Yamazato, Hotel Okura
February 28, 2016 – When Macau was announced as a destination for our first business field trip in Asia, I could only think of luxurious hotels and gaming floors.
My passion for luxury hotels is one of the main reasons I applied for the Master of Global Hospitality business in the first place, so I was eager to go on the second business field trip to be exposed to the five-star sector of the Asian hospitality market. While I have always been an avid admirer of grand hotels, gaming, on the other hand, has never been of great interest to me. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Macau, in addition to casinos, had an entirely different side to it: a foodie side!
Before our arrival to Macau, the only food-related knowledge I had was that egg tarts were an absolute must. Portuguese egg tarts, are famous in Macau – as well as in Hong Kong, in addition to Hong Kong style egg tarts – due to its history as a colony of Portugal for over 400 years. The most well-known egg tart bakery is Lord Stow’s Bakery, which opened its doors back in 1989, and has since expanded throughout the world. As our business field trip was busily packed with back-to-back hotel visits and hospitality market seminars, we were unable to go to the original Lord Stow’s in Coloane Village, but we did, however, manage to make it to the branch location in the Venetian – and an absolute must they were! Other than egg tarts, I was honestly not expecting to be very impressed with the foodie scene of the city.
Lord Stow’s, The Venetian
During our three-day trip, we embarked on a culinary journey, not just in Macau, but all around the world. From Japan to Thailand to Italy, and even the Middle East, we were able to taste cuisines from all corners of the world, in the tiny city of Macau of only 30 square kilometers. Our first meal took us to Japan via the Hotel Okura, where we were fortunate enough to stay in throughout our Macau adventure. The presentation of the food at the Yamazato Japanese fine dining restaurant was impeccable, only adding to the traditional and modern tastes of the meal. We were next teleported to Thailand for our meal at the Banyan Tree’s Saffron restaurant, where you had to constantly remind yourself that you were still in Macau, and not in the streets of Bangkok. Next, in the middle of the Venetian Food Court, I was able to have a taste of home through a Middle Eastern mezze at Pita Pan. I never thought with my Middle Eastern background, I would be introduced to a new dish, Za’atar Fries, in the middle of Asia. Finally, we finished our worldwide culinary tour with an Italian meal at 81/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana, the sister location to the 3-star Michelin rated restaurant in Hong Kong.
With such a short trip, there were countless restaurants we were unable to try, but were fortunate enough to see. Throughout our many hotel site tours, we were shown multiple restaurants the hotels offered and were able to admire the beautiful restaurant settings of each one. I must say, in my opinion, the Ritz-Carlton’s Cantonese restaurant, Lai Heen, took the prize. With a such a breath-taking restaurant, one can only dream of what an actual dish would look like when dining at the restaurant. Lai Heen is not only renowned for its fine Cantonese cuisine, but also for their private dining rooms that seat up to 30 guests at a single round table.
Lai Heen, The Ritz-Carlton Macau
The newly opened St. Regis also offered something new with The Manor, as they change the theme of the restaurant everyday of the week to keep the feel of the restaurant for in-house guests “fresh.” I was so enthralled with the high ceiling and marble bar that I nearly missed noticing the traditional dessert cart, covered in sweet indulgences with a very modern twist. The dessert cart could be a reason on its own to return to Macau in the near future.
The Manor, The St. Regis Macao
So, if you are heading over to Macau for gaming or non-gaming entertainment, be sure to keep in mind that there is a diverse number of culinary destinations and a world of food that cannot be missed, just beyond the baccarat tables and slot machines.
– Tatiana Bassatne
Student, MSc Global Hospitality Business
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