New Year festivities at the Shang Makati

MANILA, Philippines - Guests are invited to celebrate the lunar new year at Makati Shangri-La, Manila with Chinese New Year festivities, room and dining offers that the whole family can enjoy.

To usher in the Year of the Sheep, the hotel will have a festive firecrackers display at the lobby driveway and a traditional lion and dragon dance around the hotel on Chinese New Year’s Eve, Feb. 18 at 11 p.m. and Chinese New Year’s Day on Feb. 19 at 12:30 p.m.

A traditional treat popular during the Chinese New Year celebrations is the tikoy, also known as nian gao or year cake. A delicacy made of glutinous rice flour and sugar, the sticky, sweet confection symbolizes family unity, which makes it a popular gift among family, friends and business partners. Tikoy is available for purchase at a special booth at the hotel lobby from Feb. 2 to 22, and comes in shapes of round or prosperity traditional, purple yam, coconut and radish flavors.

Local residents are invited to have a rejuvenating staycation during this festive holiday with room rates starting at P8,888+++ for stays from Feb. 18 to 20 in a Superior Room for two adults and two children below six years, including breakfast buffet at Circles Event Café and a complimentary box of tikoy. Proof of residence must be presented upon check-in to avail of the rate. 

Gather the whole family at Shang Palace for a celebration of prosperity and success, and choose among four nine-course dinner menus good for 10 persons, from P19,888+++ to P66,888+++, available from Feb. 2 to 22 for lunch and dinner.

Guests may feast on unlimited dim sum, appetizers, soup, desserts and a choice of main course with the Festive Dim Sum Plus lunch on Feb. 18 at Shang Palace and Feb. 19 at Isabela Ballroom from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Shang Palace also offers guests the traditional Yee Sang, a raw fish salad consisting of over 20 ingredients, each one signifying blessings of abundance, success and prosperity. Some of the ingredients include pomelo for luck, pepper to attract money, green radish for eternal youth, daikon or white radish for a prosperous business, peanut crumbs to fill the household with gold and silver, sesame seeds for a flourishing business, and plum sauce for a sweet life. Yee Sang is available at Shang Palace from Feb. 2 to 22.

Another signature dish available only this Chinese New Year at Shang Palace is the legendary Poon Choi, a casserole dish steeped in history as early as the 13th century in China’s Song Dynasty. Believed to be an emperor’s dish, poon choi became a distinctive delicacy suitable for large gatherings, consisting of abalone, pork, beef, lamb, chicken, duck, ginseng, fish maw, prawn, crab, squid, fish balls, shrimp, dried eel, dried mushroom, bean curd and radish. Due to the complex preparation of Poon Choi, advanced orders are recommended.

For reservations, call (632) 814 2580 or e-mail rric.slm@shangri-la.com.