Spring festival

Beijing

Yu Restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton

At the Ritz-Carlton Beijing, executive chef Ku Chi-fai has dreamed up reunion dinner sets that are both delicious and auspicious, in the best festive tradition. The Cantonese chef's signature gourmet luxury dishes are available for a Spring Festival Eve set dinner available on Saturday, Feb 9, from 6 pm to 10 pm, at 6,888 yuan ($1,090) per table of 10, plus 15 percent service charge. For last-minute shoppers for the Lunar New Year, there are also gift hampers available. 010-5908-8111.

Shang Palace at the Shangri-la

[Photo by Fan Zhen/China Daily]

The Shangri-la's Chinese restaurant, Shang Palace, prepares a double option for diners. The banquet hall will be open on Lunar New Year's Eve for reunion dinner sets, and the Shang Palace itself will also serve sets in the dining room and the private parlors. While most dishes will be from the auspicious selections from the south, including pen cai, yusheng or lohei, and steamed whole fish, there are also northern favorites such as braised pig trotters and dumplings. 010-6841-2211.

Four Seasons Cai Yi Xuan

Cai Yi Xuan elevates the art of Chinese dining with good, honest regional cooking lightened up with fresh modern presentation. There is a large dining room, eight private rooms including two VIP rooms with one offering an exclusive chef's table. Chef Michael Liang starts off the New Year sets with yusheng, or raw fish salad, traditional augury for good luck, good health and prosperity. There are Northern and Shanghainese appetizer platters, traditional assorted seafood casserole, sauteed scallops with asparagus and wild mushrooms, and braised abalone in oyster sauce with foie gras mousse-filled morel mushrooms. The Lunar New Year menu is priced at 888 yuan plus 15 percent service charge per person, for a minimum of eight diners. 010-5695-8888.

Hong Kong

Ingots and pumpkins

Chef Mok Kit Keung at the Shang Palace at the Kowloon Shangri-la is attracting attention with a series of delicately crafted Lunar New Year goodies, including niangao (sticky rice cake) shaped into an ingot and dusted with edible gold dust. There is also a realistic pumpkin fortune cake that is as delicious as it is attractive. It looks so good you may not be willing to cut it up. To buy some as gifts or just to decorate your own festive table, call 852-2733-8740.