonese cooking itself. As he puts it: “Like Cantonese cuisine, cognac is shaped by patience and precision. When it is used properly, it reflects the way we build flavour in our kitchen—adding aroma and depth while keeping the broth clean and balanced.”
In crafting their exclusive menus, the chefs put the Martell Cordon Bleu and Martell Chanteloup XXO in the spotlight, thanks to their rounded profiles, natural sweetness and finely balanced finish. The result is cognac used in the most creative and delicious ways—from cognac-led welcome cocktails to thoughtful food infusions and pairings that reimagine tradition through a contemporary lens.
Peach Blossoms
Above Executive chef Edward Chong puts the finishing touches in his CNY dish infused with Martell Cordon Bleu
Executive chef Edward Chong puts the finishing touches in his CNY dish infused with Martell Cordon Bleu
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At Peach Blossoms, chef Edward Chong approached the Martell collaboration with the aim of integrating cognac into Chinese cuisine naturally, without it feeling forced. “My first thought was: how do I bring cognac into Chinese dishes naturally?” he explains. Rather than allowing the spirit to stand apart, Chong incorporates it into broths, jellies and desserts, enhancing flavour with subtlety and restraint.
He begins the experience with a refreshing welcome cocktail of Martell Cordon Bleu, combined with 100-year black tea, osmanthus and sparkling water. “Overall, the cognac adds fragrance, warmth and a rich finish that ties the flavours together,” Chong notes.
This sets the palate for the seven-course menu, where Martell Cordon Bleu is gently warmed and incorporated into a delicate jelly for the amaebi, melting on the tongue and releasing its aroma to complement the prawns’ natural sweetness. In the double-boiled hydrangea coral trout with fish maw and cabbage roll, Martell Chanteloup XXO is added early to the broth, infusing gradually as the soup concentrates, before a final touch at the table lifts the aroma and gives the broth a fuller, rounder finish. Dessert follows the same philosophy: a light spray of XXO on the cognac ice cream just before serving releases its fragrance without adding heaviness.
Peach Blossoms
Chinese
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$ $ $
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6 Raffles Boulevard Marina Square, Level 5, Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay (formerly Marina Mandarin), S(039594)
Royal China
Royal China chef Ling Heng Yao
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As Royal China welcomes its first Chinese New Year celebrations in February 2026, chef Ling Heng Yao marks the occasion with a Martell-inspired menu defined by harmony and subtlety. “Chinese New Year dishes are all about generosity of flavour—rich seafood, aromatic spices, slow-cooked broths and caramelised meats,” he explains.
Across the seven-course menu, cognac is woven in seamlessly, acting both as a flavour enhancer and an aromatic guide. Martell Cordon Bleu, for example, enriches the olive-vegetable butter for the yuan yang mantou and adds roundness to the golden chicken broth in the braised Inaniwa noodles with dried scallop and crab meat.
Similarly, Martell Chanteloup XXO deepens the flavour of the bird’s nest soup with fresh crab meat and roe, while lending greater umami and a sense of luxury to the pan-fried scallop with truffle egg white and caviar. Martell VSOP, meanwhile, is used to finish the yuzu kurobuta char siew and to balance the richness of the Miyazaki A5 Wagyu with foie gras and spicy vintage vinegar. “In every dish, the cognac heightens the nuances already present,” Yao notes, adding that it brings fragrance, depth and harmony without ever overpowering the food.
Summer Palace
Above Summer Palace’s Imperial Menu features hot stone braised bird’s nest and fish maw soup, enriched with superior chicken, conpoy and a subtle infusion of Martell XXO
Above Cordon Bleu Carriage, a sophisticated reimagining of the classic Sidecar, honouring the exceptional depth of Martell Cordon Bleu
Summer Palace’s Imperial Menu features hot stone braised bird’s nest and fish maw soup, enriched with superior chicken, conpoy and a subtle infusion of Martell XXO
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At Summer Palace, Liu Ching Hai’s cooking is guided by technique and a profound respect for craft and ingredients—an ethos he shares with Martell cognac. It is this shared philosophy that inspired him to create an exclusive cognac-infused dish for the restaurant’s Imperial Menu, crafted especially for Chinese New Year.
The experience begins with the Cordon Bleu Carriage, a teatail inspired by the classic Sidecar and infused with Martell Cordon Bleu, green apple and osmanthus oolong tea. Soft and refined, it awakens the palate with the poise of an elegant lady seated in a carriage, setting the stage for the sumptuous meal ahead.
The seven-course menu features quintessential Chinese New Year classics—from braised 18-head South African abalone in supreme oyster sauce to fried fish noodles with fish fillet and enoki mushrooms—but it is in the soup that Liu’s cognac innovation truly shines. His hot stone braised bird’s nest and fish maw soup with superior chicken, conpoy, and Martell XXO gains a subtle, layered complexity from the spirit. As Liu explains: “The intention is not for the cognac to register as a distinct flavour, but for its fragrance to gently infuse the broth, giving the dish added depth, balance and refinement.”
This Chinese New Year is a reminder of how naturally cognac belongs at the festive table. Across the three restaurants, chefs show its versatility—whether infused in a broth, used in a dessert or simply poured alongside a dish. For those celebrating the Year of the Horse with something familiar yet a little more special, these Martell-inspired menus offer a thoughtful meeting of two long-standing traditions.
The Martell x Chinese New Year menus are available from February 4 to March 3, 2026.
Credits
Photography: Nicholas Ee
Topics
Dudi Aureus is the senior dining and travel editor at Tatler Singapore, covering the city’s most exciting restaurants, global travel trends, and the personalities shaping the culinary and lifestyle scenes. She also serves as co-jury chair for the Tatler Best awards in Singapore, celebrating the very best in hospitality. When she’s off duty, she can often be found at a favourite hole-in-the-wall Thai spot, savouring a perfectly balanced pad thai.
