Auspicious Dragons Usher in Abundance & Good Fortune

As preparations gear up to usher in 2024, Ya Ge has crafted a series of Chinese New Year menus that is auspicious and delectable all at once, with a number of showstopping dishes to boot! Guests can look forward to a repertoire of inspired creations such as the Crispy Golden Eel and Yellowtail Yusheng featuring dragon puddings, Iberico Pork Belly Pagoda accompanied by Braised 10-head Abalone, Fiery Maotai Crispy Duck, Braised Duo Vermicelli with Crab Meat and Crab Roe, Royal Eight Treasures Gourd-shaped Stuffed Duck, Yam and Nian Gao Ingot-shaped Pastry and Yuzu Snowskin Mochi. 

“The year of the dragon brings to mind qualities such as vigour, power, strength and confidence. We are taking this opportunity to revive the artisanal spirit of Chinese cuisine, a true celebration of our cultural heritage and a homage born out of dedication and time-honoured craftsmanship. Eschewing culinary shortcuts, we hope you will enjoy the flavours of our labour-intensive creations that are less commonly seen in Singapore,” says Ya Ge’s Executive Chef Sam Chong, a veteran in the Chinese food scene for over two decades.

With seven set menus to choose from, ranging from $88++ per person to $1888++ for a table of 10, Ya Ge ensures it will be resplendent feast – expect upscale ingredients like Australian lobster, Chilean cod, abalone, bird’s nest, shark’s fin, sea cucumber, French ‘An Xin’ chicken, eel, crab, and yellowtail, among others. 

Ya Ge embraces the year of the Dragon with the highly-anticipated $1888++ Success set menu which is designed for you and nine of your closest family members, friends or business associates. The culinary team dreamt up dishes that will make your tastebuds sing: Braised 5-head Abalone with Golden Oyster Fortune Bag accompanied with Australian Asparagus, Royal Eight Treasures Gourd-shaped Stuffed Duck, Stewed Hong Kong Noodles with Australian Lobster and Chilled Bird's Nest in Hawaiian Papaya accompanied with Yuzu Snowskin Mochi.

Crispy Golden Eel and Yellowtail Yusheng 
For yusheng that is out of the ordinary, look no further than Ya Ge’s which is essentially a love letter to cute animal puddings. The last edition in the rabbit year featured bunny puddings while the upcoming one will have raspberry-flavoured dragon puddings resting atop crispy strips of eel, yellowtail, freshly-julienned carrots, radish and pickled ginger. Grace the yusheng with a coating of passionfruit and kumquat dressing and you’re ready to toss the modern huat way! For those looking to do a takeaway, the yusheng is presented in a classy and thoughtfully-designed box.

Double-boiled ‘An Xin’ Chicken Soup with Matsutake Mushrooms, Dendrobium Stem and Conpoy
In true Cantonese fashion, Ya Ge has prepared a slow-cooked, double-boiled soup swimming with comforting flavours and nourishing ingredients. Certified organic ‘An Xin’ chicken hailing from France – raised sans antibiotics and hormones – is the key to the soup’s pure, unadulterated goodness. Stewed to perfection, it contains Matsutake mushrooms, prized for its distinct aromatic flavour as well as low saturated and unsaturated fat. Mixed in with traditional Chinese herbs - dendrobium stem and conpoy – this is the perfect starter to a journey of immense flavour.  

Iberico Pork Belly Pagoda accompanied by Braised 10-head Abalone
Long forgotten ever since China’s imperial past made way for the republic, pork belly wasn’t just simply braised and served up on the dining table. The royalty enjoyed long slabs of pork belly fashioned into pagodas. Served with preserved mustard and steeped in gravy, the mild sweetness cuts through the richness of the Iberico pork. The 10-head Abalone also contributes to the dish, combining in a divinely delicious symphony.

Red Garoupa (Sautéed Fish Fillets with Pine Nuts and Truffle and Crispy Bones)
Expect anything but trad from Chef Sam Chong and his stellar culinary team. Guests get to indulge in sautéed fish fillets doused in a rich and mouth-watering truffle sauce, with a sprinkling of pine nuts on top. The deep nuttiness of the pine nuts intermingles with the sweetness of the shaved truffle and tender fish to create a perfect amalgamation of taste. And as a serious nod to the zero-waste approach – surprise, surprise! – the fish bones are deep-fried to a crisp and drizzled with teriyaki sauce to add a perfect crunch to this dish. 

Fiery Maotai Crispy Bone Duck
In the fiery spirit of the year’s avatar, the dragon, Ya Ge’s newest culinary creation combines the throat-tingling liquor with the burst of taste from the crispy duck, with skin fried to perfection with succulent, tender meat beneath. 36 hours in the making, the duck is first marinated with Maotai and spices for 8 hours, steamed for another four and then air-dried for a day. The deep-fried duck is flambéed tableside to impart the flavours of Maotai to the dish, making it quite a visual spectacle. 

Braised Duo Vermicelli with Crab Meat and Crab Roe
Braised bee hoon is a well-loved classic but few chefs have made it oh-so-light, fitting for the penultimate end to a celebratory meal. Morsels of crab meat and crab roe are nestled atop a bed of perfectly braised rice vermicelli and glass noodles, and sprinkled with a smattering of fish roe for the finishing touch – a perfect medley of sweet, buttery, and umami. 

Royal Eight Treasures Gourd-shaped Stuffed Duck
Yet another time-consuming dish that demands 2 days of preparation, Ya Ge invites guests to pre-book the Success menu 3 days in advance. The duck has to be carefully de-boned, preserving the skin and bones so that the appearance remains intact. Ten – not eight – treasures, namely waxed meat, pork cubes, mushrooms, chestnuts, lotus seeds, salted egg yolk, conpoy, sakura ebi, pine nuts and glutinous rice are sauteed till semi-cooked before being stuffed into the duck. This dish was made popular in the royal courts during the reign of Emperor Qianlong back in the Qing Dynasty and it is not hard to see why. Shaped like a gourd, deep-fried, steamed and then accompanied with a rich dark jus, this delicious and ever-evolving creation is a showstopper that feeds the camera, soul and palate all at once. 

Ya Ge Prosperity Pen Cai 
Back once again is Ya Ge’s Prosperity Pen Cai, a masterfully crafted dish filled to the brim with premium and deluxe ingredients, all simmering together in layers of flavour in a collagen broth. This dish contains a whopping 20 ingredients, including 10-head abalone, fish maw, sea cucumber, black moss, golden oyster, dace fish, roasted duck, steamed chicken, dried scallops, fresh prawns, waxed meat, pork trotters, pork tendons, and much more. This dish is one to be savoured and shared with family and friends, with a wide variety of ingredients to choose from and benefits from a divine depth of flavour. 

Prosperous Goodies and Gifts
To enjoy Ya Ge’s handcrafted treats at home, or as gifts to bring along during Chinese New Year visits, these goodies are perfect for entertaining guests and celebrating the festive season in the comfort of your own home. 

Ya Ge has you covered with the Limited Edition Four Happiness Treasures which will delight your guests and put a smile on your face. 

Start off with the Steamed Radish Cake with Conpoy and Chinese Sausage, a savoury and umami-laced delicacy topped off with dried shrimps, and dig into a slice of heaven with the Steamed Golden Pumpkin Cake with Ham and Mushroom, a creation that combines the inherent sweetness of pumpkin with the balanced salty notes of ham and mushroom, steamed to perfection and ready to enjoy. For those with a sweet tooth, there is the Chilled Brown Sugar Water Chestnut Pudding and Traditional Nian Gao. Two traditional desserts of the festive season, the water chestnut pudding is perfect for guests who favour desserts with a subtler sweetness - with a rich nutty flavor sure to bring joy to every bite. Lastly, Nian Gao is a must to bring the new year to new heights, and usher in a prosperous year ahead. 

Yam and Nian Gao Ingot-shaped Pastry & Ingot-shaped Nian Gao with Dried Longan
Ya Ge has crafted the perfect sweet treat with this pairing. Signifying boundless fortune, yam and nian gao are moulded into an ingot-shaped pastry – the dense earthiness of the former and the sweetness of the latter is a match made in heaven. Back by popular demand is Ya Ge’s Ingot-shaped Nian Gao which now comes embellished with dried longan, adding extra bite, texture and rounded sweetness to it. 

Ya Ge has pulled out all the stops to deliver an exquisite feast of Chinese treasures for the year of the dragon, inviting guests to reunite over a thoughtfully-curated spread that is certain to captivate one’s palate. 

Bountiful Takeaway Sets

Ya Ge’s Bountiful Takeaway Sets are brilliantly designed for those who wish to entertain in the comfort of their own home or those who are visiting. The Ya Ge Reunion Takeaway Set ($468.00+) is perfect for intimate gatherings with your closest, consisting of Crispy Golden Eel and Yellowtail Yu Sheng (Small), Prosperity Pen Cai (Small), Steamed Lotus Leaf Fragrance Rice with Conpoy in Abalone Sauce as well as Yam and Nian Gao Ingot Pastry. 

Bond with friends and family over a large spread of symbolic food and festive must-haves by ordering the Ya Ge Abundance Takeaway Set ($768.00+), similar to the Reunion but with Yu Sheng and Pen Cai in a large portion for a bigger group. It also comes with a Four Happiness Treasures filled with a quartet of goodies. 
 
Place your pre-orders for set menus or takeaway festive goodies, available from 1st January to 24th February 2024. The takeaway sets and goodies can be made online at https://eshop-yage.myshopify.com, or the restaurant. Guests also get to enjoy a 10% discount on all takeaways

For more information on all Chinese New Year menus and takeaway festive goodies, please log on
to www.orchidhotel.com.sg/offers/ya-ge-2024-lunar-new-year.