5 last-minute Chinese New Year delivery & takeaway options for the procrastinators among us

Feeling a tad anxious as we inch towards Chinese New Year (CNY) but you’ve yet to fully settle the plans for your food and snacks for the festive season?

Don’t worry, we like to leave things to the last minute, too. We’re Singaporeans, after all. 

But with the occasion drawing near, it might be increasingly difficult to make reservations for the whole fam. That’s why we think the best idea, for all of us procrastinators out there, is to have a blast right in the comfort of your home. 

We’ll save you even more time — check out these five fuss-free takeaway and delivery options for your CNY needs, from bak kwa to yusheng and even hotpot.

1. Bak kwa from Fragrance

Multiple stores islandwide and also available on GrabMart.

It simply doesn’t feel right without bak kwa during CNY — the iconic heritage snack has become synonymous with the holiday and it’s imperative that every household stockpiles bak kwa for visitors to snack on.

If you ask us, there can never be too much bak kwa. Those sheets of dried meat make for a great stand-alone snack or supplement to cooked dishes (we swear by bak-kwa fried rice), and most people would even appreciate it as a gift. 

Where to get bak kwa? While there are many different brands and countless heated arguments to be had about the best bak kwa, Fragrance is always a great choice as one of the most famous bak kwa brands around. 

The best part — it can also be conveniently found on delivery platforms such as GrabMart. Take your pick from its signature sliced bak kwa form (from S$18.80 for 300g), or if you’re game for something different, there’s also chilli (from S$19.40 for 300g) and kurobuta (S$13.30 for 150g) versions if you want to switch things up.

For maximum huat, you can also go all-in for the CNY bundle (S$72, U.P. S$120), which is going for a whopping 40% off on GrabMart right now. Besides bak kwa, it comes with a treasure trove of snacks — truffle potato chips, salted egg fish skin, nyonya pineapple tarts and other goodies — more than enough for both you and your guests, for days!

2. Hotpot from Modern Provision

Currently available online only until its physical store opens later this year 

We all know that hotpot is undoubtedly one of the most common and popular ways to enjoy festive gatherings with friends and family in Singapore.

But as comforting as it is, getting all the ingredients and preparing them can be quite a pain, especially for a large group, which is why getting an already-prepared hotpot ensemble is a wise time-saving move. 

Where to get hotpot? Modern Provision is a new online grocer from the prolific Ebb & Flow Group and offers quality produce — including specially sourced wagyu beef and Michelin-standard truffles — at competitive prices. 

That means its steamboat sets, specially designed for CNY delivery, come reasonably priced but chock-full of quality goodies, such as handmade negitoro (minced tuna) balls and premium Japanese beef. You can order the sets from Feb 1 to 24 and choose from pork (S$118), seafood (S$138) or beef (S$188). Each set can feed up to four people each. Have more people coming over? Its Everything set (S$388) that can feed up to eight.

More importantly, Modern Provision offers island-wide delivery with a flat delivery fee of S$15 and free delivery for orders above S$150. It also guarantees next-day deliveries on all orders (from Monday to Saturday only), as long as they are made before the cut-off time of 12pm. Do note that delivery services will not be available from Feb 9 to 12 — but you can order before Feb 9 and keep it in your fridge!

3. Yu sheng from Tajimaya Yakiniku

Vivocity, 01-102/103, 1 HarbourFront Walk
Open: Monday to Thursday (11.30am to 3pm, 5.30pm to 10pm), Friday to Sunday (11.30am to 10pm)

Great World, B1-115, 1 Kim Seng Promenade
Open: Monday to Thursday (11.30am to 3pm, 5.30pm to 10pm), Friday to Sunday (11.30am to 10pm)

The festive staple yu sheng is actually a very simple dish made up of chopped-up vegetables and topped with raw fish and tangy sauces, but the magic lies in how it’s eaten.

It involves groups of people tossing the components up in the air while shouting auspicious phrases — this activity is commonly referred to as “lo hei”. In fact, lo hei has become such a prevalent part of the festivities in Singapore that yu sheng can be said to be the quintessential CNY dish. 

Where to get yu sheng? Yu sheng is also one of the most common delivery takeaway items for CNY due to its ubiquity and simplicity — but most places serve up the same style and we think it’s time to switch it up a bit. That’s where casual Japanese restaurant Tajimaya Yakiniku comes in with its prosperity yu sheng (from S$88).

If you always find yourself thinking, “There’s not enough sashimi to go around in this yu sheng!” then you’ll enjoy Tajimaya’s version. Its six-person-portion is served with six slices of salmon, tuna and hamachi each, bringing it to a grand total of 18 slices of sashimi. Plenty of “yu” or fish — which symbolises surplus to the Chinese — to go around! 

If that’s not enough, the bigger version, which feeds up to ten people, comes with a whopping 36 slices, including salmon belly! 

Both versions are available for dine-in or takeaway from now until Feb 25 at the brand’s two outlets, located at Great World and Vivocity.

4. Pen cai from Dian Xiao Er

Multiple stores islandwide.

“Pen cai”, which loosely translates to “big bowl dish” or “basin dish”, is an opulent Cantonese-style dish with a smorgasbord of delicacies, usually meat and seafood. 

Preparing the auspicious and sumptuous spectacle can be quite a challenge and requires long hours — not just of prep, but of cooking, too. For those who aren’t the most adept in the kitchen, do yourself a favour and get this as a takeout or delivered to save yourself the agony. 

Where to get pen cai? It’s not hard to find a pen cai bundle for delivery or takeaway during CNY but the prices can get rather exorbitant given the premium ingredients within, with some costing upwards of S$500. 

If you’re looking for a convenient and more reasonably priced option, Dian Xiao Er offers a pen cai option at S$258. The always-reliable Chinese restaurant offers a pen cai with 10 ingredients including abalone, fish maw, sea cucumber, and scallop.

It is only available for pickup at its outlets (except from Feb 10 to 13), as long as you pre-order at least three days ahead. The pen cai comes frozen when you collect it and just needs to be reheated before consumption, which means you can pick it up first and save it for a later date!

5. Nian gao from Peach Blossoms

Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay, Level 5, 6 Raffles Boulevard
Open: Monday to Friday (12pm to 3pm, 6.30pm to 10.30pm), Saturday and Sunday (11am to 3pm, 6.30pm to 10.30pm)

As with yusheng, nian gao (which means “year cake”) is one of the most classic dishes associated with CNY. Sticky and sweet, this time-honoured confectionery is a good addition to any feast, especially due to its auspicious name, which can also sound like a “a better year” in mandarin.

Where to get nian gao? Chinese cuisine aficionados would probably regard Peach Blossoms as one of the most innovative modern Chinese restaurants in Singapore, often putting daring modern twists on classics. If the usual nian gao proves to be too cloying and flat-tasting, Peach Blossoms offers a rather unique spin on it as one of its CNY takeaway specials.

Its rendition sees the nian gao recreated in three flavours — Japanese purple sweet potato (S$38), water chestnut (S$68) and a beautiful triple-layered trio-layer nian gao (S$68). 

Peach Blosooms’ nian gao are available takeaway from now until Feb 24.

This post is in partnership with GrabMart. 

For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on the newest places you can visit after Chinese new year and our first-hand guide to the returning Artbox 2024.

Fragrance, Dian Xiao Er and Tajimaya Yakiniku are on the GrabFood and GrabMart delivery services and offer free delivery (up to S$3 off) with GrabUnlimited. 

They can also be found on GrabFood Dine-in.

You can also book a ride to the stores mentioned in the article if you’re opting for a takeaway.