On 9th, we attended the Chinese New Year 2014 Media Gathering held by Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta. In the event, we were introduced to the special CNY feast which will be available in Signatures restaurant only from
January 26th until February 2nd this year; prepared exclusively by its Executive Chinese Chef, Albert Liew.
During that periode, guests can participate in a charity program called Donate Your Luck, by simply purchasing angpao (red envelope) at IDR 100.000 each. These envelopes are filled with various vouchers to win, with the grand prize is the one-night stay in the Presidential Suite valued at IDR 182.000.000. All of the proceeds topped with additional contribution IDR 8.880.000 from Hotel Indonesia Kempinski will be donated to Yayasan Sekolah Kartini, an underprivileged primary and middle school at Mangga Besar area, Jakarta.
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| On January 28th, 30th and 31st, there will be barongsai and live harp performances, too (she was good!). |
The welcome speech was done by Mr. Marc Guenther, the General Manager of the hotel, followed by Mrs. Rebecca Leppard, Director of PR, also we got the chance to meet the Executive Chinese Chef, Mr. Albert Liew. I wish he would have explained more about each dish served on the table because I for one will be so delighted if I know the meaning behind this and that menu. 🙂
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| L-R: Mr. Guenther, Mr. Liew, Mrs. Leppard; introducing the Touch and Taste China: Charitable CNY celebration. |
After that, we started the feast by enjoying Yee Shang (鱼生) or Lo Hei (撈起), known as Prosperity Toss, which is a Teochew-style raw fish salad. Honestly, I had never had this experience before, so it was pretty exciting for me. This tradition is believed to bring good luck for the new year, and there are ways to do it properly in 8 steps.
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Step 1. When putting on the table, we say Gong Xi Fa Cai 恭喜发财
“Congratulations for your wealth” and Wan Shi Ru Yi 万事如意 meaning “May all your wishes by fulfilled”. |
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| Step 2. Squeeze lime to the fish, saying Da Ji Da Li 大吉大利 meaning “good luck and smooth sailing”. |
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| Step 3. Pour Pepper & 5 Spice Powder, saying Zhao Cai Jin Bao 招财进宝 meaning “attract wealth and treasures” |
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| Step 4. The raw fish is added, saying Nian Nian You Yu 年年有余 meaning “abundance through the year” |
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| Step 5. Add wonton crackers in the shape of pillows, saying Man Di Huang Jin 满地黄金 means “Floor full of gold” |
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Step 6. Pour oil, saying Yi Ben Wan Li means “make 10,000 times of profit with your capital”
Step 7. Pour plum sauce, saying Tien Tien Mi Mi, Chuang Tuan Yuen means “begin and end with sweet memories” |
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| Step 8. Mix and toss, the higher you toss, the higher prosperity you have for that year, saying Lo Hei enthusiastically. It’s recommended to toss as high as possible, but don’t let anything spilled out of the plate. |
My personal opinion on this: IT WAS SO FUN!!
It was a bit difficult to toss higher without spilling anything out, though.
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| It was cold, sweet and refreshing, a very nice start! |
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Drunken Chicken
Light but very tasty, one of the best that day. |
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Assorted Seafood Soup with Pumpkin
Very light soup with tiny bits of seafood, quite enjoyable. |
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Deep-fried Soon Hok with Hong Kong style
Nicely fried, soft meat, delicious sauce. Neat! |
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| The chefs were preparing the long-awaited Peking Duck! |
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Peking Duck
Just simply delicious, wish I could have more than a roll! XD |
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Saute 3 Treasure Seafood with Broccoli
A simple yet powerful taste, too bad the squid was half cooked. |
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Szechuan Smoked Duck
This was so delicious I didn’t even believe my tongue. The appearance looked rather ugly, but it was very, very smokey and smelled so good. It was easily picked as my most favorite dish that day. |
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La Mian with Sliced Duck
I love the noodle, it was handmade (right behind our table), consistency was perfect and the soup was delicious. |
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Sliced Beef with Szechuan Style
Beef was surprisingly very soft and tender, effortlessly eaten, and the bell peppers added the great taste into it. |
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Prawn Fillet with Cereal
Love this, too. The prawn was crispy and crunchy, melted together with the cereal when I put them into my mouth. |
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Sweet Taro Paste with Ginko Nut and Fresh Coconut Milk
That was an excellent dessert to end our feast. The taro was sweet and tasty, the ginko nut gave me a pleasant surprise whenever I found them when chewing, and the coconut milk smelled (and tasted) very good. |
After the feast ended, there was a small competition to make the noodle scratch from the already-prepared dough. Mr. K was enthusiastic to join and he got the second place (out of three, LOL!), and we got the voucher for a whole 18 cm cake which can be used in upcoming Kampi Deli (reopening soon). Thank you!
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| The chef kindly taught Mr. K and other participants how to “pull” dough to make noodle. |
So all the food above (including dimsum and noodle station) can be enjoyed in comfortable buffet setting at Signatures restaurant of Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta only from January 26th until February 2nd, 2014.
Chinese New Year Week
Lunch IDR 238,000++ exclude beverage
Dinner IDR 258,000++ exclude beverage
Chinese New Year’s Eve Dinner
IDR 498,000++ exclude beverage
Chinese New Year’s Day Brunch
IDR 328,000++ include beverage
Don’t forget to take the chance to join the Charity Program by purchasing the angpao, with only IDR 100.000, you’ll get a chance to enjoy a one-night stay in their Presidential Suite, which is apparently one of the largest in Jakarta (offers up to 412 sqm of luxury, how cool is that?); containing spacious living room, elegant dining room, private bar and cigar lounge, with luxurious bedroom, marble bath, private Jacuzzi, sauna, gym, and massage room.
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| The bedroom of the Presidential Suite – looking so heavenly luxurious. |
Thank you very much to Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta for having us!
Signatures Restaurant
Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta
Jl. MH Thamrin Kav. 1
Jakarta Pusat
Ph. +62 21 2358 3898
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