[Macau] The Eight @ Grand Lisboa

The Eight @ Grand Lisboa was a Chinese restaurant I have been wanting to try for a long time.  Finally, I took my family there on New Year's Day.  Contrary to what my friend told me, reservation was surprising easy to secure.

[Macau] Kim's Food Korea Cafe

It's hard to keep up with the Macau dining scene sometimes.  Luckily, I have friends who kept me up to speed.  The last few months have been hectic and didn't really have time to dine out when I visit my folks back home.  Finally last weekend, my friends took me to one of the most popular Korean restaurants (among youngsters) in Taipa, Macau - Kim's Food Cafe.

[Macau] Miramar (海景餐廳)

One of the most asked questions I receive is: "where would you go in Macau for Portuguese food?"  There are plenty of Portuguese restaurants in Macau but there are only a few I would consider a favorite.  Friends know I often go to Maxim Henry's but once in a while, especially when my friends are driving, we like to go to Miramar.

[Macau] Taisho Japanese BBQ (大將日式燒烤)

Happy 2015!  I celebrated the new year with my friends at Taisho (大將) this year.  It is an all-you-can-eat Japanese BBQ restaurant, which is both affordable and delicious.  It's been around for more than a full year now (June 2013) and I can't believe it is only my first visit.  What took me so long?

Arirang Korean BBQ Restaurant (阿里郎)

Compared to Hong Kong, the choices for a decent Korean BBQ restaurant in Macau is next to none.  Whenever my friends and I are craving for Korean BBQ in Macau, this is our default choice (but even then, quality deteriorated recently...).  The restaurant is located in Taipa, so that says a lot for us - the "peninsula" folks. 

Meet & Sweet Cafe (蜜蜜見)

Meet & Sweet Cafe (蜜蜜見) is a new cafe / restaurant recently opened in my neighborhood.  My friend and I decided to give it a try the other night for dinner.  It has a very "Taiwanese" vibe to me but it serves no bubble tea or Taiwanese fried chicken (to my surprise!).  Instead, they serve coffee, beer, cider, English breakfast, pasta, risotto, and even fish and chips!  (well, I like the surprise!)  It opens early till late so I find it a nice alternative to the typical Chinese and Japanese restaurants in the neighborhood.

We went on a week night, so the place wasn't very crowded.
It also seems to attract the younger crowd here.

家家寶泰式美食店

家家寶 is a relatively unknown Thai restaurant in my neighborhood.  It's been around for a while but it's my first time visiting.  (My friends suggested this place for a dinner gathering recently...)  Most Thai restaurant offers a similar menu so I wasn't expecting much until I tried their deep fried water spinach (炸通菜)!!!  This restaurant immediately entered my "keeper" list...

醃炸通菜Thai Style Deep Fried Water Spinach

Hometown Glory

Note:  Consider yourself warned.  This is a rant.  It originated from my 1 hour commute this morning.

If you ask people about Macau 10 years ago and now, you will get very different answers.

10 years ago, people will tell you Macau is a very laid back town.  A town where you will want to retire in.  People maybe loud but they are friendly and have their hearts in the right place.  Now, people will tell you "Oh! The Las Vegas of Asia."  Gambling was, is, and will always be the bread and butter industry but it has blown out of proportion in the past 10 years, after the government increased the gambling license from one to three.

Senado in 1985

Senado now

Paddington House of Pancakes (Macau)

Dinner #1 failed to satisfy our hungry stomach so we walked around to discover other dining options...  and we stumbled across Paddington House of Pancakes!  In fact, I passed by this place recently when I went for coffee at Terra Coffee House.  (By the way, this is a very good local coffee house!)

Loja Sopa De Fita Cheung Kei (祥記麵家)

If you love to try traditional Guangdong style noodles, this is the place to go, or used to go.  It reached hallmark status among the tourists when popular food critics have nothing but praises for this place.  At the same time, it's the beginning of yet another nightmare for us locals...

Picture from the Internet.
No copyright infringement intended.

Henri's Galley Restaurant (美心亨利)

This is the restaurant I take all my out-of-town visitors to.  There are a few other good Portuguese restaurants in town but Henry is by far my favorite.  I know I mentioned this place before in my other post but it is curious I never did an individual post for this place.  I guess subconsciously I must be trying to save this place from the rest of the world...

Inside Henri's on a weekday

Shanghai 4.5.6. Restaurant (四五六上海菜館)

Shanghai 4.5.6. Restaurant (四五六上海菜館) has been around for as long as I could remember.  It has always enjoyed a great reputation so I don't know what took me so long to dine here.  (Yes, it's actually my first time.)  My friends and I went there to celebrate our birthdays: our birthday month happened to be in April, May, and June, respectively.

Kaga Japanese Restaurant (加賀日本料理)

Kaga Japanese Restaurant has been around for quite some time.  They used to be located across from the Vasco Da Gama Garden, near Heat BBQ.  I never dined there as the restaurant didn't appeal to me back then.  I thought for the longest time they closed until my friend recommended this restaurant for dinner a few weekends ago.  Needless to say I was reserved about the choice in the beginning but my friend always has good recommendation so we went for it.  Compared to the old location, the new location is bright and clean.  I can definitely see myself eating here more often.

[Macau] The Tasting Room by Galliot (御膳房)

I have always wanted to try The Tasting Room but never had an opportunity until recently.  Better yet, it was a treat from a fellow colleague!  I have heard mixed reviews but after trying the menu myself, I like it!  (Forgive my iPhone / Instagram pictures since I didn't bring my big camera - this was a business lunch!  I am probably going to update this post with more pictures the next time I return.)

The dining room is nice and bright, the servers are very knowledgeable and attentive.  The food is delicious and the presentation is beautiful.    Since my colleagues actually knows Chef Galliot, he came out and chatted with us for a little while!

The dining room is nice and bright.

The bread basket

Is it just me or are all French restaurants now serving Robuchon-styled bread these days?
Don't get me wrong though, the bread is delicious.  I am just curious.

Our server highly recommended this bread to us.
He even brought 2 extra to us when he noted there was only 1 in the basket!

It's a sour dough with walnut and raisins
A seriously good bread especially with their salted butter!

amuse boucheSalmon with Dill Cream and Caviar

The flavor combination is classic and excellent.
I have a good feeling about this meal already.Side note: This is also offered as one of the appetizers.

Pertius Green Asparagus Royal with Bacon Foam, Oyster Infusion
蒸法國蘆筍伴蠔香煙肉汁

It could be hotter but I love this soup.
The asparagus is pureed and the oyster is prominent.
Although I can't taste much of the bacon, I am very happy with the soup.

Side note:  I don't eat foie gras but my colleague can't stop raving about it.
The chef even brought us the fresh sun-dried Medjool date to try.  It was sweet like honey!

The lack of bacon is remediated with a freah prosciutto biscuit

crispy, savory, and delicious

Whiting Fish Nage, Fresh Coriander Emulsion and Marinated Tomato with Sumac
香荽濃湯燴海牙魚

I really like my entree as well.
The fish is pan-fried perfectly and the sauce is a very nice compliment to the fish.

Since there were three of us, we decided to order all the desserts offered and shared among ourselves.  My favorite is the panna cotta but the clafutis is yummy as well.

Gariguette Strawberry Clafoutis with Fromage Blanc Sorbet
士多啤梨伴芝士雪芭

This one is the lightest of the three desserts offered.
The texture is almost like a sponge cake.

Vanilla honey panna cotta, textures of mango and fresh raspberries
意式蜜糖雲呢拿奶凍配芒果及覆盆子

As mentioned, this is my favorite.
Loved the jello like texture of the panna cotta.
It's light and refreshing.

 

Dark Chocolate Torte, Marshmallow and Graham Cracker Ice Cream
黑朱古力撻配棉花糖麥芽雪糕

This is good and i would probably like it more in the fall / winter.
This is spring and I preferred something light and fruity

Decaf Latte with a small macaroon

My body is not taking caffeine well lately.
Normally it doesn't affect me and I sleep just fine.
Oh well...

The price of the 3-course prix fixe is phenomenal (MOP$258 per person plus 10% service fee) and for a Michellin-rated restaurant, this is a great value!  (2015 note:  not sure if the price went up since they did earned another star.)  The menu changes regularly and it's usually posted on their Facebook page.  Now I have another place to take my friends when they are in town!

The Tasting Room by Galliot (御膳房)

Level 3, Crown Towers, City of Dreams, Taipa, Macau

Tel: +853 8868 6681

Hours: 12:00 - 15:00; 18:00 - 23:00

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TTR.CityofDreams

Disclaimer:  I am not affiliated with the restaurant but my colleague bought my lunch.

Single Origin (單品)

I discovered this local place one fateful day when I took a detour walking home and have been wanting to try the coffee here ever since.  I finally went there on a random Sunday a few months back but I forgot where I saved my pictures!  :(  As a result, I "borrowed" a few pictures from their Facebook page but I assure you, the coffee picture is mine... 

Espresso and Dark Chocolate

Tabuchi (田淵)

This is my friend's favorite restaurant.  The food is consistent and it is a nice and quiet place if you want to talk to your friends over a light meal and some drinks.  The boss is very friendly too.  Just don't compare to the izakayas in Japan!

Located in the beautiful and quiet Sai Wan (西灣),
next to my favorite restaurant - Henry's Galley.

Second Prince Thai Food (二皇子泰國菜)

A friend introduced this restaurant to me a while ago.  It was located in the residential area so the prices are very reasonable!  The only challenge would be ordering if you don't speak any Cantonese.  But I always find "pointing" very useful when I am trying to order food at a restaurant where I don't speak the language :)

ALBERGUE 1601 (婆仔屋)

Another restaurant that has been in my archives for quite some time now... Went there (last year) to celebrate my friend's birthday.  Everything about the restaurant is great except the food.  It was too salty.  My friends and I even took a  picture to mock how salty everything was.  I sincerely hope the food is better now because the restaurant is indeed a cute place and it's somewhere I want to be able to like, recommend, and take my friends to.

It used to be a house for spinsters

The Kitchen (大廚)

A few friends and I went to the Kitchen a while back (like a year ago) for a farewell lunch.  The set lunch menu ranges from MOP$248 to MOP$428 per person.  (All prices are subject to 10% service charge.)  I think the reason why it took me so long to post this one is because I wasn't too impressed by the food and service.  I can only recall my friends saying how tough their sirloin were and how slow the service was...  I have to agree, a lunch that cost over MOP$350 per person should be better, or at least be more memorable.

Afternoon Tea - The Terrace @ Pousada De São Tiago

I was recently asked to recommend a place for quality afternoon tea in Macau.  This was a tough question as I usually go to Hong Kong if I wanted a quality afternoon tea.  After searching my memory, Pousada De São Tiago came up... 

Pousada De São Tiago  was originally a fortress built by the Portuguese in the early 17th century to defend Macau against hostile European nations and local pirates, the Fortaleza de Barra was transformed into an enchanting Portuguese hotel known today.

I have not stayed at this hotel and I have only come for afternoon tea at the Terrace.  Nevertheless, I find the place very soothing and it's the first place I thought of if I wanted to go to somewhere quiet.  

(I have heard the hotel is very nice here too... I should have recommended this place to my friend when she asked me where she should stay...  maybe I should ask her if it's too late to change her reservation?)

Anyways, since a picture speaks a thousand words, here's some from my archives :)