Special thanks to Sunway Hotel Georgetown and Sunway Hotel Seberang Jaya for extending this food review invitation.
This evening, I am attending a Chinese New Year food review at Sunway Hotel Georgetown. The event is held in collaboration with the sister property, Sunway Hotel Seberang Jaya. Both hotels are serving 8-course set dinner from now until 15 February 2020 (except on 24 January 2020).
There are 4 choices for the set dinner: Fortune Set (RM888.00 net), Prosperity Set (RM988.00 net), Auspicious Set (RM1,088.00 net) and Emerald Set (RM1,288.00 net). The Emerald Set includes Salmon Yee Sang. Meanwhile, customers who choose any of the other 3 menus can have Salmon Yee Sang for an additional RM100.00.
The menus for Chinese New Year set dinner are specially crafted by Executive Chef How, who was also the mastermind behind the Christmas Eve Seafood Buffet Dinner recently. The review this evening largely follows the Emerald Set.
The tossing of yee sang (鱼生) is essential during Chinese New Year. Each ingredient is meant to represent an auspicious value. For instance, the presence salmon symbolizes “abundance” (余) because it sounds identical to the Chinese word for “fish” (鱼).
The first course is New Year Combination Hot & Cold Appetizer. The dish comprises of deep-fried bean curd skin rolls, roasted honey barbecue chicken, chili prawns with fresh fruit salad, and steamed scrambled egg with artificial shark fin & crab meat.
The next course is Braised Artificial Shark Fin Soup. The creamy soup contains exquisite seafood ingredients such as crab meat and fish lips. Made of starch, artificial shark fin is an alternative to actual shark fin. The latter is rarely seen nowadays due to concerns over sustainability.
Next, Steamed Eight-Treasure Chicken is seasoned with auspicious ingredients like mushrooms (for longevity), ginkgo nuts (for wealth) and water chestnuts (for social success). The ingredients are wrapped and cooked in aromatic lotus leaf.
Baked Tiger Prawns are cooked with butter and herbs, and then gratinéed with cheese. The platter is also garnished with steamed bok choy. The presentation of this dish is rather unique.
Steamed Whole Grouper is served with premium soy sauce so as to retain the fish’s natural sweetness. Also present is a special pesto made of ginger and garlic. The pesto is tantalizing to the tongue but I think it may be too pungent for some people.
Mongolian Roasted Lamb Rack is one of the best dishes this evening. The dish has a hint of toastiness that makes it succulent indeed. Furthermore, a special blend of sauce enhances the lamb to a new level.
Braised Assorted Vegetables consist of Pacific clams, conpoy (dried scallops), mushrooms, broccoli and fatt choy (moss) wrapped in cabbage. Fatt choy (发菜) is considered an auspicious ingredient because it sounds like “striking rich” (发财) in Chinese.
Moving on, Special Fried Rice is wrapped in lotus leaf to keep the rice warm and fragrant. The dish contains seafood and minced chicken too.
Finally for desserts, Chilled Papaya Sago is blended with vanilla ice cream. The resulting emulsion has a soothing sweetness that does not overwhelm the palate.
Pan-Fried Chinese Brown Sugar Cake is another lovely dessert. Also known as “nian gao” (年糕), the sticky cake is usually eaten during Chinese New Year as a symbol of an improved year.
The Chinese New Year set dinner is served at Level LG of the hotel. 1-week advance reservation is recommended as popular dates are being filled quickly. Bookings can be made by phone 
As for residents of Seberang Perai, the identical set dinner is also available at Sunway Hotel Seberang Jaya. Customers who wish to dine here may make reservations by phone
In addition to set dinner, both hotels are serving buffet dinner on Chinese New Year’s Eve (24 January 2020). For families who prefer to skip the hassle of cooking, this buffet is a convenient alternative to reunion dinner. There are lucky prizes to be won, so let’s see whether the Year of the Rat brings good fortune to you!
Name: Sunway Hotel Georgetown
Address: 33, Lorong Baru, 10400 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Contact: 04-229-9988
Business hours: 6:00pm-10:00pm
Website: https://georgetown.sunwayhotels.com
Coordinates: 5.41425 N, 100.32575 E
Directions: Sunway Hotel Georgetown is located at New Lane (Lorong Baru) in George Town. The hotel is accessible from either Macalister Road (Jalan Macalister) or Jalan Dato Keramat. There are parking spaces inside the hotel as well as along New Lane.