I think many people would agree that Mondays are very hard to get through as many of us are still experiencing weekend withdrawal symptoms, but luckily Mr. C organised dinner for us that night so at least I had something to look forward to~

Dinner was to be at Pierre inside the Mandarin Oriental hotel~ This one star establishment is one of Pierre Gagnaire's restaurants offering diners a taste of modern French cuisine. Upon entering the restaurant, it is very dimly lit, with each table being illuminated by a single spotlight hanging overhead. Although I could not really determine the colour scheme of the restaurant, I could sense the overall design was chic with a touch of contemporary elegance. As it was on the 25th floor, one side of the restaurant had full-length windows which offered pleasant night views of Victoria Harbour.

After being seated at one of the tables with a window view, we were warmly welcomed by the manager (yes because of Mr. C as usual ) and were offered a glass of champagne to start our evening. While the sommelier brought over the champagne (only for Mr. C, not me as I am not hugely partial to alcohol) we were then served an assortment of canapes to start off the evening.

A spoonful of fresh salmon roe that popped delightfully in the mouth paired with a dab of sour cream, foie gras and a cube of quince jelly with raspberry vinegar. It also came with crumbed ball of black pudding which tasted very similar to sausage rolls. Another plate of canapes consisted of a soft cake of tomato, a stick of celery with olive paste and thin beetroot crisps immersed in thyme olive oil.As soon as we had finished with the canapes, our menus were given to us to peruse. Although they do not have a huge variety of selection for both appetiser and main course, we were still able to settle on dishes that appealed to our tastes. For Mr. C he chose the Scallop-Crab and Lamb AAA, while I picked Duck and Goose Foie Gras, and Sole-Oyster-Black Truffle.

Once our choices had been noted by the manager, our selection of bread was served. Thin baguette, cheese roll and an olive twist, accompanied by unsalted and chilli butter. I really liked their bread, the crusts were nicely crunchy with soft insides that soaked up the butter easily and surprisingly even Mr. C complimented their baguettes too.Our amuse bouche was then served. Quail's egg on a bed of cauliflower cream with a side of 49 month aged jambon. I found the cauliflower cream to have a slightly bitter taste, but the jambon was lovely, soft and not overly salty.When the appetisers were served, I came to realise Pierre likes to serve their courses as a number of components with a focus on visual presentation, almost like artwork. Mr. C's Scallop-Crab featured the main item of crab meat coated in Muscat wine jelly, enoki mushrooms and celery, a side of scallop carpaccio mixed with smoked eel and another small dish of roasted scallop with braised pears and turnip. I actually really enjoyed his choice, the crab meat was the epitome of freshness judging by its natural sweetness, the scallops cooked perfectly to a buttery softness and the smoked eel gave a wonderful flavour to the carpaccio.My Duck and Goose Foie Gras was gorgeous in presentation, a generous serving of goose liver with yellow wine jelly encased in a cut-out brioche decorated with shavings of pickled red and black radish, a rectangular prism of duck liver terrine coated with gingerbread with a side of condiments and a ball of crumbed duck liver croquette. This could have easily been shared by two people as the goose liver although utterly sinful became a little heavy after a while despite the pickled radish helping to refresh the palate. The duck liver terrine was just as smooth with a slightly less gamy taste, but I did like the pairing of condiments, in particular the one made with 15 ingredients which was a little sweet reminding me of hoisin sauce.Before the mains arrived we were served something from their black truffle menu, compliments of the chef~
Sauteed mushrooms and onion with black truffles on a souffleed biscuit topped with a quenelle of truffled chantilly cream. This was amazing. The souffleed biscuit was pillowy soft and spongy and it just soaked up the essence of chantilly cream which slowly melted over the whole creation leading to the most heavenly truffle fragrance. Something that really needs to be tried~Our mains took a while to arrive, but it did give us some time to digest the previous dishes. Mr. C's lamb was perfectly seared to a blushing pink with tamarind juice, socca pancake and tomato marmalade as accompaniments. Two other side dishes was marinated lamb shoulder with eggplant and a crunchy stick of polenta while the other was a little salad of lamb's lettuce and a slice of roasted ricotta. From the piece of lamb I had, it was tender with a slight bite to it and had a favourable gamy flavour which sometimes I prefer in my lamb.My sole fish was very generous in size, a whole fillet deboned and seared with hazelnut butter accompanied with sauteed spinach and champagne sauce. On the side was a duo of oysters in a truffle sauce and a Manchego cheese croquette on artichokes. The oysters were small, but juicily plump and I adored my fish, meaty with a slight bouncy texture it was a pleasure to eat with a smear of creamy sauce. I really enjoyed this, even more so than the lamb.To be honest, after our mains I was ready to skip dessert due to limited tummy capacity, but Mr. C still wanted to try at least one, so he picked L'Ardechois knowing that the combination would be something I would enjoy too.

Before dessert, we were served our petit fours along with our coffees. A play on sweet and sour, there was a spoon of lemon foam, shortbread with apricot jam, lemon curd wrapped with marzipan, a meringue cup with blackberry coulis, pineapple and blackberry jelly and a dark chocolate ganache with citrus peel.And then it was time for dessert~
A layered creation of crunchy biscuit base, chestnut ganache and whisky bavarois it was paired with a bitter chocolate and pistachio ice-cream. Despite my previous unwillingness to order dessert, I could not resist a few forkfuls as the richness of the chocolate paired with chestnut and subtle whisky flavour was dangerously addictive. The chocolate ice-cream was definitely more to my preference as the bitter tones was sinfully rich, and although the pistachio flavour was very natural, I found the texture to be too airy for my liking.Overall, quite a pleasant experience

Back again on Sunday night, just in time to catch Monsieur Robuchon as it was his last evening in HK~

I was not expecting to have a heavy meal that night, but as usual it is always difficult to resist when you are presented with such high quality and beautifully plated dishes...

To start the evening was their amuse bouche: From L to R, bacon mousse with a layer of port wine reduction and bacon foam and the other was a potato and leek mousse. The potato and leek mousse was light and creamy, gently waking the tastebuds for the meal to come, while the bacon mousse was really quite smokey in terms of flavour.My first course was a salad of burrata cheese, served with slices of avocado, tomatoes and a healthy shaving of black truffles. I have had this a couple of times before, but I can definitely say this was the best version I have tasted! The burrata was gorgeously creamy, with a delicate stretchy texture while the avocados were perfectly ripe with a buttery softness and the tomatoes were juicily tart, offsetting the heaviness of the other components. I always seem to want to order soup as part of my meal and it was no exception that night. The daikon soup was recommended to me and I admit I did have some qualms about daikon soup as I was picturing it to be quite watery similar to Chinese style soups. Luckily I was wrong, as a creamy off-white liquid was served with three sliced circles of beetroot, daikon and black truffle. I was instructed to spoon down to the bottom where I discovered to my delight more shavings of truffles. A lot more. The daikon soup was purreed so finely, light and creamy to taste while the truffles added its own earthy fragrant dimension to this dish.The next dish was something brand new that had just been created earlier that day so I felt extremely lucky that I was able to try it. As it was set in front of me, it reminded me unerringly of a traditional Chinese dessert of sesame soup and almond tea. In reality, it was a poached egg sitting in the centre of a ying yang pattern of cauliflower puree and black truffle puree. The egg was softly poached at 63 degree heat leading to its runny centre and barely set egg whites, both purees were wonderfully smooth with the the subtlness of cauliflower contrasting with the stronger aroma of truffles. As if that was not luxurious enough, crowned on top of the poached egg were sizable pieces of chopped truffles, which I have to admit made me a little speechless when I finally figured out what I was looking at For main course I remained ever faithful to my slow cooked-lamb cutlets. Never disappointed with the delicate tenderness of blushing pink lamb rolled in truffle dust with a mixed herb salad dressed in a tangy vinagrette.Dessert was something special as the manager kindly requested the dessert chef from Paris to create something for me. A cool quenelle of strawberry sorbet on a bed of vanilla speckled cream and chopped strawberries with a delicate fan of Japanese strawberries. Using Japanese strawberries, they were so so sweet and the alluring perfume of the fruit lingered on the palate long after the dessert was finished. Definitely a more high-class version of the traditional favourite of strawberries and cream~And to finish? Of course petite fours and skim decaf latte~It is definitely worth going to try the 'Robuchon Experience' when Monsieur Robuchon is here as you can really sense the energy and excitement resonating throughout the whole restaurant whether it be from the staff or patrons. He is personable, friendly, and more than willing to pose with guests for photos which are then printed and gifted as a souvenir with his signature. Despite having taken one with him on a previous dinner, I was still excited when he took one with me despite my worrying that I would have truffle in my teeth when I smiled, but upon checking later, thankfully not

Having heard so many positive things about Tim's Kitchen, Mr. C and I finally went to try it over the weekend. Located in Sheung Wan, the front of the restaurant is subtle, yet well-presented and once inside the warm tan and cream tones gives it a distinctly homely feeling.

Their selections for dim sum is not huge, but we do find some favourites and a couple of items that are more traditional and not commonly seen in other restaurants like their sesame paste buns and steamed pork dumplings with liver.

Along with the dim sum we also ordered an appetiser of Chiu Chow soya bean curd. This was served wonderfully hot, and just visually seeing its smooth texture with its gentle wobble as it was set on the table we could tell it was going to be good. We were not disappointed as the silkiness of the tofu just melted in the mouth and the soy sauce was perfect in terms of its saltiness, adding flavour yet not overpowering the delicate soy bean taste.For dim sum we had:

Pan-fried XO rice rolls. Nicely browned with a significant wok-hei flavour, the rice rolls were slightly chewy and if you needed it there was a sauce dish of sweet hoisin sauce for your dipping pleasure.Steamed layered bean curd. Multiple layers of dried bean curd steamed till soft and interspersed with layers of minced prawn, I really enjoyed this. Biting into the bean curd it was springy and it released a wonderful aroma of soy beans on the palate. Something different Prawn dumplings. When this was served, Mr. C already commented that he could tell it was going to be really good. By the translucence of the glutinous skin and the colour of the prawn I did not doubt him. The skin of the dumpling was beautifully chewy and each contained a large whole prawn where it was meaty with a sweetness that can only come from fresh prawns.Crabmeat dumpling in superior soup. This was marvelous. The clear soup was piping hot and the flavour of the 'gum wa' ham was intense. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the dumpling with it's generous filling of sweet crabmeat and diced mushrooms, while the skin retained its chewiness despite the high temperature of the soup.Steamed dumplings with liver. This came out looking like two irregular balls of minced prawn and pork with two slices of pork liver draped in the middle. I was not too partial to the liver, but despite the appearance of the dumpling they tasted really good, with a slight bouncy texture when you bite into it. (Unfortunately no photo)

Steamed sesame paste buns. These came out quite early on, but since they were part of our dessert items, we ate them later which was slightly unfortunate as they had cooled down by then. Despite their lukewarmness, the buns still retained their fluffiness and the sesame paste was heady with a hint of sweetness.Mango pudding. Mr. C's favourite~ Made in a heart shape mold, it was a sizeable portion with a drizzling of evaporated milk.The pudding was quite firm emphasizing the amount of gelatin used and I detected a citrusy sour note among the sweetness of the mango which could have come from pomelo or yuzu. (No photo =.=)

Very good~ Definitely want to return to try out their a la carte dishes during dinner

As we were in Macau for our pre-Valentines Day celebration, Mr. C sweetly booked the Tasting Room for our dinner as he knew that I had really wanted to try this place ever since passing it by when we were at the City of Dreams a few months ago.

The Tasting Room is incorporated inside the Crown Towers up on level 3 and as we step inside the entrance we can appreciate the decorations they had prepared for Chinese New Year with the big peach blossom tree that welcomes us into the restaurant. The main dining room is circular and the layout makes it seem like it is segregated into two parts with the focus in the centre where there is an illusion of it being sectioned off by a series of ropes that are strung on the ceiling and semi-enclose the area. There are tables arranged inside of that area as well as along the outer ring where half the tables are next to the windows offering pleasant night views of Macau.

We were lucky to be seated at one of the window tables, and as we were looking through the menu, one of the chefs came out to greet Mr. C and when this happened I knew that we would be in for a surprise menu-wise as they had already organised our meal for that evening.

Their amuse bouche was made up of three petite items, from bottom clockwise, a spoonful of crab salad topped with a bright beetroot foam, a small round of smoked salmon and dill cream cheese and lastly a cone of crisp bread with a foie gras filling.Our bread basket was then brought to us with baguettes, red pepper foccacia twist and a cereal roll. The breads were all of very good quality, served warm, I particularly liked the super crunchy baguette revealing fluffy insides, while the foccacia was softer with a slight chew to it.

Technically we smelt the next dish before we saw it as it arrived puffing a scented woody smoke from its bowl. Perched on top of a small pile of smoking cherry wood was a Gillardeau oyster covered in a mushroom emulsion and topped with a generous scattering of black truffles. This was gorgeous~ The oyster was very soft and fresh, and you could really taste the faint aroma of cherry wood.The next course although visually not appealing smelt divine~ The rich scent of foie gras sauce mingling with the heavenly scent of truffles was absolutely mouth watering, while the generous portion of langoustine was perfectly cooked. Mixed in with the langoustine, the morel mushrooms and cubed pieces of foie gras just added to the luxury of this dish. A pleasure to eat.We were then served their soup course which was a deconstructed artichoke soup. When it was placed in front of me, it was not what I had pictured as it looked more like a pasta dish with the goats cheese ravioli and chunks of artichoke rising up from the shallow lake of liquid. However, taste-wise it was good, but nothing too special. The pasta of the ravioli retained a welcome chewiness enveloping a tangy filling of goats cheese and the creaminess of the artichoke soup was a perfect counterbalance to the sharpness of the cheese.First main course of the evening was fish. A fillet of John Dory baked at low temperature turned out beautifully, a very meaty texture that was easy to cut through with no hint of fishiness. The perfect type of fish for both Mr. C and I. As accompaniments, chunks of sweet Alaskan crab meat and a lightly seared scallop were perfectly fresh with a few strategically placed baby carrots to add some colour to the dish. On the side we were also given a thinly toasted bread topped with cubes of Balik smoked salmon and caviar. Very prettily presented the smokiness of the salmon went very well with the brininess of the caviar.Before our meat course was served, we were given a refreshing lime sorbet to refresh the palate. Cool and tangy it really awakened the senses.

Lamb was the focus for our meat dish, and it was served as a cutlet off the bone on top of a circular bed of cous cous mixed with dried fruit and chorizo. The lamb had quite a gamey flavour, which I did not mind at all as it made the meat more flavourful, but it was the cous cous that most intrigued me. I do not often eat cous cous as I find it has a strange flavour, but this time the mix of sweetness from the dried fruit and the savoury chorizo made it strangely addicting.Another palate cleanser of yuzu sorbet was served prior to dessert and the citrusy flavour helped prepare our second stomach for dessert~Dessert was a gorgeous creation with its focus on chocolate. A delicate structure with a crunchy base, sandwiching a layer of biscuit, sliced banana, praline mousse and crowned with a quenelle of bittersweet 100% cocoa sorbet. This was amazing~ I was thinking the addition of banana would be quite strange, but its subtle flavour went very well with the chocolate and praline tones while the sorbet just added a seductiveness to the overall dessert. So so good~And to end, petite fours~ A selection of thin biscotti, caramels and tarts. I loved the mini raspberry tart with the fragrant vanilla creme patisserie and crisp short crust A perfect place to celebrate our special evening~ service was polite and unintrusive and the fact that we enjoyed every single course portrayed that the food was stunning. Definitely recommended!

I know it sounds a little cliched, ok a lot, but time really flies when you are enjoying yourself especially when you are spending the time with someone who is dear to you and very soon it had reached the one month mark

Knowing that I had always wanted to have dinner at this restaurant, Mr. C very sweetly reserved a table at Caprice to mark our special occasion~

Last time I was here for lunch, I was seated by the window and I was happy to find that we were once again allocated a window table offering peaceful night views of the ocean. In the daytime, the natural daylight illuminates the restaurant offering a bright, cheerful environment for a business or special lunch occasion, while in the evening it is dimly lit with a yellowish toned lighting enhancing the elegance of the dining room.

When perusing the a la carte menu, I discovered a lot of the dishes I had wanted to order was on the degustation so I was quite happy to agree with Mr. C's suggestion of ordering the 'Taste of Caprice'.

The amuse bouche of the evening came as three bite-sized items. From L-R, smoked salmon on a flaky biscuit, daikon puree atop thinly toasted bread and the spoon held a cylinder of fresh prawn wrapped in thin slices of daikon with a citrusy dressing.A server then came around with a bread basket with a selection of four different types of bread. I remember thoroughly enjoying the breads they offered at lunch last time and the croissant-like sesame scroll and baguette I picked this time was just as good. The scroll had a slightly firmer texture than a typical croissant, but its crust was slightly flaky with the fragrance of sesame seeds, while the baguette was nicely crunchy with a thin crust and pillowy insides.

The first course of the evening was a langoustine cannelloni, wrapped in thin slices of marinated salmon dotted with Sologne caviar lain on a bed of lobster jelly. The individual ingredients were definitely fresh, but I found the langoustine to be quite hard to cut through which alerted us to its slightly too chewy texture. The jelly was bland on its own with a faint whisper of lobster flavour, but coupled with the more salty cannelloni it helped balance out the saltiness.Our soup course was next, presented very simply with a bowl of chestnut veloute with an accompanying truffled Iberico ham tartine. The flavour of the veloute was quite good, sweet and nutty, punctuated by the smokey, saltiness of the diced ham cubes hidden inside. I would have liked this even more if the texture was thicker as I found it too thin for my liking. The tartine was pleasant, a crunchy toasted base topped with thickly sliced truffles with shaved slices of fatty Iberico ham. The combination of earthy truffles and the oils released from the melting fat really made a gorgeous mouthful.I was really looking forward to the coming dish of foie gras as I am quite fond of this delicacy and the way they served it here was steamed (like the one in Spoon) enveloped in slices of pink lady apple with dots of coriander puree. By steaming the foie gras, the texture is a lot firmer with a creamier finish and the subtle sweetness of the apple was a perfect complement to it.The last course before our mains showcased Mr. C's favourite itemf scallops. This was served gueridon style, with the scallops wrapped in a plastic bag to absorb the truffle smoke for four minutes before being plated on top of a bed of buttered Savory cabbage and crosnes. There was nothing wrong with this dish, good simple flavours, but nothing too special. The scallops were cooked thoroughly, but I would have preferred them to be a little more raw inside to maintain the buttery softeness.And then to our mains. There was a choice between lamb and suckling pig, since I had expressed my want to eat lamb that night, Mr. C chose the suckling pig so we could try both. My lamb arrived as a sum of three parts, lamb cutlet, lamb shoulder pastille and a roulade of lamb with a side of artichokes. All of the lamb was gorgeously tender, but the overall dish had no wow-factor.Mr. C's so-called suckling pig did not resemble the suckling pig that I had envisioned. Lacking a crunchy skin, it was presented in a style akin to roast pork accompanied with curried green lentils, a small slice of boudin noir and drizzled with sausage sauce. From the slice I had, it did have a pleasant pork flavour, but was slightly too tough making it quite chewy. I think Mr. C was quite non-committal to this dish.Normally the end of the main course would signify desserts, but before that we had a selection of cheeses to look forward too~ Caprice is renowned for their cheese room and we were fortunate enough to be allowed to have a little peek inside. The manager of Caprice is a cheese aficiando and from the manner he was describing the cheeses to us you could feel his passion in this field. He asked us for our preference in textures and flavour and then cut a selection for us to try. I tend to favour cheese that are oozy and soft, while Mr. C asked to try some firmer textured cheese. They were all gorgeous~ and surprisingly I quite liked the mimolette (the two orange cheeses), both pasterurised and unpasteruised, he cut for Mr. C to try.After the cheese course, it signaled the time for dessert~ First to arrive were the petit fours, I quite liked the mini strawberry macaron even though it reminded me a little of my lip balm and the caramel apple tart-like chocolate was enjoyable too, but the green item of lime and pea mousse was a little too interesting for my taste buds.The first dessert was light and fruity, a pomegranate and raspberry cremeux tart, accompanied with a peach sorbet. I am a big fan of pastry and the tart base was crisp and buttery, perfect with the sweet creamy filling, but the sorbert seemed a bit too sour for something that was labelled as peach. The second dessert was definitely a contrast as it was richer and stronger in flavour than the previous one. A piped line of malt mousse and accompanying sorbet with a scattering of caramelised peanuts. Sadly I was not partial to this dessert as I found the malt alcohol flavour too strong and bitter for me, but I did like the crunchy sweetness of the peanuts.And to end, a decent latte with assorted fudge.Although the food that evening was good, it was not extraordinary, but the service was friendly and attentive and the ambience and surroundings were perfect for a romantic evening. Happy one month Anniversary~

There is no doubt that having dinner at a highly acclaimed three star restaurant is a special experience, but what makes it even more enjoyable is the company that you are sharing the experience with. Being able to dine there with Mr. C, let's just say it was more than a little interesting ;)

The menu for the evening was set by the chef and of course before the meal started, their always pleasing bread basket was brought around for our choosing pleasure. The first course was brought out soon after, I had my requested foie gras terrine, delectably smooth as always spread on thin toasted bread with the sweetness of the fig jam, it was a pleasure to eat~ Mr. C had Le Homard, maine lobster with tofu, lemon olive oil and a bright green smear of avocado coulis. I tried some of his tofu, which was pointed out to me as being organic and it was pleasantly smooth with a nutty flavour. I thought the zestiness from the oil went very well with the dish making it extremely refreshing. A perfect appetiser to start off the evening.Our next course starred L'Oursin or sea urchin, was presented elegantly as three small items. We were suggested to start with the radish wrapped cylinder encasing a filling of fresh crab meat with a citrus dressing topped with fresh tongues of sea urchin. This was pleasantly light on the palate and it is best to eat this in one go as from observing Mr. C's efforts it was quite messy to cut. Next, on the left was a shallow bowl of sea urchin custard with crab meat hidden inside. This was gorgeously creamy with subtle hints of brininess from the sea urchin used. And lastly was their signature sea urchin dish with lobster jelly spread with a thin layer of cauliflower cream. I have had this before and the quality of this dish is always unwavering. The taste of lobster in the jelly is quite concentrated and with the addition of sea urchin it adds an intense shock of flavour to the palate. For lobster lovers, this is definitely a dish for you.I was so happy to be served the next course of their current seasonal dish of La Truffe Noire. A signature dish of perfectly shaved black truffle slices with a mixture of pearl onion confit and smoked bacon layered on a crispy base and drizzled with goose liver oil. The aroma from this dish was absolutely amazing, heady and rich you could already feel that this was going to be something special. The truffle slices were shaved thicker than usual so I could feel its slightly rough texture and I loved the delicate shatter from the flaky base. This is something that really needs to be tried~The evening seemed to be filled with truffles as our soup course featured black truffles in a chicken broth, La Soupe aux Truffles. The soup was covered with a crispy net which we were advised to break into the soup. This was so so good. Very rich, the soup was creamy, infused with a significant amount of truffles. The crunchiness of the crispy net was softened by the soup making it easier to eat, and hidden at the bottom of the bowl were small parcels of perfectly al dente ravioli with a melted centre of Comte cheese. Very sinful~ Accompanying the soup was a toasted sandwich with slices of truffle inside, very crunchy, but I did prefer their previous version where it was spread with a mixture of truffle and cheese.The fish course of the evening was grilled sea bass slices with parmesan cheese foam and artichoke puree. The sea bass was cut into thin steaks and I could feel the texutre was more meaty than usual. I actually really enjoyed this as it was quite light, but wholesome.Our last savoury dish of the evening featured baby lamb cutlets for me and wagyu tenderloin for Mr. C. My dish arrived as a serving of five delicately petite cutlets, each one bite-sized and juicily tender. This was amazingly good and what made it even better was the accompanying side of truffled mash potatoes... buttery and flawlessly smooth, the addition of truffles just made it that much more indulgent~Mr. C's tenderloin was presented with two generous portions of foie gras sandwiched in between with a bright orange smear of kumquat sauce. Unable to resist his offer of foie gras, it was wonderfully fatty and just melted in the mouth Despite not trying the tenderloin, from its appearance, it was cooked to a perfect medium rare and its tenderness evident from the way the Mr. C's knife glided through the meat. I was actually quite looking forward to dessert as they had just changed the menu to include their version of the egg souffle which I had really enjoyed at Robuchon au Dome last time~ But before the main event, I was presented with another new addition to their set menu. A raspberry dome of mascarpone cheese with a bottom layer of lychee jelly and a drizzling of black fruits coulis. The mascapone was very creamy, with light raspberry flavour and it concealed a centre of sponge-like cake. Not only did it taste good, it was visually very pretty, shaped into a blossoming flower and coloured a bright lipstick red. Very appealing~And then my egg souffle was served~ Perfectly risen, it was light and fluffy with a sweet vanilla flavour. Digging deeper, I found the souffle became more moist and soon revealed the liquid egg yolk on the bottom. Eaten together, the golden yolk added a richness to the overall souffle and alternate with a spoonful of creamy vanilla ice-cream to stimulate the palate with the change from warm to cold. Recommended~Of course, a meal at Robuchon can not end without petit fours and my latte~ Not drawn by the usual person, but it was just as appreciated

A belated Christmas post.

There are always so many choices for Christmas dinners each year that it becomes quite frustrating to decide on one. This year, after perusing through a few of the set menus, Mr. C and I decided that the menu at Petrus seemed quite decent and it was also a plus for me since it would be my first time there.

Inside the Island Shangri-La hotel, Petrus sits high up on the 56th floor. Dimly lit, the decor of the setting is supremely grand with a touch of old-world elegance adding to its charm. We were seated at one of the tables next to the window offering an unobstructed view of the water. Although it was really too dark to appreciate the water view, I can imagine how beautiful it would be for those dining during lunch time on a cloudless sunny day~

As soon as we were seated, we were offered an apertif of champagne and a variety of breads were brought around by the waiter for our selection. The quality of bread was quite good, my choice of baguette was crunchy with airy, soft insides while the butter roll was pillow soft with an almost croissant like taste due to the amount of butter used.The first course was a caviar and rock fish soup jelly with marinated scallop. Very simply presented crowned with a generous serving of caviar, the scallop was fresh and sweet, but I found the rock fish soup to have quite a fishy smell, which was slightly off-putting, but taste-wise it was still acceptable.Next was a lobster and chestnut bouillion with diced squid at the bottom and a lemon and fennel confit spooned on top. I do like lobster bisque, and the flavour of the bouillion was reminiscent of it with the only difference being the slightly thin texture. The lemon and fennel confit gave a pleasant zestiness to the strong flavour of the bouillon, but I have to admit that overall it was very salty.A slow cooked organic egg with black truffle, purslane and Jabugo ham was served next. The egg was cooked perfectly, barely set egg whites and when pierced a gorgeous orange lake of yolk gushed out. The heady flavour of the truffles were a perfect match to the richness of the egg yolk, but I found that the jus poured on top overpowered the rest of the dish.The first main course of the evening was a roast brittany seabass with shellfish. As this was served, once again I caught an unpleasant fishy smell arising from the dish, but fortunately when eating the seabass, the smell was absent. The fish was cooked well, but I found the brocoli florets to be slightly undercooked for my liking. The meat course for the evening was mallard duck in salmis sauce with bacon roasted artichoke. The duck came in two parts, thigh and breast, the thigh meat was disappointingly dry and stringy, while the breast fared a little better. Cooked to a rare pink, it was significantly more moist than the thigh, but not quite tender enough. The accompanying salmis sauce was made from a combination of duck offal, the texture was not very smooth, a little grainy with a dominant liver taste. Just before dessert, was their version of a cheese course an aged mimolette and black truffle sable. Served in a glass bowl, it was a gooey mixture of cheese with buttery, crunchy pieces of sable biscuit inside topped with a shaving of black truffles at the table. The cheese had a strong mature flavour which I did not mind, but after a few spoonfuls it became too heavy and salty on the palate. As a palate cleanser they offered a spiced Christmas wine granita, which was actually quite bitter. Not really to my liking unfortunately.I have to say, after so many mediocre dishes, the desserts were probably the saving grace of the evening. The lychee dessert by Madame Claude consisted of a rose and lychee mousse paired with a quenelle of lychee sorbet. Bits of fresh lychee fruit was scattered around the plate and a delicate sugared rose petal graced the dessert. The mousse itself was light and airy with a delightful fragrance of rose while the lychee sorbet was refreshing on the tongue. I quite enjoyed this.The second dessert was a chocolate cigar filled with chocolate cremeux and a cappuccino ice-cream on the side. The casing of the cigar was like a chocolate sugar crisp which broke with a satisfying shatter while the cremeux was rich and smooth which was perfect in tempering down the sweetness of the crunchy sugar casing. And to end, coffee ('latte art' courtesy of Mr. C ) and assorted Christmas petite fours~Overall, I have to say the food was a little disappointing, a lot of the courses were overly salted and the visual presentation of the dishes were quite lacking. I am not sure whether it was because they were handling a set menu during the holiday period, but hopefully their standard normally is not like this.

After hearing so many positive remarks regarding how great the Robuchon in Macau is, I have always been extremely intrigued to try. Having had the pleasure of dining at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Hong Kong a number of times I can vouch that it is already very good, so when the opportunity arose to have dinner there with Mr. C I was immensely looking forward to see just how spectacular Robuchon au Dome could be.

Situated on the 43rd level, Robuchon au Dome is so grand. Richly decorated yet not overtly ostentatious it really conveys the feeling of entering a 3-star Michelin restaurant. Once you step out of the elevator you are greeted efficiently by the cheerful host, but before making your way towards the table, take a second to admire the impressive chandelier that is suspended high above the domed ceiling as it really is stunning~

We were seated at a table overlooking the water, and I am sure that during the day with clear blue skies, the view must be pretty amazing. Robuchon au Dome offers both a set menu and a la carte. We chose to go a la carte, ordering a number of items to share so we could try more dishes~

A significant thing to note about Robuchon au Dome is their use of numerous trolleys to serve a variety of items. I know that Le Jardin in Hong Kong uses a dessert and cheese trolley, but in Macau they have one for bread, butter, dessert, home-made ice-creams, cheese and for their petite fours also known as the lolly trolley.. It seems a bit over the top, but each trolley is special in its own right and allows guests a bit of indecisive fun and indulgence when making their selections.

I have to admit that I was quite anticipating the bread trolley as reviews have labelled it visually quite impressive and it did not disappoint. Baskets of freshly baked bread all laid out prettily, Mr. C chose baguettes and a type of puff, while I picked the tomato foccacia, olive roll, cheese roll and chestnut bread. The quality of bread is really good similar to the ones you can eat in Hong Kong, so definitely no issues here. After our bread selection, the butter trolley appeared, two rounded blocks of salted or unsalted butter to choose from, however, if like me you are not particular to butter they also have a wonderful olive oil available.The amuse bouche that evening came in two parts. First were two finger-food items, a red bell pepper mousse on a crisp biscuit and a cheese puff while the second item was a cold Kabocha pumpkin veloute with ginger jelly and toasted pumpkin seeds. I always enjoy the veloutes when dining at L'Atelier and this was no different. Full-bodied and creamy, the pumpkin flavour was quite delicate, with the crunchy pumpkin seeds releasing a heady, nutty fragrance. Although the jelly on the bottom did not taste very gingery, its cool and slippery texture added a refreshing touch to the overall dish.For appetisers, we ordered three to share. First to come was Le Caviar. This was arranged as three items: salmon tartare with shiso sprouts and caviar, lobster jelly of caviar with cauliflower emulsion and sweet corn veloute with lemon grass cream. The corn veloute was lovely and smooth, the natural sweetness of the corn shone through, and coupled with the salty caviar it was a perfect pairing. The salmon tartare was prettily presented, decorated with basil flowers and crowned with caviar. Tasting the tartare on its own, I found it to be quite delicate, a little bland even, but together with the caviar it tasted much better. We were suggested to spoon down to the bottom of the small bowl of the lobster jelly, as underneath was a layer of caviar. The jelly itself was really intense with the essence of lobster and coupled with the caviar, it veered on the edge of being too salty.Next was Le Langoustine. A solitary plumply stuffed ravioli with sliced white truffle, braised savoy cabbage and a fois gras sauce. Ever since Mr. C had recommended this dish to me, I had fallen head over heels in love with it~ Fresh, bouncy scampi encased in an al dente pasta skin, the fois gras sauce was sinfully rich and together with the aromatic truffles.. it was an absolute pleasure to eat~. I dare say that it might even be slightly better than the ones I have had in Hong Kong Highly recommended!Our last appetiser was Le Fois Gras. Also arriving as three components, there was a steamed fois gras in vegetable mille-feuille, seared fois gras with marinated red radish and an emulsion of fois gras in cepes cappuccino. I adore fois gras, so when this was served I was very excited The mille-feuille was beautiful to look at~ each layer was practically of equivalent thickness and I sincerely admired the effort used in putting together this creation. It was surprisingly light in taste despite the use of fois gras, but still enjoyable. The fois cappuccino tasted exactly like the sauce used in Le Langoustine, rich with an additional earthy flavour from the cepes mushrooms. Really good~ As for the seared fois gras, I had no qualms with this at all. Seared to a crisp on the outside, the inside remained wonderfully soft where each mouthful was absolutely decadent. To cut through the oiliness from the fois gras, the red radish slices were a perfect accompaniment, sweet and sour with a pleasant pickled-like taste.For mains we shared the Amadai and L'Agneau. I have had both dishes at L'Atelier in HK and I thorougly enjoyed both so I was intrigued to see how well they would prepare them here. The Amadai was pan-fried with its skin fried to a crisp where you could see each individual scale and was paired with a creamy artichoke and bacon jus. The fish was cooked just right, the flesh was so soft and matched perfectly with the gorgeously crunchy skin. Absolutely stunning!The other main of french lamb was delicous as well, rolled in black truffle and slow cooked till a blushing rose pink it was very very tender. Don't dismiss the side of mashed potatos though, Robuchon is famed for its mash, creamy and buttery.. just don't think about how much butter was used in achieving that dreamy texture And then to dessert~!

The signature La Sphere was the first to arrive. To be honest I have never ordered one of these to have to myself since the ones offered in Hong Kong are always a fruity flavour that never really appealed to me, but here it was chocolate Served as a pretty pale golden sugar sphere, I really did not want to destroy it, but Mr. C went straight ahead and cracked his with his spoon revealing a center of chocolate mousse~ The mousse was exactly to my taste, dark and not too sweet and I loved the toasted sweet crunch of the caramalised hazelnuts.We also ordered two souffles to share, Le Marron and L'Oeuf de Poule. Le Marron was chestnut flavoured with a touch of Cognac paired with a praline ice-cream. This was not too bad, the souffle was perfectly risen and the aroma of chestnut was warm and inviting. My favourite part of this dessert was actually the Marron glace, served on the side. It did not look like much, but the simpleness of the naturally sweet chestnut covered in a sugar glaze was just so satisfying. Love~ However, the chestnut soufle was definitely overshadowed by the L'Oeuf de Poule. Described as an egg souffle I was quite worried that it would have that awful eggy taste that I detest, however I was so wrong. Perfumed with Tahitian vanilla, evident by the speckling of black seeds it was so fragrant, but what was special about this dessert was the raw egg yolk hidden underneath the softly risen souffle. It may sound quite odd, but it tasted absolutely wonderful~ Definitely something that needs to be tried!Aside from the main desserts, we were also graced with the presence of the dessert, ice-cream and candy trolley~

From the dessert trolley, I had to try their yuzu tart, caramel and walnut(?) tart and of course they offered me a slice of their signature napoleon. The yuzu filling was pleasantly sour, and I liked how the caramel tart was not too sweet with a pleasant crunch from the toasted walnuts. I have never really been a napleon fan, but the version here really blew me away. Three layers of crisp buttery pastry held together by a vanilla cream. Biting into it, you can really feel the delicate shattering of the pastry and paired with the luscious thick cream, it was really quite indulgent.Their ice-creams were utterly gorgeous. We tried three, I picked salted caramel and of course vanilla as it is my favourite. I know some may roll their eyes and say how boring, but sometimes it is the unadulterated, innocent taste that is so pleasant Mr. C picked the orange flavour with hazelnut pieces, something quite unusual with, well I guess it depends how you say it, an equally unusual Cantonese name And for petite fours, we had our selection from the candy trolley~ Visually it did not disappoint, a wide selection of chocolates, assorted jellies, lollipops, friands, madelines, nougats and caramels. I wish I had not been so full so that I could have actually sampled my selection, but just seeing it made me more than happy already~

Absolutely spectacular, I enjoyed every moment at Robuchon au Dome and yes I know that most guests like to come here for lunch because technically speaking it is value for money, but I would really recommend coming here and experiencing their dinner service~

8. The symbolic numeral that Chinese people consider as good fortune, so for the Chinese restaurant inside Grand Lisboa Macau to be named after this lucky figure it is more than fitting no? Specialising in Cantonese and Huaiyang cuisine, The 8 is a holder of two-Michelin stars and from the numerous positive reviews regarding the caliber of the dishes served here both for dim sum and main courses it really is not that surprising.

At the entrance as you are greeted politely by the hostess, the large 8 symbol is boldly illuminated from behind by the reddish lit back wall. Directed through automatic sliding doors into a dark corridor where both walls are a feature with water trickling down you are met with projected images of gold fish darting about in a stream on the ground. Very serene, there is a gap of a few seconds for guests to enjoy this before the sliding doors at the opposite end open and you step into the main dining room. The restaurant is elegant, black with a contrast of deep red setting the tone for the decor with hints of Chinese elements used in the furnishings. The far wall is an eye popping mural of plump orange-red gold fish and for any first timer to The 8, their attention must surely be stolen by the stunning crystal ball suspended low-down towards the center of the room. It was quite dim inside, but spotlights were cleverly aimed above each table, providing enough light for diners to appreciate the visual aspect of their meal.They have an impressive selection for dim sum, with more than 50 types available for selection, but despite looking at the menu, most of the items we had were arranged for us because of Mr. C, so we had a mix of both dim sum and main dishes.

It is not often that Chinese restaurants offer amuse bouche, but here they serve diced grilled pork and abalone with mushrooms on a crunchy cracker. The pork was nicely marinated, while the abalone served cold, was pleasantly chewy.Steamed dim sum arrived first. A selection of three, clockwise from top- steamed superior river shrimp dumpling shaped like a gold fish, dumpling with sharks fin, scallop and asparagus, dumpling with Pacific clams and shrimp. Elegantly made, the fillings were very fresh while the glutinous skin was delicately thin and translucent with a slight chewiness.As the server placed this on the table, I could not help exclaiming at how cute the items were~ L to R, a miniature baked tart with crabmeat in curry sauce and a hedgehog BBQ pork bun with preserved vegetables. The filling of the tart was creamy with a light curry flavour while the tart itself was baked perfectly, firm yet buttery with a hint of sweetness. The BBQ pork bun was something different too, the filling was moist and sweet, but what was special about it was the bottom of the fluffy bun was pan-fried to a golden brown so there was a pleasant contrast of soft and crunchiness. Both were very very good~ Recommended.A silver covered steamer came next, revealing a hairy crab roe xiao long bao. Juicy pork mince encased in a thin skin. And of course, lets not forget the soup. For any xiao long bao, the soup is definitely the most important aspect as it contains all the essence seeped out from the filling. Here, not only was it piping hot, it was also gorgeously sweet from the addition of crab roe.We were then served one of their signature dishes, a half portion of shredded chicken with crispy skin laid over a bed of pomelo with a honey and lime sauce. The chicken was really tender and the skin was cooked till most of the fat had been rendered out, leaving it very crisp with little oiliness. The pomelo was naturally sweet and paired with the chicken it made a very refreshing dish.To meet our vegetable quota, we ordered pea shoots, but rather than cooking it with consomme, the manager suggested we try it with their special method using congee broth. This came out as a generous portion of pea shoots immersed in a smooth milky liquid. Creamy with a slightly thick texture, you can detect a subtle fragrance from the rice used in the congee. Paired together with the tender vegetables, it seemed so simple, but was immensely satisfying~ Recommended.For our final savoury course, we were served 'mai seen' (rice string) with assorted mushrooms and pigeon fillet. This was prepared in front of us gueridon style and the end result was a bowl of delectable broth, with a hearty assortment of fresh mushrooms, tender slices of dark pigeon meat ladelled over perfectly cooked 'mai seen'. This was so so good, definitely worth trying~And of course dessert plays a part here.

I picked the double boiled milk with birds nest and coconut milk, while Mr. C picked the duo of chilled coconut mango pudding as well as the almond tea with birds nest.

I loved my dessert, the double boiled milk was so creamy with the perfect level of sweetness and there was a more than substantial amount of birds nest inside.Mr. C's dessert was so cute, the two puddings were shaped into small goldfish, 'swimming' on top of a thin layer of green jelly. The coconut one was lightly fragrant, while there were pieces of fresh mango used in the other one. They were set a little more firmly than usual puddings of this type, but only because they needed to be molded. I think Mr. C quite enjoyed it too, but his preference was obviously more inclined to the mango pudding I find that almond tea desserts served in restaurants are usually not very palatable, with overly fake almond flavour or the texture being too thin. The one served here was a different story though. Running a spoon through the liquid, I could feel a slight resistance which emphasized a thickness in texture. Silkily smooth, with no grittiness at all, the natural almond flavour was really pleasant.And for petite fours~ Portuguese egg tarts with milk tea The waitress offered three types of powder to sprinkle on top, cinnamon, chocolate or vanilla. Mr. C chose cinnamon which was the traditional accompaniment, while I chose to have mine plain. The tarts were so flaky and crunchy with the custard being gorgeously rich. The one sprinkled with cinnamon actually tasted better, (not that the plain one was not good) as it filled the senses with its spicy aroma. Paired with the sweet, creamy milk tea, it was a perfect way to end the meal~I do not think words alone can describe how much I enjoyed the experience at The 8, but there is definitely a need to return, especially to try their renowned dish of suckling pig stuffed with fried rice~

Lung King Heen is probably one of my most favourite places for dim sum, even though they always have a one to two month reservation wait, I always try to book earlier so that I can enjoy dim sum here~.

Up on the fourth floor of the Four Seasons Hotel, what catches the eye at first glance are the floor to length windows along one side of the wall which gives diners a spectacular view of the harbour. The restaurant does not cater for many tables, preferring to give diners space for a comfortable dining environment (even for a one person booking, they give you a four-seater table, trust me this is from personal experience) and also so the staff can give attentive service worthy of a 3-star Michelin restaurant.

Normally I dim sum alone, but this time Mr. C joined me which allowed me to order more things outside the scope of what I usually have~.

Steamed assorted mushroom dumplings with gluten. If there is a vegetarian dumpling option on the menu, it is always a must order for me. Meaty cubes of mushroom and bouncy pieces of gluten with the wonderful flavour of wok hei all wrapped up in the wonderfully chewy glutinous skin that Lung King Heen does so well.Steamed lobster and scallop dumpling. This is one of their signature items, served as an individual portion, it was slightly larger than the other dim sums. The whole dumpling essentially was made up of lobster topped with scallop and a fresh whole prawn. The lobster meat was sweet and juicy, and even for someone like me who is not particularly enamored with lobster, it really was quite good.Steamed garoupa dumplings with shrimp and jasmine. This was not bad, the garoupa was really fresh, but I could not really taste the jasmine.Shrimp dumpling with bamboo shoots. The shrimp was sweet with a slight crunchy texture that only fresh prawns can exhibit, drizzled with a little XO oil or chili sauce it was so good~Siu mai. Filled mainly with prawns, if you are the type that enjoy a higher prawn to pork ratio inside your siu mai, then this is for you.

Steamed rice rolls with scallops, water chestnuts and coriander. This was ok, slippery sheets of rice noodle enveloping a generous filling of scallops and obvious green patches of coriander. I don't tend to mind the taste of coriander as I find it to be quite fresh tasting, but Mr. C picked out all of his as he can't stand it .

Baked whole abalone puff with diced chicken. This is another signature item and probably my favourite from the whole dim sum menu~. Firm, buttery pastry, perfectly baked holding a moist filling of diced chicken pieces topped with a succulent abalone braised in a sweetish soy sauce. The combination of both sweet and savoury is just really really good. This is definitely a must have item.Baked scallop puffs with avocado and onions. This was something new on the menu which I had not tried. It did not look the most appealing with the funny green colour, but I have long ago learnt to not judge food by how it looks. Using the same buttery pastry as the abalone puff, that was of course good, but I found the filling to be quite bland.Baked pork buns with fermented bean paste. They always alternate this with their baked pineapple BBQ pork buns which I was hoping to order, but this was not a bad substitute. Moist pork coated in the slightly sweet bean paste, the bun was pillow-like, and the swirls on top were reminiscent of the crispy topping found on snowy BBQ buns.Aside from dim sum, we also order their honey glazed BBQ pork as well as pea shoots in consomme. The BBQ pork, despite being quite lean was gorgeously tender while the vegetables were very soft in a wonderfully light and savoury broth. Even though Lung King Heen serves petite fours, we still decided to order desserts We shared a double boiled egg white milk custard with birds nest and a chilled mango and sago cream with pomelo. The milk custard was silkily smooth with a delicate flavour. There was a hint of ginger to it as well which I think came from the bird's nest.The mango and sago cream, was actually unexpectedly sour, so just after one spoonful I gave up, but clever Mr. C decided to scoop down to the bottom where he uncovered his favourite mango pudding hahaha... Paired with the sweet mango pudding, the rest of the dessert tasted much much better~In addtion to our original desserts, we received two more varieties compliments from the manager~ Steamed milk custard layered cake and glutinous dumplings. I really liked the layered cake, soft and spongy with a seductively sweet custard flavour. I am not particularly partial to 'lor mai chi', so I did not try this, however Mr. C said it was just ok.

Finally to petite fours~

A chilled passionfruit jelly (if I remember correctly) and baked custard puffs. The passionfruit jelly was lightly tart, but quite refreshing after such a heavy meal and I absolutely adored the custard puffs, so buttery and sweet, they tasted exactly like custard mooncakes Such a satisfying dim sum lunch~ Outstanding food, attentive service and relaxing surroundings. If you ask me whether Lung King Heen is worth the one month plus wait, I would answer you in the affirmative