These days, I am learning that wellness and health are among the few luxuries that resist acceleration. They cannot be compressed into moments of indulgence, revealing themselves only through time, care, and attention.

Chinese New Year celebrations typically mean abundance, tables filled beyond appetite, and meals that leave us carrying the weight of excess. Cutting against the grain, The RuMa Hotel and Residences’s collaboration with Virtue TCM offers a more mindful approach to the season, one that places nourishment, balance, and time spent with loved ones at the heart of the experience.

The RuMa x Virtue TCM

This philosophy finds its clearest expression at ATAS through its 4-course Chinese New Year Set Dinner (RM268++) menu that integrates Traditional Chinese Medicine-inspired ingredients as structural elements.

The collaboration between The RuMa and Virtue TCM revealed itself gradually over the course of the evening. Each dish was introduced as it arrived, feeling like a journey to oneself that references TCM openly in service of nourishment and balance, allowing the body to respond intuitively before any explanation asserts itself.

While dining as a pair on New Year’s Eve is not exactly a reunion per se, the flexibility of per person menus is suited to the needs of modern families, where dinners are small and intimate.

READ ALSO: Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner Tables in KL 2026: For the Modern Family

A Journey Begins

We arrived at ATAS just before the restaurant officially opened, when the space was suspended between day and night, its architecture holding the last traces of natural light before settling into its nocturnal calm. The room warmed visually as the sunlight faded and lighting softened across a dining room shared only with a handful of tables.

Before the first course, cool towels were offered for cleansing the hands, followed by ATAS’ customary opening snacks of crisp crackers made from rice, melinjo, and nuts, paired with house sambals that gently stirred the appetite. We ordered some Roleaf teas in place of more elaborate drinks as a slightly more virtuous choice befitting of the occasion.

Finding Adjustment

The opening appetiser of Dry-Aged Duck and Scallion Pancake arrived as a composition that resisted immediate interpretation. A tangle of fiddlehead ferns crowned the plate, intersected by hoisin, with slices of dry-aged duck resting beneath. Eating it required attention and adjustment, as the components resisted neat assembly on the blade of my knife or the tines of my fork.

The duck was tender and composed, carrying a gentle gaminess that added depth without heaviness, while the scallion pancake arrived softened, closer in texture to an egg pancake than the crisp, flaky version many might expect. A fermented bean whip sat in the shadows, supporting without announcement.

Finding Clarity

The Brazilian Mushroom Herbal Soup clarified the menu’s intent with confidence. Served in individual transparent bowls, its contents were fully visible, revealing Brazilian mushrooms alongside chicken and red dates in a clear, amber broth.

Ingredients such as astragalus and Chinese yam, more commonly associated with tonic soups than restaurant menus, formed the backbone of the dish. Long valued in Traditional Chinese Medicine for their role in supporting balance and resilience, they worked without drawing attention to themselves. The soup tasted comforting and familiar, savoury with gentle sweetness, echoing the role of herbal broths in Chinese households while carrying an understated elegance I was deeply drawn to.

Finding Comfort

The main course is a choice between two proteins: fish or chicken. We opted for one of each, to experience the full menu.

Fish is a staple at any Chinese dinner, and Honey-glazed Cod raises that bar high. The cod was a generous portion, its crisp skin catching the light, the flesh beneath silky and tender, glazed just enough to elevate the dish without distancing it from familiarity.

Sorghum, an ancient grain less commonly encountered in contemporary dining rooms, brought natural nuttiness and texture somewhere between barley and wheat berries. The congee was fragranced with ginger, white pepper, and sesame oil, recalling the everyday fish porridge often sought out for soothing ailments. It spoke of everyday comfort, refined—the ethos of ATAS.

Against the cod, the Organic Pineapple Chicken offered a more modern counterpoint. The chicken was structured and composed, layered and pressed with firm tofu, paired with yam dumplings whose texture recalled Taiwanese sweet potato balls.

Textures were varied on this plate: the tenderness of the chicken, the fresh crunch of greens, the chew of the yam balls, but it was the sticky slickness of the BBQ red glaze that brought it all together. Contemporary cooking often relies on sauces, and while flavourful, the plate could use with a little more generosity to avoid feeling dry.

Finding Balance

Chrysanthemum Mandarin Terrine caps off the dinner menu with thoughtful references to prosperity. Carefully plated and refined in palette, it balanced texture and flavour without tipping into excess.

Mandarin elements brought gentle sweetness and lift, while a pineapple sorbet refreshed the palate with clean acidity. Chrysanthemum remained subtle, more present as an idea than a flavour, perhaps for its medicinal properties to read as a study in balance.

Finding Oneself

The experience felt comfortable and well-paced. Each course arrived with a clear sense of progression, and we left satisfied without the heaviness or fatigue that often follows New Year dinners that are more often than not “more is more”. The calm of ATAS makes for a quiet, intimate gathering regardless of party size. Speaking of size, reservations for six and above are entitled to a complimentary Yee Sang platter.

Pricing is the one point that invites consideration. At RM268++ for the four-course dinner, value is carried less by quantity and more by intent, ingredient choices, and the wellness-led approach underpinning the collaboration, appealing most to diners who place experience, pacing, and wellbeing alongside the meal itself.

For those choosing to stay on, The RuMa’s Chinese New Year stay-and-dine offering extends this sensibility beyond the table. With breakfast and a multi-course dinner at ATAS integrated into the stay, it supports an unhurried approach to reunion dining. The RuMa’s Chinese New Year dining offers including afternoon tea and cocktails are available until 24 February 2026.

In a season often characterised by abundance, this approach feels timely and reassuring. After all, RuMa translates to “home” in Malay, and returning home during the festive seasons feels only natural.

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ATAS at The RuMa Hotel
7, Jalan Kia Peng,
50450 Kuala Lumpur (Maps)

Open daily, 12–2.30PM & 6–10PM

@atas.kl | Chinese New Year Menus | Reservations

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