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2014-09-06
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Grand Lapa Hotel is next to Sands Casino and used to be known as Mandarin Oriental hotel, Macau. As life would have it, we were invited over for a overnight experience and to do a write-up about our little adventures at their various famous restaurants and at the Resort side of the Hotel. And guess who else was here with me? *Prizes might just be given out for a correct guess! Who wants some Mooncakes? The Setting here is Pleasant and Colonial looking - It reminds me of The Peninsula in Hong Kon
The Setting here is Pleasant and Colonial looking - It reminds me of The Peninsula in Hong Kong, or Raffles Hotel in Singapore.
I have always liked this setting as you can instantly relax into the right mood
Café Bela Vista – spelt the Portuguese way accuratelyThey also have a Bakery and Pastries Dessert section. One of the most original French Pastry shops starting from it’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel days, that subsequently spawned a latter Pastry and Viennoiserie movement in Macau. Most Pastry Chefs were trained by here..
Mango Sangria, Lychee & Wine Sangria, and the Blue version has Vodka -I tried all of them and the Mango was refreshing, but the Lychee version was the surprise package as who would have thought, Lychee and Wine can pair so well together ? ~ 8/10
Bread Basket - They looked a little pale to me. But the taste was good with a floury finish, but personally I prefer them more browned somehow. ~ 7/10
Portuguese Jamon Ham, Chourico and Black Pudding, Portuguese Prawn Rissoles, Cod Fish Croquettes, Olives, Indian Curry Puffs and Fried Crab Cakes -
The fried crab cakes was my favorite dish, followed by the mouse shaped Cod Fish Croquettes, it was pretty cute. The Portuguese Rissoles were also fried decently here. The Black pudding sausages were more on the milder side, it probably suits the image of the hotel correctly. ~ 7.5/10
Small Lobster Cappuccino - I saw others having a bigger and fuller version of this with a substantially larger portion. We got a tasting portion instead and it was strong in crustacean taste, to the point you can taste a bit of the grittiness within – meaning they actually blended the crustacean meat and shells to extract the fullest flavours. Yummy. Can’t wait to try the fuller version with proper lobster meat.. ~ 8.5/10
Clams cooked in Wine, Malaysian Satays, Hainanese Chicken, Portuguese Duck Rice -Out came a Tasting Portion of some Signature Dishes here. Two are Malaysian and the Satays have a strong grated Lemon Grass coating and a chunky peanut sauce, very good and authentic. The Hainanese chicken was served as 1 big piece, a first for me but tender enough, with an aromatic Soy based sauce. The clams were a little salty but plump, the Duck Rice was beloved by most for its Chourico sausages and duck meat. I personally really liked the Satays for it’s accuracy! ~ 8/10
Tasting Portion of the Arroz de Pato -This was good, but just like a good Spanish Paella, I will have to try the fully baked dish in a Cazuela dish to discover and judge it’s ultimate performance! But this was definitely very promising, can’t wait to be back !
Hainanese Chicken Rice - One of the chefs is from Malaysia, and the rice grains were cooked well and had a heavy taste of Chicken Stock, Ginger/Galangal, Coconut rather than Pandan, and Garlic. It was nearly as authentic as you can get in Malaysia or Singapore. Surprised to find this quality here but knowing the Mandarin Oriental Hotel connection previously, prior to switching Hotel Group names, this was totally expectable. Very good and worth a visit by itself ~ 8/10
French and Portuguese Desserts to end our 1st Lunch - I loved the Chocolate and Orange Ganache cake the most, it was subtly balanced and not too sweet. The Serradura is a Portuguese representative, it was definitely worthwhile. The Cheese cakes were also given an applause and the knod by you can probably guess who… Someone who made a lot of it herself.
Café Bela Vista - It does both Asian and Portuguese dishes well enough, as their general Lounge Restaurant by Grand Lapa Hotel. And I will actually come back for Breakfast on the next morning, when it functions more as a Morning Buffet restaurant. Let’s see how that goes in comparison… Fingers crossed tomorrow.
Price: Around $300 + 10% per person
Food: ♕♕♕♕
Address: 新口岸友誼大馬路956-1110號澳門金麗華酒店2樓
2nd Floor, Grand Lapa Hotel, Macau
Ph: (+853) 28567888
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