Ya Ge refines the traditional Lunar New Year fare with nutrient and flavour-dense creations and classics.
It’s never too early to plan for Lunar New Year meals, especially if you have folks who are very particular about Lunar New Year traditions. Or are just particular about everything. Finding a place that ticks all the checkboxes for authenticity, grandeur, quality and affordability is no easy task, but there’s bound to be something that fits the bill — it just takes time.
Luckily Ya Ge, a hidden gem snuggled in the middle of the CBD, is an option you should definitely consider. This modern Chinese restaurant is not only helmed by a culinary team of experienced chefs who expertly unite the past, present and future flavours of the Oriental under a single roof, its interior also features celadon, teal and calming neutrals framing mountainscapes and schools of koi — ticking off more than half of those gathering requirements while also proving to be a space that is more than conducive for hearty exchanges.
But what they offer on the table is what seals the deal, and for starters, Ya Ge’s Prosperity Smoked Salmon Yu Sheng is quite a sight to behold. Accompanied by either Abalone or Crispy Fish Skin, each portion is crowned with a bevy of bunny-shaped puddings made of mango and milk, as well as julienned strawberries, jackfruit, carrots, lotus roots, radish and edible flowers. Dressed with antioxidant-rich roselle and hawthorn dressing made in-house, this fruit-forward and refreshing salad makes for a novel, feel-good start to the year that both the young and old are bound to enjoy.
Other must-mention specials include the Ya Ge Fortune Pot or pencai, a luxurious collagen-rich concoction of 18 premium ingredients that feature the likes of 10-head abalones, fish maw, conpoy, sea cucumber and pork trotters braised in a gravy reduced from abalones, no less. The Double-boiled Pork Rib Soup with Starfruit and Winter Wheat also appeals to those who love clean soups with complex flavours, while the Double-boiled Chicken Soup with Morel Mushrooms, Dendrobium Stem, Conpoy, Fresh Chinese Yam and Wolfberries will attract those who love a thicker soup.
Perhaps the winning card will be Ya Ge’s newest culinary creation — the Steamed Fragrant Lotus Leaves Chicken with Pork Belly, Assorted Mushrooms, Chestnuts, Red Dates and Wolfberries. Wrapped in lotus leaves, the fowl is encased in a spectacular salt dome and then oven baked, later revealed to include a quartet of mushrooms — morel, honshimeiji, shiitake and himematsutake — pork belly, cloud fungus and more all gelled together in an abalone sauce flavoured with chicken and other secret ingredients. Followed by the Steamed Lotus Leaves Rice with Smoked Duck and Abalone Sauce, the grand gourmet affair is complete, ending off with the light but distinct fragrance of lotus leaves.
These can all be enjoyed when you dine-in in either a 6- or 8-course menu, either in the general seating space or in one of the two new private dining rooms. Vegetarians are catered for with the 6-course menu, but both menus come with Chinese tea, a pair of Mandarin oranges, a deck of celadon-coloured red packets and a complimentary bottle of either red or white wine.
If you are going to bring Ya Ge’s creations to your home or anywhere else, consider adding snacks or festive goodies like the Steamed Radish Cake with Conpoy and Chinese Sausage to the mix. Or Ya Ge’s gula melaka Golden Ingot Nian Gao if you are looking to bestow some auspicious munchies to family, friends or business associates.
Either way, this generation-proof option to digging deep into the festivities of the season will guarantee a reaping of many fruits of joy and decadence for the Year of the Rabbit, should it pass the vibe check of your folks or in-laws.
Click here for booking and more details on the Lunar New Year Offerings at Ya Ge. Once you’re done with this story, click here to catch up with our December/January 2023 issue.
RELATED ARTICLES
