skip to main |
skip to sidebar
After a pretty rough ride back on the ferry from Macau, I was really not in the mood for food... Let alone a buffet... However, my uncle had other plans as we ended up heading to one of his favs - PLAYT at The Park Lane. As the name suggests, it is located in the Park Lane Hotel and was formerly named Cafe One. However, the same setup remains with stations dedicated to seafood, sushi, Chinese (including house-made Dim Sum), pizza, International, made-to-order noodles and a wealth of desserts.
Other than the large selection of seafood, in particular shellfish, the most enticing station was the Sushi and Sashimi. Prepared to order, there was a selection that included hotate, amaebi, tuna, hamachi, salmon, snapper, yellow herring fish roe and octopus. My favourite of the bunch was the sweet and buttery hotate and tender hamachi. There was also a selection of nigiri and a few maki rolls. Again, everything looked rather appealing and in fact, most of it was good. Of course, the most appealing to me were the mirugai, abalone and hokkigai. The sushi rice was a bit on the gummier side, but it was acceptable.
Onto the Seafood, we found smoked salmon, conch, crab, shrimp, mussels, lobster and freshly shucked oysters. They didn't skimp on the details as there was a plethora of sauces to go with the 2 types of oysters - Cumbrae and Isigny. I enjoyed the Isigny more as they were smaller and sweeter. Both were appealingly briny though. As for the other shellfish, the mussels were plump and the shrimp were meaty. I thought the lobster was slightly overdone, but still good nonetheless. The crab was okay, but then again, I'm not a huge fan of this type of crab.
One of the more surprising things about the buffet was the Dim Sum. Normally, most buffet joints serve frozen Dim Sum acquired from a 3rd party. Not here. Everything is house-made and it showed. The Ha Gau were very impressive for a non-Dim Sum restaurant. The skin was thin with a nice elasticity while the shrimp filling was in large chunks and had a nice sweet buttery snap. I thought the Siu Mai was equally decent with a rebound texture as well. It was on the denser side though. Adjacent to the dim sum was a selection of Chinese Food including BBQ. If that wasn't enough, there was freshly made-to-order pizza as well.
Some of the dishes in the International Food section were quite good including the Lamb Curry, Red Wine Ox-Tail and Tandoori Chicken. Apparently, they have specialized chefs that prepare each type of cuisine. So the Indian food was pretty legit. Not the best I've had, but definitely serviceable for a buffet. I thought the paella suffered from sitting too long, but it's a buffet... A rather hot item was the foie gras served on crostinis. These were buttery, but a touch overdone. Heck, they even had Bird's Nest Soup served in their own little bowls. I thought the silky viscosity of the soup to be on point while the flavour was pleasing. There was plenty of crab to make up for the modest amount of bird's nest.
For Dessert, there was an impressive array of goodies including Bird's Nest Egg Tarts featuring a flaky if not a bit pasty tart shell. The egg custard was pretty good (on the firmer side) and was not really all-that-sweet. Other than that, there was a selection of hard ice cream, cakes, chocolate fountain and fresh fruit. I only went for the fruit since I was super full at this point, but as you can see the buffet didn't lack variety. Furthermore, the quality was fairly high with all things considered. No wonder the place is super-busy. At the same time, we didn't feel rushed nor were there many long lineups either. Plenty of food to go around.
The Good:
- Wide selection
- Decent quality
- Didn't run out of the popular items
The Bad:
- Some things don't hold up in a buffet such as the paella
- Chinese BBQ was okay, but the display didn't look so hot (things were cold)
After a day filled with unique and interesting local eats in Macau, we resigned ourselves to generic boring eats in and around our casino resort (The Parisian). In fact, with some credits, we were faced with dining at Le Buffet once again for lunch. However, one look at the voucher and there were some better options including the resident high-end Chinese restaurant, the opulent-looking Lotus Palace hidden deep within the overwhelming amount of uber-expensive company shops. We weren't expecting much, but hey, the place looked nice.
We decided to take advantage of their set lunches which included a selection of eats. We ended up getting 3 of them and then added a bunch of a la carte Dim Sum items as well. The first to arrive were the requisite Ha Gau (Shrimp Dumplings) and Siu Mai (Pork & Shrimp Dumplings). Okay, any ideas of this place being only a facade was erased by these 2 dishes. Sporting a thin elastic skin, the large chunks of sweet shrimp were buttery and crunchy. I loved how the bamboo shoots were rinsed properly so that they were no longer pungent. As for the siu mai, there was a good amount of shrimp and shiitake. They were packed with flavour while the texture was meaty with a rebound.
My son was really happy to see the next 2 dishes arrive. The first was the Shrimp Spring Rolls presented in an interesting, yet not particularly easy to photograph plating. They were thin and crispy with the ends coated in 2 types of sesame seeds. We found them to be easy on the grease inside and out. The shrimp filling was sweet an buttery with an appealing snap. Neatly prepared, the Roast Pork with hoisin and scallions already hidden inside was on point. The thin layer of skin was lightly crispy and almost airy. Underneath, the pork was tender and succulent.
Normally, a BBQ Pork Bun is nothing to get excited about, but these ones were on point. Featuring a thin layer of fluffy bun, the whole thing was actually filling which was full of lean pork in a balanced sweet and savoury sauce. As a result, the bun was full of flavour and meaty texture rather than the usual dense version with too much bun. Sporting the same lean filling, the BBQ Pork Pastries were also very good. Somehow, the filling was sweeter and there seemed to be hits of caramelized onion, The pastry itself was buttery and flaky with an appealingly crisp exterior.
Still on the BBQ pork theme, we had the BBQ Pork Rice Noodle Roll as well. I really enjoyed the rice noodle as it was thin and almost translucent. It was soft with an elastic rebound texture. Inside, there was no shortage of lean pork mixed with a balanced amount of cilantro. Hence, it wasn't overwhelming. I also loved how they served the side of sweeten soy hot, so that it didn't cool down the rice noodle roll. Included with the set meals was the choice of carb, so we chose the Seafood Fried Noodle. As evidenced in the picture, there was much more seafood than noodle. Everything was on point including the chewy noodles that were subjected to proper wok heat.
One look at the Phoenix Talons, it was pretty obvious that it wasn't going to be scrawny nor underdone. They appeared to be plump and buttery and with one bite, it was confirmed. It isn't often that we find chicken feet this plump, but somehow, it seemed like I was eating a substantial amount of food despite the bones. I found the seasoning to be just right bordering on being salty. Prepared with unique flavours, the Basil Beef Short Ribs also teemed of rosemary. Hence, the dish was aromatic and definitely different than the usual black pepper sauce. Texturally, the ribs were appealingly chewy while being tender.
With a light egg coating, the XO Daikon Pudding Cake were on point taste and texture-wise. The soft cubes still retained a bite while the daikon flavour came through. Although there was plenty of XO sauce used in the wok toss, the dish was only mildly spicy where the brininess from the dried shrimp and scallops being at the forefront. Most important of all, the dish was easy on the grease. We also got the Braised Pork Belly as part of the set meal and despite being a bit difficult to cut up, it was ultimately super tender and moist. The fat portion of was buttery and delicious. Silky, sweet and only lightly salty, the sauce was a nice match to the mild-tasting pork.
Also part of the set meal, we had the Steamed Pork Patty which was meaty and soft. It wasn't salty nor was it fatty either. It was sweet with a natural pork flavour. Each set meal included a soup, so we chose 3 different ones for variety. The first, Spinach and Crab, was visually stunning in rich deep green hue. It was very mild-tasting with the brightness of spinach. The Chicken & Mushroom Soup featured bits of Virginia ham that added rich saltiness that wasn't overwhleming. The natural sweetness of the chicken was at the forefront as well as the Earthiness of the shiitake. Similarly, the Lo Foh Tong which consisted of chicken, pork and fuzzy melon was also lightly sweet with natural flavours. I liked how they didn't overseasoned the soup and allowed it to stand on its own. From all the dishes we tried, it is pretty clear that Lotus Palace is a legit place to have high-class Dim Sum. Don't hesitate to try it if you are at the Parisian.
The Good:
- High quality food
- Outstanding service
- Nice dining space
The Bad:
- On the pricier side, but worth it
- Unfortunately the mall is dead, so there isn't much atmosphere
The benefits of having a local take us around Macao yielded Miramar, Lord Stow's, Chiu Heong and Koi Kei so far, but we still had dinner lined up. We ended up at Lei Ka Choi which wouldn't even be on my radar if it was up to me. However, this place sports a Michelin star and a loyal customer base. As we walked up and into the place, it really didn't scream out "please eat here", but hey, that's why it was a good thing we were taken to this place by people in the know.
We started off with a whole Big Hen Fish with fermented yellow beans on the side. The fish itself was rather plain-looking and in fact, it was only lightly sweet on its own. However, the real star of the show was the yellow bean condiment. It was richly salty with depth. On a personal level, I found the fish rather firm and dense, but that is the way it is. Next up was one of their signature dishes in the Garlic & Chili Salt Fried Corn. This was my favourite thing we ate all meal due to the intense flavours from the spicy and umaminess of the seasoning. The corn itself was sweet and aromatic providing balance to the saltiness.
My second favourite dish of the meal also happened to be another signature dish in the Water Crab and Chicken Soup with 2 types of rice (puffed rice and steamed crab protein rice in lotus leaf). The method was to combine all 3 items in bowl. As a result, the chewy and sweet steamed rice combined with the crunchy and nutty toasted rice provided a textural contrast. Furthermore, the sweet briny soup by itself was so full of depth and body, it was great by itself. A fairly simple dish was the Pan-Fried Ox-Tongue served with a sweet and tangy dip. Tender and fatty with a pleasant bite, the ox-tongue was lightly seasoned with caramelized flavours.
Another seemingly simple, but tasty offering was the Squid Meatballs stuffed with cheese and deep fried with a vermicelli coating. This was another study in textures with the chewy bounciness of the squid giving way to a stringy cheesy centre. Outside, the crispy noodles added a lighter crunch to the dense meatball. The whole thing was naturally sweet and was served with a side of Miracle Whip. The Roasted Squab (actually deep-fried) was one average dish we had. Nothing wrong with the meat as it was tender and moist while mildly seasoned. However, the skin was not nearly rendered enough and wasn't crispy despite the beautiful rice hue.
Back to the good, the Curry Brisket served in a toasted bread bowl was delicious. The thick rich curry was creamy and only exhibited a touch of spice. There was enough peppers and onions to add variation to the flavour profile. Although hardly chewy, the brisket couldn't be considered soft. My favourite part was the big chunks of tender potatoes that soaked up all the flavour. Related to that, the hollowed out cubes of bread were perfect vessels to soak up the rich curry. For our veggies, we had the Stir-Fried Pea Shoots with garlic and wolfberries. These were just a bit overdone, but still crunchy and fairly vibrant. Flavours were mild though. Again, this was far too much food for us, but hey, I couldn't complain about the variety. There were some familiar items mixed in with some unique ones - an enjoyable meal with family.
The Good:
- That fried corn!
- That curry!
- Reasonably-priced for what you get
The Bad:
- Seating is not the most comfortable
- Wow, no where to park
Posts
After a pretty rough ride back on the ferry from Macau, I was really not in the mood for food... Let alone a buffet... However, my uncle had other plans as we ended up heading to one of his favs - PLAYT at The Park Lane. As the name suggests, it is located in the Park Lane Hotel and was formerly named Cafe One. However, the same setup remains with stations dedicated to seafood, sushi, Chinese (including house-made Dim Sum), pizza, International, made-to-order noodles and a wealth of desserts.
Other than the large selection of seafood, in particular shellfish, the most enticing station was the Sushi and Sashimi. Prepared to order, there was a selection that included hotate, amaebi, tuna, hamachi, salmon, snapper, yellow herring fish roe and octopus. My favourite of the bunch was the sweet and buttery hotate and tender hamachi. There was also a selection of nigiri and a few maki rolls. Again, everything looked rather appealing and in fact, most of it was good. Of course, the most appealing to me were the mirugai, abalone and hokkigai. The sushi rice was a bit on the gummier side, but it was acceptable.
Onto the Seafood, we found smoked salmon, conch, crab, shrimp, mussels, lobster and freshly shucked oysters. They didn't skimp on the details as there was a plethora of sauces to go with the 2 types of oysters - Cumbrae and Isigny. I enjoyed the Isigny more as they were smaller and sweeter. Both were appealingly briny though. As for the other shellfish, the mussels were plump and the shrimp were meaty. I thought the lobster was slightly overdone, but still good nonetheless. The crab was okay, but then again, I'm not a huge fan of this type of crab.
One of the more surprising things about the buffet was the Dim Sum. Normally, most buffet joints serve frozen Dim Sum acquired from a 3rd party. Not here. Everything is house-made and it showed. The Ha Gau were very impressive for a non-Dim Sum restaurant. The skin was thin with a nice elasticity while the shrimp filling was in large chunks and had a nice sweet buttery snap. I thought the Siu Mai was equally decent with a rebound texture as well. It was on the denser side though. Adjacent to the dim sum was a selection of Chinese Food including BBQ. If that wasn't enough, there was freshly made-to-order pizza as well.
Some of the dishes in the International Food section were quite good including the Lamb Curry, Red Wine Ox-Tail and Tandoori Chicken. Apparently, they have specialized chefs that prepare each type of cuisine. So the Indian food was pretty legit. Not the best I've had, but definitely serviceable for a buffet. I thought the paella suffered from sitting too long, but it's a buffet... A rather hot item was the foie gras served on crostinis. These were buttery, but a touch overdone. Heck, they even had Bird's Nest Soup served in their own little bowls. I thought the silky viscosity of the soup to be on point while the flavour was pleasing. There was plenty of crab to make up for the modest amount of bird's nest.
For Dessert, there was an impressive array of goodies including Bird's Nest Egg Tarts featuring a flaky if not a bit pasty tart shell. The egg custard was pretty good (on the firmer side) and was not really all-that-sweet. Other than that, there was a selection of hard ice cream, cakes, chocolate fountain and fresh fruit. I only went for the fruit since I was super full at this point, but as you can see the buffet didn't lack variety. Furthermore, the quality was fairly high with all things considered. No wonder the place is super-busy. At the same time, we didn't feel rushed nor were there many long lineups either. Plenty of food to go around.
