A year of good fortune awaits those who partake of Xin Tian Di’s executive chef Sam Lee’s Chinese New Year banquet featuring the fusion of Beijing, Hong Kong, Singaporean and Taiwanese style dishes. The gustatory selections incorporate ingredients that the Chinese believe bring good luck and fortune.

Offered dishes are: Chinese New Year Salad or Yu Sheng, Roasted Goose, Suckling Pig served with steamed bread; 8 Treasure Stuffed Chicken with glutinous rice, Braised Pork leg with Sea Mousse, Steamed Shrimp Dumpling and Bamboo Pith with White Sauce and Crab Roe, Deep Fried Bean curd roll with lobster, Steamed Fresh Scallop with Japanese Bean curd in Celery Sauce and Braised Sea Moss with dried oyster.

The Yu Sheng is a dish traditionally served on the seventh day of Chinese New Year, which they celebrate as everyone’s birthday. The higher you toss the salad, the greater your luck and prosperity. The 8 Treasure Stuffed Chicken with glutinous rice is symbolical because the number eight sounds like the word for prosperity and the number nine means infinity and glutinous rice being sticky symbolizes family togetherness.

The set menu features appetizers such as the Xin Tian Di Heavenly Platter, Deep Fried Hot Prawn with Wasabi Salad, Braised Seafood Shark’s Fin in Beijing Style and Sautéed Rock Lobster with San Bei Sauce Taiwanese Style, Peking Duck 2 Ways, Steamed Garoupa Hong Kong Style, Braised sliced Abalone with Sea Cucumber and Black Mushroom with broccoli, and Fried shredded duck meat with egg noodles.

Auspicious foods included in the a-la-carte menu are dim sums such as Steamed Shark’s Fin dumpling with Caviar and Steamed Shrimp dumpling and Bamboo Pith with White Sauce and Crab Roe; appetizers such as Taro Japanese Salmon Seaweed Roll with Salt and Pepper Bean curd Fried Crispy Sliced Duck with Mango. Sumptuous soups include Shark’s Fin Dumpling Soup with dried scallop, Braised Shark’s Fin with Crab Roe and Mini Buddha Jump Over the Wall. Hot dishes like Steamed Sea Bass Fillet with with Minced Pork Leek Paste, Stir-Fried Scallop with fresh fruit in a basket and Sautéed Minced Lobster with fresh fruit served in a golden basket are among the many dishes exquisitely prepared to welcome the Year of the Rat.

Chinese delicacies like glutinous rice cake (Tikoy), Chocolate Banana Ball, Chocolate Buchi and Chocolate Musachi and traditional desserts such as Hot Sweetened Taro Sago Cream, Hot Glutinous Rice Ball in Chrysanthemum Tea and Hot Almond Cream with Sago are also available.

For lasting prosperity and happiness, catch the colorful dragon and lion dance ceremony to be held at the Lobby of the Crowne Plaza Galleria Manila at11 a.m. on February 7.