Second Act

I extended the stay in Macau in late April with a second night at the Wynn Palace just a short hop away. Not much have changed since our last stay here (too many years ago) with the iconic floral ferris wheel art installation sat in front of the hotel lobby, and I felt we were completely spoiled by the Wynn PR team’s hospitality when I realized they put us up in the mega spacious Parlor Suite, completed with walk-in closet, powder room, two bathrooms and a jacuzzi tub. It was just perfect as I ended up spending quite a bit of time staying in to finish up some work (yes, someone still go a full time job to do) 

Polmard Beef Dinner

There's no surprise beef was the main theme of the menu at my recent dinner at Ami with Alexandre Polmard flying in from France and be the co-host with Chef Nicolas Boutin. 

The 6th-generation butcher Polmard is synonymous to top-quality beef with their unique approach of raising the cattle and treating the meat. At this 2-day event we were able to sample quite a few of their meat products prepared in a number of ways by the great kitchen team at Ami.

Grand Lisboa Palace

During the Michelin festivities, they put us up at the Grand Lisboa Palace, which is also where the Gala Dinner took place. The hotel felt every bit like a brand-new property though it's officially opened in 2021, and it's part of the resort complex by SJM with separate hotel towers collaborated with fashion houses Karl Lagerfeld and Versace on Cotai side. 

Indian Dinner for Six

While I was kind of proud of myself being able to get a table booked at CHAAT a few months ago, this time I did get some help from Chef Manav for our family dinner for 6 people at the end of April which also doubled as an informal birthday celebration for our nephew N. And we also troubled Chef Manav for a few new dishes apart from what's normally available on their a la carte menu, and gosh, we got much more than what we asked for. 

Neighborhood Canto at a New Spot

A stroke of luck got us a table at Hop Sze Restaurant a few weeks ago. We haven’t visited the restaurant for a while now that a table at this neighborhood Canto eatery became one of the most sought after in town, and it’s our first since they expanded to this second shop in Tin Hau, which they called “Hop Sze Speakeasy” 合時小廚私房菜. (Here's our last visit 2 years ago)

The Return of the Star-Studded Affair

There's definitely a sense of normalcy among everyone when we all gathered for the Michelin Guide 2023 announcement in Macau in late April. This annual event has in the past been associated with much pomp and grandeur completed with gala dinner and parties, all of which have stopped during COVID (with thelast in-person event held in December 2019)

Fine Old School

I am excited when my friend and birthday girl C managed to get a dinner booking at the legendary (and somewhat secretive) SBI Canteen a few weeks ago and asked us to join as part of the celebration. I haven't been back for more than a year so I was eager to try some of the signature dishes by Chef Tak which many considered as some of the finest in town based on traditional old-school recipes.   

More Good, More Food

We love the idea when chefs Agustin, Ricardo and Matt joined force to do a one-night dinner event to raise fund for More Good. We came to know about this organization with the mission of helping the needy in Hong Kong by preparing nutritious meal-boxes from its kitchen venue in Chaiwan, and we have been helping out as volunteers once a month to help with food preparation and packing. So we are more than happy to lend our support in any way we could, and even better, got a “free meal” out of it. 

Steakhouse Wine Dinner

I am never a big fan of "wine dinner" hosted by wineries or shops - the thought of having to sit through a meal with wine snobs swirling and sniffing and comparing tasting notes just wasn't my cup of tea. But recently I did join one featuring a vertical flight of Sena wines at a steakhouse because I haven't done a serious tasting on Chilean wines before and am curious for the presentation of five of the same wines in different vintages. 

Three Meals in Three Weeks

I happened to eat at Shanghai Fraternity Association on three different occasions in the month of April with three different group of friends. Tasked with sorting out the menu for each of the dinner, I managed to go through quite a number of dishes in this clubhouse restaurant known for classic Shanghainese cuisine even with a handful of new dishes (not new on the menu per se, but items that we haven't ordered here before)