Chinese New Year is a time of reunion and celebration for the Chinese community. Families will gather in Segamat from all over the country and all over the world. For people working in big towns like Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru and Penang, and those living overseas like United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, this may be their once in a year trip back home to Segamat.

Featured Restaurants Shi Wei Fu Restaurant Sin Chong Hwa 新中华火窝餐厅 We are famous for our large variety of seafood. Our Thai style pork trotter is a big favourite. Kam Seng Restaurant Try our famous beef dishes, Beef noodles and Hotplate Pepper Beef. Seong Hai Kee

A big part of Chinese New Year is the celebration dinner or lunch. Some families  will have a home cooked dinner during the eve and then a big lunch at a restaurant the next day. For others, it will be the other way round. Regardless, there will be a number of meals at restaurants during the festive season with either family, friends, work or social groups.

One of the major problems with festive Chinese New Year meals at restaurants during the Eve or on the day is that you have to wait a long time for your meals to served, as the restaurants are normally packed full during the Eve and New Years Day.

Packages are the way to go when you order your festive meal. Restaurants normally charge for a table of 10-12 people for amounts that end with 88 as this is an auspicious number. You may have set menu packages that cost RM388, RM488, and so on. In cities like Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru, the set menu price can go as high as RM3,888!

As an example, a set menu priced at RM888++ may comprise of dishes such as Yee Sang with Salmon and Pacific Clam, Special Hot Hor's D'oeuvre, Braised Shark's Fin Soup with Scallop and Bamboo Pith, Steamed Chicken with Chinese Herbs and Poached Tiger Prawns with Superior Stock, among others.

One of the popular alternatives now is to order takeaway packages. This eliminates the stress of cooking at home and waiting at the restaurant. A number of restaurants in Segamat are starting to do this so that they can cater better for their customers.