Where To Celebrate Chinese New Year In London
FOR DINNER & DJS:
The Tent (at the End of the Universe)
Chef John Javier made a name for himself staging at the likes of Noma and cooking at some of the capital’s best pop-ups. Now, his newest members restaurant, The Tent (at the End of the Universe), is open to the general public, offering Middle Eastern food while DJs set the vibe. For Chinese New Year, the restaurant is hosting an all-you-can-eat menu of small Chinese plates on Sunday 22nd of January while DJ Harri Pepper will play soul, disco and house music. If you can’t make it on the night, there’s a separate Chinese New Year menu available for dinner bookings next week.
17 Little Portland Street, Soho, W1W 8BP
Visit Little-Portland.com
FOR TABLESIDE COOKING:
Carousel x Poon's Steamboat Dinner
Tonight, Carousel is teaming up with Chinese condiment brand Poon's for a Chinese New Year dinner (£55pp). The team is hosting a Cantonese steamboat feast where diners can gather around a pot of simmering stock to gently poach a selection of fresh seafood, marinated meats, home-made meatballs, Chinese veg, tofu and glass noodles, all seasoned with Poon’s umami-rich sauces. For dessert there’s a traditional nian gao.
19-23 Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia, W1T 1RW
Visit Carousel-London.com
FOR FINE DINING:
Hakkasan Mayfair
Michelin-starred Hakkasan is offering a Chinese New Year menu (from £128pp) at its Mayfair restaurant until Tuesday 7th February. Dishes include cherrywood smoked roasted duck, stir-fried wagyu beef with shimeji mushrooms, and steamed john dory with brown butter black bean sauce. Finish the meal with the black sesame mousse with raspberry compote and sorbet, and one of the restaurant’s signature cocktails like the ‘Sea of Clouds’, made with Cîroc vodka, passion fruit, miso and Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2012 reduction.
17 Bruton Street, Mayfair, W1J 6QB
Visit Hakkasan.com
FOR GREAT TAKEAWAY BUNS:
Bun House
Cantonese-style steamed bun specialist Bun House in Chinatown is celebrating the year of the rabbit with a Lunar New Year bun trio and traditional Cantonese dessert, nian gou. Available for collection and delivery, choose from the ‘Lunar Bunny’ filled with White Rabbit Candy Creams – a cult Cantonese childhood sweet; the ‘Faat Choi’ bun, oozing with black sesame sauce; and the ‘Dai Gut’ bun of luck with a dark chocolate and mandarin filling. Then the nian gou is a moreish brown sugar and coconut cake.
26-27 Lisle Street, Chinatown, WC2H 7BA
Visit BunsAndWuns.shop
FOR GLITZ & GLAMOUR:
Park Chinois
Park Chinois is serving a special lunar menu (£168pp) until Sunday 29th January. Diners can sit in the Salon de Chine restaurant to try new dishes like a ‘prosperity-toss’ salad, dried scallop bamboo soup, grilled wild seabass with plum sauce, Cantonese roasted duck and a whole roasted suckling pig stuffed with sticky rice (available to pre-order 48 hours in advance). For dessert, there’s a bunny custard bao, plus three bespoke Hennessy XO cocktails. In typical Park Chinois style, diners will also be treated to immersive entertainment including music from Chinese drummers and a string quartet, as well as a lion dance across the restaurant.
17 Berkeley Street, Mayfair, W1J 8EA
Visit ParkChinois.com
FOR STREET FOOD FLAVOURS:
Daddy Bao
Tooting’s Taiwanese restaurant Daddy Bao is celebrating Lunar New Year on Monday 23rd and Tuesday 24th January with an eight-course tasting menu inspired by Chinese street food favourites (£50pp). Highlights include mushroom broth with a crispy noodle cracker; pork jiaozi with dipping sauce; grilled scallop with umami butter and seaweed; fish bao; and white rabbit caramels. There’s also a separate menu for vegans and vegetarians.
113 Mitcham Road, Tooting, SW17 9PE
Visit DaddyBao.co.uk
FOR PRIVATE DINING:
Bao
From Friday 20th January to Sunday 5th February, bun expert Bao is inviting groups of six or more to book the private dining rooms at its King’s Cross and Shoreditch restaurants to enjoy a themed set menu (£39pp). You’ll start with boiled cull yaw dumplings, soy-glazed aubergine and Taiwanese fried chicken before moving onto mains of scarlet cha shao gammon, roasted pumpkin with tofu and chives, and plenty of pork bao buns. Then, it’s sweet buns shaped into rabbits for dessert to celebrate this year’s animal.
Unit 2, 4 Pancras Square, King’s Cross, N1C 4DP; 1 Redchurch Street, Shoreditch, E1 6JJ
Visit BaoLondon.com
FOR DELICIOUS DUMPLINGS:
Hutong at The Shard
Hutong at The Shard will serve a five-course tasting menu (£138pp) on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd January. Dishes include seafood dumplings with Sichuan chilli sauce, slow-cooked rack of lamb, roasted Peking duck, spicy fried rice with prawns and chilli oil, and sweet dumplings for dessert. There will also be traditional Chinese festivities throughout the weekend, including a Chinese calligrapher from 7pm-9pm on Saturday followed by a lion dance.
33 St Thomas Street, London Bridge, SE1 9RY
Visit Hutong.co.uk
FOR BEAUTIFUL DECORATIONS:
MiMi Mei Fair
MiMi Mei Fair has brought in award-winning florist Lucy Vail to transform the restaurant with a beautiful floral display for Chinese New Year. Diners can sit under a canopy decorated in the lucky colours of the year of the rabbit, while tucking into a traditional Chinese New Year feast – think dim sum baskets, roast chicken with crispy garlic, crispy pork with pineapple and red chilli, and dried scallop braised noodles.
55 Curzon Street, Mayfair, W1J 8PG
Visit MimiMeifair.com
FOR UNUSUAL FLAVOURS:
Straits Kitchen at Pan Pacific
South-east Asian restaurant Straits Kitchen at Pan Pacific hotel is hosting two nights of Chinese New Year feasting on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd January. Diners can enjoy a four-course sharing dinner (£138pp) comprising dishes like rainbow yu sheng salad, braised abalone (sea snails) served with shiitake mushrooms, steamed seabass with XO sauce, and lobster and scallops with stir fried rice. On Sunday, there’s also the option to choose the sharing roast menu which includes crispy pork belly, duck, barbeque pork or roast Hainanese chicken, followed by special desserts created by pastry chef Cherish Finden.
80 Houndsditch, Liverpool Street, EC3A 7AB
Visit PanPacificLondon.com
FREDDY H CREATOR
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