Delicious Western spin on CNY staples

IT's lohei time, so all you have to do is pick your favourite Chinese restaurant, right? Not quite. With our dining scene filled with cosmopolitan chefs fully immersed in local culture and ingredients, the classic yusheng may never be the same again. In Friday's issue of Weekend magazine, we look at how cultural appropriation has led to some delicious results as Western and Western-trained chefs put a creative spin on classic New Year dishes. Imagine yusheng as a kaleidoscope of colours inspired by an English garden; roast pork belly cured in maple syrup and looking just like siobak; or pencai re-imagined with braised abalone and grilled oysters.

While Chinese food will never fade in its appeal, what does the future hold for the cuisine? With other international cuisines such as Spanish, Japanese, Nordic, Peruvian and the like hogging the food industry headlines in the past decade or so, Chinese food - for all its complexity and popularity - has never quite gained that same "it" appeal as other more "fashionable" cuisines. A small band of chefs in China and Hong Kong are steadily working to change that, using their Western skills and ethnic culture to bring Chinese food to a new level. Will they succeed? We find out.

Meanwhile, we chat with author and global strategist Parag Khanna - a postmodern authority on geopolitical shifts and what he calls the new, new world order - about his latest book, The Future is Asian. And for art lovers, we recap all the drama of Singapore Art Week that threw the local art scene into a tizzy.

But for more pressing matters at hand, check out our quick guide to sprucing up your home and wardrobe for those who haven't quite gone the Marie Kondo route. All you need is a few quick tweaks (and throw in some new beauty routines), and you'll be ready to face the Lunar New Year festivities with the right look.