As we welcome 2025, we’ll also be greeting a new Chinese zodiac very soon: the snake.
Based on the Chinese zodiac, the snake is associated with wisdom, charm, and elegance—the latter two of which can be used to describe Oversea Group’s Chinese New Year 2025 spread.
In conjunction with the opening of its newest outlet called Oversea Palace Seafood, the Vulcan Post team was invited to a preview of this seasonal feast.
I wasn’t sure what to expect as CNY meals in my family are kept quite humble. My mum would typically prepare homey fish maw soup, bamboo shoots soup, steamed fish, and poon choi.
But walking into Oversea Palace Seafood with its palace-themed ambience, I had a feeling this feast would be a grand affair. Spoiler alert: it did not disappoint.
It’s not a Malaysian CNY without yee sang
As local customs dictate, a Malaysian CNY feast typically starts with the popular yee sang to reign in a prosperous year.
At Oversea Restaurant this year, its Yee Sang with Abalone and Korean Snow Pear is a more elevated version of what I’m used to.
Featuring ingredients like colourful shredded vegetables, pickled ginger, pomelo, and the two star ingredients, each ingredient carries a special meaning. For example, cucumber symbolises many happy returns and the crispy pok chui crackers symbolise gold bars.
Abalone, on the other hand, carries the same significance as salmon in your usual yee sang. It’s called “baoyu” in Mandarin, which is a homonym for abundance.
Korean Snow Pear isn’t part of a traditional lou sang toss, but it added a subtle sweetness and refreshing taste to the overall dish.
After many “Huat ah!” and other well wishes, the real feast began.
Fun fact: There are various types of Yee Sang available for takeaway and dine in, with prices starting from RM78++ for half portion and RM98++ for full portion.
Classic dishes with refined flavours
In true CNY fashion, Oversea Restaurant carefully curated each dish to reign in a new year of prosperity. After all, is it really a culturally significant dish if there’s no symbolism to it?
The Golden Fish Maw Kampung Chicken Soup, a staple in my home, had a rich broth. We’re not sure how long it was boiled for but the flavours can attest that it’s certainly more than a couple of hours.
Symbolically, chickens are served whole during the festivities as it represents family unity and togetherness. But we’ll turn a blind eye to Oversea Restaurant’s half chicken as one pot of this was more than generous for our table of nine.
The Hong Kong-Style Claypot Waxed Meat Rice (or better known as lap mei fan) is an equally common sight during the festive season.
Topped with Chinese waxed pork sausages, liver sausages, and duck sausages, the dish has a distinctive aroma and strong taste. If you like lap cheong, you’ll surely enjoy this.
It’s said that this Cantonese dish is carried over from pre-refrigeration days, back when ancient Chinese citizens preserved meat for winter. As spring and CNY approaches, they’d celebrate by feasting on this claypot delicacy.
The final main course is one that perhaps best represents the festive season with its complex yet harmonious flavours thanks to layers upon layers of ingredients.
Oversea Restaurant’s Prosperity Treasure Pot was loaded with different elements, as what you’d expect a classic poon choi to be.
You have the tender scallop, chewy sea cucumber and fish maw, fragrant chicken, large abalones and prawns, and more. All of them have their own unique taste that combines together to create an umami medley on your tongue.
Fun fact: The Hong Kong Style Claypot Waxed Meat Rice and Prosperity Treasure Pot are also available for takeaway and delivery with prices starting from RM68++.
Desserts consisted of Fortune Nian Gao (another classic dish) and Chilled Yuzu Longan with Nata de Coco, giving a sweet and refreshing end to the overall night.
-//-
If you’re looking for CNY snacks, Oversea Group is also offering jars of treats to bring home:
- Pineapple ball (20 pieces for RM33.90 nett)
- Oriental muffins (25 pieces for RM39.80 nett)
- Egg rolls (15 pieces for RM28.80 nett)
- Pineapple Yogurt Cookies (21 pieces for RM33.90 nett)
Under the Oversea Group, there are six Oversea Restaurant outlets: Imbi, Sri Petaling, 1Utama, Genting, Ipoh, and Menara Lien Hoe in PJ.
Each of these outlets has different variations in their CNY 2025 offerings, but the dishes mentioned are festive highlights. This seasonal menu is available from now until Chap Goh Mei (February 15, 2025). Tables can be reserved by contacting the respective outlets here.
Featured Image Credit: Oversea Group