One of life’s greatest pleasures is getting together for a meal with friends after a hectic year to catch up. Chinese New Year marks the ideal opportunity to finally catch up with friends and family.
Wan Li Chinese Restaurant at the Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel was our choice this time of the year, with its Wan Li Happiness Set made up of seven prosperous dishes for our table of 10 to enjoy!
As a Malaysian special tradition, the Yee Sang tossing is a must, and here it comes with Abalone atop its Crispy Shredded Treasures and plum dressing. I’d always appreciated the sweetness that came from thinly sliced jackfruit in their Yee Sang, a Wan Li’s specialty!
Now that the ice has broken after the well-wishes and tossing, we were then served with the warm, Double-boiled Golden Dendrobium Chicken Soup and Ophiopogon Japonicas. The main character of the set has got to be the Wan Li Abundance Treasure Pot; one pot with everything that everyone needs – Huge Prawns, plenty of Abalone, Roasted Duck, and plenty of vegetables that were specially cooked with Wan Li’s recipe. It is delectable, a great continuation of the chicken soup, and it helps us reminisce about the great time spent surrounding the food we had.
Truly serving the happiness, a bottle of Red wine that comes with the set made its way to our table, and the friends who opted for a glass (maybe two!) were already cheering. For those of us who don’t drink, get some fizzy soft drinks, juices or Chinese tea.
As fish is considered a lucky element, the poached Pontian Silver Pomfret Fish with pickled radish and coriander in soy sauce was really good with its sweet and fragrant fish. The vegetarians at the table enjoyed the Hakka’s special Yam Abacus Seed. This is a traditional dish that is hard to find in a luxurious setting, but it is actually a perfect dish as it calls for wealth. The slightly chewy texture and the yam taste really good; they are probably my personal favourites for this set!
Next, we had the Creamy Sesame Walnut Soup with Glutinous Rice Balls and the final dessert, of Baked Cashew Nuts Mixed Fruit Nian Gao, entered to raise a curtain to our reunion night. Nian Gao is everyone’s favourite, and the one at Wan Li’s reminded us of the Christmas fruit cake!
Although ours was a small group but it was fun and very festive with everyone having their own jest thanks to the tasty dishes at Wan Li Chinese Restaurant.
The CNY Reunion Dinner is available on 9th February with the first session set at 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and the second session at 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Our Wan Li Happiness Set was priced at RM3,188 nett per table of 10 persons, inclusive of one bottle of house red wine; a minimum of six persons per table would be priced at RM1988 nett, which also included one bottle of house red wine.
If you’d like something similar at a lower cost, try the Wan Li Prosperity Set, ranging from RM1,688 nett per table to RM2,688 nett per table or the Wan Li Auspicious Set ranging from RM1,388 nett per table to RM2,188 nett per table. Each set includes one bottle of house Red wine and a minimum of six people per table.
You can also order their Chinese New Year delights consisting of Yee Sang and the Treasure Pot Dish to take home instead or dine in!
Both Set Menus and Chinese New Year delights are available until 29th February 2024.
Inquiries can be made via https://wa.me/60127719056 and bookings can be made at Check out wanlichineserestaurant.com/specials for more promotions this Chinese New Year season!
**More photos of the Wan Li Happiness Set’s dishes are available on our social media platforms.
