Dinner at the Cantonese 2 Michelin star restaurant at the Hotel Lisboa in Macau. This was an interesting meal, with a couple of dishes that I struggled a bit with, but overall I liked it and I think I can see why it is well regarded. Lighting for photos was not super either, so they didn’t come out to my satisfaction.
Cuisine: Cantonese
Service: Very attentive. We went on a public holiday, so I thought it would be busy, and I booked months in advance etc. – but it was almost empty. This resulted in the main room having us and one other table, but wait staff standing around everywhere with nothing to do most of the time.
Food:
Century Egg: Complimentary starter. I can’t say if this was a good version (I’m sure it is based on the care that goes into the other dishes) as I haven’t had one before, but the sulphur was overwhelming and I wasn’t especially fond of the jelly/creamy texture either. Gave it a go, but I think these may be an acquired taste.
Steamed Whole Fresh Crab Claw with Winter Melon: Love the expert de-shelling, the tender and slightly sweet crab meat and the winter melon having the slightest resistance when biting into it. I’m not sure what the sauce consisted of, but it lent a slight richness to the dish. A definite highlight of the meal and my favourite of the two crab claws.
Deep-fried Whole Fresh Crab Claw with Peppercorn Salt: This was good also, the crab was still tender and the batter is lighter than it appears, letting the crab flavour shine. The peppercorns gave it a nice little punch. This was Anjuli’s preferred crab claw dish.
Sautéed Garoupa Fillet with Broccoli: The fish was very moist and had good flavor, the vegetables were similarly well cooked. Relatively simple but a good way to present the fish and show off its quality.
Sautéed Chicken with Onions in Black Bean Sauce in Casserole: I liked this dish, it’s probably a bit closer to the Cantonese style I’m used to, but I thought it was well balanced and just generally tasty.
Braised Pomelo Skin with Shrimp Roe: First dish we were presented with was undercooked, the waitress couldn’t slice it. A second attempt came not too long after and this was better. This is one of the signature dishes of the restaurant, so I was excited to try it, but to be honest I struggled a bit with it – the shrimp roe was incredibly powerful and the texture was a bit too mushy. It was interesting but I don’t think I’d order it again if I went back.
Pan-fried Noodles with Fresh Crabmeat: This dish was fine, but not especially memorable; we probably should have ordered something else.
Cost: 1000 MOP/ 120 AUD
Score: 14.5/20
Century Egg
Steamed Whole Fresh Crab Claw with Winter Melon
Deep-fried Whole Fresh Crab Claw with Peppercorn Salt
Sautéed Garoupa Fillet with Broccoli
Sautéed Chicken with Onions in Black Bean Sauce in Casserole
Braised Pomelo Skin with Shrimp Roe
Pan-fried Noodles with Fresh Crabmeat
