The Star Sydney will illuminate itself with opulence and colourful activities to delight the senses during the Festival of Abundance, a two week long Lunar New Year celebration of food and art, from Saturday 21 January to Sunday 5 February.
Ringing in the Year of the Rabbit, The Star Sydney’s signature restaurants will each offer dishes created from the finest ingredients that have cultural significance to the Lunar New Year, bringing diners good fortune and prosperity for the year ahead.
Australia’s most expensive sashimi platter will be served up by Sokyo’s skilled chefs, sure to satisfy seafood lovers. The stunning $888 “Prosperity” lobster sashimi platter is packed with twelve kinds of fish and lobster, perfect for sharing with friends and family.
At Flying Fish, Executive Chef Adam Hall will be offering up fresh, succulent woodfired yabbies with saltbush and ginger, and steamed coral trout with bush tomato. With their beautiful, bright red colours – a reflection of prosperity – the yabby and coral trout are served whole to represent unity.
Renowned for its decadent menu comprising of the highest-quality locally-sourced ingredients, BLACK Bar & Grill has added three exclusive Lunar New Year dishes to its menu including the “Auspicious” steamed hapuka with scallop dumpling, gai lan and soy ginger dressing and the “Wealth” king crab legs from the charcoal oven with XO sauce and shallot. For dessert, enjoy the “Prosperity” pandan crème brulee with charred mango and coconut sorbet.
Italian favourite Cucina Porto is playing tribute to Lunar New Year with its “Prosperity” dessert tasting platter, a Tray of Togetherness dessert platter featuring chocolate truffles, mini fruit mousse, almonds panforte, lollies, amaretti biscuits and mini cannoli. Trays of Togetherness are traditionally used to welcome visiting guests during Lunar New Year, and comprise of six (symbolising luck) or eight (symbolising fortune) compartments filled with symbolic edible items.
Luke Nguyen-led Southeast Asian eatery, Fat Noodle is celebrating the new year with four mouthwatering exclusive dishes including the “Prosperity” Atlantic Salmon with yu sheng salad with radish, carrot, crackers and signature beetroot dressing; “Auspicious” Vietnamese braised pork belly with pickled mustard, 63C poached egg and thit ko sauce; the “Treasure” clay pot with baby abalone, king prawn, fish maw, fragrant mushroom and abalone jus; and the “Abundance” roasted spatchcock with spiced crumbs and osmanthus sauce.
G&Tea’s special Lunar New Year high tea sees the bar’s bite-sized sweet and savoury delights evolve to hero Chinese flavours. Think Spencer Gulf king prawn with sesame toast, numbing jellyfish and poached chicken with cucumber ribbon, BBQ char siu pork neck with Asian slaw and golden mantou. Those with a sweet tooth can also indulge in an array of delicious desserts, such as the “Longevity” Earl Grey and milk chocolate steam cake, mandarin cream caramel, strawberry chiffon gateaux, and freshly baked scones with citron tea marmalade.
Beyond dining, The Star will also be introducing a range of entertainment experiences across its precinct to fully immerse guests in Lunar celebrations.
The Star’s Grand Foyer will play host to special free performances of Aqualume, a multi-sensory performance featuring an interplay of light, water and digital art alongside breathtaking aerial choreography. The show will be performed nightly on Thursdays to Sundays at 8:00pm, 8:30pm, 9:30pm, 10:00pm, 10:30pm and 11:00pm from 19 January and is free to view for all visitors.
For those seeking to look at Lunar New Year celebrations through a cultural lens, the Michael Reid Art Bar is collaborating with the Vermilion Gallery of Contemporary Chinese Art to fill its space with works responding to the Lunar New Year from fourteen Chinese artists based in Sydney, Melbourne, Beijing and Tibet. The exhibition, INK+, will emphasise the legacy and ongoing resonance of Chinese ink painting through works spanning an array of art forms including painting, calligraphy, sculpture and mixed media.
Between the dining and entertainment activations introduced across the precinct, guests will also be able to enjoy a nest of 56 majestic bright red, pink, green, gold, purple, blue and yellow \ oversized rabbit statues taking over the property, providing a great opportunity for a photo moment and good luck for the year ahead.
Bookings are now open for celebrations at The Star Sydney’s Lunar New Year Festival of Abundance.
The Star Sydney
80 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont NSW 2009, Australia
