WITH Chinese New Year just about a month away, families and businesses are gearing up for festive celebrations, marked by the customary tradition of making early table reservations at hotels, restaurants and eateries.
Preparing for a surge in bookings, Courtyard by Marriott Penang hosted a Lunar New Year Eve’s Reunion Preview Dinner for some corporate guests and several key opinion leaders (KOLs) at its ballroom recently.
The meticulously crafted eight-course dinner, curated by experienced Chef Teoh Chia Loon and his team, left attendees thoroughly satisfied.
But before the commencement, Courtyard by Marriott general manager Yvonne Wan, director of sales and marketing Kenny Lee, sales manager, pro-active Charmaine Seah, and assistant sales manager, re-active Kavitra Ganesan extended a warm reception to make guests feel at home.
What better way to kick off the dinner on an auspicious note than by participating in the traditional tossing of Yee Sang. Creatively laid out on a fairly big table, the Yee Sang featured a central dragon motif in the centre that symbolises the coming Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac.
Guests enthusiastically engaged in the ritual, using long chopsticks to toss a variety of ingredients into the air. The mix included colourful shredded vegetables, raw fish, jellyfish, pickled ginger, Mandarin oranges, pomelo, peanuts, and sesame seeds. This act comes with hopes of good fortune, health and happiness, and also with the belief that the higher the toss, the greater the bestowed luck.
The culinary journey commenced with the Chef Special Combinations, a delightful assortment of five dishes in one. The array featured Chilled Seasonal Baby Octopus, Deep-Fried Otak Roll, Stir-fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts ‘Kong Po’ Style, ‘Ma Po’ Soft Bean Curd with Minced Chicken, and Oyster Vegetable Roll with Fatt Choy Egg White Sauce.
Following this, a delectable sequence unfolded, including Braised Dry Seafood Soup with Crab Meat and Sun-dried Scallop; Steamed Chicken with Garden Green and Soy Sauce, Stir-fried Prawn with Spicy Oat Flake, and Stewed Assorted Fresh Mushrooms with Scallops in Yam Dough.
Continuing the feast were highlights such as Deep Fried Deep Red Lion with Nyonya Laksa Sauce, Braised Clay Pot Noodle with Treasure of the Sea.
For prawn enthusiasts, the Stir-Fried Prawns were meticulously prepared, with shells removed except for the tail part, and all prawns deveined for a hassle-free dining experience.
Like most Chinese dinners, it concluded on a sweet note. The Warm Sweetened Assorted Glutinous Rice Balls in Ginger Soup proved to be a delightful choice.
Available exclusively on Jan 9, the Lunar New Year Eve’s Reunion Dinner (Yee Sang plus eight dishes) is priced at RM1,688+ per table for 10.
According to Kenny Lee, the ballroom accommodates a maximum of 15 tables, and five have already been booked.
To make the event more memorable, he said the hotel is offering three lucky prizes – a two-night stay in Osaka (W Osaka), Shanghai (Courtyard Shanghai) and Bali (Courtyard Nusa Dua).
Guests will be treated to a dragon dance performance and a live oldie English song-singing performance during the Lunar New Year’s Eve Reunion Dinner.
The hotel is also introducing its Lunar New Year Banquet Package from now to Feb 24 (except Feb 9), with three distinct menus, namely New Year Unity Menu (RM1,288+ per table), New Year Blossom Menu (RM1,688+) and New Year Prosperity Menu (RM1,888+ per table).
A Lunar New Year Buffet Dinner is available at Courtyard by Marriott Penang on Feb 10 and 11, priced at RM288+ per adult and RM144+ per child (6-12 years). Lee said Maybank cardholders can enjoy an exclusive discount of 40% and 30% depending on their cards.
The hotel also offers Yee Sang dine-in or take away (need to prebook), Lunar New Year Prosperity Hamper Basket and Prosperity Negroni Cocktail @ Gin Library.
For details and bookings, call +604 297 2300, +6012 580 0985 or email [email protected] or visit www.courtyardpenang.com.
Meanwhile, Koo Soo Choon Tong Restaurant and Teahouse Association chairman Vinah Yee said quite a number of her association members have received about 60% of bookings for CNY reunion dinners.
She said the prices may go up by 10% due to higher costs of ingredients sourced from Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong and China.
“We anticipate more reservations from now as Chinese New Year is fast approaching. Moreover, Chinese families like to gather for joyous celebration as they welcome the auspicious Year of the Dragon,” she said.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Siew Chia Eng
