Carlton Hotel Singapore introduces a savoury, indulgent way to commemorate the Dragon Boat Festival as Wah Lok Cantonese Restaurant whips up a Truffle Abalone & Conpoy Dumpling in honour of the cultural holiday’s culinary traditions.
With such a vast and rich history, Chinese tradition carries many reasons for commemorating cultural milestones. Among them is the Dragon Boat Festival, celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar, in memory of poet and patriotic aristocrat Qu Yuan. Carlton Hotel Singapore is marking this holiday with an indulgent play on its culinary traditions at Wah Lok Cantonese Restaurant throughout the first three weeks of June.
As with other Chinese holidays, the Dragon Boat Festival arrives with a multitude of customs derived from tales of olden times. True to its name, many regions across China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Singapore would host dragon boat races, drawing from the stories of how locals from Qu Yuan’s time scoured the Milou River in their rowboats after the influential figure drowned himself there. After they couldn’t find Qu’s body, the people dropped rice balls in hopes that the fish would eat them instead of his body. This prompted the tradition of eating zongzi, traditional glutinous rice dumplings.
This culinary tradition is the backbone of Wah Lok’s offering to mark the festival in 2026, which takes place on 19 June. The award-winning restaurant, which earned a spot in the MICHELIN Guide, presents an indulgent Truffle Abalone & Conpoy Dumpling for those who wish to participate in this time-honoured custom.
Wah Lok’s zongzi creation trades the traditional filling of pork belly or Chinese sausage with a medley of premium ingredients. As its name suggests, abalone and Japanese conpoy are the main stars in this delightful mix, complemented by roasted duck, tender pork belly, and earthy shiitake mushrooms to round out the flavours and textural symphony. It is further finished with salted egg yolk and aromatic truffle oil, adding an extra savoury lift to the dumpling. It is available for pre-orders starting 15 May, with delivery and pick-up options throughout 1-21 June 2026.
Wah Lok Cantonese Restaurant
Carlton Hotel Singapore
76 Bras Basah Road
Singapore 189558
T: (+65) 63118188
IG: @carltonhotelsg
