Galloping Into the Year of the Horse with Culinary Excellence
Singapore’s premier dining establishments have outdone themselves this Lunar New Year, transforming traditional festive fare into extraordinary culinary experiences. From Michelin-starred temples of gastronomy to beloved institutions, each venue delivers its own interpretation of prosperity, abundance, and reunion through meticulously crafted dishes that honor tradition while embracing innovation.
Shisen Hanten: Szechuan Sophistication Meets Festive Grandeur
Ambiance: The Michelin-starred space exudes understated elegance, with warm lighting that highlights the restaurant’s signature blend of Japanese precision and Szechuan boldness. The atmosphere strikes a perfect balance between celebratory and refined, ideal for multi-generational gatherings.
Service: Impeccable and attentive without being intrusive. Staff demonstrate deep knowledge of each dish’s provenance and preparation, enhancing the dining experience with thoughtful explanations.
Dish Analysis
Prosperity Yu Sheng with Japanese Madai and Osetra Caviar: This isn’t your standard yu sheng. The Japanese sea bream arrives pristine, its translucent flesh testament to peak freshness, while the optional Osetra caviar adds luxurious brininess that elevates the dish beyond tradition. The interplay of textures—crisp vegetables, silky fish, popping caviar—creates a symphony in every toss. The plum sauce demonstrates restraint, sweet yet tangy enough to let premium ingredients shine.
Wok-Fried Glutinous Rice with Foie Gras and Black Truffle: A showstopper that exemplifies Chūka Szechwan Ryori mastery. Each grain of glutinous rice maintains distinct integrity while achieving the ideal tender-chewy texture. The foie gras melts into the rice, creating pockets of unctuousness, while shaved black truffle adds earthy depth. The wok hei—that elusive breath of the wok—permeates throughout, adding a subtle smokiness that ties everything together. This dish redefines festive comfort food.
Buddha Jumps Over the Wall: The legendary soup arrives in individual clay pots, still bubbling. The broth is liquid gold—amber, clear, intensely flavored from hours of patient simmering. Premium dried seafood, mushrooms, and tender proteins create layers of umami so profound it feels almost meditative. Each spoonful reveals new treasures: impossibly tender sea cucumber, delicate fish maw, earthy mushrooms that have absorbed the essence of the broth.
5 On 25 at Andaz Singapore: Cantonese Finesse with Contemporary Flair
Ambiance: Modern sophistication meets warm hospitality. The open kitchen adds theater, while floor-to-ceiling windows frame the Singapore skyline, creating an urban-chic backdrop for festive feasting.
Service: Personable yet professional. The team’s genuine enthusiasm for Chef Lim Hong Lih’s creations is infectious, and their timing is impeccable throughout the multi-course experience.
Dish Analysis
Signature Yu Sheng with Cured Petuna Ocean Trout: The sustainability focus doesn’t compromise on luxury. The Tasmanian ocean trout is expertly cured, developing concentrated flavor and buttery texture that rivals traditional salmon. The handcrafted plum dressing strikes an ideal sweet-tart balance, while the vegetable julienne showcases knife skills and freshness. What sets this apart is the thoughtful composition—each ingredient has purpose, nothing feels superfluous.
Koya X.O. Brandy Flambé Claypot Rice: Pure tableside drama. The flambé releases aromatic brandy notes that mingle with the X.O. sauce’s complex umami. As flames subside, attention turns to the rice itself—perfectly cooked with that coveted crispy bottom layer, studded with premium seafood that has released its sweetness into every grain. The X.O. sauce delivers subtle heat, fermented seafood funk, and addictive savory notes.
Double-Boiled Soups: These demonstrate patience rewarded. The broths are pristine, free from any cloudiness, delivering pure, concentrated essence. Whether chicken with cordyceps or seafood variations, the soups feel nourishing on a cellular level, embodying the Chinese philosophy of food as medicine.
Peach Blossoms at Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay: Award-Winning Cantonese Excellence
Ambiance: Elegant without pretension, the space glows with festive warmth. Red and gold accents celebrate the season while maintaining the restaurant’s signature contemporary aesthetic.
Service: Executive Chinese Chef Edward Chong’s influence extends beyond the kitchen. Staff are well-versed in his vision, guiding diners through extensive offerings with patience and expertise.
Dish Analysis
Reimagined Yu Sheng: Chef Chong’s creative interpretation respects tradition while introducing unexpected elements. Premium seafood takes center stage, but it’s the supporting cast—house-pickled vegetables, specially blended oils, artisanal crackers—that reveals true craftsmanship. The toss becomes ritualistic theater, and the first taste confirms every component was chosen with intention.
Premium Abalone Preparations: The multi-head abalones showcase different techniques—braised versions develop deep, savory complexity with tender, almost creamy texture, while others prepared with lighter touches allow the mollusk’s natural sweetness and ocean brininess to sing. Each preparation demonstrates technical mastery and respect for the ingredient.
Multi-Course Set Menus: Pacing is exemplary, with lighter seafood courses preceding richer braised preparations. The progression feels natural, building momentum toward climactic centerpieces before gentle desserts provide graceful resolution.
The Black Pearl: Qing Imperial Grandeur Above the City
Ambiance: Perched atop Odeon 333, the venue captures old-world opulence with contemporary comfort. Dark woods, jewel tones, and dramatic lighting create an atmosphere befitting imperial banquets reimagined for modern Singapore.
Service: Formal yet warm, with staff who understand the weight of the dining experience they’re orchestrating. Presentations are theatrical, enhancing the sense of occasion.
Dish Analysis
Chef’s Signature Braised Boston Lobster Rice: This dish epitomizes luxurious comfort. The lobster, cooked precisely to maintain sweetness and snap, crowns rice that has absorbed every drop of the crustacean’s essence. The braising liquid—rich with lobster stock, aromatics, and likely a touch of superior soy—coats each grain. Breaking through to the crispy bottom reveals caramelized rice with concentrated flavors.
Black Truffle Crispy Roasted Duck: The skin shatters audibly, revealing juicy meat beneath. Black truffle shavings add earthy opulence, while the duck itself showcases proper technique—rendering of fat, development of flavor through patient roasting. The meat remains succulent, never dry, and the truffle enhancement feels harmonious rather than overwhelming.
Prosperity 10 Head Abalone Treasure Pot: The 10-head designation (ten abalones per catty) indicates substantial size and quality. Each abalone is tender yet maintains structural integrity, having absorbed the treasure pot’s complex flavors—dried seafood, premium mushrooms, rich sauce. The pot itself is a complete meal, with supporting ingredients creating textural and flavor variations.
Min Jiang at Goodwood Park Hotel: Heritage Meets Artistry
Ambiance: Goodwood Park’s historic charm provides the backdrop for Min Jiang’s refined Cantonese dining. The space feels both elegant and comfortable, perfect for extended family celebrations.
Service: The team balances efficiency with grace, managing large gatherings smoothly while ensuring each table receives personalized attention.
Dish Analysis
Prosperous Horse ‘Lo Hei’: A visual masterpiece before the toss even begins. The hand-painted presentation elevates yu sheng to art, with premium seafood, vibrant fruits, and colorful vegetables arranged with gallery-worthy precision. Post-toss, the dish delivers on its promise—fresh, crunchy, sweet, savory, and utterly festive.
Fan-Shaped Yu Sheng: The elegant fan presentation showcases abalone, salmon, and lobster in graduated layers. Beyond aesthetics, the composition ensures even distribution of premium proteins with each serving, and the fan shape facilitates the communal toss ritual beautifully.
Braised Boneless Pork Knuckle Stuffed with Lotus Root: This demonstrates old-school technique and patience. The pork knuckle becomes meltingly tender through long braising, while stuffed lotus root adds textural contrast—crunchy with subtle sweetness. The braising liquid, gelatinous and intensely flavored, coats the palate luxuriously.
Pan Pacific Orchard: Yu Sheng as Haute Cuisine
Ambiance: The hotel’s contemporary elegance provides a sleek canvas for festive celebrations, with service spaces that flow seamlessly between formal dining and casual gathering.
Service: Polished and professional, with particular expertise in handling the hotel’s signature yu sheng creations with appropriate ceremony.
Dish Analysis
Prosperity Spring with Golden Steed Yu Sheng (Pufferfish Sashimi): This is yu sheng for connoisseurs. Pufferfish sashimi—one of the world’s most exclusive delicacies when properly prepared—brings delicate sweetness and firm, clean texture. The risk associated with fugu preparation (only licensed chefs handle it) adds mystique, but the flavor speaks for itself: subtle, refined, almost ethereal. Lobster and abalone provide contrasting textures and flavors, while house-made sauces demonstrate restraint, enhancing rather than masking the premium proteins.
Prosperity Exotic Garden Yu Sheng: The “wellness meets indulgence” approach incorporates nourishing ingredients like matsutake mushrooms and truffle accents alongside sea cucumber and fresh lobster. Matsutake brings pine-like aromatics and firm texture, while truffle adds earthy luxury. The composition achieves balance—indulgent yet mindful, traditional yet innovative.
Paul: French Elegance Meets Lunar New Year
Ambiance: The tea-room setting brings Parisian charm to festive celebrations, with warm lighting, comfortable seating, and the intoxicating aroma of fresh bakes.
Service: French hospitality meets Asian festive spirit. Staff guide guests through the fusion offerings with enthusiasm and cultural sensitivity.
Dish Analysis
Pumpkin Floss & Seaweed Croissants: An audacious East-meets-West creation. The croissant maintains Paul’s signature lamination—shattering crust, buttery layers—while the filling bridges cultures. Pumpkin floss brings sweetness and unique fibrous texture, seaweed adds umami depth and salinity. It shouldn’t work, yet it does brilliantly.
Roasted Duck & Hoisin Sauce Puffs: These translate Peking duck into French pâtisserie. The puff pastry achieves ideal rise and flake, while duck filling delivers rich, savory satisfaction. Hoisin sauce brings familiar sweetness and fermented complexity. Each bite offers textural contrast and harmonious flavor fusion.
Duck Confit with Glutinous Rice: This dine-in option showcases French technique applied to Chinese festive ingredients. The duck confit is properly executed—falling-apart tender, skin crisped during finishing. Paired with glutinous rice instead of traditional potatoes, the dish becomes cross-cultural celebration, with the rice absorbing duck fat and juices magnificently.
Jumbo Group: Institutional Excellence, Accessible Luxury
Ambiance: Varies by location, but the Jumbo experience consistently delivers bustling energy, family-friendly warmth, and efficient service that handles crowds gracefully.
Service: Well-trained teams execute with precision, particularly impressive given the volume they manage during festive season.
Dish Analysis
Prosperity Salmon Yu Sheng: This is the yu sheng many Singaporeans grew up with—reliable, generous, celebratory. Fresh salmon in abundance, crisp vegetables, and Jumbo’s proprietary sauce that strikes the crowd-pleasing sweet spot. It’s not trying to reinvent tradition; it’s perfecting it.
Teochew-Style Yu Sheng: The Teochew variation brings aromatic herbs—typically including fragrant yam, pomelo, and unique vegetable combinations—that create more complex, layered flavors. Less sweet than Cantonese versions, it appeals to those seeking subtlety and herbal notes.
Premium Pen Cai: The treasure pot arrives brimming with luxury—premium abalone, sea cucumber, fish maw, mushrooms, all nestled in rich sauce. The beauty of pen cai lies in its layers; as you dig deeper, you discover different textures and flavors, each ingredient having contributed to and absorbed from the communal sauce. Jumbo’s version balances premium ingredients with comfort food sensibility.
Verandah Rooftop Rotisserie: Sunset Views, Abundant Feasting
Ambiance: The rooftop setting transforms festive dining into an experience. As the sun sets over Singapore’s skyline, the space glows with golden hour magic, creating romance and celebration in equal measure.
Service: Casual-upscale, with staff who understand the semi-buffet format requires different rhythms—allowing guests independence while remaining available for assistance and explanations.
Dish Analysis
Vanilla-Scented Crackling Pork Belly: The vanilla represents unexpected sophistication in pork belly preparation. The crackling achieves ideal texture—audibly crisp, shattering at first bite—while meat beneath remains succulent. Vanilla’s floral sweetness complements pork’s richness without overwhelming, creating elegant balance.
Golden Lava Cheese Baked Lobster: Pure indulgence. The lobster maintains its natural sweetness despite rich cheese treatment. As you break through the golden crust, molten cheese flows like lava (hence the name), coating sweet lobster meat. It’s decadent, unabashedly rich, and utterly satisfying—festive dining at its most celebratory.
Live-Carved Sha Pi Suckling Pig: Theater and tradition combined. The suckling pig arrives whole, carved tableside with ceremonial flair. The skin crackles perfectly, meat is tender and mild, and the experience creates communal excitement. This is festive dining as spectacle and substance.
Wan Hao at Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza: Cantonese Refinement
Ambiance: Elegant Cantonese dining room with contemporary touches, creating refined yet welcoming atmosphere for festive gatherings of all sizes.
Service: Marriott’s hospitality standards shine through attentive, knowledgeable service that enhances rather than intrudes upon the meal.
Dish Analysis
Imperial Pot of Prosperity: This is pen cai elevated. Premium abalone, sea cucumber, fish maw, and seasonal vegetables create a pot of abundance. The sauce demonstrates hours of preparation—complex, layered, rich without being heavy. Each ingredient contributes to and benefits from the communal cooking, creating harmonious whole greater than its parts.
Tea-Smoked Duck: The smoking technique infuses duck with subtle tea aromatics—likely oolong or pu’er—adding sophistication to traditional preparation. The skin achieves crispness through proper rendering and finishing, while meat retains moisture and picks up gentle smoky-tea notes. This demonstrates technique and restraint.
Hand-Shredded Long Jing Poached Chicken: The hand-shredding indicates proper respect for the ingredient and technique. Long Jing (Dragon Well) tea in the poaching liquid imparts delicate vegetal notes to tender chicken. Served at room temperature with quality soy and ginger-scallion oil, this classic preparation lets superior ingredients and technique speak.
Koi Fish Desserts: These artful creations bring whimsy and symbolism to the meal’s conclusion. Shaped like koi (symbols of prosperity and perseverance), they’re almost too beautiful to eat. Almost. The flavors—likely red bean, lotus seed, or other traditional fillings—provide gentle sweetness and satisfying closure.
Cassia at Capella Singapore: Resort Elegance, Festive Abundance
Ambiance: Cassia brings indoor-outdoor sophistication, with the restaurant’s signature greenery and natural light creating a refined yet relaxed environment perfect for extended festive meals.
Service: Capella’s legendary service standards mean every detail receives attention, from timing to presentation to genuine warmth.
Dish Analysis
South African Abalone with Australian Rock Lobster: This combination showcases global premium sourcing. South African abalone brings firm texture and clean ocean flavor, prepared through patient braising that develops tenderness while maintaining structural integrity. Australian rock lobster contributes sweet meat with satisfying snap. Together, they represent luxury seafood at its finest, prepared with techniques that honor each ingredient’s unique character.
Festive Prosperity Yu Sheng: Cassia’s version balances tradition with resort sophistication. Fresh ingredients, artful presentation, and house-made condiments create yu sheng that feels both authentic and elevated. The portion sizing suits Capella’s more intimate dining scale while maintaining generous abundance.
Artful Dim Sum: These aren’t afterthoughts but carefully crafted courses. Delicate wrappers encase flavorful fillings, steaming baskets arrive at ideal temperature, and each piece demonstrates the kitchen’s technical prowess. Whether har gao with translucent skin revealing pink prawn within, or creative seasonal variations, the dim sum course provides textural and flavor variety.
Sweet Conclusions: Beyond the Savory
Ralph’s Coffee: The luxury cookie gift set transforms festive gifting into aesthetic experience. Red Velvet Biscoff cookies balance cocoa richness with cookie butter sweetness; Chocolate Coffee versions bring sophisticated bitterness; Butter cookies deliver pure, simple satisfaction; Pineapple Tart interpretations bridge cultures. The presentation—gold-handled red box with hidden drawers—makes the unveiling ritualistic.
Godiva: The Belgian chocolatier’s centennial Chinese New Year collection brings European sophistication to Asian festive traditions. Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate balances sweet-salty-bitter; Hazelnut Milk Chocolate provides nutty richness; Orange Raspberry White Chocolate offers bright, fruity contrast. The red-and-gold packaging with horse motifs makes these appropriate gifts, while the quality makes them memorable treats.
Final Verdict
Singapore’s 2026 Chinese New Year dining landscape demonstrates the city-state’s position as a global culinary capital. Each establishment brings unique strengths—Michelin-starred technical mastery at Shisen Hanten, heritage perfection at Min Jiang, innovative luxury at Pan Pacific Orchard, cross-cultural creativity at Paul, accessible excellence at Jumbo Group.
What unites these diverse offerings is commitment to quality, respect for tradition, and willingness to innovate thoughtfully. Whether seeking intimate family reunion, grand celebration, or elegant takeaway feast, Singapore’s dining scene delivers options that honor the festival’s spirit while pushing culinary boundaries.
The flavors are bold yet balanced, textures provide constant discovery, presentations transform meals into theater, service enhances every moment, and ambiances create environments where celebration feels natural and joyous.
This is festive dining done right—honoring the past, celebrating the present, and galloping confidently into the Year of the Horse with culinary excellence that would make any emperor envious.
Overall Rating: ★★★★★
Singapore’s Chinese New Year 2026 dining scene represents the apex of festive culinary celebration, offering something extraordinary for every preference, budget, and occasion.