I can’t believe Chinese New Year comes early this year– the eve of the new Year of the Water Dragon is on the 22nd of January, which means it’s time to book your celebratory dinner banquet spots at the Mandarin Oriental Manila. If the past years were any indication of how much fun the celebration is going to be, it’ll be even better this year because the hotel welcomes the year of the Dragon (Like most of my married girl friends, I keep getting told that I should have another baby this year– so I’ll have a “lucky” Dragon baby LOL… ohhhkaaaay!). And during Chinese New Year’s eve, the only place to be is really at The Mandarin Oriental, Manila.
I attended the lunch press conference today, and we were treated to yet another delicious meal *though this should no longer come as a surprise to me because all the meals I’ve had at the Mandarin are nothing short of excellent*!
Some food photos I need to share with you all (in case you have decided to go on a diet, here’s a little temptation for you– you can’t not go to Tin Hau at The Mandarin Oriental after this!) 😀
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| Stewed Lapu- Lapu with bean curd and eggplant |
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| Stir- fried Soft Shell Crab with Crisp Oatmeal |
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| Mmmmm… Braised Home- made Spinach Tofu with Shimeiji Mushrooms and Golden Dried Scallops |
Forget the diet, everything served was really healthy (and very, very good!!)
Should you choose to spend your Chinese New Year’s Eve with The Mandarin Oriental Manila, you will be treated to nice cocktails pre- celebration, with
- Deep Fried Crab Meat and Vegetable Spring Rolls
- Golden Fried Scallop with Wasabi flavoured Mayonnaise
- Steamed Vegetables and Seafood Buns
Followed by the very colorful and festive outdoor ceremony (dotting the eyes of lions and a dragon) and a Paai- Shan ceremony (energizing ritual that completes the hotel’s lunar extravaganza) performed by the famed geomancer, Master Joseph Chau Kam Shing (who has been practicing Feng Shui for well over 30 years and is based in Hong Kong although his expertise in geomancy has taken him to different countries including the Philippines, of course) and fireworks display (by Enchanted Kingdom) to ring in the new Year of the Water Dragon, the hotel’s very famous “midnight” lauriat dinner is served! And your first lucky meal of the year will include:
- New Year’s 5 Happiness Combination platter
- Braised Eight Treasure Soup (I can guarantee you this is soooo good!)
- Braised Abalone, Sea Cucumber, and Bailing Mushrooms with Vegetables in Oyster Sauce
- Wok- fried Shrimps with X.O. Sauce
- Steamed Live Garoupa with Superior Homemade Soy Sauce
- Poached Hong Kong Chicken with Spring Onion and Ginger Sauce
- Fresh Egg Noodles with Seafood Dumplings and Bean Sprouts in X.O. Sauce
- Special Chinese New Year’s Sweetened Desserts!
Tickets are priced at PhP 2,988 net for adults and PhP 1,588 net for children. Guests can also avail of the hotel’s “Feast and Fortune” offer and have that special one- on- one consultation with Master Chau to enhance your luck for 2012, for an additional cost of only PhP 1,088 when purchasing a table for ten!
I’m definitely not going to miss this event, because it is really the place to be when it comes to ringing in the Chinese New Year! For more inquiries and to book seats for this upcoming event, do call Mandarin Oriental Manila right away at (+632) 750-8888. Last year’s event was full to the brim, so better make your reservations early this year! And a highlight of this event is also knowing more about your fortune for this coming year, compliments of Master Chau (and THAT Chinese horoscope book for 2012– which was a must- have for me last year :D).
Tomorrow (or later, if I have the time), I will post some of the animal sign luck and fortune prediction highlights from Master Chau himself. We had the exclusive opportunity to hear him talk about this earlier and I will be sharing the information with you– you know, to help you know more about this year’s outlook for your animal sign 🙂 Again, you should not miss the full reports, which will be available at the New Year’s Eve dinner party at The Mandarin Oriental Manila. I can’t wait to see you all there 🙂
x
TheBagHag