A great start to the year is a sign of even better things to come — and what better way to celebrate the arrival of the Chinese New Year than enjoying a delicious meal with family and friends.
Taking a leaf out of age-old wisdom 扭(牛)转乾坤，meaning to radically turn things around, Si Chuan Dou Hua’s Executive Sichuan Chef Zeng Feng (执行四川主厨曾锋师傅), Executive Cantonese Chef Leung Wing Chung (执行广东主厨梁永祥师傅) and Consultant Chef Peter Tsang (顾问曾镜雄师傅) have created exquisite culinary treasures expressing this wisdom to partake in your celebrations.
From 11 January to 26 February 2021, usher in the year of the Golden Ox with the superbly curated Si Chuan Dou Hua menu and festive traditions. The restaurant’s Lunar New Year set menus are available from $88 onwards per person, and these bountiful arrays of inspiring Chinese New Year delicacies are available as dine-in, delivery, or takeaway food options.
Spin and Toss To Ring In Good Fortune this Chinese New Year
For a dose of good luck, spin and toss with Si Chuan Dou Hua’s Trio of Yusheng Collection. 2021 is the Year of the Metal Ox, which comes along once in 60 years. The time has come for the tide to turn in your favour.
Headlining this year’s Chinese New Year food specialty treats is the Prosperity Pufferfish Yusheng with Bitter Gourd and Fresh Greens (可爱牛仔河豚银鱼凉瓜捞).
For the fifth year running, Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant is the only Chinese restaurant in Singapore to exclusively present the fugu (pufferfish) sashimi with the prosperity Yusheng toss. This year, the fugu sashimi has been delicately shaped into the face of an endearing ox, and this can be savoured with Consultant Chef Peter Tsang’s Yusheng dish.
Translucent jade coloured bitter gourd petals, shaped like a flower and presented on ice, is the highlight of this Yusheng. Bitter gourd contains incredibly healthy compounds called cucurbitacins, and this wonder ingredient has been purposefully added to remind diners that at the end of bitterness comes sweetness. And just as the above saying goes, the bitter gourd’s unmistakable astringent flavour has been tamed by Chef Peter Tsang. He skillfully removed the whitish inner pith of the deseeded fruit and had the bitter gourd soaked in water overnight. This process also gives the bitter gourd an extra crunch. The Yusheng sauce is well balanced with honey allowing only hints of bitter gourd juice to come through, available at $198 only at the TOP of UOB Plaza outlet.
Solely presented at Si Chuan Dou Hua at PARKROYAL on Beach Road, Executive Sichuan Chef Zeng Feng’s Prosperity Beef Tongue Yusheng (大吉大利椒麻牛舌捞起) is in itself a picture of celebration. The huge bloom shaped by braised beef tongue slices get all the attention, but watch out also for the pseudo beef tongues — actually celtuce sliced thinly and nicely curled up at the base of the plate.
Chef Zeng Feng says, “Celtuce is referred to as beef tongues in the olden days. This dish, quintessentially Si Chuan in style and flavour, is, in essence, a cold appetiser dish. The salad vegetables and celtuce add textures and a refreshing mouthfeel, the bit of spice just enough to freshen you up.” Available at $98 per order only at Si Chuan Dou Hua at PARKROYAL on Beach Road.
Prosperity Exotic Garden with Bolete Mushroom in Homemade Bolete Mushroom and Osmanthus Sauce (金牛发财大捞生) is a healthy composition put forth by Executive Cantonese Chef Leung Wing Chung, who is helming the kitchen at the newly refurbished Si Chuan Dou Hua at PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road.
An ensemble of more than 10 types of fresh vegetables such as green and red lettuce, red and yellow beetroot, turnip, soybean sprouts, kelp, cucumber, carrot, mango, bamboo pith, this colourful assortment is further dressed with Japanese Matsutake and cordyceps flower. Strips of fresh Cep, also known as the Bolete Mushroom （牛肝菌）, specially sourced from Belgium are flown in twice per week. This prized ingredient often seen on menus in fining dining restaurants costs as much as $160 per kg and is known to be one of the finest varieties of mushroom gourmands would appreciate.
Much thought has gone into perfecting an osmanthus sauce that is light yet flavourful and inviting for the senses. To coax the complex fragrance out of the osmanthus, Chef Leung Wing Chung gently boils dried osmanthus over a small fire for an hour, then tops it off with homemade vegetable stock and injects extra bite and an earthy scent into this Yusheng sauce with Cep bits.
Chef Leung Wing Chung says, “I have noticed that healthier options excite diners more than ever. Rather than to top off the Yusheng with beef to celebrate the year of the Ox, I have specially sourced for fresh cep, called 牛肝菌 in Chinese, all the way from Europe to make this a healthier toss.”
He has chosen to plate Yusheng in a deep bowl sitting on top of a bed of dry ice. “The server adds a splash of water and the dish comes alive. Like the cow’s breath that has rocked the skies.” He laughs, “An actual spin on the bowl just before you toss puts you in a joyful mood, so toss and spin you will, and get set to receive showers of blessings.”
A bevy of textures and colour on its own, upsize this Yusheng the way you want by adding fish, abalone or lobster sashimi. If you fancy, all of the above for your celebrations! Otherwise, this vegetarian-friendly Yusheng makes a lovely treat for veggie lovers and may well stay on the menu as your favourite appetiser dish on your next visit to the restaurant. Available from $98, only at Si Chuan Dou Hua at PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road.
Chinese New Year Food: Si Chuan Dou Hua’s Auspicious Specialties
Whether it be classical dishes or cooking techniques, Si Chuan Dou Hua’s chefs have expressed much inventiveness putting a new spin on iconic dishes in Chinese cuisine, successfully updating festive favourites this Chinese New Year.
Whether it be classical dishes or cooking techniques, Si Chuan Dou Hua’s chefs have expressed much inventiveness putting a new spin on iconic dishes in Chinese cuisine, successfully updating festive favourites this Chinese New Year.
Exclusively served at TOP of UOB Plaza, Consultant Chef Peter Tsang‘s Crispy Noodle with Lobster in Egg Gravy Sauce (滑蛋龙虾飞天面) is a highly Instagrammable centrepiece that calls for ingenuity in using a cooking technique to deliver taste and style in a dish.
Individually prepared by drenching hot oil reaching up to 180 degrees celsius on sheng mian, this crispy noodle dish, served with chopsticks in mid-air stands sculpted like a piece of edible art — as if asking you to be steadfast and to remain undaunted while chasing your dreams. Fascinating to set your eyes on and provoking to the senses, this truly is a conversational piece.
An image of propped up soba piqued Consultant Chef Peter Tsang’s interest in creating a structural noodle art piece, sending him off into experimentation mode, exploring different types of noodles with the technique of oil drenching.
Says Chef Peter Tsang, “Building on tradition does not mean you have to be conservative. Oil drenching is most commonly worked on chickens to give it a crispy skin, I had the idea to apply the technique on noodles and have been playing with various shapes the noodles can be made into. To prove to diners that there is nothing hidden in the crispy noodles to hold its structure, we cut the noodles with scissors upon serving.” Available at $58 per small order only at TOP of UOB Plaza.
Fish features strongly in reunion dinners with the significance of enjoying an overflowing surplus this Chinese New Year, and it does as well in the Si Chuan Dou Hua menu. Chef Peter Tsang’s Steamed Garoupa with Clams, Baby Octopus and Minced Garlic (小八爪 鱼蛤蜊蒜茸蒸红斑) is a gleeful celebration of abundance on a plate.
The Hong Kong-style traditional steamed fish dish is elevated with the addition of lala or flower clams, baby octopus and river prawns, naturally adding depth and complexity to the flavour profile of this Cantonese classic. Available at $24 per 100g，min order of 600g, only at TOP of UOB Plaza.
At PARKROYAL on Beach Road, Executive Sichuan Chef Zeng Feng is wooing diners with Sichuan styled favourites such as the Sautéed Lobster with Sichuan Ma La Sauce(干锅麻辣开边龙虾). But not all Sichuan renditions are spicy. Chef Zeng Feng’s Deep Fried Waxed Meat Glutinous Rice Duck (香酥腊味糯米鸭) is a savoury treat that will please the whole family. Introduced in the shape of a circle, a symbol of unity and an infinite whole, this treat features 3 distinct layers, a bottom layer of perfectly pan-fried glutinous rice, followed by a middle layer of duck and waxed meat and a paper-thin crispy crust at the top.
Says Chef Zeng Feng, “Traditionally, the duck dish constitutes one of the four main pillars of Sichuan cuisine. It is often showcased as the second course, just before fish. For this particular dish, much work goes into the preparation of the duck, we steam it for 2 hours to achieve a softer bite, then debone, slice and mince before mixing in waxed meats and then fashioning it by hand onto steamed glutinous rice resembling a golden coin for good luck. We serve this with homemade Sichuan style pickled cabbage on the side to cleanse and prepare the palate for the next course.” Available at $26 per order of 8 pieces only at Si Chuan Dou Hua at PARKROYAL on Beach Road.
Braised Minced Ball with Black Truffle（黑松露古法煎元子) is yet another homely Sichuan offering in the Si Chuan Dou Hua menu that both young and old will enjoy. Applying the traditional method of hand cutting the pork into bits before mixing in chestnut，winter bamboo shoots, mushrooms and Chinese ham, the patty offers more bite and is shaped by hand before shallow frying. Available at $36 per order of 6 pieces only at Si Chuan Dou Hua at PARKROYAL on Beach Road.
Soup is good for the soul and Si Chuan Dou Hua knows that. At PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road, a Double-boiled Wagyu Brisket Soup with Matsutake (松茸清汤和牛腩) gets your nod this Chinese New Year. Wagyu brisket is first cooked over a gentle fire with spices, ginger, spring onions and white rice wine for 45 minutes. This is paired with white radish and Japanese matsutake, then double-boiled to sweetness so refined, it leaves you nourished and feeling revitalised. Available at $30 per order only at Si Chuan Dou Hua at PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road.
Count on Chef Leung at PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road to deliver flavoursome noodle and rice courses such as the Braised Ee Fu Noodle with Assorted Seafood(鱼汤海皇泡米伊) (Available at $30 per order only at Si Chuan Dou Hua at PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road) and Crispy Brown Rice with Two Head Abalone in Superior Stock (鲍脯海皇五谷炸泡饭). Packed with umami, the Crispy Brown Rice with Two Head Abalone in Superior Stock (鲍脯海皇五谷炸泡饭) is a winning formula in the Si Chuan Dou Hua menu, for adults and kids alike. Find scallops, prawns, abalone slices and deep-fried sakura shrimps nicely set in a heated clay pot. Crispy white and brown rice is scattered before a douse of nourishing chicken broth. Available at $78 per small portion only at Si Chuan Dou Hua at PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road.
Superbly Executed Classics at Si Chuan Dou Hua
Over the years, the Si Chuan Dou Hua menu has built up a treasure trove of excellent Chinese New Year food specialities that keep diners coming back for more. Indulge in time-honoured iconic classics in the comforts of your home. One popular item among regular diners is the Roast Suckling Pig (脆皮乳猪). Available at $328 per order, 3 days in advance, at PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road.
A symbol of plentiful wealth, this festive roast uses piglets from Hunan that weigh between 4 to 5kg. The preparation involves rubbing and seasoning the gutted and cleaned piglet with a homemade blend of spices, a further rub down with maltose, tidying the piglet’s shape before resting and air drying it. After roasting at 180 degrees celsius for 45 minutes, the piglet is allowed to cool. The second time the piglet goes into the oven, it is roasted to achieve its crispy lacquered crackling with a smoky finish.
The Prosperity Pen Cai (富贵盆菜) ($388 for four persons, $688 for eight persons) is another treasured flavour in the Si Chuan Dou Hua menu. Take pleasure in this luscious feast brimming with luxuriant ingredients and auspicious delicacies like abalone, fish maw, sea cucumber, dried scallop, dried oyster, soy chicken, goose web, roast pork, roast duck and more. Black moss, cordyceps flower, baby Chinese cabbage, yam and other vegetables compliment the rich flavours set in an addictive, thick nourishing broth. Place your order three days in advance for this pot of treasure, available at all outlets.
Sweet Tidings for the Chinese New Year
To complete this culinary feast, Si Chuan Dou Hua at PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road is showcasing Chef Leung’s Pan-fried New Year Cake with Soya Bean Crisps (像生五花肉年糕), which, at first sight, resembles a belly cut of the pork. This creation spun off from the traditional new year cake, features a naturally sweet red date puree, pumpkin puree and coconut juice. Available at $8 per 3 pieces at Si Chuan Dou Hua at PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road.
Meanwhile, Master Dim Sum Chef Peng Yi Chun (点心师傅彭以春) is upping the nian gao game with a multi-layered Durian New Year Cake (榴槤年糕). Think nian gao, soft but not so sweet, kueh lapis style. Equally laborious to make, if not more, durian custard and nian gao is layered one by one and then chilled, to set its shape.
Traditionally made from glutinous rice flour and brown sugar, the new year cake is a staple Chinese New year food. Mothers offer these sweet treats to the Kitchen God a week before Chinese New Year, in the hope of sealing his lips with this sticky treat just before he departs for heaven to report on this particular household. Otherwise, nian gao is symbolism at its best, you eat it and wish upon prosperity and a better ‘higher’ year ahead.
Thoughtfully handcrafted and sliced for your dining pleasure, this New Year Cake (nian gao) would make a meaningful gift this festive season and is packaged in a vibrant red box, available for dine-in or as takeaway food at $38 at all outlets.
Reunion Imperial High Tea
The Reunion Imperial High Tea (新春团圆宫廷下午茶), a signature of Tian Fu Tea House served at TOP of UOB Plaza and PARKROYAL on Beach Road outlets, offers an alternative way to ring in the festivities.
Comprising eight handcrafted dim sum items such as the Steamed Abalone Dumpling, Fragrant Waxed Meat Rice and the Durian New Year Cake, start off your intimate high tea treat with the Prosperity Salmon Yusheng toss (customised to party size).
The TOP of UOB outlet menu is available at $58 per person. Choose one out of four Chinese teas, and be treated to a Ginseng Cocktail. Ginseng is infused in gin for 24 hours to derive its distinctive medicinal undertone, then perfectly balanced with a refreshing ginger beer. The drink is presented elegantly in a transparent Chinese teacup, then garnished with ginseng root and a slice of ginger. The menu at PARKROYAL on Beach Road menu is available at $48 per person with a mocktail. Both High Tea menus are available from 230pm to 630 pm daily, from February 1 to 28 and the exact menu differs at the two outlets for variety.
Festive Takeaway Food from the Si Chuan Dou Hua Menu
Fill yourself with the comfort and joy of good Chinese New Year food even at home. If you have chosen to celebrate a reunion with your loved ones at home this festive season, take pleasure in Si Chuan Dou Hua’s Treasures Chinese New Year Takeaway Food Set from January 11 to February 26.
Priced at $468+, the Treasures Chinese New Year Takeaway Food Set will be available at all three Si Chuan Dou Hua outlets. Each set, good for 4 people, consists of six courses, the festive Yusheng, Pen Cai, two main dishes, a rice or noodle dish and a Nian Gao treat. The two main dishes will reflect the specialty of chefs at different outlets. Orders can now be made on the Oddle platform for takeaway food and home delivery options. Collection of orders can be made from 11 Jan 2021 at all Si Chuan Dou Hua outlets.
Wee Wei Ling, Executive Director of Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurants says, “2020 has been challenging for a lot of people. But no matter how hard it is, the days are still there for us to put our best forward. Chinese New Year is an important occasion and like any other year, Si Chuan Dou Hua is committed to serving our guests, whether they are dining in, taking food out or have entrusted us to deliver food to their homes, relatives or friends.”
She adds, “I believe the Reunion Dinner would have special significance for a lot of families this year. With our wonderful take-home offerings, we want to encourage diners to recreate the Si Chuan Dou Hua experience at home and bask in one of life’s simplest pleasures, and that is to eat well. Throughout the course of the year starting from Chinese New Year, Si Chuan Dou Hua will serve our guests delicious, healthy delights — good not just for the body but also for the heart and soul. With nourishment comes good spirit. Look no further, good times are just ahead.”
Si Chuan Dou Hua’s Chinese New Year Set Menus are available from $88 onwards for per persons, from 11 January to 26 February 2021. The Chinese New Year Ala Carte Menu will also be featured from 1 to 26 February 2021. A bottle of red wine worth $78 will be complimentary for diners with a minimum $600 spend, whilst stocks last.
UOB Cards Special for the Chinese New Year
UOB Cardmembers will be able to enjoy 20% savings on the first three days of Chinese New Year, from 12 to 14 February 2021 for the ala carte menu. In addition, for every three paying guests, one dines for free for the Reunion Imperial High Tea.
To cater to as many diners as possible, Si Chuan Dou Hua will open up two seatings for lunch and dinner for 15 days during the Chinese New Year season. The two seatings for lunch are 11 am to 12:30 pm and 1 pm to 3 pm. Dinner seatings are 5:30pm to 8pm and 8:30pm to 10:30pm. There will be a 15% savings for diners who opt for the first seating for lunch and second seating for dinner.
Deliveries and takeaway food options are available on the Oddle platform. Si Chuan Dou Hua is also offering a 15% savings for self pickups of takeaway food this Chinese New Year.
