Many people might’ve already packed up their celebration gears after Jan. 1, but for a lot of us, the year hasn’t truly started yet. Remember: Jan. 1 being the start of the year is a Gregorian calendar thing, but that’s not the only system that exists. And if you belong to an even semi-Chinese family, you’d know that the Lunar New Year is a big celebration in its own right.
To help you usher in an auspicious Year of The Pig, we’ve compiled a list of places that offer food specials, room discounts, and activities in honor of the Chinese New Year:
Food
Crystal Dragon
Upper Ground Floor Nüwa, Tower 1, Aseana Boulevard corner Macapagal Avenue Brgy.Tambo, Paranaque City
Crystal Dragon will be putting out their special lunar new year menus from Jan. 25 to Feb. 19, offering items such as a yu sheng salad (a raw fish salad), shredded roasted duck, and a special poon choi menu (literally translating to “Chinese casserole in a basin,” poon choi is a one-pot communal dish) among others, during lunch (12 p.m. to 3 p.m.) and dinner (6 p.m. to 11 p.m.). They’ll also be offering nian gao, a kind of tikoy offered only during the new year, as part of their à la carte menu.
Red Ginger
Upper Ground Level, The Shops at the Boulevard, City of Dreams Manila
Aseana Boulevard corner Macapagal Avenue Brgy.Tambo, Paranaque City
Red Ginger’s Lunar Festive Menu will feature dishes such as a ginger poached chicken with spring onion oil, black pepper flower crab with wintermelon, and a braised pork pata with sotanghon and baby bokchoy. With prices starting at P888, Red Ginger will be offering these for the entire month of February. Aside from that, the restaurant will also be serving a mini yu sheng salad from Feb. 5 to 7 only.
Pepita’s Kitchen
Magallanes Ave, Makati, Metro Manila
Pepita’s Kitchen will be offering their signature “super suman” (a regular on the Inquirer’s yearly Best Desserts list, the super suman is a modernized tikoy) as well as their eight treasure lechon de leche dish.
Market Café
1588 Pedro Gil cor. M.H. Del Pilar, Manila City
On Feb. 4 to 5, the café will be offering buffets featuring Cantonese and Szechuan dishes as well as traditional Chinese desserts. It’ll be priced at P2,800 including unlimited drinks.
Li Li
1588 Pedro Gil cor. M.H. Del Pilar, Manila City
Li Li will be selling these special pink nian gao in the shape of a pig. Aside from that, it’ll be dishing out their festival menus featuring various Cantonese specialties such as braised pork knuckle and bird’s nest soup at P2,688 per person.
Lung Hin
Meralco Avenue and Sapphire Street, Ortigas Centre, Pasig City
Lung Hin will be putting up two authentic Cantonese set menus by their Chinese executive chef Terry Lai. The set will include suckling pig cold cuts, braised abalone with fish maw, and steamed live garoupa, among others. They’ll also be offering their “Classic Salmon Yu Sheng Prosperity Toss” as an à la carte option. You can also buy their nian gao (they’ll be offering two versions: a traditional round one, and one in the form of a gold bar) from Jan. 5 to Feb. 5, with prices starting at P798.
Peninsula Manila
Corner of Ayala and Makati Avenues, 1226 Makati City
From Feb. 4 to 6, the Pen will be serving lucky three-course lunch and dinner specials priced at P2,150. The dishes included will all be classic Chinese cuisine staples such as salted egg prawns with ginger bokchoy and crispy spice pork belly with pan-seared radish cake.
Man Ho
2 Resorts Drive, Pasay City, Manila 1309 Metro Manila
Starting now until Feb. 15, Man Ho will be offering up treats such as their “ti-koi fish” (P1,888) and a Lunar New Year hamper (P3,188) featuring double prosperity koi-shaped tikoy, Daruma piglets, kiam muy. They’ll also be adding two Lunar New Year staples into their menu from Feb. 1 to 6: poon choi (P18,800 good for 8 to 12 persons) and lohei or yu sheng (P2,888 good for 4 to 6 persons).
Spiral
CCP Complex Roxas Blvd Brgy. 76, Pasay City
Sofitel’s Spiral will be serving twelve “prosperity dishes” from Feb. 4 to 8 prepared by their new master chef Yui So Chan. The dishes, which include a cereal butter prawn and Buddha soup, will have Chinese-Malaysian, Hong Kong and Cantonese influences. The rates for the spread containing all twelve dishes is as follows:
- Feb. 4: P2,850 nett per person for lunch and P3,888 nett per person for dinner
- Feb. 5: P3,588 nett per person for lunch and P3,888 nett per person for dinner
- Feb. 6-7: P2,850 nett per person for lunch and P3,600 nett per person for dinner
- Feb. 8: P2,850 nett per person for lunch and P3,450 nett per person for dinner
Sunset Bar
CCP Complex Roxas Blvd Brgy. 76, Pasay City
The Sunset Bar will hold a Chinese hawker-style feast on Feb. 4 complete with live musical acts, fire dances, and fireworks to usher in the Year of the Pig. For P3,488 nett, the feast will include unlimited local beer, iced tea, special cocktails and the Wine of the Month.
Accommodations
The Manila Hotel
One Rizal Park, Ermita, Manila City
You can book from Jan. 16 to Feb. 3 Manila Hotel’s superior deluxe rooms for P6,888 net per night (stay period is from Feb. 1 to 4). The reservation will include a buffet breakfast at Café Ilang-Ilang, one box of tikoy, P1,000 dining credits at Red Jade, and a tour of their Heritage Museum.
Manila Marriott Hotel
2 Resorts Drive, Pasay City, Manila 1309 Metro Manila
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The Manila Marriott Hotel is offering an overnight stay at their premium rooms from Feb. 3 to 7 for P12,388. The package includes one box of tikoy and P3,000 F&B credits usable for any of the hotel’s restaurant outlets.
Activities
Peninsula Manila
Corner of Ayala and Makati Avenues, 1226 Makati City
On Feb. 5 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon, the Peninsula will be holding traditional lion and dragon dances (believed to bring good luck) at their lobby.
Manila Marriott Hotel
2 Resorts Drive, Pasay City, Manila 1309 Metro Manila
On Feb. 6 at 5 p.m., Marriott Manila will also be having a ceremonial lion and dragon dance at their lobby.
The Shops at the Boulevard at City of Dreams Manila
City of Dreams Manila, Aseana Boulevard corner Macapagal Avenue Brgy.Tambo, Paranaque City
In front of Café Society, dedicated fortune tellers will be around every 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. to tell guests’ fortunes; while at 2:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. a God of Fortune mascot will give out fortune tokens to lucky patrons. There will also be Chinese cultural performances at 4:20 p.m. and 6:25 p.m.
Marco Polo Ortigas, Manila
Meralco Avenue and Sapphire Street, Ortigas Centre, Pasig City
Feng Shui master Chau Kam Shing will be giving a ceremonial blessing ritual on Feb. 5 which will be followed by a dragon and lion dance at 11 a.m. at the hotel’s ground level.
Featured photo courtesy of City of Dreams Manila
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Writer: ZOFIYA ACOSTA
