Chinese New Year at Graze Kitchen 

The Hilton Colombo marked the seventh day of the Chinese New Year, Human day or ‘Renri’ on February 22 with a traditional Yee Sang Tossing ceremony, and Chinese buffet at Graze Kitchen. 

Acting as the master of ceremonies of sorts was Chef Ong Shi Yong, who invited guests to toss the Yee Sang. Yee Sang is a traditional Chinese raw salad which consists of shredded vegetables, all thinly sliced in long strips to signify longevity, pickled vegetables and plum sauce. It’s associated with New Year Celebrations among the ethnic Chinese communities in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, and symbolise abundance, prosperity and vigour. Guests were encouraged to toss the salad as high as possible, as greater the height, means greater the luck, as explained by Chef Yong.

To Celebrate the Year of the Dog Graze Kitchen served up a Chinese menu curated by their in-house Chinese Chef Yong. The spread included traditional succulent duck and pork dishes, as well as beautifully prepared dumplings, and sweet & sour soups to name a few. But as Chef Yong, who is from Malaysia, explains the traditional Chinese dishes are in style of the ethnic Chinese communities in Malaysia and Singapore. Thus appealing to the Sri Lankan palette.    
   
The Hilton Colombo will also be hosting a Chinese New Year gift stall till March 2, at it’s lounge. The stall carries an assortment of Chinese wooden gift boxes, beautifully decorated with Chinese brocade and stuffed dog toys in celebration of the year of the dog. The gift boxes contain a variety of sweets, including fortune cookies, and chocolate gold coins, and range from LKR 2900 to 8800.  

For more information or reservations at Graze Kitchen please contact them on 011 2492492 or at colombo@hilton.com. The Hilton Colombo is located at No. 2 Sir Chittampalam A. Gardiner Mawatha, Colombo 2.
 

-By Shakya Wickramanayake