13 Dishes and Treats To Enjoy in Melbourne This Lunar New Year

There are lots of ways to celebrate as we usher in the Year of the Fire Horse, but many of the festivities involve food. 

“Food is the essence of Lunar New Year,” Tony Tan told us. “It’s a universal language that transcends geographical boundaries, narrating stories of heritage and belonging. Each dish we share is a thread in the fabric of our collective histories, resonating with anyone who cherishes the warmth of tradition and family. And each dish is symbolic and filled with meaning.”

Here are 13 dishes and treats to help celebrate the new year, which is celebrated from Tuesday February 17 to Saturday February 21. 

Dish and Menu Specials

Yee Sang, Ho Liao

Junda Khoo’s Malaysian restaurants Ho Jiak and Ho Liao are both serving special dishes for the new year. But one highlight is the yee sang (prosperity toss salad) with king salmon and Yarra Valley salmon caviar, available at Ho Liao. The yee sang must be pre-ordered and is available until Sunday March 1.

Pork wontons, Lagoon Dining

Carlton’s Lagoon Dining is hosting a Chap Goh Mei dinner on Tuesday March 3, marking the end of Lunar New Year. The seven-course dinner, from Lagoon chef Keat Lee, is $88 per person and includes chow mein with ’nduja gravy and Skull Island prawns; chilli oil and chilli sesame dressing; and cinnamon mochi with soft caramel a yoghurt cream.

Longevity noodles, Aru

Little Collins Street restaurant Aru has a number of Lunar New Year dishes available until Saturday February 28, including prawn and scallop dumplings with a smoked soy dressing, chilli oil and brown butter, as well as wok-tossed longevity noodles with fried shrimp and fresh herbs.

Prosperity Platter, Past Port

The Waterside and Past Port chef Sarah Chan is ushering in the new year with a prosperity platter available until Tuesday February 17. It includes deep-fried tom yum prawn dumplings, pandan-leaf-wrapped chicken, Vietnamese bo la lot (beef wrapped in betel leaves) and Thai fish cakes with red curry paste.

Crustacean noodles, Pebble

Cam Tay-Yap’s pop-up Pebble and chef Jack Tsai of Uncle Tsai are teaming up for a Lunar New Year lunch on Sunday February 22. The set-menu meal is $120 per person and includes prawn toast; crustacean noodles; char siu with apple, corn and hoisin sauce; and a ginger tofu pudding with black tea syrup 

Takeaway items and gifts

Tony Tan x Hunted & Gathered

Melbourne-based chocolate maker Hunted & Gathered has tapped legendary chef and cookbook author Tony Tan for a Lunar New Year collaboration bar. The Year of the Horse five-spice brittle bar, inspired by hua sheng tang (Chinese peanut brittle) sees five-spice powder, peanuts and sesame mixed with 55 per cent chocolate.

Thi Le x Piccolina

Anchovy and Ca Com chef Thi Le and Piccolina have teamed up on a che (a Vietnamese dessert). The combination of coconut gelato, freeze-dried corn, creamed corn, corn custard, toasted coconut flakes and toasted sesame is available at all Piccolina stores until Wednesday March 4. 

Victor Liong x Baker Bleu

Victor Liong of Lee Ho Fook is collaborating with Baker Bleu on three items this Lunar New Year. Stop by any Baker Bleu store for Peking duck-inspired duck sausage rolls, scallion pancake-inspired spring onion twists, and a jasmine-infused custard tart. 

Pineapple cookies, Tori’s

Tori’s on Niagara Laneis selling pineapple-shaped cookies inspired by classic Taiwanese pineapple cakes. For Tori’s take, house-made pineapple jam is encased inside a butter shortcrust pastry. 

Lao Gan Ma cookies, Raya

Raymond Tan’s CBD bakery Raya is known for its parody packaging. Last year’s Chinese New Year cookies were packed into “Kewkie” boxes, inspired by Kewpie mayonnaise. This year, the packaging resembles Lao Gan Ma chilli oil. The cookie boxes are filled with pineapple tart cookies, miso peanut cookies, chilli shortbread, Chinese walnut cookies, and fortune cookies decorated to look like mandarins.

Golden Prosperity Cake, Kori Ice-Cream

This year Joanne Yoh and Bernard Chu’s ice-cream shop Kori is making a gold version of its mahjong-tile-shaped cake. The Lunar New Year special golden prosperity cake has layers of cashew praline, black sesame and jujube sponge, osmanthus Champagne semifreddo, and ruby peach semifreddo. The cake is coated in hazelnut chocolate and shaped like a mahjong tile with the character 发 (Fa), a symbol of prosperity and wealth.

Jasmine mandarin cheesecake, Bakt

Bakt, the microbakery from Vy Tran and Jasmine Tran that specialises in Basque cheesecake, is making a jasmine mandarin cheesecake throughout February. A shortbread base is topped with jasmine tea-infused cheesecake with a mandarin swirl before the whole thing is topped with mandarin whipped cream. 

Pineapple tart bingsu, Nimbo

This year Nimbo – a bingsu (a Korean shaved-ice dessert) shop on Hardware Street – is making a pineapple tart-inspired bingsu. Shaved ice is topped with pineapple paste, lemon balm, crushed macadamias, buttery milk crumbs, a scoop of vanilla ice-cream and a house-made fortune cookie.