Celebrate Chinese New Year at Hutong

This January award-winning restaurant, Hutong, will be the place to celebrate Chinese New Year in London with a whole host of exciting events drawing inspiration from many Chinese traditions. The festivities will begin in Hutong’s bar, with a range of specially created Chinese New Year cocktails on the menu throughout January. The four cocktails named ‘Fortune’, ‘Happiness’, ‘Wealth’ and ‘Longevity’, demonstrate the traditional themes and wishes imparted on friends and family during the festive period.

On Wednesday 29th January, Hutong will be ‘cleaning the restaurant’ in preparation for the New Year. All of the red lanterns will be re-hung to signify a new start and to bring good luck for the year to come. On this day, the Chinese traditionally give gifts of rice to their extended family, so Hutong will be giving a complimentary rice dish to all tables as a symbol of thanks and appreciation.

Another important tradition in the Chinese calendar takes place on New Year’s Eve, where families host a special reunion meal to celebrate together and bring luck for the year ahead. Hutong will be creating a special Reunion Dinner menu alongside their regular menu on Thursday 30th January, which will include a traditional whole fish centre piece for everyone to share.

The celebrations will culminate on 31st January with traditional lion dancers welcoming guests at the street-level entrance to The Shard, as well as Chinese musicians and an origami artist in the restaurant. Hutong will be creating a special set menu priced with the traditional lucky number, £88. The menu, named ‘Double Happiness’, will feature the customary ‘Lo Hei’ toss up salad, which consists of a mixture of raw seafood including salmon, yellow tail and shredded abalone. The Double Happiness menu will also include Hutong’s speciality Peking duck and boneless dover sole braised in coriander-vinegar sauce. Another tradition which Hutong will be adding their twist to, is the giving of red envelopes filled with money. Each table will be given a red envelope with their bill which will contain a gift courtesy of Hutong, and in one lucky table’s case, their entire bill will be complimentary!