Steamed Grouper with Double Deluxe Soy Sauce
THE CHINESE New Year, which is also known as the Spring Festival, is widely celebrated in the Philippines. Using the lunar calendar, the date changes from year to year, which corresponds to the new moon (black moon) in either January or February. The recent celebrations ushered in the Year of the Fire Monkey last February 8, 2016 and will last until January 27, 2017
Every year, the age-old traditions and practices remain the same. The festival marks a thanksgiving for a bountiful year while celebrating the New Year to usher good fortune and prosperity. These include the awakening of the spirits through the lions by the “Dotting of the Eye Ceremony” amidst the deafening firecrackers, loud gongs and drums in the belief that the noise will drive evil spirits, followed by the colorful lion and dragon dance.
For many years now, we celebrate the Chinese New Year’s Eve at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino (WCCHC) with spectacular fireworks while New Year’s Day is at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort & Spa. Interestingly, these two hotels have the best Chinese restaurants in Cebu, namely: Waterfront’s Tin Gaw and Shangri-La’s Tea of Spring.
Tea of Spring’s Pears and Salmon Yee Sang
The Lobby of Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort & Spa was all set for the Chinese New Year Festivity. The auspicious lions and dragons were raring to dance while the Yee Sang at the center table was ready for the prosperity toss that was led by General Manager Rene Egle and special guests. Yee Sang literally means raw fish salad. The Yee Sang is a cultural activity of the Chinese living in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. And it has become very popular here at home.
After the exciting and colorful ceremonies, we all proceeded to the resort’s premier Chinese restaurant, Tea of Spring.
Prosperity Toss at the Main Lobby
Here, award-winning Chinese Chef Boon Bun Hoe creates healthy and pleasing dishes inspired by the beautiful flavors of Chinese tea that reflects the culinary heritage of China. We started with the Pears and Salmon Yee Sang with all the symbolic strips of vegetables, peanuts sesame oil, golden flour pillows and plum sauce, for the traditional prosperity toss — the higher the better for good fortune.
We all chanted “Lo Hei” or toss high! The table was a mess but we took it as a blessing.
The Dim Sum openers were all palate pleasers: Steamed Pork & Shrimp Dumplings Sio Mai, Shrimp Dumpling or Har Gao and Pan Fried Bean Curd Roll. Dumplings are classic Chinese food traditionally eaten in New Year to attract money.
The Thick Soup, Dried Scallop and Seafood, was classic goodness.
Braised Top Shell
The main courses were — Wok-fried Prawns with Dried Chili; Deep-Fried Pork Belly with Chinkiang (black rice vinegar) Sauce; Cantonese Crispy Roasted Chicken; Braised Top Shell, Sea Asparagus, Black Sea Moss and Taiwan Pechay.
Top shell is a marine gastropod mollusk or sea snail and the more popular but expensive variety is the abalone while sea asparagus or sea bean grows in salty waters. The dish was deliciously exotic.
Wok-fried Prawn with Chili and Peanut
The Steamed Live Grouper in Double Deluxe Soy Sauce was served to complete the lucky dishes. Fish symbolizes abundance.
As in any lauriat style service, Tea of Spring XO Fried Rice was served last.
Dessert of Chilled Glutinous Rice Ball with Creamy Mango filling was a melt-in-your-mouth delight served with Chilled Mango Puree with Pomelo and Sago.
Here’s to a bountiful Year of the Fire Monkey!