The days of needing to travel to a specific country or region to experience celebrations are long gone. With the Chinese New Year approaching, you can now enjoy its festivities without having to fly to Southeast or East Asia. Hakkasan Mumbai, the well-known fine dining spot, which is loved by celebrities for its ambiance and Cantonese cuisine, is here with something special! The restaurant has launched its exclusive “The Year Of The Flaming Horse” menu to welcome the “Year Of The Fire Horse” (Chinese New Year).
This special menu is designed to transport you to a genuine Chinese New Year celebration, both through the exquisite dishes and the ambience of the venue. We, at unstumbled, got a chance to experience this celebration as well as speak to Hakkasan’s Master Chef Raymond Wong. Here’s a sneak peek for you!
Hakkasan Mumbai Launches Special Chinese New Year Menu
Chinese New Year 2026: Dates And Celebrations
Chinese New Year 2026, also known as the Lunar New Year, will mark the Year of the Horse (specifically the Fire Horse). According to ancient Chinese traditions, the Horse Year promises to bring in adventure, independence, and energy with passion and intensity. It is China’s biggest holiday, and people travel back home to celebrate it with their families.
Families clean their homes to eliminate any misfortunes from the previous year. They often wear red clothing and exchange red envelopes filled with money for good luck and prosperity. Traditional dinners during this time include symbolic foods such as dumplings, fish, and longevity noodles. To capture the essence of Chinese New Year celebrations, Hakkasan Mumbai has introduced its special “Year of the Flaming Horse” menu, which is truly amazing.
Hakkasan Mumbai’s Chinese New Year Menu
The Chinese New Year special menu, “Year of the Flaming Horse” at Hakkasan, comes in a red envelope, which symbolizes the traditional red envelope for luck. The menu inside the envelope has a beautiful, attractive reddish orange-gold horse symbolising the Fire Horse.
Hakkasan’s limited-time celebration menu, the Year of the Flaming Horse, has been curated in collaboration with Master Chef Raymond Wong, who won a gold medal at the World Chef Competition in 2010. This menu offers an unmissable expression of sophistication, culture, and luxury, all presented beautifully. Guests can enjoy a phenomenal culinary experience featuring cocktails, alcohol-free beverages, rice, noodles, dim sum, stir-fry, and dessert. Don’t miss out on this exceptional dining opportunity at Hakkasan!
The festive magic truly comes alive through the venue’s enchanting ambience and special decorations, featuring Chinese lanterns, delicate origami, and vibrant red Fire Horse flags. These thoughtful touches elevate your dining experience, instantly bringing a huge smile to your face. We were delighted to have a bite of the new Chinese New Year special menu presented by Master Chef Raymond Wong, and here’s what we think!
Team unstumbled’s Take On The Menu
Cocktails: Fire Horse Martini | Yunnan Old-fashioned
Both the cocktails actually complemented every dish that we had ordered. They helped in elevating the taste and flavors of the dishes we tasted, yet stood strong in their individuality!
Dimsum: Jackfruit and Cheese Golden Blossom | Seafood Fortune Gold Money Bag
Dimsum may seem like an easy dish to prepare, but mastering it is a skill that only a few possess. The varieties we sampled were truly delightful! Each offered a lovely burst of flavors, with sauces, ingredients, and spices blended together perfectly. The Seafood Fortune Bag, shaped like a gold coin pouch from ancient Chinese culture, added an authentic touch to the celebration!
Stir-Fry: Wok Fried Prawns In Yellow Pepper Sauce and Broccolini Macadamia Nuts
If you are a prawn lover, you will surely call this dish a complete bomb. The prawns were excellently seasoned and flavored, offering a burst of spices and sauces. The veggies and the luxurious macadamia nuts complemented the prawns too well, giving us a wholesome experience that lingers on our taste buds!
Noodles: Stewed Zhajiangmian With Kumquat Pickled And Minced Mushroom
If you are someone who does not love mushrooms, this dish will change your mind! We enjoyed the blend of noodles and pickles that oozed over the mushrooms – its rich, layered taste will make you fall in love with mushrooms!
Dessert: Golden Stallion
They say, the best is always served last, and we couldn’t agree more! This dessert had to be tapped and broken open to eat, and it was a bomb of flavors. The creamy vanilla-white chocolate mousse was set well with the tender banana sponge. The generous, silky-smooth ice cream complemented it all too well – a perfect end to a deliciously layered and culturally rooted meal!
All in all, we appreciated and enjoyed this spectacular Chinese New Year celebration in the form of food and drinks.
Excerpts From Our Conversation With Chef Raymond Wong
Not only did we get to taste this delicious celebration menu, but we also got to speak to the man behind its creation, Master Chef Raymond Wong.
Master Chef Raymond Wong serves as the Master Chef for Hakkasan and Yauatcha across India under the Aditya Birla Group, based in Mumbai. He began his culinary journey at the young age of 14 and now has over 28 years of experience in Cantonese and Asian cuisine. His previous roles include Consultant Head Chef for the Hakkasan Group (2017-2024), Executive Chinese Chef at Novotel Yangon Max, and positions at other international establishments such as Radisson Kuala Lumpur and Star Cruises. Below are some excerpts from our conversation with the acclaimed Master Chef!
Team unstumbled: You grew up in Malaysia surrounded by rich food traditions. What are some childhood memories that first sparked your love for cooking?
Master Chef Raymond Wong: At the age of 14, I began to work with my uncle, who owned a Chinese restaurant. So during Chinese festivals, the orders would go over 150 packages. So we would start at midnight and work all day until the next night. I used to be very excited to work, to see the food going from raw material to a delicious dish. You can say I actually fell in love with the whole process, and that’s when I decided that I want to be a Chef when I grow up!
Team unstumbled: Your father played an important role in your early kitchen experiences. How did working alongside him shape you as a chef?
Master Chef Raymond Wong: My father was an old-fashioned Chinese Chef. By old-fashioned, I mean his entire concentration would be on cooking, the process, and the flavor of the dish, rather than the decoration or garnish. He taught me two things: to keep going and to never give up! In terms of cooking, he taught me Wok Hei, which is a cooking technique in Cantonese cuisine. It is the distinct smoky, caramelized, and charred flavor imparted to stir-fried dishes by cooking at extremely high heat in a seasoned metal wok.
Team unstumbled: Do you remember your first dish and your earliest kitchen failures? What did they teach you?
Master Chef Raymond Wong: When I began my journey, I was only involved in the process of cooking and never got much of a chance to cook a dish completely by myself. But once I was asked to make Kung Pao Chicken, and I was very excited. Though it wasn’t well-received, I did not give up; I kept going on. Eventually, it made me more confident and open to constructive criticism.
Team unstumbled: Winning the gold medal at the World Chef Competition in 2010 was a milestone. How did that experience change your approach to cooking?
Master Chef Raymond Wong: Yes, I remember I was 42 Years old when I won that gold medal. Among all my competitors, I was the one who had the slowest growth rate in terms of career growth. So when I bagged the gold medal, my joy knew no bounds! I began to apply for a job overseas, and in the same year, I also secured my very first Chinese Chef position at the Intercontinental Hotel, Cambodia. That win made me realize that you are never too late to chase your passion and never too old to give up!
Team unstumbled: What were the biggest challenges when you moved from Malaysia to lead kitchens in India?
Master Chef Raymond Wong: What I observed is that Indians do love Chinese food, but only a certain type. For example, Sichuan spicy is too heavy for Indians, and some sauces are too dry for their palate. So I studied their preferences and their palate and refined my recipes without losing the authenticity of Chinese cuisine.
Team unstumbled: Indian produce is incredibly diverse. What ingredients here surprised you the most, and how have they influenced your Cantonese cooking?
Master Chef Raymond Wong: I love Indian seafood – from pomfret to jumbo prawns, I use it a lot in my cooking. Also, another thing I like are the fruits in India. But instead of cutting them and serving them on a plate, I prefer using them in sauces. It makes the sauces fresh, adds color, and is healthy too.
Team unstumbled: “The Year of the Flaming Horse” menu represents courage and momentum. How did you translate this symbolism into your festive menu?
Master Chef Raymond Wong: To transfer the authenticity and celebration of the Flaming Horse into the food, I used a lot of ingredients and techniques that resonated with fire. To elaborate, I used ginger, which has a spicy flavor, I used the Wok Hei technique, and also sea bass, which is a fish that is given a brown texture. Lastly, the dessert is given special importance in Chinese celebrations, so nailing it in terms of presentation as well as taste mattered. So to add a touch of beauty and tie it all together, we added an edible ‘horseshoe’ to our dessert!.
Team unstumbled: In this special menu, which dish best represents your personal style and why?
Master Chef Raymond Wong: Of all the dishes that I cook, seafood is my priority. So the one dish that I truly connect with is the Wok Fried Prawns. The prawns are wok-fried, which means that the main flavors and sauces are not visible on the outside but are ready to burst in your mouth when you take the first bite. And that is exactly my style of cooking – prioritizing flavors over presentation.
Team unstumbled: As a Master Chef for Hakkasan and Yauatcha in India, what does a typical day look like for you today?
Master Chef Raymond Wong: I take my health quite seriously, so my day begins with exercise. I swim for 20 minutes every day. After reaching my workplace, I talk to the individual head chefs of the four restaurants I handle and get a debrief of the previous day. Following this routine, we plan our ongoing day, and I go around randomly checking my kitchen for hygiene and safety.
Team unstumbled: What is one underrated ingredient or kitchen shortcut every young chef should know, and what message would you like to leave for aspiring professionals?
Master Chef Raymond Wong: Do not give up and keep on trying! And when you try something new, make sure not to be bothered by what people have to say. Be confident and always remember that it is never too late to try anything in life.
Hakkasan Chinese New Year Menu Details
What: Chinese New Year Celebrations
Where: Hakkassan, 2nd Floor, Krystal Building, Waterfield Road, Bandra West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400050
When: Till 15th March, 2026, for lunch and dinner
Cost for 2: INR 5,000
For reservations: Call: +91 83558 77777
Summing Up
From its ambience and decor to the dishes and drinks, Hakkasan Mumbai is all set to teleport its guests to East and Southeast Asia. If you wish to try Cantonese cuisine in its full glory or would love to be a part of Chinese New Year celebrations through food, make sure you do not miss out on Chef Raymond Wong’s exclusive “Year Of The Flaming Horse” menu at Hakkasan Mumbai. Make sure you reserve your place well in advance!
