How to celebrate Lunar New Year in a delicious way
Some 1.5 billion people in Asian communities worldwide will celebrate the start of Lunar New Year on Sunday, Jan. 22. The Year of the Rabbit begins with the second new moon after the winter solstice, which can be as early as Jan. 21 or as late as Feb. 20.
Traditions for a year of prosperity and good luck include parades and music as Lunar New Year is celebrated by people of Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tibetan, Mongolian, Malaysian and Filipino heritage.
They also celebrate with family, and, of course, with food.
The shadow of the COVID pandemic still looms, and we're hard-pressed to find many Lunar New Year celebrations at Rhode Island restaurants. But you will find excellent Asian specialties at Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean restaurants.
Yagi Noodles, Newport
Yagi Noodles has a Chinese New Year menu that runs through Saturday, Jan. 28. The Newport ramen restaurant offers food influenced by techniques from Japanese and Chinese cuisine. They specialize in handmade-from-scratch ramen and other creative dishes.
Their New Year menu includes both appetizers, noodle dishes and a sweet coconut entremet dessert. The appetizers include a Good Fortune Citrus Salad and Lettuces in Oyster Sauce. The salad is for wealth, prosperity and good luck (in Chinese, lettuce is a homonym for making money). You will also find Steamed Fluke, dumplings, Garlic-Stuffed Shrimp, and Fried Sticky Rice with Chinese sausage.
Longevity Noodles is a dish for happiness and a long life that is brothless with Oak Owl Farm mushrooms, Chinese chive, kale, savory sauce and chili crisp. Dan Dan Noodles with Aquidneck Farm beef, sesame sauce, baby bok choy and crushed peanut is also on the menu, as is Lobster Yi Mein with a whole shelled lobster, Tonkotsu with pork, Wonton Noodle Soup and Spicy Miso.
Details: Yagi Noodles, 20 Long Wharf Mall, Newport, (401) 324-5098, yaginoodles.com.
Cheng Du Taste, Providence
Cheng Du Taste is a casual Chinese restaurant that moved from Pawtucket to 495 Smith St. in Providence and brought its many fans along with them. You will find authentic dishes here that delight the palate.
Xue Ming, who owns Cheng Du Taste with his wife, Li Qin Chen, will not be having any special Chinese New Year menu but will be open as usual on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. You can order online for takeout or dine in.
The menu is deep, with lots of choices in all dietary categories, but most would recommend the house specialties such as Ma Po Tofu with Minced Pork and Shredded Duck with Ginger. They also have hotpot specials and a variety of dim sum items.
Details: Cheng Du Taste, 495 Smith St., Providence, (401) 729-5699, chengdutasteri.com.
Den Den Cafe Asiana, Providence
Nestled on a corner high on Benefit Street overlooking the city, Den Den is a Korean fast service casual spot with fabulous foods and lovely teas as well as beer, sake and wine selections. This is not to be confused with its sister restaurant, Den Den Korean Fried Chicken restaurant on College Hill, which is also excellent. You can enjoy Korean barbecue there.
At the original Den Den, the food is so beautiful. The Bento bowls are a work of art. The Yaki Udon Bento has stir-fried udon noodles, peppers and onions. There are slices of pickled vegetables and a tempura onion, plus a seaweed salad.
The Den Den Hot Stone Bibimpap is their signature dish. There's a bedding of rice and sautéed vegetables in a hotstone pot served with traditional spicy sauce or citrus garlic soy sauce.
Details: Den Den Café Asiana, 161 Benefit St., Providence, (401) 270-5269, dendenhospitality.com/dendencafe.
Hong Kong Buffet, Cranston
The Chan family said they are not hosting any celebrations for Chinese New Year this year, but that doesn't mean it's not a party visiting this restaurant. After the pandemic, they were only offering items a la carte.
But they are again offering their buffet. It's $18.95 for adults and by age for children under 13. You'll find a wide variety of dishes from which to choose.
Details: Hong Kong Buffet, 1776 Cranston St., Cranston, (401) 942-8888, hongkongbuffetri.com.
Castle Hill Inn, Newport
Though not an Asian restaurant, Castle Hill Inn is welcoming the Year of the Rabbit with a special three-course lunch created by newly appointed executive chef Andy Taur, who has Chinese roots. He cooked traditional Chinese dishes with his parents at their Cantonese restaurant.
The Lunar New Year meal is offered at $35 per person from Jan. 27 through Feb. 5 at the Newport resort.
The menu will include Pork Shumai and Vegetable Dumplings made with chili crunch and black vinegar and Long Life Noodles with rabbit ragu and fried shallots. Lobster Sticky Rice and Caramelized Egg Tart are also on the menu.
Reservations can be made online at castlehillinn.com/dine/the-lawn/#reservation or by email at dining@castlehillinn.com.
Details: Castle Hill Inn, 590 Ocean Drive, Newport, (401) 849-3800.
DIM SUM
For something more traditional, there's dim sum. A precious few restaurants offer a dim sum menu of traditional Chinese cuisine in which small plates of a variety of foods, including steamed dumplings, are served. But here are two popular choices.
King's Garden Restaurant, Cranston
King’s Garden, at 90 Rolfe Square in Cranston, (401) 461-0646, kingsgardenrestaurantri.com, has been a favorite of local diners for years. They have more than 30 items on their dim sum menu. It's available during their regular hours for dine in or takeout.
Silver Crystal Restaurant, West Warwick
When reviewed by The Journal, Silver Crystal Restaurant, 289 Cowesett Ave., West Warwick, (401) 822-1818, silvercrystal88.com, ranked high for their dim sum. They have more than 30 dishes available daily.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Lunar New Year dining options in Rhode Island
