By Venkatachari Jagannathan
Chennai, Jan 30 (IANS): After welcoming the Gregorian New Year Jan 1, star hotels and restaurant chains here have chalked up elaborate dining plans to welcome the Chinese New Year on Friday.
This time, it's the Year of Horse and restaurants specialising in Chinese cuisine are planning to cash in on that.
"We will be having a Chinese New Year food festival starting Jan 31 with a special a la carte menu at the Chap Chay restaurant," Peter Tseng, executive sous chef at The Raintree Hotel, St. Mary's Road, told IANS.
He said the festival will be on for three days.
During the festival, the Asian stir fry restaurant would offer traditional main courses, festive dim sums and a hotpot selection apart from the traditional ambience which it naturally provides.
The New Year specialties will be prepared by chefs Li Quen Shan and Li Fung Sheong.
The special menu will showcase traditional dishes like five spice-braised Belgian Pork Spare Ribs, Whole Red Snapper with pickled Sichuan vegetables, Barbecued Duck in Mandarin orange sauce, Stir Fried Chinese Broccoli with dried lily flower, with highlights of Wolfberries, Ginseng, dried lily flowers and fresh exotic mushrooms.
Available for lunch and dinner the cost per person exclusive of taxes would be around Rs.1,000.
At the Golden Dragon restaurant at the Taj Coromandel, master chef William Ho presents the traditional indulgence of Chinese New Year.
According to Taj Coromandel, for those born in the Year of Horse, a surprise fortune awaits at the Dragon.
The food spread during the festival Jan 31 - Feb 9 includes crispy prawns with roasted sesame, Tai Chien Chicken, sweet and spicy waterchestnut, spicy minced lamb, stir fried lobster with spicy golden garlic sauce, dry cooked curry lamb Hongkong style, Mapo Potato, and banana and peanut ice cream.
Open for lunch and dinner, the festival food would cost a person around Rs.2,500 onwards exclusive of taxes.
At Sian, a Chinese restaurant at The Gateway Hotel IT Expressway Chennai - another Taj group property - there will be an elaborate set menu with unlimited grills like grilled prawns, grilled snapper brochettes or Indonesian grilled chicken for the non-vegetarians and grilled mushroom skewers or grilled tofu with hoisin sauce for the vegetarians.
Dinner here for one would cost Rs.1,000 all inclusive.
The China Town restaurant owned by Oriental Cuisines Private Ltd would welcome the Chinese New Year hosting Cantonese food festival Jan 31 - Feb 16.
Cantonese cuisine is one of the eight culinary traditions of Chinese cuisines infused with fresh ingredients, to retain the unique flavour and texture of each dish.
The festival will showcase a wide spread of Cantonese appetisers, soups and salads, and vegetarian and non-vegetarian main course variety with a fine touch of delicious desserts.
The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner and the meal for two would cost around Rs.900.
Wangs Kitchen, casual Chinese restaurant, would celebrate the Chinese New Year across all its outlets in the city hosting seafood festival Jan 31 - Feb 16.
The grand festival menu of Wangs Kitchen will include crab, squid, tiger prawn, lobster, pomfret and more. The restaurant also offers a variety of sauces like the szechwan hunan style, pepper salt, Singapore style, Peking style, red and green pepper to customise the main course.
Open for lunch and dinner average meal for two would cost around Rs.700.