This week London has been celebrating Lunar New Year, the time where the Chinese and east Asian community celebrate reunion and rebirth, marking the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Though New Year's Day was officially on 1st February, celebrations will reign throughout Chinatown until the 14th and while the main event may not be going ahead this year, there's still plenty of opportunity to make the most of our favourite parts of London's unique culture an eat some incredible dishes created for the occasion.
Chinatown is home to over 150 businesses including restaurants, dessert parlours, bars and cafés not just for Chinese cuisine, but a host of east Asian flavours from Vietnamese and Japanese to Taiwanese and Malaysian. Despite thinking we were fairly familiar with the area, we embarked on a delicious foodie tour this week full of hidden pit stops. Did you know that down the back street of Dansey Place for example lies Lo's Noodle Factory, THE only place to buy the mainstay of many Asian cuisines? We also were introduced to Yolkin, purveyors of the MOST incredible ice cream macaron sandwiches and feasted on some of the delicious Lunar New Year dishes at Chinatown icon The Golden Phoenix. Read on for our pick of some of the best dishes to try if you're out and about this weekend...
Head to www.chinatown.london to find out more.
Golden Phoenix is welcoming in the New Year with a Chinese New Year Set Menu, available for 10 people. The menu is designed for sharing and features a whole array of festive dishes. Highlights includevDeep Fried Lobster with Salty Egg Yolk, Steamed Whole Sea Bass in Traditional Style, Roast Chicken with Red Bean Curd Paste, Fried Scallop, Prawn with Broccoli, Fried Rice with Prawns in Lotus Leaf. 37-38 Gerrard St, W1D 5QB
Rasa Sayang, a Malaysian and Singaporean restaurant in Chinatown, will be serving the time-honoured Yu Sheng (Prosperity Toss salad), a unique “lucky” staple of the Malaysian celebrations of Lunar New Year. Rasa Sayang have put their spin on the dish: a raw and crispy salad served with a fruit-based sauce and complete with shredded carrots, radish, pickled ginger, fried yam sticks, pomelo, jellyfish, coriander, sliced salmon, wonton skin, peanuts and sesame. Gather around one of the communal tables and toss the ingredients together to usher in luck, prosperity and health for the new year. Dine in or takeaway. Available from until the 15th February, choose from collection at £39.80 (for 3-6 people) or dine in for 2-4 people at £28 or 5-8 people at £48. 5 Macclesfield Street, W1D 6AY
Upmarket Cantonese restaurant Plum Valley will be offering their striking limited-edition ‘Lucky Creamy Custard Buns’ for the LNY celebrations. In the shape of a mandarin, these auspicious fruits are said to bring wealth and good health, as the Chinese word for orange and gold sound similar, while the word for tangerine sounds like “luk”. These will be served alongside Plum Valley’s homemade sweet coconut version of Nian Gao, a typical dish eaten on Lunar New Year representing opportunity and success. Or If you have a savoury tooth, why not try Plum Valley’s homemade Radish Cake - a must-try snack during the LNY celebrations, as the word for radish is a homophone for good fortune. Available for dine-in and takeaway. 20 Gerrard St, W1D 6JQ
Noodle and dumpling restaurant Shanghai Modern has taken the essence of 1930’s Shanghai design to craft an elegant dining space. With an open kitchen on the ground floor, diners and passers-by can enjoy watching fresh dumplings and noodles being artfully prepared. This Lunar New Year, the team has developed a special menu, treating guests to one-off delights. The LNY menu will feature Tiger Cha-Siu (Roast Pork) Baos, Salt & Pepper Crispy Fried Quail, Oyster in Crispy Tempura, Monk’s Vegetables, Yam & Pork Belly Hot Pot and Breadcrumb-Coated Butterfly King Prawns in Orange Cointreau Sauce Steamed Turbot with Ginger & Spring Onion. 12 Newport Pl, WC2H 7PR
Japanese-Franco patisserie shop Sakurado has developed some gorgeous Lunar New Year desserts to celebrate the occasion, such as a limited-edition Lunar New Year cake, Custard Choux Buns in the shape of a tiger, and Nian Gao, a sticky rice cake that is considered good luck to eat as it symbolises an increasing prosperity each year. Available for takeaway and nationwide delivery.
66 Shaftesbury Ave, W1D 6LX
Instagram sensation Yolkin is an ice-cream bakery known for its adorable seasonal and festive specials. Specialising in south east Asian ice cream flavours and macaron ice cream sandwiches, founder Sammie Le has announced an exclusive design for 2022’s Lunar New Year in celebration of the Year of the Tiger, like a tiger macaron filled with orange mochi ice cream. 24 Rupert St, W1D 6DQ
1920’s Shanghai themed Cocktail Bar and Dim Sum Parlour Opium will be offering a cocktails specials menu consisting of 5 new and exciting cocktails inspired by the Lunar New Year celebrations. They will have special packages which start from £50 per person that include a Cocktail, a Dim Sum Platter, an Egg Custard Tart, a Lucky Red Envelope & a Fortune Cookie. 15-16 Gerrard St, W1D 6JE
Headed up by Chef/Proprietor Jeff Tan, Viet Food will be launching a selection of cocktail and menu specials for the Lunar New Year celebrations. Renowned for being the best place in Chinatown to experience modern Vietnamese cooking, Tan uses specialist cooking techniques, fresh ingredients and beautiful presentation to celebrate Vietnam's vibrant street food culture. Until 15th February, Viet Food will be serving 2 exclusive cocktails and 2 special dishes, including Grilled Giant Prawns with Crispy Garlic Fú Hǔ Xiàn Ruì or 'Tiger Brings Good Luck' and Grilled Sea Bass with Tamarind Sauce. 34-36 Wardour St, London W1D 6QT
As part of their celebrations Taiyakiya, a Japanese dessert shop offering instagrammable Japanese fish-shaped waffles (Taiyaki), will be serving up their own version of Nian Gao with black sesame and peanut Taiyaki, a sweet glutinous sticky rice cake that is enjoyed year round, but often a must-have during Chinese New Year, as the name sheds light to give progress, promising a better year ahead. 20 Newport Court, London WC2H 7PR, UK
Bubblewrap, purveyors of the famed Hong Kong-style bubble waffle stuffed with an assortment of delicious fillings, have added two limited-edition flavour combos to the menu to celebrate LNY. The first will be the HK Milk Tea Combo combining the Original Bubblewrap Waffle, HK Milk Tea Gelato, Boba and finished with Salted Crown Cheese: an indulgent topping featuring a foamy layer of milk and cream cheese and sprinkled with salt. Next up is the Adzuki Red Bean Combo which includes the Original Bubblewrap Waffle, Adzuki Red Bean Gelato, topped with Matcha Cream and Strawberry. Available in-store. 24 Wardour St, W1D 6QJ
This February, Bun House, the Cantonese-style steamed bun specialist in the heart of Chinatown, will celebrate Lunar New Year with the launch of their brand new ‘The Tiger Who Came For Tea’ menu. Inspired by the Year of the Tiger, the Bun House take on a classic afternoon tea will run for one month only and include a selection of their much-loved themed buns alongside smaller sweet and savoury snacks and traditional Chinese teas. On the menu you will find a Savoury Tiger Bun, Chestnut and white chocolate bun, Bun House’s take on a classic scone, Fried Milk Ribs, Crispy tempura oyster mushrooms, Confit duck croquettes, Tong Yuen, a glutinous rice ball that is said to represent fullness and completeness, served with a ginger and lemon syrup and topped with roasted peanut dust, and a Persimmon posset with sweet-scented osmanthus vinegar. ‘The Tiger Who Came For Tea and Buns’ menu will run until 27th February and can be booked online at resy.com. 26 - 27 Lisle Street, London, WC2H 7BA
