This Lunar New Year, Jack’s Place and JP Pepperdine Group mixes it up with a fusion of Jack’s Place favourites and Eatzi Gourmet’s traditional delights to welcome the Year of the Water Rabbit.

Lunar New Year flavours with a twist 

Comprising of Lunar New Year flavours and innovative introductions JP Pepperdine offers fusion Western cuisines with Lunar New Year twists. 

Three course set lunch and dinner menus

The Jack’s Place restaurant three-course set lunch and dinner menus featuring Lunar New Year add-ons such as the N.Z. Ribeye Steak with Abalone Sauce and Sliced Abalone, the Barramundi Fillet with Ginger Plum Sauce and Golden Money Bag Dumpling and the Chicken with Pineapple Marmalade and Yam Basket with Scallop.

Set lunch menus are priced at $24.80 per pax and comprise of a soup and a dessert to accompany your main course.  

The set dinner, which is priced at $78.80 and shared by two pax, comprises of a different menu which includes mains such as grilled salmon with tiger prawn or bacon-wrapped filet mignon with truffle butter and tiger prawn. 

Lo Hei with a twist 

As well, Jack’s Place customers may also do the traditional lo hei with a twist with Jack’s Place’s unique Fortune Toss Abalone Salad ($23.80) or Harvest Toss Seafood Salad ($18.80) (made up of a medley of seafood).

Media and influencers were invited to try some of Jack’s Place festive lunch menu as well as the baked goodies. 

We started the session with the lo hei, tossing it for luck and prosperity, and then tasting it.

I thought that the flavours blended in very well together. The fruits (mango, pomelo and pineapple) added a natural sweetness and the roasted sesame sauce was subtle without being overly sweet. It was a very pleasant combination of ingredients and very palatable to the taste buds. I usually find lo hei very sweet, but this one was just right. 

Lunch: Soup course 

Next up was the soup – Fish Maw and White Fungus Chicken Broth. This was a light and refreshing soup, gentle and easy on the palette and a lovely way to begin the meal without stuffing us up.   

Lunch: Main Courses 

For the mains, I went for the Barramundi while my companion went for the Ribeye.

Barramundi 

The barramundi was slightly well-done, but that aside, the contrast of flavours actually went very well together. I thought that ginger plum sauce was interesting, giving the fish a tangy note which I found surprisingly enjoyable and pleasant.

Also, the way the fish was plated together with roasted potatoes, Money Bag dumplings, carrots, mushrooms and leafy Chinese vegetables, was really an East meets West fusion.

Ribeye

For the Ribeye, it was prepared to medium rare. The steak was juicy and tender, but the flavour was slightly weak. The abalone sauce was mild and did not drown out the beef. 

This too was served with similar sides to the Barramundi – abalone, Chinese vegetables, carrots, mushrooms and roasted potatoes – again a lovely contrast of East meets West. 

Lunch: Dessert

The set lunch dessert that we were given was a slice of osmanthus sponge cake. It was decorated with a firecracker shaped chocolate. 

The cake texture was super soft and light. The flavour was slight mild and did not really come out much. It looked pretty though. 

Spring Blossom festive drink

We finished off the meal with Jack’s Place’s Spring Blossom Lunar New Year drink, comprising of a blend of orange and pineapple juices and combined with a dash of grenadine. 

This citrusy drink is said to to bring a hint of good luck and prosperity. The pineapple flavour was dominating here, hitting the taste buds almost immediately.

It is a refreshing beverage that is quite light on the stomach, but one glass is probably enough, as the sweetness of the drink may get to you after a while. 

Jewel outlet open throughout the festivities 

For dine-in Jack’s Place’s Jewel outlet will be open throughout the Lunar New Year period for those who are craving for steak during the festivities. 

Their other outlets will open from 5pm on the second day of the new year.

Bento, takeaway roasts and baked goodies

Bento meals and takeaway roasts are available with Eatzi Gourmet Catering as well as baked goodies are available with Eatzi Gourmet Bakery.

Reviewing of the pineapple tarts, cookies and cakes

We also got to try Eatzi Gourmet Bakery’s Lunar New Year cookies and cakes.

These included the following.

• Lychee Pineapple Tarts ($21.80)
• Espresso Cookies ($17.80)
• Hae Bee Hiam Cookies ($17.80)
• Nutella Cookies ($17.80)
• Rainbow Kueh Lapis ($48.80/kg)
• Lychee Rose Roll ($8.80/200g)
• Hainanese Kaya Roll ($8.80/200g)

I am a sucker for pineapple tarts, so I went straight for the Lychee Pineapple Tarts first. 

The addition of the lychee gave a sweet note to the tarts which made them unique and different to most pineapple tarts in the market. However I also felt the tanginess from the pineapple was somewhat overpowered by the sweet lychee. 

Coffee lovers will definitely enjoy the Espresso Cookies. The cookies have a very strong espresso flavour which hits you immediately when you take your first mouthful. The texture of the cookie itself is very soft, almost melting in the mouth.

The Hae Bee Hiam cookies have a very strong and authentic spicy dried shrimp flavour that hits you immediately when you take your first bite. It makes for an interesting twist on the popular Lunar New Year prawn roll snack.  The texture of the cookie itself is very soft, melting in the mouth. So this makes it quite different to the classic prawn roll, which is typically crunchy and with more texture and bite. 

The Nutella Cookies are the mildest of the lot, and are suitable for those who aren’t really into strong flavours. The cookie base is a soft and smooth butter cookie that literally melts in the mouth, with a generous blob of Nutella on the top of each cookie. It is pretty moreish if you are a Nutella fan, while at the same time being easy to eat and not overpowering the taste buds.

For the Hainanese Kaya roll, there is a generous slathering of Kaya in the centre. The Kaya flavour is strong and apparent, and will definitely appeal to those who love the taste of this sweet coconut custard jam. It is rather enjoyable at first, but it can get rather sweet after a while due to the Kaya.

The Lychee Rose roll has a strong, sweet lychee flavour that hits you immediately, with a more subtle rose flavour coming out afterwards. It is an interesting combination of flavours that I thought match together quite well.

Order popular roasts and favourites to enjoy at home

With Eatzi Gourmet Catering, customers may order Jack’s Place’s popular roasts and favourites for takeaway within the comfort of their own home. 

Takeaway prices range from $18.80 for 1kg of Mushroom Soup to $118.80 for 1.5kg of Roasted N.Z. Ribeye and a 10-pax portion of the Fortune Smoked Salmon Yusheng for $58.80.

Prosperity Buffet Sets, Lo Hei and bento sets are also available for small home or office celebrations. There is even a personal Lo Hei rice bowl which has all the ingredients of Lo Hei, for a personal prosperity toss. With the rice, it also makes for a complete meal. This is good if you prefer having individual mini Lo Hei portions for your celebration.

Win a $338 voucher 

From 16 Jan to 5 Feb 2023, diners who order a Fortune Toss Abalone Salad or Harvest Toss Seafood Salad will be entered into a draw. Three lucky winners will walk away with a $338 Bountiful Rabbit Year Catering Voucher.

For more information

Check out https://www.jppepperdine.com for more information.