It wasn’t too long ago since we last donned our celebration hats, but this next one up is really the mother-of-all-festivals, at least in foodie terms: the Year of the Rabbit will soon be here, its arrival heralded by all sorts of gluttonous activities (see our CNY special), especially the disproportionate consumption of abalone, roasted pig and poon choi—in other words, the feast of a lifetime.
Poon Choi Galore
Poon choi is the highlight of the season—a festive casserole hotpot dish, filled to the brim with meats, seafood and vegetables and typically served on occasions worth celebrating (and CNY definitely counts). Get a heaping bowl of some of the best poon choi in town at the following venues.
Xiao Nan Guo
A tantalizing combination of 15 delicious ingredients will go into the Xiao Nan Guo poon choi, including fish maw, pork knuckle, Japanese sea cucumber, salted chicken, Shanghainese smoked fish, Chinese ham, bean curd, dried mushrooms, fish balls, prawns, green bean vermicelli and Tianjin cabbage. Besides this show-stealer, Xiao Nan Guo will also be serving Shanghainese specialties such as the chicken in Shaoxing wine; braised pork knuckle with golden eggs; and Shanghai cabbage and an “Eight Treasures” whole braised duck with conpoy. Price of poon choi: $358 and above per bowl.
10/F, One Peking, One Peking Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui, 2527-8899
Harbour Plaza 8 Degrees
Harbour Plaza 8 Degrees will be serving up three different-sized portions of poon choi with traditional veggies, dried scallops, dried oysters, abalone, tofu, fatty pork, prawns and cabbage drenched in an abalone and oyster-based sauce. The poon choi comes free with the restaurant’s CNY buffet or can be bought separately at $138 for the small, $268 for the medium or $388 for the large size. But since the buffet itself is only $388 per adult and $198 per child/senior citizen, we recommend staying for the whole thing!
199 Kowloon City Rd., To Kwa Wan, 2126-1988
Moon Koon Restaurant
The racecourse has more than just horses on offer: it also has great food! Moon Koon restaurant at the second floor Happy Valley stand will be cooking up some exquisite poon choi, with the prices to match. The Treasure of Vegetarian Pot of Fortune is going for a humble $688, while the Lucky Pot of Fortune and the Deluxe Pot of Fortune (filled with premium seafoods and other Chinese delicacies) are available at $988 and $1,688 respectively.
Happy Valley Racecourse, Wong Nai Chung Rd., Happy Valley, 2966-7111
Celestial Court
Celestial Court has come up with a more festive title for their poon choi dish; they’ve christened it the Deluxe Village Basin Meal (which we find very appropriate indeed), to be enjoyed by four or more hungry persons. Abalone, conpoy, fish maw, dried oysters, king prawns, sea cucumbers, black mushrooms, suckling pig, dried beancurd sticks, broccoli and sea moss will be heaped into an attractive and edible lump to be literally enjoyed by the masses.
Sheraton Hotel, 20 Nathan Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui, 2367-0781
Classic Feasts
Where else to get your CNY binge? Below, some tried-and-true traditional choices for a proper new year meal.