Just when you've shed your extra Christmas pounds, here comes Lunar New Year, complete with some fantastically gluttonous specials around town. Chinese Opulence No traditional Chinese feast is complete without treasured delicacies like abalone, bird’s nest, scallops, or seafood soup. Head to Marco Polo Hotel (Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2113-0088) for their fireworks basin dinner on Feb 19 to sample 10 different seafood delicacies at $2,288 for six people, or $3,888 for 12. Yan Toh Heen (InterContinental Hong Kong Hotel, 18 Salisbury Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui, 2313-2323) is not to be outdone, what with their “Fat Choy” menu at $13,888 for a table of 12 and an eight-course set dinner priced at $1,328, $1,628, or $2,428 per person. Reserve in advance if you want to dine on Feb 17, 18, or 20. Man Wah (25/F, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 5 Connaught Road, 2825-4025) is also offering a traditional Chinese menu from Feb 17– 20 at $988 per person. Highlights include seafood soup with four treasures, fried rice with abalone, crab, scallops and salted egg, braised dried oyster with black moss and double-boiled papaya with bird’s nest and red date. And let’s not miss out Lung King Heen (The Four Seasons, 8 Finance St., Central, 3196-8888), which is offering two lavish Lunar New Year menus featuring lobster, pigeon, and (what else?) seafood and bird’s nest. The eight-course menu is priced at $880 or $1,380 per head, available from Feb 17-25. European Extravagance If a Chinese banquet is not your style, head to Toscana (The Ritz-Carlton, 3 Connaught Rd., Central, 2532-2062) for a special Italian dinner created for Lunar New Year by Chef Umberto Bombana. A true gourmet experience, the five-course set includes caviar on cauliflower foam, trenette in mushroom and lobster ragout, and Barolo red wine pear with blood orange gelee. A complimentary glass of champagne is included for $1,088/head. For Lunar New Year, the internationally acclaimed Spoon by Alain Ducasse (InterContinental Hong Kong Hotel, 18 Salisbury Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui, 2313-2323) has a special fireworks menu created by Chef Tjaco van Eijen for $1,388 per person. Meanwhile, Pierre (The Mandarin Oriental, 5 Connaught Rd., Central, 2825-4001), another renowned fine-dining establishment, is offering an eight-course menu for $1,888 per person, featuring Crème de Chataigne Fume aux Truffes Fraiches among other French dishes. Other Delights Lotus (37-43 Pottinger Street, Central, 2543-6290), which serves up the finest cocktails in the city, is celebrating with a four-course dinner with signature dishes from its menu. At $450 per person, it begins with a Smoke Trout Betel Leaf with Dried Shrimp appetizer, and includes a soup, a main course, and a dessert. Enjoy a leisurely long weekend lunch Feb 17 and 24 at One Bar (Level 3, One Exchange Square, 8 Connaught Place, Central, 2522-2246). To welcome the Year of the Pig, One Bar has created a pork-themed menu in addition to their regular a la carte service. Work up an appetite for dishes like roasted five spiced pork belly, honey roasted pork neck, and pork dumplings. A great value for the buffet at $150 per person. Dinner with A View Lunar New Year isn't complete without fireworks. Head to restaurants with harbor views on the second day of the Lunar New Year (Feb 19) to take in the pyrotechnics while you feast. Lumiere (Lumiere, 3103, Podium Level 3, IFC Mall, Central, 2393-3933) at the IFC offers a six-course dinner featuring Sichuan and South American fusion with signature dishes like Shark’s Fin Bisque and Seared Jumbo Crab for $550 per head. Yan Toh Heen (Yan Toh Heen, The Intercontinental Hotel, 18 Salisbury Rd, Kowloon, 2313-2323), a traditional Chinese restaurant, also offers great harbour views. Sample French culinary masterpieces and enjoy the fireworks spectacle at Caprice (The Four Seasons, 8 Finance Street, Central, 3196-8888), which offers a Fireworks Dinner Menu at $1,380 per person with truffles, caviar, and foie gras - the works. Finally, you can also head up to Isola (Level 3 & 4, IFC Mall, Central, 2383-8765) at the IFC for a cocktail and an open-air display of fireworks, or experience a skyscraper view from the cocktail lounge Aqua Spirit (29/F-30/F, 1 Peking Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui, 3427 2288). Free Flowing Bubbly Make a toast to welcome the Lunar New Year with Sunday brunch and free-flowing bubbly. On Feb 18, The Café (The Ritz-Carlton, 3 Connaught Rd., Central, 2532-2062) provides free-flowing champagne for $488 with a buffet from noon- 3pm. Harbourside (InterContinental Hong Kong Hotel, 18 Salisbury Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui, 2313-2323) also serves up bottomless bubbly with their seafood buffet at $558 per person, from 11am-3pm.
