Lo and behold

Yellowtail Yusheng with Monkey Head Mushrooms, Prosperity Flakes and Peach Dressing, from S$118

Man Fu Yuan, InterContinental Singapore, Level 2 Tel: 6820 8519

Available from now till Feb 22 for dine-in and takeaway.

This being the year of the Monkey, restaurants are adding monkey head mushrooms to their yusheng. At Man Fu Yuan, executive Chinese chef Kwan Yiu Kan has paired the deep fried mushrooms with yellowtail. The yusheng is served with a peach dressing that is not overly sweet. In place of the usual crackers, gold cereal flakes have been added. It's like eating gold nuggets, well, almost.

Ascension to Wealth Yu Sheng, S$68

Akari Japanese Dining Bar, Marina Bay Financial Centre, #01-02 Tel: 6634 0100

Available Feb 1 to Feb 22, for dine-in only. Akari is closed from Feb 7 to 9.

Those who want extra wealth this year - and who doesn't - should give this yusheng a try. Chef Hirotaka Murata's platter comes with slices of salmon, kanpachi and mekajiki. Chef Murata is so confident about the freshness of his Tsukiji-sourced fish that he's not shying away from putting raw fish in his yu sheng. The three sauces that accompany the dish include a sweet plum sauce, a wasabi sauce, and a pesto sauce made from shiso leaf. Apart from the usual julienned vegetables such as carrots and cucumber, this one comes with Japanese mountain yam.

Mushrooms Mosiac Yu Sheng, from S$158

Carousel, Royal Plaza on Scotts, 25 Scotts Road Tel: 6589 7788

Available Feb 1 to Feb 22, for dine-in and takeaway.

This yusheng doesn't stop at just one or two mushrooms, but a whopping eight types, including the bearded tooth mushroom AKA the monkey head mushroom - which also inspired this dish. Others include enoki mushroom tempura, porcini mushroom powder, braised bail in mushrooms, dehydrated oyster mushrooms, button mushroom crips, shiitake mushroom jelly and pickled black trumpet mushrooms. Not to mention Hokkaido scallops as well. To mark the Year of the Fire Monkey, the accompanying dressing is a slightly spicy XO sauce, making it a welcome alternative to the usual overly sweet versions.

Shokuhin's Fortune Yusheng, from S$36.80

Emporium Shokuhin, Marina Square, #01-18 Tel: 6224 3433

Available now till Feb 22, for dine-in and takeaway.

If you're a fan of Japanese food, you'll like this. This yusheng has plenty of Japanese influences in it.

Besides salmon, the yusheng includes Mikan Dai and Mikan Buri - seam bream and yellowtail that boast a very slight citrusy hint. We hear the fish tastes this way, because mikan has been added to its feed.

Apart from julienned cucumber, carrots and daikon, edamame, mikan and yuzu peel have been added. Even the accompanying sauce is made from yuzu, mikan juice and plum sauce - enough for your daily vitamin C boost.

Sea Whelk and Salmon Caviar Yu Sheng, from S$138

Summer Pavilion, The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore Tel: 6434 5286

Available from Jan 25 to Feb 22, for dine-in and takeaway.

Each year, Summer Pavilion's executive Chinese chef Cheung Siu Kong comes up with a special yusheng. This year, you get to toss with sea whelk, braised in a specially concocted abalone sauce while the generous serving of salmon roe provides a tad of saltiness when popped in the mouth.

Kerabu Yusheng, from S$28

Straits Café, Rendezvous Hotel, Lobby Level Tel: 6335 1771

Available Jan 25 to Feb 22, for dine-in and takeaway

"Kerabu" means salad in Malay and Strait Café's rendition is influenced from cuisines of the Straits Settlements. The vegetables used are different from the usual. Think beetroot, radish, carrots, pomelo, while the other ingredients include smoked salmon and dried shrimps. Even the dressing is not the usual plum sauce but a tangy, spicy pineapple and ginger dressing.

Brazilian Lo Hei, from S$12

Carne & Caipirinha Brazilian Churrascaria, Blk 106 Clementi St 12, Sunset Way, #01-50 Tel: 6464 0478

Available from Feb 7 to Feb 22 for dine-in.

Tired of the usual fish and vegetables for your yusheng, but afraid to miss out on good luck? Add meat. Carne & Caipirinha Brazilian Churrascaria does BBQ meats and its Brazilian Lo Hei includes roast beef,with the usual carrot, radish, pickled gingers and onions. What makes it Brazilian is that farofa, a toasted cassava flour mixture and chimichurri sauce are added. It is definitely not your usual yusheng, but more like a beef pickled salad.

Crispy Salmon Skin Lo Hei, from S$118

Min Jiang, Goodwood Park Tel: 6730 1704

Available from now till Feb 22, for dine-in and takeaway

What's not to love about fried salmon skin? This yusheng is packed so full of it that there is no raw fish at all. However, master chef Chan Hwan Kee still makes this a somewhat healthy dish with its variety of greens such as sweet romaine hearts, yellow frisée, wild arugula, baby radish, purple cabbage, and carrots.

Thankfully the fried salmon skins do not taste rancid, and provide a salty crunch to the vegetables.

Nutritious Vegetarian Yu Sheng with Mushrooms and Pine Nuts, from S$38

Hai Tien Lo, Pan Pacific Singapore, Level 3 Tel: 6826 8240

Available Jan 25 to Feb 22, for dine-in and takeaway.

Regardless of whether you are a vegetarian or not, here's a yusheng that even nutritionists would approve of. The Nutritious Yu Sheng has monkey head mushrooms and pine nuts to replace the usual raw salmon. Monkey head mushrooms are known for their health benefits such as boosting the immune system while pine nuts are said to boost energy. To enhance the flavours, Hai Tian Lo's master chef Lai Tong Ping has created a homemade sour plum sauce with apple jam and pineapple jam to go with the dish.

Pearls of Prosperity Kingfish Yu Sheng, from S$68

Mitzo, Grand Park Orchard, 270 Orchard Road, Level 4 Tel: 6603 8855

Available Jan 23 to Feb 22, for dine-in and takeaway.

Mitzo's yusheng is a mix of both sweet and savoury. Instead of a sweet dressing, executive head chef Nicky Ng has created a savoury one, made of soybeans, garlic, ginger, sesame seeds and spices. The ingredients are blended and shaken in a cocktail shaker, before the dressing is poured over the slices of kanpachi kingfish and vegetables, together with slivers of lotus root and pistachios. What gives the dish its sweetness is the addition of lychee caviar, little balls filled with lychee juice.

Savoury Signature Yellowtail Fish Yu Sheng with Golden Flake in Shun De Style, from S$128

Yan, National Gallery Singapore, #05-02 Tel: 6384 5585

Available now till Feb 22 for dine-in only.

Some yusheng can be cloyingly sweet, but not this one. And if you are not fond of vegetables, then Yan's plate will appeal to you. The dish comes with slices of yellowtail that sit on a base of crispy fried vermicelli with slices of ginger, spring onion, capsicum, ground peanuts and edible gold flakes. The sauce is a savoury one, a mix of homemade soya sauce and superior peanut oil which brings out the flavour of the yellowtail. The fun bit comes when the sauce is poured onto the yusheng, making the dish crackle.

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