It seems like just yesterday that we were chewing on our Christmas turkey, and now it’s already time to plan our reunion dinners for Chinese New Year. Although KL has great dining options, securing a table for a big family gathering can be challenging.
There’s more to reunion dinners than just sitting everyone down at the round table for delicious abalones and scallops, as getting together also means leaving the past behind and starting the year fresh. Also, not forgetting the tossing of yee sang and the chanting of traditional aphorisms to welcome good fortune and luck.
That said, we’ve narrowed down some of the best Chinese restaurants in the city with scrumptious menus and unique yee sangs to welcome the year of the Wood Snake.
The Brasserie at The St. Regis Kuala Lumpur
This MICHELIN selected restaurant just kicked off the Chinese New Year season with an eight-course Prosperity Set Menu, highlighting dishes like Deep-Fried Sea Prawns with Creamy Yuzu Sauce and pomegranate pulps. Headed by Executive Chinese Chef Cheong Boon Fei, there’s also the Longevity Vegetarian Set Menu, featuring dishes like Fatt Choy with Vegetables Golden Broth and Braised Tau Kan cooked with premium ingredients for outstanding flavours.
A staple for every reunion dinner, enjoy The Brasserie’s Premium Yee Sang which is crafted with freshly sliced fruits, vegetables, an assortment of nuts, seeds, and a signature sauce. For proteins, you can opt for abalone, yellowtail hamachi, or salmon. Also, all yee sang dishes come with jellyfish as a default ingredient. For the vegetarian version, you’ll see plenty of mixed nuts alongside traditional yee sang toppings.
If you’re planning for a big company gathering, The Brasserie has private dining rooms that can accommodate up to 50 people. However, the establishment requires a 72-hour pre-order to make all necessary arrangements, so head here to reserve your spot.
Prices:
Premium Yee Sang: RM205 per set | Prosperity Set Menu: Starts from RM432+ per person
Dates: Now until 12 February 2025
Address: 6, Jalan Stesen Sentral 2, Kuala Lumpur Sentral, 50470 Kuala Lumpur
Contact: 03 2727 1111
Opening hours: 6.30am – 10pm daily
W thebrasseriekl.com | I @brasseriekl
Golden Phoenix Pop-up at EQ Kuala Lumpur
Roast duck, poon choy, yee sang, and seven reunion dinner menus – EQ wants you to go home with a full, happy belly this Chinese New Year season. Titled ‘Prosperity Luck Fortune’, the menus feature dishes like double-boiled chicken soup with cordyceps, abalone, and fish maw. You’ll also see braised seafood with noodles and crab meat sauce, as well as steamed tiger grouper with cordyceps flower and red dates.
The Poon Choy dish consists of abalones, sea cucumber, Japanese dried scallops, king prawns, roasted duck, steamed chicken, sea moss, pipa tofu, dried oysters, fish maw, and more. As for the yee sang, you can opt for the Norwegian salmon or fresh Canadian geoduck version, to name a few.
Prices: Yee sang: Starts from RM128 to RM668 | Reunion sets: From RM188 to RM688 per person | Poon Choy: RM588
Dates: 14 January – 12 February 2025.
Address: EQ, Equatorial Plaza, Jalan Sultan Ismail, 50250 Kuala Lumpur
Contact: 03 2789 7777
Opening hours: 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 11pm
W eqkualalumpur.equatorial.com | I @eqkualalumpur
Tao Chinese Cuisine at InterContinental Kuala Lumpur
In case you didn’t know, Tao Chinese Cuisine is an award-winning Muslim-friendly restaurant that serves authentic Cantonese cooking. This Chinese New Year, Tao is offering not one but seven menus including The Fortune Set, Mystic Set, Prosperity Set, Radiance Set, Opulent Set, and Longevity Vegetarian Set.
Titled ‘Emerald Elegance: Feast of Fortune’, dishes like the Steamed Cod, Steamed Giant River Prawns with Sea Urchins, Egg Whites & Shredded Ginger, Kirin-style Roasted London Duck with Mandarin Orange, and Braised Lobster Meat & Crab Meat with Dried Scallop Black Truffle Broth are some of the highlights.
As for the yee sang dishes, there are five options you can pick from, and each comes with premium ingredients like lobster, abalone, soft-shell crab, and salmon. These Chinese New Year offerings are also perfect for company dinner gatherings, so consider rewarding your team with this fabulous menu from Tao.
Prices: From RM588 to RM4,488++
Dates: Now until 12 February 2025
Address: InterContinental Kuala Lumpur. 165, Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur
Contact: 03 2782 6000
Opening hours: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 6.30pm – 10.30pm
W kualalumpur.intercontinental.com | I @taochinesecuisine
Maria’s SteakCafe Bangsar
Set a blessed path for the rest of 2025 with Maria’s SteakCafe’s Abundance and Prosperity set menus that consist of Argentinian Striploin, Garlic Butter Tiger Prawns, New Zealand Lamb Cutlets, and more.
As for the yee sang menu, the restaurant switched up the usual traditional Chinese New Year meal with a modern recipe – its signature slow-cooked pulled beef. The juicy and tender meat is plated in the middle, surrounded by classic yee sang toppings. If you prefer a more conventional option, go for the Smoked Salmon Yee Sang instead.
Prices:
Yee sang: RM98 (medium) | RM178 (large)
Abundance Meat Set: RM 788++ for five people
Abundance Seafood Set: RM 688++ for five people
Prosperity Surf & Turf Set: RM 1,388++ for 10 people
Dates: From now until 12 February 2025
Address: 58, Jalan Maarof, Bangsar, 59100 Kuala Lumpur
Contact: 016 902 0495
Opening hours: 12pm – 10.30pm
W marias.com.my | I @marias.steakcafe
Li Yen at The Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur
At Li Yen, The Reunion Stars menu led by Executive Chinese Chef Alex Au features their signature dishes like Hong Kong-Style Waxed Meat Clay Pot Rice and Prosperity Barbequed Suckling Pig that’s roasted to perfection. However, a reservation is required if you fancy the suckling pig.
Additionally, the yee sang at this MICHELIN Selected restaurant is served with the restaurant’s luscious homemade sauce accompanied by premium ingredients like lobster, abalone, salmon, and jellyfish.
Prices: Contact Liyen for the menu pricing
Dates: 12 January – 12 February 2025.
Address: 168, Jalan Imbi, Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur
Contact: 03 2142 8000
Opening hours: 6.30am – 10pm daily
W ritzcarlton.com | I @ritzcarltonkualalumpur
Lai Po Heen at Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur
Immerse yourself in the elegance of Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur this Chinese New Year while enjoying the premium Cantonese cuisine at Lai Po Heen. The signature Poon Choy hogs the attention, featuring ingredients like prawns, abalone, scallops, roast meats, and more.
If you fancy some dim sum add-ons, try the Abalone Chicken Siew Mai with Fish Roe as well as the Lobster Dumpling with Fish Roe and Gold Leaf. Of course, no Chinese New Year meal is complete without a classic yee sang, which Lai Po Heen makes sure to only use premium ingredients.
Prices: Starts from RM1,588 to RM3,318
Dates: Now until 28 February 2025
Address: Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur
Contact: 03 2380 8888
Opening hours: 12pm – 2.30pm, 6pm – 10.30pm
W mandarinoriental.com | I @mo_kualalumpur
Oversea Restaurant Imbi
If you’re craving some good Cantonese Poon Choy and Hong Kong-Style Claypot Waxed Meat Rice, look no further than Oversea Restaurant. Furthermore, the yee sang comes in a variety of ingredients you can choose from like smoked salmon, abalone, black truffle, and jellyfish, to name a few.
The Poon Choy is assembled with premium ingredients like Cantonese roast duck, crispy roasted pork belly, Iberico pork ball, abalone, Japanese dried scallops, and fish maw. As for the claypot rice, it’s cooked with three types of waxed meat via a traditional method for that smoky aroma.
Prices: Starts from RM 1,088++
Dates: 3 January to 12 February 2025
Address: 84 – 88, Jalan Imbi, Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur
Contact: 03 2144 9911 | 012 928 3170
Opening hours: 11.30am – 3pm, 5.30pm – 11pm
W oversea.com.my | I @overseamy
Lai Ching Yuen at Grand Millennium
Experience the finest in Cantonese flavours at Lai Ching Yuen this Chinese New Year. Headed by Chef Thye Yoon Kong, there are three different eight-course menus to tantalise your tastebuds – the Prosperity Set, Bejewelled Prosperity Set, and Seasons of Harmony Set.
All menus will be accompanied by a traditional yee sang with the options of jellyfish, salmon, fish skin, soft shell crab, and more. The dim and intimate ambience of Lai Ching Yuen is perfect for all sorts of gatherings and will surely make your reunion dinner a blissful one.
Prices: Starts from RM2,288++ to RM2,888++
Dates: From now until 12 February 2025
Address: 160, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur
Contact: 03 2117 4888
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday: 12pm – 3pm, 6 – 10pm | Closed on Monday
W millenniumhotels.com | I @laichingyuen.kl
YEN at W Hotel
Led by Chef Tan Kim Weng, YEN is offering a reimagined traditional Chinese New Year menu fused with modern flavours, like the Wok-Fried Beetroot Rice with Prawns and Crab Meat that’s enhanced with crispy rock rice for added texture. Other must-try dishes include Roasted Chicken with Lin Seed and Steamed Tiger Grouper fish with succulent clams and sweet basil in authentic Teochew style. Titled ‘Scales of Fortune’, all dishes on the menu are curated using Chef Weng’s expertise in sustainable techniques.
You’ll also have four different yee sang menu choices: Premium Jelly Fish Yee Sang, Norwegian Salmon Fish Yee Sang, Abalone Yee Sang, or the Prosperous Nanyang Vegetarian Yee Sang. They will also be dressed with superior ingredients like gold flakes, caviar, and truffle oil.
Prices: Starts from RM208+ to RM4,488+
Date: 2 January to 12 February 2025
Address: W Hotel, Level 11,. 121, Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur
Contact: 012 347 9088
Opening hours: Weekdays: 12pm – 2.30pm, 6pm – 10pm | Weekends: 11am – 2.30pm, 6pm – 10pm | Closed on Monday
W marriott.com | I @yen_wkualalumpur
The Sunset Terrace and Grand Ballroom at Sunway Resort Hotel
At the Grand Ballroom, the Reunion Dinner Set Menu for Chinese New Year highlights the Sea Moss Abalone En Croute – a juicy abalone dish encrusted with a truffle-infused layer that bursts with flavours at every bite. Also, the Steamed Whole Mangrove Jack Snapper and Lobster Bisque with Crispy Rice are two special dishes you must not miss. Furthermore, you will be entertained by an award-winning Guzheng artist while tossing the yee sang with your loved ones.
If dining with scenery is your cup of tea, The Sunset Terrace’s CNY Dinner Set menu will tickle your fancy. The spread differs slightly from the Grand Ballroom’s with Steamed Barramundi Fillet, Typhoon Shelter Tiger Prawns, and more to tantalise your tastebuds.
Price: RM2,688+ per table of 10 people
Dates:
15 January to 12 February 2025: CNY Dinner Set at Sunset Terrace
28 January 2025: Reunion Dinner Set Menu at Grand Ballroom
Address: 1, Persiaran Lagoon, Bandar Sunway, 47500 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Contact: 03 7492 8000 | 019 381 5568 | srhs.eventsales@sunwayhotels.com
Opening hours: 6am – 10.30pm
W sunwayhotels.com | I @sunwayresortkualalumpur
Sichuan Kitchen at Four Points Chinatown
Be prepared to be amazed by Four Points’ Sichuan dishes this Chinese New Year. Served at the hotel’s Sichuan Kitchen, there are three prosperity menus to choose from including the 18-course Exclusive Private Dining Room Set Menu by Chef Justin Song. For a smaller group, go for the 12-course Auspicious Individual Set Menu.
As the name suggests, the menus consist of all spicy dishes like the signature Sichuan Fragrant Spicy Stir-fried Crab and Chinese Yam with Blueberry Sauce. If you prefer non-spicy options, inform the establishment when booking your table.
Additionally, there is a variety of yee sang choices. Take your pick between Traditional Salmon, Sichuan Style Yellowtail, Homemade Cured Salmon, and Soft-Shell Crab. Book your table before 25 January 2025 to enjoy a 15% discount.
Prices: Exclusive Private Dining Room Set Menu: RM2,588 per table | Auspicious Individual Set Menu: RM228 per person
Dates: 1 January to 12 February 2025
Address: 2, Jalan Balai Polis, Chinatown, 50000 Kuala Lumpur
Contact: 03 2035 7333
Opening hours: 12pm – 3pm, 6pm to 10pm
W sichuankitchenkl.com | I @sichuankitchen
Featured image: InterContinental Kuala Lumpur
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