Chinese New Year 2013: Where to celebrate in Bangkok

From now until Feb 10, Mott 32 Bangkok, the award-winning Chinese Cantonese restaurant, rings in the Year of the Snake with a specially curated Chinese New Year dishes under the culinary mastery of executive chef Lee Man Sing together with Mott 32 Bangkok's executive Chinese chef Han Long Hua.

Centara Grand at CentralWorld presents a special "Lucky Orange" cake at Tea & Tipple on the 23rd floor and Mill & Co on the ground floor to welcome the Year of the Snake with a touch of citrus luck. The cake is a contemporary take on the traditional Nian Gao, combining classic flavours with a unique orange twist to symbolise prosperity and good fortune for the coming year.

Dynasty Restaurant at Centara Grand at Central Plaza Ladprao Bangkok offers the exclusive "Yee Sang" on Chinese New Year's Day, a symbolic dish believed to bring happiness, prosperity and good fortune throughout the year. Crafted by chef Jackie, other Chinese specials include prosperity raw fish salad, emperor's treasure pot (poon choi), Hong Kong-style roasted suckling pig, braised lobster E-Fu noodles and steamed red grouper in soy sauce. Every table dining on Chinese New Year's Day will receive a complimentary Auspicious Tangerine Tree (one per table) and there will be Golden Nest Dessert for all guests.

Chinese chefs at The Pavilion restaurant at Dusit Thani Bangkok will curate The Auspicious set menu which can be shared among four guests. The menu includes Prosperity Yu Sheng featuring premium fresh salmon, crisp shredded vegetables, and a tangy plum sauce accented with fragrant sesame oil; Dim Sum Quartet with pan-fried Chinese chive dumplings with shrimp, deep-fried taro puff with confit duck, steamed Har Gow, and steamed custard salted egg yolk buns; and double-boiled herbal soup featuring a combination of abalone, Phuket-sourced fresh fish maw, and dried scallops. Main courses feature traditional wok-fried delights including premium Wagyu Beef with black pepper sauce, wok-fried celtuce with crab cream sauce, and steamed grouper with superior soy sauce. As a final touch of longevity, enjoy E-Fu noodles enhanced with a Western twist of braised Boston lobster, cheese, and butter sauce. Traditional Chinese Rice Dumplings are available as desserts.

The award-winning Chinese restaurant Mei Jiang at The Peninsula Bangkok offers a specially curated Chinese New Year dinner set menu which showcases a selection of exquisite dishes, including roasted pork belly, fried Alaskan king crab leg with homemade salted egg yolk paste, steamed red grouper fillet with Tianjin preserved vegetables and soy sauce, and stir-fried Japanese A3 Wagyu Sirloin with black garlic and barbecue sauce, among others. Each dish can be paired with an optional superb tea selection to enhance flavours. An a la carte menu is also available. Additionally, Mei Jiang also offers an array of dim sum for lunch, made with fresh ingredients and a variety of flavours. Handcrafted dumplings and wok-style dishes bring an authentic touch to the Cantonese dim sum experience. Featured dishes include the timeless classic Har Gow, barbecued pork puff, black truffle dumpling, braised tiger prawn with E-Fu Noodles, crispy shrimp cheung fun, and a unique creamy almond soup with deep-fried custard sesame Ball, and many more.

Special Chinese New Year set menus are offered at Riverside Terrace in Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok, including Golden Jade Snake Set Menu and Red Diamond Prosperity Set Menu. The former features highlights like roasted Peking duck, wok-grilled king prawns with rice wine, and Reunion waxed-meat rice, while the latter includes golden suckling pig, wagyu beef tenderloin in black pepper sauce, and steamed cod with rainbow vegetables. A sweet note to end the meal is Happiness Ang Pow dessert buffet, offering an array of festive treats including Mandarin Gold Cake, pandan lucky coin mille-feuille, and live dessert stations. For this occasion, auspicious pastries are also available from The Mandarin Oriental Shop.

Special Chinese New Year feasts at The Glass House at Eastin Grand Hotel Sathorn Bangkok -- apart from its usual International Buffet offerings -- include Chinese favourites like steaming fresh dim sum, suckling pig, roasted duck, drunken chicken, Chinese style stir-fried shrimp with cashew nuts, wok-fried egg noodles with crab meat and mushroom and Chinese desserts.

At Cuisine Unplugged in Pullman Bangkok King Power, a seafood on ice selection features king crab legs, tiger prawns, and blue crab claws, alongside the finest offerings at the Sashimi Station, including salmon, hamachi, and mackerel. Options also include handcrafted favourites at the dim sum Station, such as Boston lobster har gow, pork and foie gras shumai, and vegetable fun guo. Signature highlights are Grouper Shanghai Style soup, and steamed pork ribs with black bean. There will also be lion dance performances on Jan 29 at 10am and 7pm.

Avani Sukhumvit Bangkok Hotel marks the arrival of the Year of the Snake with a month-long celebration of Chinese flavours in an all-you-can-eat buffet served in a la carte style at Greenhouse Restaurant & Terrace Bar, located on the 7th floor. Highlights include Peking duck, fish maw soup with crab meat, dim sum, Chinese lava buns and more.

Savio's daily buffet at Chatrium Grand Bangkok features an exquisite menu of Chinese