MANILA -- Welcome the Year of the Wood Dragon with auspicious eats and drinks from these restaurants, shops, and hotels.

CHOWKING

HandoutChowking is offering two festive New Year additions to usher in the Year of the Wood Dragon.

The new Family Lauriat features six of Chowking's best-selling dishes: Chinese-style Fried Chicken, Pancit Canton, Siomai, Buchi, Chicharap, and Egg Fried Rice. It is presented in customized packaging and is good for 4 to 6 persons.

There is also the Peanut Buchi, a sweet and sticky treat that is also available as a platter.

Aside from the two new offerings, Chowking is also holding an online Chinese New Year celebration on its Facebook page on February 10.

CITY OF DREAMS MANILA

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This Chinese New Year, City of Dreams Manila is showcasing auspicious offerings through its restaurants.

Crystal Dragon is serving Lunar New Year specialties from lunch to dinner until February 12, including the signature Prosperity Abalone Yu Sheng. This salad consists of sliced abalone and julienned papaya, pomelo, carrots, radish, onion leeks, chopped peanuts, and deep-fried flour crisps, and drizzled with oil and plum dressing.

Also available as a la carte options include dishes such as Sea Treasures Broth, Slow-braised Pork Knuckle, Steamed Star Grouper, Slow-poached Yellow Skin Chicken, Wok-fried Prawn, and Deep-fried Nian Gao, among others.

Over at Red Ginger, diners can enjoy a Southeast Asian twist to yu sheng with its Prosperity Prawn and Pomelo Salad with Vietnamese Nước chấm dressing. The restaurant also offers Deep-fried Whole Tilapia, Crispy Orange Chicken, and Nian Gao. Red Ginger's menu for Lunar New Year is available from February 8 to 18 for lunch and dinner.

City of Dreams Manila will also hold an eye-dotting ceremony followed by a lion and dragon dance on February 10, 5 p.m., at the main casino entrance. From February 8 to 11, The Shops at the Boulevard will have a pop-up bazaar of charms as well as tarot and palm reading.

DIN TAI FUNG

Special dishes previously exclusive to Din Tai Fung's Uptown Bonifacio branch, as well as private dining room menus in its restaurants in Mall of Asia and Bonifacio High Street, will be available to customers from February 8 to 29.

These include Oyster Misua Soup, Fried Pumpkin in Salted Egg, Szechuan Pepper Soft Shell Crab. Spareribs in Chili Garlic, and Almond Pudding with Red Bean.

From February 8 to 15, Din Tai Fung is giving a limited edition ang pao to those who will reach a minimum dine-in spend of P3,500. The ang pao contains eight different takeaway vouchers for select menu items. One voucher may be redeemed per takeout transaction in all Din Tai Fung Philippines branches until April 30.

GRAND HYATT MANILA

Grand Hyatt Manila has prepared a live cooking show, a prosperity toss, and a lion dance performance, and a Chinese New Year set menu for guests, with rates starting at P26,888 net for six persons.

Guests can also look forward to celebrating in the hotel's other dining concepts: a Chinese New year buffet at The Grand Kitchen at P3,400 net per person for dinner on February 9 and lunch and dinner on February 10; Filipino-inspired afternoon tea with a touch of Chinese flair at Merienda Cena at P2,200 net per person, inclusive of free-flow food and rosé wine; and No. 8 China House's set menus starting at P24,880 for six persons.

Grand Hyatt Manila is also selling its signature Nian Gao in traditional brown sugar and the new flavor osmanthus, with prices starting at P1,788 net, until February 10.

JOHNNIE WALKER

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Scotch whisky brand Johnnie Walker is celebrating Chinese New Year with a design collaboration with Asian-American contemporary visual artist James Jean.

The Johnnie Walker Blue Label Lunar New Year Limited Edition is now
available in the Philippines in all S&R branches, online through Singlemalt.PH, and through Diageo Private Sales channels.

LANSON PLACE MALL OF ASIA

HandoutLanson Place Mall of Asia is holding the traditional lion and dragon dance at 10:59 a.m. on February 10, followed by a prosperity toss at Cyan Modern Kitchen by executive chef Kristine Oro.

Guests have the chance to win prizes from the Tree of Luck and Love when they indulge in a lunch or dinner for every single transaction of P8,888 at Cyan Modern Kitchen. The restaurant's Chinese New Year buffet is priced at P2,888 net per person.

NEW WORLD MAKATI HOTEL

HandoutNew World Makati Hotel is celebrating Chinese New Year with auspicious menus at its Jasmine restaurant, as well as a feng shui forecast for the year by geomancer Patrick Lim Fernandez of Yin and Yang Shop of Harmony. The hotel likewise offers nian gao (tikoy) in elegant packaging.

Jasmine's offers come with two set menus available for a minimum of four persons and includes a box of nian gao. There is also the option of adding the yu sheng prosperity salad to the set menus, with a required lead time of at least 48 hours.

Set 1 includes Braised Abalone Mushroom in Crabmeat Broth; Wok-fried Prawns in Black Pepper Sauce; Steamed Fish Fillet in Superior Sauce; Braised Chinese Black Mushrooms, Sea Moss, and Kailan; Steamed Rice with Preserved Sausage in Lotus Leaf; Hot Cream Red Bean Soup and Lotus Seeds; Glutinous Rice Dumplings with Milk Chocolate; and Nian Gao.
 
On the other hand, set 2 includes Braised Assorted Seafood in Fish Maw Broth; Pan-fried Tiger Prawns in Spicy Bean Sauce; Steamed Live Garoupa in Superior Soy Sauce; Braised Dried Oyster with Sea Moss in Premium Oyster Sauce; Misua in ‘Fujian’ Style; Double Boiled White Fungus with Lotus Seeds; and Steamed Piggy Buns with Milky Egg Cream.

Rituals and 'lucky' food for Chinese New Year

Jasmine also has an all-you-can-eat dim sum menu for Chinese New Year, with dishes such as shrimp dumplings, spring rolls, friend bean curd, and more.
 

SOLAIRE RESORT

Solaire Resort is holding a dragon and lion dance on February 10 to welcome the Year of the Wood Dragon. Guests can also look forward to other performances like a Chinese orchestra, Chinese fan dance, wushu exhibition, and war drums exhibition from February 9 to 11 at The Gallery at the Shoppes.

Diners can toast to the new Chinese New Year with Red Lantern's eat-all-you-can dim sum buffet, with dishes like crispy prawn salad, "Dong-po" style braised pork belly, wok-fried noodles, and more. The restaurant also has set menus that highlight the flavors of the prosperity salad with smoked salmon, steamed rock lobster, stir-fried wagyu beef, and pan-fried rice cake.

Red Lantern also has Lunar Gift Hampers containing cookies, caramel almond sea salt candies, a glutinous rice cake bar, 30 Years Pu-er tea, Macallan 18 Years Sherry Oak, Remy Martin Louis XIII 700ml, and more.

THE PENINSULA MANILA

HandoutOn February 10, The Peninsula Manila will hold a lion and dragon dance at the lobby, with the event open to the public.

The Peninsula Boutique is also offering a limited edition line of Lunar New Year chocolate trees as auspicious gifts. Molded and finished by hand, the Mandarin Orange Tree and Golden Fortune Money Tree are made of chocolate, with prices ranging from P2,888 to P3,888.

The traditional lo hei prosperity toss will be available for lunch and dinner at the lobby from February 9 to 10 at P5,888 (exclusive of taxes). Escolta is also open for lunch (P2,600 per adult, P1,300 per child 6 to 12 years old) and dinner (P3,000 per adult and P1,500 per child 6 to 12 years old).