It's the year of the Wood Dragon, and there's no better place to welcome this auspicious year than at The Empress Dining Palace for its well-curated authentic Chinese spread. 

This Chinese restaurant, which has been serving classic Cantonese cuisine and selected dishes from the Northern region since 2019, has laid out an elaborate feast for the whole month of the Lunar New Year. 

To the Chinese, says Aida Velasco, Empress chief operating officer, the most important meal is Chinese New Year's Eve dinner. 

"Each dish served, including the ingredients used, has symbolic meaning like prosperity, wealth, unity and success," she says. Luxurious foods, like abalone and sticky rice, represent assured abundance and solidarity. Noodles symbolize longevity.

In keeping with the Chinese custom, Empress brings out its signature traditional roasted Peking Duck served three ways: crispy skin prepared in pancakes with scallions, cucumber and hoisin sauce; sauteed minced duck served in lettuce; and white meat and bones fried in garlic. 

"It's a great appetizer and always a popular choice for its rich taste and lean carving that separates excess fat from the skin," Velasco adds. 

The restaurant also offers four more dishes to enrich the experience, celebrate and welcome the prosperity of the Chinese New Year.

The Empress Treasure Pot offers an assortment of 18 Chinese favorites in one huge pot that includes Peking duck, abalone, sea cucumber, prawn, white chicken and pork knuckles. Yes, this pot brims with ingredients representing prosperity throughout the year.

The Yusheng or the Empress Prosperity Toss Salad is another symbol of abundance and vigor that consists of raw fish, mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of flavorful sauces and condiments.

 "It's also known as lo hei that translates to tossing upwards in Cantonese," explains Velasco. "It's mixed and thrown upward to ring in good fortune."

The refreshing salad is followed by the Empress Radish Cake, which is an auspicious dish that has a word gao, which in Chinese sounds like the word that connotes "tall" or "good fortune."

 The staple Empress Glutinous Rice Cake or Nian Gao in Mandarin, which directly means "year higher," signifies greatness or success in life. 

"All our food offerings represent a bountiful harvest for this year and the coming year," Velasco says. 

Aside from these dishes, Empress Dining Palace, which is owned by the Joy-Nostalg Group, also offers take-away products and customizable Hot Box Feasts, Bountiful Dimsum Platters and Dimsum Baskets to celebrate the Lunar New Year. 

Empress Dining Palace is located on 7th Avenue, Bonifacio High Street, BGC, Taguig City, with tels. 8292-0807 or 0915-5431862.