As Lunar New Year rolls around once more, London’s dining scene leans into celebration — red lanterns sway, Champagne flows, and menus turn symbolic. This year, to mark the Year of the Horse, I found myself at Yauatcha City, the Broadgate outpost of the globally renowned Hakkasan Group, where fine Cantonese cooking meets festive theatre in the most elegant way possible.
Stepping into the Year of the Horse in Style
Running from 9th February to 8th March, both Yauatcha and its Michelin-starred sibling Hakkasan Mayfair are ushering in the new zodiac cycle with bespoke menus, limited-edition cocktails, and traditional lion dances — the kind that fill a room with that unmistakable thrum of prosperity and good fortune.
If you’re looking for more ways to embrace the Year of the Horse this Lunar New Year, here are ten of our favourite Chinese dishes to try.
A Dining Room Dressed for the Occasion
Broadgate Circle was already buzzing with the spectacular, traditional lion dance when I arrived, but inside the restaurant, the atmosphere felt distinctly transportive. Red lanterns glowed overhead, decorative archways framed the dining room and — in honour of the Year of the Horse — a striking red mirrored horse sculpture stood proudly within the space. It’s immersive and just the right amount of theatrical; celebratory without losing the polished, contemporary edge Yauatcha does so well.
Traditional lion dances are scheduled throughout the season (17th February at Yauatcha City is the date to mark in your diary), and the promise of red envelopes filled with surprise gifts adds a playful, traditional flourish to proceedings.
The Menu: A Celebration of Momentum and Connection
Priced at £98 per person, the Chinese New Year menu begins with a welcome cocktail and unfolds as a generous, shareable feast — symbolic dishes designed to usher in progress, optimism and prosperity, all themes closely associated with the Horse in the Chinese zodiac.
While the menu features celebratory dishes such as Harvest Gold Dumplings, Crystal Scallop Dumplings, and a fragrant Taro Duck Claypot, I couldn’t resist sampling some of the à la carte menu alongside the seasonal offerings. The Chinese New Year menu can be ordered as a set, or à la carte style, which makes it easy to mix and match from both the seasonal and permanent menus.
From Festive Specialties to Plant-Based Perfection
The vegan dim sum platter was a masterclass in texture and flavour — delicate, brightly coloured wrappers giving way to deeply savoury fillings, including decadent and rich edamame and truffle, wild mushroom, and our personal favourite, the ‘superior golden squash’ dim sum, which arrived topped with a goji berry. It’s proof that plant-based dining here never feels like an afterthought.
Then came the golden turnip puff, which ended up being my favourite bite of the evening: flaky, buttery pastry giving way to a rich, umami-laced centre. The presentation of this dish, much like the vegan dim sum, was nothing short of delightful — perfectly kitsch and playful, coloured and shaped like little orange turnips, complete with a coriander stem. Comforting yet elegant, it’s the sort of dish you immediately insist everyone at the table tries — before quietly wishing you’d ordered two servings!
The egg fried rice deserves its own paragraph. Often underestimated, here it arrives perfectly separated, fragrant and glossy, studded with just enough seasoning to make it quietly addictive. It’s the anchor to the more elaborate plates, such as the morning glory (a staple for me whenever it’s on the menu) or the plant-based duck — simple, yes, but executed with the precision that defines Yauatcha’s kitchen.
Dessert on the set menu — the Clementine Ember petit gâteau — brings citrus brightness with a subtle chilli warmth, echoing the sense of fire and renewal that Lunar New Year represents.
Raising a Glass to the Year Ahead
Cocktails are an integral part of the celebration this year, with Yauatcha partnering with Moët & Chandon for a limited-edition Golden Mare serve. I opted instead for the Jade Highball, which is part of their signature cocktail menu, and is a crisp, refreshing concoction that cut beautifully through the richness of the meal. Clean, aromatic and quietly complex with vodka, melon liqueur and elderflower, it felt entirely in keeping with the evening’s sense of refinement.
Meanwhile, over in Mayfair, Hakkasan’s own Year of the Horse menu (£158 per person) leans into opulence, with dishes such as king crab “fortune money bags” and grilled Australian tenderloin, alongside a Johnnie Walker Blue Label collaboration cocktail, the Mustang Kiss. If Yauatcha is about vibrant social dining, Hakkasan is its moodier, more dramatic counterpart — and together they offer two compelling ways to celebrate.
A Moment to Gather
What struck me most about the evening wasn’t just the décor or the limited-edition dishes — it was the atmosphere of togetherness. Tables were filled with friends toasting Champagne, families sharing dim sum, colleagues marking the season with intention. Lunar New Year is, at its heart, about connection, and Yauatcha captures that beautifully.
Throughout the evening, from the lion dance outside to the beautiful presentation of the food, the experience feels both festive and sophisticated — a celebration that honours tradition while embracing modern London dining culture.
And if the Year of the Horse is meant to symbolise momentum and new horizons, there are certainly worse ways to begin than with dim sum, good fortune, and one more golden turnip puff for the table!
Yauatcha’s Chinese New Year menu is available from the 9th of February to the 8th of March. Click here for reservations or further information.
