A festive toss of fresh seafood and vegetables high up in the air promises prosperity and abundance to welcome the Year of the Fire Horse. At Jasmine in New World Makati, prepare to welcome the new year with an elegant new menu to delight your palate...
The stage is set to properly welcome the Year of the Fire Horse with exquisite flavors created by Executive Chinese Chef Brandon Ng at Jasmine in New World Makati with the ceremonial Yee Sang salad toss followed by masterful renditions of traditional dishes for a feast to remember. Book your table for an auspicious taste of savory and sweet indulgences in one of the metro's top Cantonese dining establishments, and welcome the new year right with bold and vibrant upbeat notes...
At the helm of Jasmine is Executive Chinese Chef Brandon Ng with over three decades of culinary experience under his belt. I first met Chef Brandon back in 2024 at Jasmine and admired his delicately balanced and meticulous play on both disciplined tradition and unrestrained creativity with his sumptuous and lavish expressions of Chinese cuisine. This year, diners can expect nothing less from the veteran but fresh, bold and hearty flavors using the finest premium ingredients combined with masterful execution for a worthy welcome to the Year of the Fire Horse (for more on Jasmine and Executive Chinese Chef Brandon Ng, see my posts Delight Your Palate With Both New And Familiar Flavors At Jasmine In New World Makati Hotel from two years ago and New World Makati Welcomes The Year Of The Wood Dragon With Its Auspicious Chinese New Year Set Menus At Jasmine also from two years back).
Executive Chinese Chef Brandon Ng kicks off the flavorful festivities at Jasmine with the traditional Great Fortune Salmon Yee Sang, a bountiful medley with the freshest salmon, vegetables, fruits, oils and sauces each representing the hopes and dreams of abundance and prosperity in the new year. The different steps in preparing the ceremonial dish is an experience in itself...
...with Executive Chinese Chef Brandon Ng explaining each component before the ceremonial toss. Once completed, guests gather round the fully loaded platter with chopsticks at the ready...
...and at the given signal, the ceremonial toss begins accompanied by chants of "Lo Hei" and "Kung Hei Fat Choi" to welcome the Year of the Fire Horse (you can visit https://www.instagram.com/dudeforfood/ on IG for a peek at the salad toss). The dish itself is a savory treat with its distinctive weave of sweet and tart notes highlighted by the buttery richness of the salmon.
As you savor and enjoy the last few bites of the Great Fortune Salmon Yee Sang, Chef Brandon then served the first of many savory renditions from the Lunar New Year Menu at Jasmine starting with the Roasted Suckling Pig, BBQ Combination Platter.
From the sweet and savory finish of the slabs of roast pork to the tender and juicy textures of the roast chicken and delectable crunch of the roasted pork belly, the Roasted Suckling Pig, BBQ Combination Platter offers a tempting array of flavors and textures delighting the palate bite after bite. One more bite brings an appreciation of the tedious process behind each savory slab of roasted meat to achieve the perfect textural and flavorful finish involving multiple steps and long hour in the kitchen. For Chef Brandon, there's absolutely no short cuts in many of his featured Lunar New Year menu at Jasmine.
Then, Chef Brandon's thick yet silky smooth Golden Pumpkin Seafood, Conpoy Broth becomes a welcome change of pace draping the palate with a lingering richness. Loaded with chunks of the day's succulent and freshest seafood, each soothing sip warms the palate opening it up for the next courses...
...and Chef Brandon has a whole lot more for that auspicious yet proper Lunar New Year feast at Jasmine.
The Steamed Garoupa Minced Garlic and Scallion brings elegantly nuanced and delicate flavors to the Lunar New Year feast with its near melt-in-your mouth texture. The subtle nutty hints from the garlic and fresh sharpness from the scallion completes the flavors pairing well with the buttery mouthfeel of the fish for that elegantly refined finish.
The Stir-Fried Scallops, Chicken, Shimeji Mushrooms, Celery continues Chef Brandon's parade of auspicious flavors at Jasmine highlighted by the clean briny sweetness of the plump scallops rounded out by the deep earthy hints of the mushrooms in another delicately balanced rendition of fresh flavors. The quality of ingredients and the kitchen's flawless execution combine for exquisite expressions dish after savory dish.
Chef Brandon then turns it up a notch with the bold and upfront flavors of the Red Auspicious Sweet Sour Prawns, Cantaloupe teasing the palate yet again. Each bite of the succulent prawn is announced by a fresh snap and crunch from the outer layer of light breading immediately followed by the fresh tartness of the thick red sour sauce tempered by the sweetness of the cantaloupe. The comfortingly familiar flavors urges you to go for yet another bite. And another.
The fork-tender Classic Pork Belly Stew, Taro Leaves is infused with a deep savory richness that can only come from over fifteen hours of slow simmering in the kitchen gradually building bold layers of flavors. It's this kind of tedious attention by Chef Brandon that makes each dish from the Lunar New Year menu at Jasmine special.
The Braised Abalone Mushrooms, Dried Oyster Shitake, Sea Moss and Greens slathered in a thick and rich sauce delivers the deep earthy and nutty finale to your Lunar New Year Feast at Jasmine.
It's a dish that exudes both overflowing abundance and unapologetically uninhibited notes. And there's just no better way welcome the Year of Fire Horse at Jasmine.
And just for good measure, Chef Brandon served his Fried Rice with Roasted Char Siu, Preserved Meat and Vegetables to usher in the promise of prosperity. From the ceremonial and traditional Great Fortune Salmon Yee Sang to the stellar line-up of savory dishes from Jasmine's Lunar New Year menu, Chef Brandon doesn't hold anything back for this year's repertoire of savory renditions. Yet, there's a refined and elegant finish with the ingredients and execution of each dish for a proper welcome of the Fire Horse. Chef Brandon clearly nails it once more at Jasmine. Completing the Lunar New Year vibe at the media launch, Feng Shui expert Patrick Lim Fernandez of Yin & Yang Shop of Harmony provided a detailed outlook of the year ahead.
In addition to the Lunar New Year Menu, Jasmine will also be offering the traditional Nian Gao...
...with the intricate Abundance Fortune Koi Fish Nian Gao...
...the round Brown Sugar Nian Gao...
...and the playfully inventive Two-Layered Nian Gao with Green Tea and Rose with pre-selling starting at January 8 to 22 and pick-up until February 28. Prices are pegged at P 1,688 net.
Chef Brandon capped our Lunar New Year feast with the Hot Almond Cream, Glutinous Rice Balls for the perfect and worthy sweet ending to welcome abundance and prosperity in the Year of the Horse at Jasmine.
Each new year comes with its own set of challenges and opportunities but you can always bet on Executive Chinese Chef Brandon Ng to serve up a memorable feast any day at Jasmine in New World Makati. And it's time to book your table to properly celebrate that festive and auspicious New Year New World vibe...
For table reservations, guests can call +632 8811 6888 ext. 3679, send a message on Viber at +63 917 888 4194 or email fbreservations.manila@newworldhotels.com.
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