Peter Verey

Absence makes the heart grow fonder and that’s also true for the stomach . Having not returned for 5 months , it somehow seemed that everything @ottoemezzobombana_macau tasted especially delicious .
Let me start with the meticulous details that they get right . Starting off with the warmest of welcomes before even entering through the front door. I always rave about the service here so I won’t repeat myself too much but two of their FOH superstars are currently away , and the service team didn’t miss a beat , the roster of excellence runs deep !!
Let’s talk about the bread , the ciabatta is first rate, great for dipping in olive oil or indulging in Scarpetta. If possible the beer sourdough is even better , love the malty notes .
The trademark “caprese “ amuse bouche has had a face lift with mozzarella now being joined by burrata and straciatella, but it’s the tomato water that steals the show , floral and full of flavour, it really showcases tomato season .
Now to the food … @riccardolaperna ability to offer rustic Italian dishes with class and style is never in question.

Foie gras is served in the style of Mont Blanc dessert , with a spiced jelly , nuts and brioche . It’s light and moorish .
Cacio e Pepe veers away from tradition with the addition of Porcini mushrooms and parsley emulsion . The tagliatelle had great flavour and texture and the parsley gave the dish a burst of freshness .
A “simple” serve of Sicilian prawn pasta followed, the prawn was lightly cooked , the light tomato sauce coated the pasta perfectly .
Really enjoyed the Milanese risotto which despite being fortified with veal jus and bone marrow remained very light on the palate .
Maruya beef strip loin is perfect for those looking for a rich savoury finale , paired with a deep celeriac purée and beets .
Desserts started with a new to the menu dish which had its debut last night , raspberry and pistachio with a yoghurt sorbet is a terrific combo .
And for the grand finale , a rustic Rhubarb tart , the rhubarb is cooked slowly in strawberry juice and takes on a lot of the sweetness and floral notes which beautifully restrains the astringency .

Returning ASAP ! Less

It’s only been 6 weeks since last eating @ta_vie_hk but it was certainly exciting to revisit . Quality of care and execution always meets all expectations!

Winter snow crab and artichoke gratin - a very homely dish , sweet crab and cheese gratin and then you are left with lovely artichoke petals to scrape your teeth into , it’s been a long time since I have had that opportunity as Artichoke is not seen often in the region .

Japanese winter turnip, 36 months aged Parma ham, and grilled Hokki clam - First bite was actually this trio which was served whole and also turned into a sauce and a consommé ( inspired by Chinese double boiled soups ) , a terrific winter welcome .

Poached Oyster, celeriac, spinach, Oscietra caviar sauce - the sauce did the heavy lifting here , decidedly salty it actually made the Hokkaido oyster taste sweet . A terrific balance .

House-made fresh pasta with “Aonori” sauce topped with premium Hokkaido uni- Aonori is a Japanese seaweed and it’s delightfully herbaceous, it stole the show more so than the uni .

Pan-seared fresh Brittany blue-lobster
with pied blue mushroom, “Tubu clam” Japanese whelk, and “Gobo” burdock- had this dish in December and was glad to see it again , the sauce which is a blend of the four key ingredients is a tour de force .

Charcoal grilled pigeon from Breese, France (medium rare) with leek, black truffle, horseradish, lemon confit

Gorgeous meaty pigeon , with simple garnish , a very satisfying course .

Japanese white strawberry with pistachio cream pistachio sable, white meringue- Simple and satisfying pre dessert served with Ruinart Rose , the dish and the champagnw both tasted incredibly similar .

Chocolate crêpe soufflé, with Tasmania cherry jam,
Tonka beans flavored ice cream- this is a terrific dessert , none of the elements over power each other , an always striking finale. Less

Feng Wei Ju doesn’t get the hype of its fellow Michelin 2 and 3 star venues in Macau . It’s infinitely more rustic and you can drop in for a very casual meal that will barely scrape your wallet . But the skill and execution of the “basics “ is peerless .

Perfectly yielding pork belly on a bed of preserved vegetables and dried chilli which constantly has you reaching for more .

Pan fried pork dumplings in Beijing style , the dumpling dough is hearty , the filling juicy but keeps its shape and delivers texture .

Steamed spotted grouper rests above an egg white and tofu custard , with pickled mustard greens . The custard is edible velvet .

Had to finish with a guilty pleasure , deep fried banana with toffee glaze . Impossible not to order . Less

Absolutely blown away by the savoury crescendo of an excellent September menu @yimorpheusmacau by @wong_angelo

Wagyu beef on tasting menus can be a bit tiresome but this was on a sky high level . The beef is treated in the char Siu fashion and the glaze matches beautifully with the fattiness of the protein , red rock rice (braised and crispy) along with preserved radish brings great texture . This dish was all pleasure .

The menu started a little slowly but delightfully continued to build .
Up first was generous Hokkaido snow crab buried beneath a quarter of eggs ( Filipino crab roe , caviar , egg white spheres , egg yolk dressing ) . Dispersing the caviar through the dish made this very satisfying but would have loved a drop or two of acid .

Double boiled soup always gets a guernsey on the Yi menus , this time fish maw and velvet mushrooms are the star and I kept my 💯 record of burning my mouth on this soup intact .

Red grouper was steamed on fig leaf alongside lily bulbs and chanterelles. The fig flavour was noticeable but I did miss the excellent sauces and oils that grouper is usually paired with here .

The menu sprung into life on the following dish , an absolutely perfectly fried langoustine with zucchini flower and a shrimp/ red pepper sauce . The technique here really paid dividends .

Australian abalone was baked with Macanese curry sauce which was a terrific nod to the local cuisine . This is rarely done by the high end restaurants here and this was a great tribute .

The signature Zhongshan 23 day old pigeon was a delicious mess as usual , love the lemongrass flavour on this dish .

Prior to the standout Wagyu dish was an excellent creative creation. Tomato was stuffed with corn and quinoa and served with a chicken and beetroot glaze . The dish was gorgeous to look at and very comforting to eat .

Dessert was also a hit with a gigantic peach Mochi complimented by an aloe Vera and oolong tea sauce .

After three visits in 2023, this was a long overdue visit to Yi in 2024, definitely one of my favourite restaurants in Macau . Less

Protein forward dishes with few garnishes , focusing on quality of product and excellence of execution . Nowhere to hide with the winter menu from @uweo at @restaurant_petrus !

Black Truffle / Frog Leg / Snail - A lovely starter that looks richer than it is on the palate with the celeriac and cauliflower puree providing a nice blank canvas for the pond of snails and frog .

Maison Kaviari / Initial Egg / Cauliflower - Egg and eggs , fine dining comfort food .

King Crab Norway / Thermidor / Croissant - Crab encased in croissant dough , do feel the crab gets a little lost in there ..

Langoustine Norway / Swiss Chard / Crustacean just - disarmingly straight forward , beautifully cooked .

King Crab Norway / Crab Leg / Seaweed butter - the butter melts in front of your eyes , the crab leg is saline sweet perfection .

Sika Deer Rhug Estate / Loin / Juniper Berry- the venison loin is as prescribed , but the cabbage garnish may steal the show .

Duck/ Plum / Lavender Sauce - best dish of the night , the duck breast is cooked brilliantly , the duck legs are stuffed and rolled in cabbage and the plum and sauce provide a luxurious contrast

Chestnut Tart / Mandarin / Meringue - love chestnut flavours and the brown butter tart shell was outstanding. Less

Visiting @alainducasseatmorpheusmacau in winter is very rewarding . Refined winter dishes here are spectacular and the experience continues to improve on every visit . All credit to @cedricsatabin and his team who continue to push for excellence, the wealth of work from the kitchen team has never been more evident .

Case in point the signature Mediterranean Gamberoni dish, I have had this dish 6 times now and this was the best example . The rich umami of the gelee , the sweetness of the shrimp , the creamy salty @kaviari_paris , the winter citrus all absolutely sang . Perhaps it was the touch of magic from @zhhhhana who put the dish together on this occasion .

Ravioli of root vegetables may not sound like the most exciting dish on a menu , but this was superb, chick pea dough printed with watercress , roasted root vegetables which develop a lovely sweet note and a refreshing duck consommé.

John Dory from Brittany faces quite a journey to get to Macau but the fish is simply confit in oil and left to shine . Paired with multiple variations of chicory , this was well balanced and delicious .

Young pigeon from Merial was cooked over wood fire , noticeably gamier than his Chinese cousins , it was matched with a tumble of mushrooms and chestnut and a pumpkin puree . Great winter vibes .

A trio of desserts had me waddling out the door - Comte Reserve ( mousse and au natural ) , then a symposium of grapes with a terrific Roast Tea ice cream that I particularly enjoyed.
Finally the Ducasse Rum baba which was super light yet packed a rum punch .

Great wine pairing as well, highlighted by a 1982 Pomerol , superb evening !! Less

If you happen to have been silly enough to make a new year resolution and are looking to eat healthier , then for healthy fine dining , you can’t go past @zuicho.macau !
Protein rich , clean flavours and most certainly delicious .

A bright bring start to the meal in the form of Ankimo and monkfish eggs pressed with konbu .

The signature dish followed ( the only dish that remains on the monthly changing menu ) A5 Wagyu tenderloin katsu , the beef gets an hour of sous vide treatment before being deep fried , end result is disarmingly soft yet crispy .

A sashimi duo of Baby tuna ( Meiji ) and Yellowtail ( buri) preceded the highlight dish .. a gorgeous Tempura of Shirako which dissolved on the palate , paired with shirako rice on a stone grill . Rich textures, crispy rice .. loved it

The A5 Wagyu returned , this time the sirloin was given a sukiyaki hot pot treatment . Sweet dashi , soy cured egg yolk , matsutake . All that you could desire

Sea urchin and toro handroll was excellent , loved that the sea urchin was not only generously atop the hand roll but a little lobe was also right at the bottom which left a delicious sweet creamy last bite .

Final savoury dish was crab rice with mullet roe. Sweet female snow crab meat balanced the saltiness of the roe with aplomb

Dessert was a Monaka sandwich with brown sugar ice cream and strawberry. Less

It is my impression that the HK dining public seem to desert restaurants when a chef change occurs . I hope that this doesn’t occur with Hansik Goo as excellence will remain very much in its pedigree .

The lunch menu here is very similar to dinner with the portion sizes just minimised a little , it is well balanced , nutritious and there is no need for an afternoon food nap .

Kicking things off is Pine nut juk with crab - creamy and fresh , it’s a lovely balanced start .

A duo of raw fish follows , Amberjack is paired with caviar whilst Mackerel and kimchi form a great duo .

A crystal clear beef and radish soup with Mantou dumpling is warming and wholesome .

The gochujang glazed silver pomfret is perfectly cooked , a side of garlic chives and surf clam adds some freshness to the piquancy.

Scallion Pajeon is superbly crisp and the umami from the dried seafood carries the course .

Hanwoo meatball is Kofta - like and terrifically juicy , pork neck is fatty in the best way and there is plenty of kimchi and rice to round out the flavours.

A great take on Crème brûlée to end the meal , with vanilla ice cream encrusted with pecans . Less

Chef @chefvickycheng had been the hottest name in HK F&B for a while now , even when I visited Paris earlier this year Bruno Verjus was absolutely raving about him .

So I was well overdue for a first taste of his food , rather than kick things off at Wing , I thought starting at Vea would be a good introduction.

A very impressive meal it was , the dance of Chinese and French ingredients and techniques interplayed beautifully , every dish was thoughtful and delicious . Love the restaurant long counter set up as well .

The first dish of the night may have been my favourite.
Shima Aji and cucumber were both served as carpaccio and tartare , and dressed with longan juice and chive oil . Savoury and sweet , this reminded me of childhood cold cucumber soup , absolutely visually striking as well .

Brittany blue lobster was touched with only a whisper of heat , and combined with local squid , snap peas and snow cabbage , terrific again .

Sea cucumber is stuffed with a Tiger prawn farce but thankfully the farce keeps a lot of texture , served with a light crustacean broth and then augmented with sprays of aged yellow wine . This one hits all the senses .

A surprisingly thick cross section of Rough Scale Flounder was topped with a stuffed zucchini flower ( miss seeing this on menus ) , and served with tiny Bo-Kak mussels , these little seasonal gems are barely the size of a pinky nail but they make their presence felt !

Before the main course , a little comfort food . Yunnan matsutake mushrooms are prepared in a variety of textures and well matched to congee .

French pigeon is perfectly grilled and paired with carrot, apricot and five spice , all these flavour profiles are firm friends . Bulletproof dish .

We ease into dessert with a simply stunning piece of fruit , end of season Nagano peach is the floral sweet flavour that you wish all peaches would be , simply served with a dollop of jasmine infused cream , the dual floral notes soothe and inspire.

Final course is a petit bateau of Tarte Tatin camouflaged by fresh slices of Granny Smith apples .
Accompanied with burrata ice cream as well as apple and Chinese celery ice cream.

Terrific meal !! Less

After 2 weeks barely leaving the house and binging on the beauty of the 2024 Paris Olympics , it’s nice to return to normal routine and hop across the border for a chilled lunch .

Man Wah @mo_hkg has held a Michelin star for 16 years now , recently refurbished it’s a beautiful room with a great view of HK harbour .

A large Hokkaido scallop cooked medium well rather than the en vogue mi-cuit , held up very well to a punchy porcini mushroom sauce . It’s Yunnan mushroom season now and I think they are outstanding so I would have been happy with mushrooms playing a larger role here but it was an excellent dish .

M9 Australian Wagyu was served with a fresh and floral black pepper sauce , with lily bulbs the main garnish .

Prior to this , a duo of excellent dim sum , Har Gao was fashioned into the shape of an edamame pod and the shrimp was paired with edamame and green chilli . Very satisfying .

Mushroom and crab dumpling was also very moorish .

The small sample of the dim sum skills was excellent and I would return just to make a solid dent in the 14 varietal dim sum menu . Less