London restaurants are getting ready to welcome the Year of the Dragon on 10 February. We pick out some of the best dishes and menus for you to try during this year's Lunar New Year celebrations.
Yauatcha's pineapple cakes
Yauatcha (Soho, City of London) - Both Yauatcha restaurants have seasonal cakes, filled with pineapple jam and with dragon emblems printed on chocolate. They're available at the restaurants and the City patisserie will also deliver them across London.
Peninsula London (Belgravia) - This new hotel will be having a special Lunar New Year Set Menu available at Canton Blue with dishes including steamed dumplings made with crab and scallops as well as drunken chicken with goji berries (7- 16th February, £168). They'll also have a lion and dragon dance in the hotel courtyard at 11am on 10 February.
A Wong (Victoria) - For one evening, A Wong is hosting a special 36-dish Chinese New Year banquet, paired with Dom Pérignon vintages. New dishes on this menu include tangerine fish with chiu chow beef broth, braised daikon and oscietra caviar. (£500, 8 February)
Noodle & Beer's special Chinese New Year dishes
Noodle and Beer (City of London, 26 January - 24 February) - This City restaurant will have a special menu on throughout the season, showcasing eight dishes which include la-zi ji mian (noodled with spicy chicken thighs), deep-fried sticky rice cake and jumbo beef spring rolls. They'll also have special scratch cards for all dine-in customers.
MiMi Mei Fair (Mayfair) - The season will see the return of two wishing trees to this Mayfair restaurant, in the parlour and drawing room filled with red envelopes. They'll also have a special set menu throughout the season, with dishes including Rock oysters with black garlic sauce and steamed XO okra as well as ‘fortune’ crispy Norfolk pork with pineapple and pomelo. They've also teamed up with Courvoisier for special cocktails throughout the season. The set menu is £128 or £162 with paired cocktails.
Daddy Bao (Tooting, 11 February) - They'll be running a special feasting menu all day long that draws on traditions and ingredients said to bring luck for the year ahead. Dishes include Chicken or cabbage siu mai, Roast duck or mapo celeriac, Noodle-wrapped prawns and more (£60 or £50 for the vegetarian/pescatarian menu). Don't forget to look at their special proverbs wall while you're there.
BAO's dragon claw BBGs
BAO (Various locations, 10 and 11 February) - Every year, BAO have a special treat for Lunar New Year, and this year is no different. The Year of the Dragon BBGs are shaped like a dragon claw and filled with molten and cherry chocolate and are available for two days only at all restaurants. They'll also be bringing back their Made by You kits for the season if you fancy celebrating with a classic BAO at home. They'll be available from 5 February.
Poons Wontoneria (Fitzrovia) is adding some limited edition Shui Jiao 'Water Dumplings' to the menu throughout the festive period - featuring a pork, shrimp and Chinese mushroom filling. These will be served alonside traditional Nian Gao rice cakes for dessert.
Inamo (Soho, Covent Garden) are going full-tilt for Chinese New Year with a £20,000 giveaway. Diners who book a table from 9-11 February will also get a red envelope with a treat inside, which could include free cocktails, bottomless brunch expeirences and more.
The Bun House collaboration afternoon tea at Pan Pacific London
Pan Pacific London (Shoreditch) - The Liverpool Street hotel is putting on an afternoon tea collaboration with Bun House (8 Feb - 25 March) featuring siu mai baskets, bao buns and patisserie featuring matcha and red date iced mochi among others. It's £68 and bookable at the hotel's Straits Kitchen.
Speedboat Bar (Chinatown) - Luke Farrell's Chinatown bar is putting on a range of dishes for the Lunar New Year including Gui Chai Tord Sai Khai, a pan-fried chive cake with dark soy sauce and gooey egg yolks. The dishes are intended to evoke Yaowarat Road - Bangkok’s own Chinatown and are on from 5-18 February.
Rasa Sayang (Chinatown) - The Singaporean restaurant is putting on a special Yu Sheng salad for the New Year celebrations (5-25 February), made with shredded carrots, radish, pickled ginger, fried yam sticks, pomelo, jellyfish, coriander, freshly-sliced raw salmon, crispy wonton skin, peanuts, sesame, five-spice powder and topped with a fruit-based sauce.
Eight Treasure Vegetable Money Bag Dumplings at the Dim Sum Terrace at Harrods
Harrods (Knightsbridge) - you'd expect the Knightsbridge store to have its own luxe take on the Lunar New Year and if you head to their Dim Sum Terrace there are two special dishes on offer from 5-12 February - lobster stuffed dumplings topped with caviar and eight treasure vegetable money bag dumplings with gold leaf.
Maison Francois (St James) - the downstairs bar here, Frank's, will play host to Dumpling's Legend for one night to celebrate the Lunar New Year. It'll be an evening of dumplings celebrating both Chinese and French flavours. Expect moules marinière dumplings, snail dumplings and pâté en croûte dumplings. Tickets are £50 for 18 dumplings and a cocktail on arrival.
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