Grand Finale

Wrapping up my 3-day Macau vacation in April was a sumptuous lunch at the revamped Golden Flower at Wynn Macau. The restaurant which used to be famous for its rendition of “Imperial Tan Cuisine” has taken a new direction since the young chef Zhang Zhicheng (a.k.a. “Little Chubby” 小胖) took over the helm a couple of years ago.  

While the culinary style is still largely based on traditional Northern Chinese cuisine and featuring old-school delicacy ingredients such as abalones, bird’s nest or fish maws, Chef Zhang did not shy away from modern cooking techniques or adaptation of “foreign” ingredients such as balsamic vinegar or black truffles to create something quite unique. This afternoon we started with a series of appetizers with punchy flavors. The abalone was slow-cooked with a nice bouncy texture but the highlights were the crispy scallions on top, thin like flakes but brought a strong hint of complementary smoky flavor. The cod fish was filleted and cut into bite-sized portion, battered and deep-fried then finished with a balsamic glaze – reminded me of the Shanghainese sweet and sour ribs only with a more delicate texture. 

Truffle and eggs sound more like a western dish, but Chef Zhang took it with a twist with the addition of fish maw which was stewed and stir-fried with a umami-rich reduction sauce prepared with eel bones broth. The whole deep-fried baby chicken was presented at the table before it’s carefully carved with scissors. Judging by the size one would easily mistaken that as a pigeon, and the skin was perfectly crisped with the most tender meat underneath because of the bird’s young age. Two similar dishes were served in bowls one after the other – first the “jidauhua”, the traditional Sichuan dish with chicken minced until it’s soft like tofu and served with the rich supreme broth, then the Bird’s Nest portage with picked crab meat, an old-school Cantonese dish. Not so much of a surprise with the slow-cooked Wagyu, then a small bowl of baby spinach with superior broth, but they were well-executed. The “final” savory course was an interesting one, with thin slices of abalone served with the long chili peppers and thin egg noodles, and I enjoyed its good spicy kick.

“Want an encore?” The offer from Chef Little Chubby was almost too hard to say no to, and 10 minutes later, he returned with an additional dish of fried rice. What looked ordinary with the usual ingredients showed the techniques by chef to turn a common dish into a masterpiece. This is the textbook example of how a perfectly cooked fried rice should taste like with each grain of rice coated in a thin layer of oil with all the flavors. Finishing off were the lovely desserts of black sesame rice dumplings followed by the petit fours based on old Beijing-style sweets. 

We were equally impressed with the wines being poured throughout the meal, with a nice series of Burgundy from magnum bottles (both of which paired really well with the dishes), and then the new release of Hu Yue, the second wine produced at Domaines Barons de Rothschild’s winery in Shandong made in traditional Bordeaux style. Big with plenty of red fruits and a hint of “five spices”, working well with the wagyu dish. While Chef Zhang was preparing the encore dish, we challenged their sommelier to come up with a new bottle to pair with. Then he offered something that put himself in an unbeatable position with a bottle of Jaqcues Selosse from their cellar, which essentially went well with just about anything. Full-bodied, with lovely golden color, slightly oxidative which was the champagne house’s signature style, ripe citrusy, plenty of oak with a long finish. 

The Wynn PR certainly did know how to wrap up our journey with a grand finale with a feast such as this, which we were all thankful for.

More photos here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/g4gary/albums/72177720307969174

When? April 28 2023
Where? Golden Flower, Wynn Macau, R. Cidade de Sintra, Macau
Menu Highlights? Slow-cooked Abalone with Crispy Scallion
Drinks?
1988 Gosset Celebris Vintage Extra Brut
2020 Joseph Drouhin Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru (en Magnum)
2019 Domaines Barons de Rothschild “Hu Yue”, Shandong, China
1998 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Volnay 1er Cru “Santenots-du-Milieu”
Champagne Jacques Selosse “Substance” Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut (disgorged May 2016)
Web: www.wynnresortsmacau.com/en/wynn-macau/dining/golden-flower