Celebrate Chinese New Year at Hop Sing

 

It is still early in the season but I am back at Hop Sing, the Chinese Restaurant in Ponderosa Golf & Country Club for a preview of the Chinese New Year menu of banquet dishes.

 

Tossing for higher prosperity at Hop Sing
with fresh Mango Yee Sang
 

The culinary team at this restaurant has earned a fine reputation for serving up Chinese cuisine in homestyle cooking, prepared with ingredients sourced from Halal food suppliers and acquired many loyal diners who enjoy the pleasure of savouring both dine-in and takeaway banquet meals.

 

Whether it was for business or with families and friends, the Chinese have many superstitions and traditional practices that augers well for good health, happiness and abundant wealth at the start of the New Year.

 

Entrance to Hop Sing on level
one of the Clubhouse

Hop Sing is familiar with the tastes and traditions of regulars who like to host corporate dinners at the restaurant, before the dawn of the Chinese New Year as well as for celebrations over the first fifteen days of the Chinese New Year.

 

Chinese companies often thank their staff ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday break with an appreciation meal, traditionally known as sau kong farn (Cantonese) which simply means, a meal together to mark the close of business for the year.

 

When staff returned to start work after the Chinese New Year break, some Chinese managements share the festive fun by hosting hoi kong farn (Cantonese) which simply means, a meal together to kick off an auspicious business year.

 

A portion of double-boiled Chicken Soup 
with Cordyceps Flowers and dried scallops

To celebrate the Year of the Snake in 2025, Hop Sing has prepared three banquet menu choices under menus dubbed Harmonious (RM488++) that serves four to six diners, and Majestic (RM938++) for eight to 10 people per table.

 

Several years ago, Hop Sing created their signature Prosperity Mango Yee Sang that features fresh slivers of mango fruit instead of raw fish that was well received by diners.

 

Now Hop Sing continues to present refreshing Mango Yee Sang as the first dish of each set menu for the prosperity toss during the Chinese New Year season.

 

Savour pieces of roasted chicken with
a sprinkle of salt

The goodness of double-boiled soup is presented in Double-boiled Chicken Soup with Cordyceps Flowers. The pieces of chicken, with skin removed, are slowly brewed with Cordyceps Flowers and dried scallops to yield the sweetness of a superior soup.

 

A whole fish augurs well for prosperity, so a whole grouper topped with fragrant preserved radish was steamed Hong Kong-style. When it was served, diners chose their favourite parts of the fish to eat, drizzled with sauce and bits of tasty preserved radish.

 

A traditional favourite must be 
Braised Broccoli with whole Mushrooms
and Pacific Clams

At Hop Sing, whole Crispy Roasted Chicken was served garnished (the old-fashioned way!) with curls of crispy crackers and a side of flavoured salt. It was pure nostalgia to enjoy this traditional way of savouring pieces of roasted chicken with a sprinkle of salt.

 

Another traditional favourite for Chinese New Year must be the vegetable dish of Braised Broccoli with whole Mushrooms and Pacific Clams. I have always enjoyed this dish along with the taste of braised dried beancurd soaked in the delicate sauce.

 

Fragrant Yam Fried Rice with Chicken
and Dried Shrimps

Whole prawns are another auspicious item in Chinese New Year banquets and Hop Sing serves a tradition har-lok dish (Cantonese), Superior Soy Sauce Prawns.

 

Then to close of the meal, came the Yam Fried Rice with Chicken and Dried Shrimps, a savoury item traditionally served to fill up any space that may be left in the stomach.

 

This meal ends sweetly with Auspicious Nian Gao coated with desiccated coconut. Pieces of traditional kueh bakul are steamed and tossed in desiccated coconut for a rich, sweet and sticky end to a sumptuous meal.

 

Pieces of Auspicious Nian Gao coated
with desiccated coconut

The Year of the Snake banquet menus are open for reservations from now and will be served from January 29 to February 16, 2025.

 

Hop Sing, the Chinese Restaurant [No pork and no lard] is at Ponderosa Golf & Country Club, No. 3 Jalan Ponderosa 1/1, Taman Ponderosa, 81100 Johor Baru, Johor. Open from 11am to 3pm for lunch and from 6pm to 10pm for dinner.

 

For reservations, Tel: 019 – 758 0058 or 019 – 779 9841 or email: enquiry@ponderosagolf.com.  For more info, visit website: ponderosagolf.com