We’ve just finished celebrating Christmas and the New Year, yet we are already stoked to start our annual preparations for the next big exciting thing: Chinese New Year! There are lots to do leading up to the Lunar New Year celebrations, and what better place to soak in the festivities as well as to get all your Chinese New Year necessities than at Chinatown’s annual CNY night market?

The colourful streets of Chinatown are lined with a variety of stalls that sells everything you’ll need for the New Year. From shops that sell an assortment of traditional and contemporary snacks, ornaments and decorative pieces to roadside stalls that sell interesting knick-knacks and trinkets, we can foresee ourselves spending a very long time here over the next few weeks!

CHINESE NEW YEAR GOODIES GALORE  

Undoubtedly, our favourite part of Chinese New Year has to be all those festive goodies! While some prefer to stick to tradition and sell the usual snacks such as love letters and bak kwa, while others choose to be more innovative by coming up with interesting new snacks that no one has ever seen or heard of before.

Many of the traditional snacks hold very auspicious meanings. For instance, peanuts symbolise vitality, longevity and riches while nian gao is usually eaten for prosperity and promotion. If you’re curious about the meaning of other Chinese New Year traditions, you can read all about them here. 

Chinatown is also the place to be at if you need to stock up on your favourite thematic cookies such as almond cookies and pineapple tarts. Look at all these colourful jars of snacks! Time to put all your diet plans on hold.

If you are a fan of dried meats like lup cheong, waxed duck, liver sausage and other cured delights, you’d be thrilled to know that there is a massive stall with walls that are lined with every kind of cured meat you could name.

GORGEOUS FESTIVE PLANTS 

If you are someone who appreciates exotic plants, you’ll be glad to know that you can find plenty of such plants in the market. Besides traditional favourites such as tangerine plants and pussy willows, feast your eyes on a wide range of other exotic plants that are only available during the Lunar New Year.

INTERESTING TRINKETS AND DECORATIVE ITEMS 

You can’t invite people over to your house for visitations if it isn’t decorated, can you? Fret not though, as the Chinatown market overflows with beautiful decorative items to jazz up your home.

Amidst all the pretty lights and decorations, this man caught our eye. In the middle of a crowded street, he was patiently painting the lively scene of the night market and it was simply mesmerising to watch him at work. It definitely isn’t something that you see every day!

MESMERISING CHINESE NEW YEAR DECORATIONS 

What is a trip to Chinatown without admiring the gorgeous new year decorations that have been painstakingly done up? When it comes to festive decorations, Singapore is known to go all out in terms of the extravagance and sheer size of their displays.

This year is no different and along New Bridge Road at the outskirts of the Chinatown district, you can expect to see a display of two adorable, giant pig lanterns that are surrounded by plenty of small piglet lanterns. It is definitely a sight to behold and makes for a great #OOTD spot for the gram!

There is much to behold and be stoked about this festive season as we usher in the year of the dog this Chinese New Year. Besides the usual house visitations, reunion meals and customary receiving of ang paos (red packets), there is loads more to look forward to, especially in Chinatown.

With a variety of stalls lining up the streets of Chinatown with interesting knick-knacks to buy and festive foods to try, we can’t think of anywhere better to soak up the Lunar New Year atmosphere than at this bustling district.

Stuff yourselves silly with an array of mouth-watering new year delicacies, enjoy the brilliant lights and decorations of the stalls and shop for traditional goodies from cookies, decorative items to even costumes! This is one street bazaar you do not want to miss!

CHINESE NEW YEAR GOODIES GALORE

Walking around the bustling night market, one of the most prominent sounds you will likely hear echoing through the streets is the hot deals for peanuts, dried goods and seeds.

Sunflower or melon seeds to Chinese people are what popcorn is to moviegoers, they make a great snack and are one of the most highly consumed perishables during the Lunar New Year.

Peanuts, on the other hand, possess a more symbolic value. To the Chinese people, It symbolizes vitality, longevity, and riches which is why it is often bought and eaten during the festive season.

Chinese New Year—or any other cultural celebration for that matter—would not quite be the same without an abundance of thematic cookies.

From almond cookies, pineapple tarts and even some oddities that we have never encountered before, there is no doubt something for every household. We particularly love the range of goodies there are on display and the fact that many of the stalls here give out free samples.

Perhaps one of the most impressive things to see at the market is the massive stalls selling dried meat. These items are commonly used in Chinese cooking in a variety of different ways.

Whether it’s dried Chinese sausages you fancy, waxed duck or even a variety of cured delights, there is bound to be something to astound you.

KNICK-KNACKS AND DECORATIVE ITEMS

Here at the Chinatown Chinese New Year market, you will find no shortage of decorative items and knick-knacks to beautify your home with or even to give away as souvenirs.

We may not be the traditional sort but we were thoroughly impressed by the sheer diversity here—from Chinese calligraphy, red packets with various designs to even doggy-centric knick-knacks signifying the year of the dog.

BRILLIANT DECORATIONS

When it comes to festive decorations, Singapore is rarely known to skimp on extravagance, let alone the sheer size of its decorative displays.

This year, along New Bridge Road along the outskirts of the Chinatown district, locals and visitors alike will get to marvel at the massive dog display there. Feel free to snap a few photos or even take a selfie with it—just be sure to watch for oncoming traffic while you’re at it!

FESTIVE PLANTS

If you are someone who is intrigued by exotic botanicals, then be sure to make a stop at one of the many plant stalls. Besides the traditional tangerine plants and Pussy Willows, you will also get to see a wide range of exotic plant species that are only exclusively available during the Chinese New Year.

This year’s Chinese New Year Market over at Chinatown takes place along Pagoda Street, Smith Street, Sago Street, Temple Street and Trengganu Street.

Is it your turn to host lunar dinner this Chinese New year or are you thinking of bringing an auspicious gift along when you go for your house visits? While we prep for all the upcoming parties, the common “problem” is—what should we cook/ buy?

Well, not everyone is made for the kitchen and we know how much hassle it is to whip up an entire dinner or even just a dish for pot-luck. This is when takeaways save us.

Enjoy a fuss-free lunar celebration with Chinese New Year takeaways from Grand Hyatt Singapore’s shop at mezza9 from now until 11 Feb 2017. Toss to a greater year with yu sheng takeaways (S$51.35 nett) and munch on a wide array of homemade cookies, tarts and other festive delights. These lunar goodies are so beautifully packaged, they would surely be befitting for all your house parties.

If you are looking to get the ultimate gift for Chinese New Year, you will never go wrong with Grand Hyatt Singapore’s premium 100 Blessings of Good Fortune (S$288 nett)—a 100-piece chocolate praline set that is now an icon of Grand Hyatt Singapore.

It is an elegant Chinese calligraphy set featuring a hundred Chinese word characters for fortune, with some of the writing styles dating as far back as the early Qing dynasty. This beautiful gift set comes with dark, milk and white Swiss chocolates encased with interesting flavours such as cognac, earl grey, mint, mocha, orange, and peanut butter.

From now until 11 Feb 201, you can also dine in at mezza9 and toss to prosperity and success with the ‘Double Happiness and Good Luck’ yu sheng (S$48++). We’ve had many yusheng variations in our lives, but the mezza9′s yusheng is one that we always go back to for its variety of sustainable fishes.

Indulgence doesn’t mean we need to compromise on our marine life, which is why mezza9′s yusheng comes with certified-sustainable Norwegian Atlantic Salmon and New Zealand yellowtail kingfish.

Shop at mezza9
Grand Hyatt Singapore
10 Scotts Road
Singapore 228211
Tel: +65 6416 7322
Nearest Station: Orchard

This post is brought to you by Grand Hyatt Singapore.

Chinese New Year hampers are one of those things we look forward to receiving every year! It is also the time for you to show appreciation to friends, family and clients!

This Chinese New Year 2016, Sinpopo Brand has one of the best hampers that includes their well-known pastry and cakes with local flavours.

From now till 22 January 2016, receive 10% off your total bill when you order the Prosperity Hamper Set (S$88).

Have you tried Sinpopo Brand’s sugee biscuits? The crumbly sugar cookies is their classic and one that they have also successfully incorporated into their desserts. The best taste, of course, still comes from the cookies itself, and they make great CNY table snacks for your guests.

But the star this year has to be salted egg yolk cookies. Damn, we are obsessed with salted egg yolk and yes, we’ve tried them; they are addictive.

Both cookies are available for takeaway at S$15 each.

Their signature Gula Melaka Cake (5×5″) retails at S$30 each and is an all-time favourite sweet treat if you are a fan of the local flavour. A little gift to your colleagues, maybe?

The Prosperity Hamper (S$88) will include 1 Gula Melaka Cake (5×5″), 2 bottles of Sinpopo Sugee Biscuit and 2 bottles of the Salted Egg Yolk Cookies - with 8 Mandarin oranges to complete, no less.

All orders must be made at least 4 days in advance. To order, you can go to www.sinpopo.com, email festive@sinpopo.com or call +65 6345 5034. Deliveries can also be arranged.

07 Feb 2016 (Sunday) – 12pm to 5pm for the hamper collection & orders.
08 Feb 2016 (CNY DAY 1) and 9th February 2016 (CNY DAY 2) – CLOSED
09 Feb 2016 – Business as per normal

Sinpopo Brand
458 Joo Chiat Rd
Singapore 427671
Tel: +65 6345 5034
Tue to Thu, Sun: 12pm – 10pm
Fri & Sat: 12pm – 12am
Nearest Station: Dakota

This post is brought to you by Sinpopo Brand.

What is Chinese New Year without poon choi, yusheng and all the tempting goodies and snacks? Every year, we source for the best options for our family reunion dinner and house parties. This year, usher in the year of the horse with Carlton Hotel Singapore’s prosperous take-home goodies.

Choose from a range of yusheng (S$58+ to S$118+) with delicacies including Hokkaido scallops, wolf herring, hamachi, abalone, and salmon. The Longevity poon choi (S$388+ for 6pax, S$628+ for 10 pax) is also a great party addition – a pot of goodness with premium ingredients like baby abalone, scallops, sea cucumber, roasted duck, live prawns, and dried oysters.

Pineapple tarts are everyone’s favourite Chinese New Year goodies, and you must get your hands on Carlton’s super addictive premium pineapple tarts ($25.80+). Baked to the perfect shade of golden brown, the tarts are generously filled with fresh pineapple paste.

Rather than the usual love letters and peanut cookies, why not go for the special new creations by Carlton? The cocoa pops cookies – made of chocolate rice cereals – and the pecan cinnamon cookies are equally addictive. The new water chestnut cake also serves as a great dessert this festive season.

Whether you are buying them as gifts for your corporate partners or family, the Chinese New Year goodies from Carlton are your best bets because you get premium tastes and elegance all packaged together.

Photos credit: Carlton Hotel Singapore

For those of you who prefer to save the hassle of cooking at home and to dine out for the annual reunion dinner, Cafe Mosaic’s Lunar New Year buffet comes with a mouth-watering spread of braised Chinese herbal beef brisket, braised fish maw with crabmeat soup, freshly shucked live oysters, Peking duck, suckling pig, roasted crispy pork belly and much more. There is also a complimentary platter of yusheng.

Cafe Mosaic’s Lunar New Year’s Eve Dinner Buffet: S$98++/pax (30 Jan 2014, 6.30pm to 10.30pm). Lunar New Year Dinner Buffet: S$88++/pax (31 Jan & 1 Feb 2014).

Goodies: +65 6349 1292, or email restaurants@carltonhotel.sg
Café Mosaic: +65 6311 8195, or email cafe.mosaic@carltonhotel.sg

Visit www.facebook.com/CarltonHotelSG or www.carltonhotel.sg for more information.

This post is brought to you by Carlton Hotel Singapore.