On December 31, take a breather from the crowds and savour the culinary delights at some of Hong Kong’s top establishments. Crave presents a selection of the best New Year’s Eve menus in town.
Text by Jason Spotts, photos by Samantha Sin and Happy Yuen
The last day of the year is the perfect opportunity to indulge in a fabulous meal. Excellent food and fine wines are always an occasion, but a special touch seems fitting for the year’s final evening. After all, it is your last impression before a time of new beginnings. Such a moment calls for a special memory.
On top of seriously good food, the extra elbow room and lack of drunken revelers doesn’t hurt either. From sunset to late night on December 31, your time of leisure awaits as you enjoy the finer things in life.
See in 2011 in gastronomical style with one of our recommended decadent New Year’s Eve menus. Whether you’re in the mood for ocean-fresh Atlantic scallop céviché with Osetra caviar and yuzu lemon, succulent roasted lobster with Armagnac, or a crispy and decadent black truffle and potato tart, there are dishes to suit your palate. Expert wine pairings, or a personal selection, round off each menu nicely.
If you planned for a quiet evening, simply stay at your table and end the year in the tranquil company of your loved ones. But if you’re seeking fever-pitch countdowns and late-night parties, those are merely steps away from each restaurant.
As the year winds down, it is time for reflection and an opportunity to celebrate fresh beginnings. Why not ring in the year on the highest of culinary highs? Crave presents the finest New Year’s Eve dinners in town.
Caprice Chef de Cuisine Vincent Thierry delivers an eight-course dinner to celebrate the new year. Highlights include a firm, crispy-skinned, line-caught sea bass from Brittany served with buttered savoy cabbage and David Hervé oysters in a red wine sauce. Also notable is the Bresse Capon with crayfish sausage and truffled Jerusalem artichoke. The delicate pieces of chicken will be served with a light sausage and creamy crayfish sauce with sauterne wine for a perfectly balanced sweetness and aroma.Live music and a singer will perform at Caprice on the night with countdown celebrations to follow. The party will continue at Blue Bar downstairs.
The tasting menu is priced at $3,680 or $4,680 with expert wine pairings (plus 10% service charge).
6/F, Four Seasons Hotel, Hong Kong, 8 Finance Street, Central
Tel: 3196 8860
The eight-course New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner menu at Gaddi’s at The Peninsula Hong Kong starts with Osetra caviar with blinis and traditional condiments. Dishes such as oven-baked sea scallops in shell, slow-cooked roe deer saddle with aged Spanish ham and a dessert surprise to follow.It is a Peninsula tradition to countdown at the hotel’s forecourt every year. A $500 cover charge (includes a glass of Champagne) gets you into Felix, where10-man live band SensationOn28 provides the party tunes.
The new Year’s Eve Gala Dinner is priced at $3,888 plus 10% service charge.
1/F, The Peninsula Hong Kong, Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: 2315 3171
Grissini Chef de Cuisine Marco Torre presents his six-course menu. The highlights include mouth-watering roasted quail filled with black winter truffle, served with foie gras, artichokes and marjoram cream. A homemade pumpkin ravioli with 36-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano and a hint of amaretto follows. Seared tuna and a dish of braised organic beef cheek –so soft it falls apart – completes the savoury fare.After the countdown, an Italian cheese buffet with panettone bread and Vin Santo, an Italian dessert wine, is served. Chef Marco has also designed a special six-course menu for vegetarians.
The New Year’s Eve dinner is priced at $2,600 plus 10% service charge.
2/F, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai
Tel: 2584 7722
The New Year’s celebration at Petrus has a Les années folles theme, recalling roaring 1920s Paris. Culinary highlights include scallop and black truffle carpaccio, black truffle and crispy potato tart and roast blue Brittany lobster perfumed with Menton lemon. To conclude, Petrus has prepared a New Year’s surprise. Petrus will remain open until guests depart, but diners can elect to head to The Lobster Bar and Grill for the countdown.
The nine-course menu is priced at $3,788 plus 10% service charge.
56/F, Island Shangri-la Hong Kong, Pacific Place, Supreme Court Road, Central
Tel: 2820 8590
The spectacular harbour view at Spoon is a front-row seat to the countdown festivities and the pyrotechnics on show across the pond at midnight.The contemporary French menu features a light lobster bisque to start. Homemade duck foie gras terrine, Hokkaido sea scallops and white truffle, sea bass, shellfish and caviar and a truffled Brie de Meaux with salad and toasted country bread follows.
Guests of Spoon can join the countdown party at the InterContinental’s Lobby Lounge, featuring UK band Urban Blue. The Spoon Bar will also be open; the $500 cover charge includes a glass of Champagne.
The menu is priced at $3,088 plus 10% service charge.
Lobby Level, InterContinental Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: 2313 2256
Loading ...