27 January 2016 – Shangri-La Hotel, Toronto invites guests, both adults and children alike, to join in Chinese New Year celebrations to welcome the Year of the Monkey. The hotel will honour the new lunar year with a traditional Lion Dance, live music and a special Chinese New Year High Tea and late night dining in the Lobby Lounge.

Lion Dance and Live Music Performances 

The Lion Dance has been a part of Chinese culture for many centuries and will kick-off the hotel’s Chinese New Year celebrations on 8 February 2016. Starting at 2:30 p.m., the Chinese Kung Fu Institute of Canada Ltd. dance troupe will perform a traditional Lion Dance and eye-dotting ceremony in the Lobby Lounge. Guests will see the lion dancers demonstrate their agility and skill, moving energetically with the lion’s head and body to the beat of big drums and the clashing of cymbals. As the dance builds in momentum, the lion head will crouch low and “eat” lettuce leaves, throwing out these leaves representing prosperity in the Chinese culture. The lion dancers will then make their way through the various outlets of the hotel, bestowing wishes of good fortune and prosperity on Shangri-La Hotel, Toronto in the Year of the Monkey.

Adding to the festivities at the conclusion of the Lion Dance at 3:30 p.m., guests can stay in the Lobby Lounge for a live performance by a traditional Chinese trio featuring Miriam Sue playing the guzheng - a Chinese plucked zither, Frederick Yiu playing the dizi - a Chinese flute, and Amely Zhou playing the erhu - a two-stringed bow instrument. While enjoying the melodious music, guests can experience the return of the popular Chinese New Year High Tea.

Chinese New Year High Tea 

Available from 8 to 21 February 2016, guests can enjoy a Chinese New Year inspired menu featuring savoury items such as:

• Pork and shrimp fried dumplings; rice paper rolls with marinated wild mushrooms, coriander shoots and ginger emulsion.
• Pastry selections include matcha and red bean cake - a matcha tea sponge, red bean reduction and green tea cream; warm sesame balls with crispy glutinous rice, lotus seed paste and toasted golden sesame seeds; and tropical bombe - a passion fruit bavarois, calamansi centre and coconut crunch.
• Other menu items include a selection of traditional finger sandwiches: Pacific smoked salmon with truffle egg mayonnaise on wholemeal bread, as well as favourites like poached Atlantic lobster with citrus crème fraiche on brioche roll.
• To finish on a sweet note, guests can savour fragrant Chinese black tea and classic English scones served with clotted cream, house-made pandan leaf curd and strawberry jam while sipping tea chosen from a menu of over 75 premium selections.
• A vegetarian option Chinese New Year High Tea menu is also available.

The Chinese New Year High Tea is priced at CAD$44 per adult and CAD$25 per child and is served daily from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Lobby Lounge beginning 8 February 2016 to 21 February 2016.

Lobby Lounge Late Night Dining 

Guests can toast the Year of the Monkey in the Lobby Lounge nightly starting at 9:00 p.m. to midnight with live performances by local contemporary artists and bands, signature cocktails and a special dim sum offering including four varieties of dim sum ranging from a vegetarian option featuring deep-fried mushroom bean curd, to the classic siu mai comprised of steamed pork and scallops, a chicken siu mai option and har gow made of steamed shrimp and ginger for CAD$16 per order.

For more information or to make reservations, please call 647-788-8888 or email boskreservations.slto@shangri-la.com. For online reservations please visit http://www.opentable.com/bosk-at-shangri-la-hotel-toronto.

*All prices are exclusive of gratuity and HST.