Name: Lunar New Year Banquet with Shirley Lum at Wok Theory [Offsite]
Start: 2026-02-16T18:30:00-05:00
Location: The Depanneur

Lunar New Year Banquet with Shirley Lum at Wok Theory [Offsite]

This event takes place at Wok Theory, 530 Dundas St W, Toronto. [map]
The Lunar New Year is among the most widely celebrated holidays on Earth — a big, bold, festive, weeks-long celebration that spans across much of Asia. Like Christmas or Thanksgiving in the West, big family meals with special holiday dishes are a central feature. This year The Dep is excited to partner with Culinary Historian Shirley Lum and restaurateur Edwin Lam of Wok Theory to curate a spectacular, 12-course traditional Chinese banquet.
A Lunar New Year meal will almost always include dayu darou (大鱼大肉) — literally "big fish, big meat" — a phrase is used to describe a lavish feast where animal proteins play a central role, as opposed to day-to-day eating, where meat and seafood are typically used much more sparingly. Whole animals like fish, lobster, and chicken are considered especially auspicious, symbolizing wholeness and unity, and good fortune from the start to the end of the year. Luxurious ingredients are showcased to embody and share wealth and abundance, with attention paid to the symbolic meanings of the colours, shapes and names of certain dishes.
Join us for this remarkable gastronomic adventure and celebration of family, friends, life, and hopes for the year ahead.
Note: this banquet menu is designed around tables of 10. We will release 10 initial tickets, and then gather a waiting list for the next table. If/when that table fills up, we’ll repeat for a 3rd table.
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Seafood & Fish Maw Soup
Fish maw is a fish's swim bladder, a part typically discarded in the West, but treasured as a luxurious ingredient in Chinese cooking for its soft texture and collagen-rich health benefits. Long simmered in broth until meltingly tender, its delicate texture and flavour have made it an ethical alternative to shark’s fin.
Pan Fried Vegetable Dumplings
Wok Seared Prawns and Scallops with Vegetables
Imperial Style Poached Whole Chicken
Whole chicken is served at Chinese banquets to symbolize family unity, completeness, prosperity, and good fortune. Historically, a whole chicken was a luxury, so serving one shows abundance; the word for chicken (jī) also sounds like words for good fortune.
Snow Pea Leaves with King Oyster Mushrooms
Steamed Fresh Green Bass
Whole fish are often found at Chinese banquets for their symbolism: the word for fish, "yú" (鱼), sounds like "yú" (余), meaning "abundance" or "surplus," representing prosperity, completeness, and good fortune. The intact head and tail symbolize a good beginning and end to the year. As you eat the fish, you may therefore wish your friends niannian yúyú—may you have abundance year after year!
Broccoli Crowns with Enoki Mushrooms & Tofu Medallions
Sweet & Sour Pork
Fresh Lobster with Ginger and Scallion
Lobster is highly favoured in Chinese culture for celebrations for its auspicious red colour symbolizing luck and prosperity. It is also a symbolic pairing of the dragon (lobster) with phoenix (chicken) to represent a balance between masculine and feminine, yin and yang.
Mushroom Braised E-Fu Noodles
E-fu noodles (or yi mein) are a traditional Chinese wheat and egg noodle, deep-fried before drying, giving them a unique, spongy, chewy texture that soaks up sauces well. Popular in Cantonese cuisine, they symbolize long life and good fortune, making them a staple festive banquet dish.
Yeung Chow Fried Rice
Yeung Chow (aka Yangzhou) fried rice is a famous dish from that namesake city, featuring rice fried with a mix of shrimp, pork and egg, with finely chopped vegetables and scallions. Some traditional versions from Yangzhou can become very elaborate, showcasing rare ingredients like dried scallops or cured Jinhua ham.
Táng Shuǐ
Literally translating as "sugar water" or “syrup”, in Cantonese cuisine this refers to a category of sweet soupy desserts served hot or cold, with diverse ingredients like beans, fruits, and tapioca.
Complimentary soft drinks
OPTIONAL: A selection of Baiju — a clear distilled spirit with distinct aromatic profiles that is the world's most consumed liquor despite being little known outside China — will be available for purchase a la carte.
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Shirley Lum is, among many other things, a historian focusing on the culinary history of Toronto's Chinese communities, food & culture. She has designed and hosting Lunar Chinese New Year banquets for many years, as well led tours of Chinatown and Kensington Market. Shirley is also an accredited IICCT Level 3 Certified Chocolate Taster and International Chocolate Awards Judge. @a_taste_of_the_world
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Opened in 2023, Wok Theory is owned by a second-generation husband-wife duo who seized an opportunity to redefine the culinary scene in Toronto's Chinatown. Balancing nostalgia and tradition with innovative modern touches, they are aiming to become a culinary destination for those searching for authentic Chinese cuisine and an elevated dim sum experience. woktheory.com
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The Depanneur is where Interesting Food Things happen. For more than a decade The Dep has been showcasing Toronto’s remarkable culinary diversity by hosting unique food events. @thedepanneur