Flipping the Bird: Alternative Festive Menus to Give Your Christmas a Refreshing Spin

Fed up with turkey? For a refreshing spin on the traditional Christmas spread, here are five novel alternatives you don’t need to travel the world to enjoy.

Cornerstone

In Cornerstone’s four-course Christmas menu, a poached half yellow chicken replaces the conventional festive fowl as a lighter and more delightful alternative. The menu also comes with oyster mousse and gougère, Japanese egg custard with Oscietra caviar, beetroot salad and eggplant katsu, rounding off the meal with a spiced chocolate cake.

Forbidden Duck

For a novel twist, why not substitute the turkey with a duck or goose? Head to Demon Chef Alvin Leung’s Forbidden Duck, whose famed Peking fowl is glazed with a secret mixture before being hung to dry for 24 hours. The duck is then roasted for 45 minutes, starting on a low heat that gradually increases, which results in a perfect combination of flavour and texture.

Nobu

After a three-year hiatus, Nobu has returned at the newly opened Regent Hong Kong. In this Japanese restaurant with a Peruvian twist, you’ll enjoy an eight-course Christmas dinner that includes its signature sashimi selection, Chilean sea bass with dashi ponzu and grilled wagyu striploin – and all against the dazzling backdrop of Victoria Harbour.

Chaat

If it must be turkey, then why not try it at Rosewood Hong Kong’s one-Michelin-star Chaat? Here, the team has prepared a Christmas Eve dinner menu that includes a fragrant Awadhi turkey korma along with other dishes such as Parsi prawn pav, tandoori wagyu beef cheek and black truffle biryani.

Dim Sum Library

Dim sum’s often off the radar when it comes to planning a Christmas meal, but this year Dim Sum Library is offering a special take on the festive bird with its turkey siu mai, complemented with dash of cranberry that really drives the season home.