This evening, we visited Wing Lei restaurant in the Wynn casino for dinner before going to join in the countdown celebrations on Nam Van Lake just outside the casino. Whilst planning the gourmet itinerary back home Wing Lei struck me as a very reasonably priced restaurant despite its Michelin accolades, and it seemed like the most logical and convenient choice for our celebration plans.
Being located within a casino, this restaurant attracts a somewhat different sort of crowd, and perhaps not surprisingly, approaching this restaurant through smoky gambling rooms and the sounds of chips and jackpot machines didn't feel quite as elegant and sophisticated as Zi Yat Heen had yesterday. That didn't matter too much though - we were there only for the food and service within the restaurant.
First impressions were pretty negative, to be honest - we were greeted by a very sullen waitress (caught her in the following photo unintentionally) whose impatience clearly showed through when I requested for a few moments to take a picture of the entrance. She remained unsmiling while showing us to our table. Well, it is New Year's Eve, but you are paid to work after all - and this isn't just any Cantonese restaurant in Macau, but a Michelin-starred one!
The restaurant was pretty full, and the atmosphere was quite informal. Many casually dressed families with children were present that evening, and thankfully the young ones were well-behaved.
We were promptly shown the menus, and to my delight there was a seasonal menu with several appealing dishes, so we decided to sample some items from there as well as from the standard à la carte menu. The manager who took our orders was quite friendly and helpful.
A few more things to mention before moving on to the food: first, the Longjing green tea that we ordered was brewed with water that was too hot, which resulted in a very bitter liquid initially as all the tannins were extracted. I suspect the tea leaves themselves weren't of the highest quality either - they lost their potency and aroma after a few infusions (no thanks to the overheated water as well), and we soon felt as if we were drinking mildly flavoured hot water. I don't usually comment on tea served in Chinese restaurants as long as it is not offensive to the palate, but here the careless brewing really spoiled the delicate and mellow nature of this green tea. In the restaurant's defense, when the bill arrived, we did note that the tea was the cheapest amongst comparable restaurants - as reflected by the quality (or lack thereof) of the brews.
Furthermore, the young man who poured our tea was rather careless - some liquid spilled over into the saucers and onto the tablecloth. The latter was also not well set up - crumpled tablecloths (not our doing!) are a pet peeve of mine in fine restaurants. I wouldn't be highlighting these seemingly insignificant issues for an average Chinese restaurant because one tends to expect rather brusque service and overlooking of minor details anyway, but in an internationally recognised and considerably pricier one such as this, the lack of meticulousness and refinement in general seemed especially glaring.
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| Table setting with very crumpled tablecloth and mediocre tea. At least, the colour scheme was contemporary and aesthetically pleasing. |
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| Sauce dips arranged in a fancy 'bagua' 八卦 dish - red chilli sauce (sweet and spicy) and green chilli with herbs (aromatic and refreshing) |
And now for the food proper:
Deep-fried king prawn with almond and crispy squash 香脆山葵杏蝦伴黃金勝瓜 - MOP$228 per serving (from the seasonal winter menu)
This was a most comforting start to our meal. Large juicy prawns were coated in a light batter and almond shavings before being deep-fried. The firm springy bite of the prawns and their fresh sweet flavour was very nicely juxtaposed with the crunchy texture and intense nutty aroma of their coating. A creamy and mildly spicy mustard-like sauce drizzled over the prawns aptly enhanced their flavours without overpowering them. The squash accompaniment, done tempura-style, was no less excellent; the light and fluffy batter concealed a rich and moist flesh within, while the black and white sesame seed topping imparted a nice toasty edge to the sweet taste of the squash - a most fitting vegetarian equivalent to the prawn component. A small mound of deep-fried dried seaweed nestled between the prawns and squash completed this satisfying dish with a delightful touch of umami.
Tea smoked crispy chicken 京典茶皇雞 (half) - MOP$138 per serving (from the standard à la carte menu)
A lovely combination of sweet-smelling and smoky aromas, no doubt reinforced by the sprinkling of roasted tea leaves, stuck our noses as the dish was being served, and truly whetted our appetites. This dish tasted every bit as good as it smelled; the flesh was tender, succulent, and extremely tasty from the process of roasting and smoking, while the skin was incredibly thin and crisp, with a pleasant charred taste and just the right amount of underlying fat so that it wasn't in the least cloying. Simple yet effective.
Wok-fried fresh crab meat and crab roe with egg white 蟹黄鲜蟹肉炒蛋白 - MOP$328 per serving (from the seasonal winter menu)
We agreed unanimously that this was the best dish of the evening - light yet luxurious. Its unpretentious composition and execution with minimal seasoning were completely successful in allowing the freshness and quality of each ingredient to shine through. Sweet and succulent chunks of crab meat were paired with a generous amount of bright-orange crab roe that was as appealing in its rich lumpy texture and sweet taste as it was in its colour. A base of egg white provided a pleasantly firm and gelatinous bite, and supported the generally delicate flavours of this dish very well.
Chilled sliced eggplant with shredded barbecued duck and pomelo 柚子鴨絲燒茄子 - MOP$48 per serving (from the standard à la carte menu)
This was actually listed as an appetiser on the menu and its arrival only after three main savoury dishes was very odd indeed. We had almost forgotten that we ordered it! Surely this, with very little actual cooking required, couldn't have taken as long to put together as the three dishes that preceded it? To be fair, it is pretty normal practice for Chinese restaurants to serve whatever is ready first, with little regard for order or progression of dishes; however, in a fine-dining Michelin-starred context such as this, I was certainly expecting more care for such matters.
To be honest, this chilled dish was itself also a bit of a let-down. The shredded duck was a tad tough and dry, and its naturally robust taste clashed with that of the eggplant which had been rather unsubtly marinated in vinegar, amongst other seasonings. Bits of pomelo pulp scattered within the mound were also a strange addition. On the whole I thought that there was very little harmony in this combination of flavours - perhaps they were all too strong and individualistic to co-exist on the same plate.
Wok-fried mixed mushrooms with fresh asparagus and macadamia nuts 夏果蘆筍炒素丁 - MOP$118 per serving (from the standard à la carte menu)
This was a most welcome relief from the disappointing appetiser. In the yam basket lay a generous assortment of exotic premium mushrooms, all with different textures, pleasant aromas, and a deep earthy taste with a delightful herbal edge from cooking with basil. I was pleasantly surprised to find diced chunks of my favourite hedgehog fungus (猴頭菇 - literally: 'monkey head mushroom'), an important component of Traditional Chinese Medicine and one of the four culinary treasures of China, alongside more objectionable ingredients like bear's paws, shark's fins and sea cucumber. The very firm meaty texture and intense flavour of this mushroom were absolutely satisfying and a joy to behold in the palate. The rest of the mushrooms had a generally light and crunchy texture, which went hand-in-hand with the accompaniments of asparagus, peppers and macadamia nuts. To complete this light, wholesome, and tasty dish, a few gingko nuts (another important component of TCM) contributed a mild bitterness that stimulated the tastebuds in the background, and in so doing, heightened one's pleasure at this robust combination of flavours. Why don't vegetarian dishes taste like this more often? For me personally, this came a very close second to the earlier crab dish.
Baked garoupa fillets with mango sauce 香芒焗石斑塊 - MOP$268 per serving (from the seasonal winter menu)
The last of the main dishes to arrive (again a somewhat weird timing for fish), this was extremely enjoyable. A generous portion of garoupa fillets was coated in light batter before baking, then simply covered with a thick and creamy mango sauce with fresh and juicy mango chunks. The fish (very popular in various Asian cuisines) had a sweet and distinct flavour with a rich and silky texture, somewhat reminiscent of cod - very unusual (in a good way!); I'd never thought that this fish could be made to taste like that. The fruity sauce that was poured over the fish was the perfect complement to its taste and texture. A straightforward, unfussy and very solid dish indeed.
Having finished the bulk of the meal, we were left with just about enough stomach space for some rather interesting-sounding desserts. We ordered a bowl of sweet soup each, and also had some egg tarts to share.
Baked egg tarts with ginger and green tea juice 綠茶薑汁雞蛋撻 - MOP$32 per serving
Not just your ordinary egg tarts, these warm and fragrant morsels came with a touch of ginger juice in the smooth and wobbly custard mix that contributed a pleasant spiciness to refresh the palate and relieve any feeling of bloatedness after a feast. The flaky and delicate puff pastry crust was an equally delightful support for the excellent custard mix. The only component I had reservations about was the green tea - the colour at the rims was obvious but its actual flavour and aroma were extremely faint (overpowered perhaps by the sweetness of the custard and spiciness of the ginger), and did little to enhance the taste of the tarts despite the good intentions of the pastry chef. Nonetheless, even without the green tea these tarts were quite special indeed, and we enjoyed every bite of them.
Double-boiled red date soup with lily bulbs and aloe vera 冰花紅棗燉鮮百合蘆薈 - MOP$28 per bowl
The bowl was filled with lush iron-rich red dates, gelatinous and pleasantly chewy cubes of aloe vera fruit with anti-inflammatory properties, and sweet pieces of lily bulbs which are a popular component of TCM prescriptions for stomach ulcers, chronic coughs and spleen deficiencies - a fortifying and nourishing combination of ingredients indeed. The slow double boiling process extracted the full flavour and nutritional value of each ingredient into the soup, making for a naturally sweet and wholesome brew. As with most traditional Chinese dessert soups, this was no mere empty calories from sugar - it was both delicious and good for you!
Sweetened pu-erh tea with pear and honey dates 蜜棗雪梨茶 - MOP$28 per bowl
Another tonic soup with slightly different properties, this consisted of a pu-erh tea-based broth (this fermented dark tea from Yunnan province in China is well known for suppressing fatty acid and blood cholesterol level, in addition to aiding digestion) filled with juicy chunks of Callery pear (a variety native to China and Vietnam, with cleansing properties) and honey dates (very dense in texture, nourishing and rich in iron, as with most date varieties). The taste of this dessert was pretty unusual; the tea's distinct tannic flavour with subtle floral aromas was tempered by a pleasant sweet aftertaste from the fruit additions. On the whole this dessert was light, stimulating and not the least cloyingly sweet - the perfect end to a heavy meal.
Chilled taro soup with rock sugar and osmanthus 桂花蜜香芋 - MOP$28 per bowl
The richest of the desserts, and also the only chilled one, this was absolutely delicious but admittedly a tad heavy on the stomach, coming right after a feast. The bowl was filled to the brim with large chunks of sweet and starchy yam. A broth of rock sugar and osmanthus flowers contributed additional sweetness and a fresh and charming floral taste to the dessert (I absolutely love this flower in any dessert - it's like the Cantonese version of the sweet Western elderflower). The broth was actually too syrupy for my taste (and not helped by the sheer richness of the yam), but diluting it with the mound of shaved ice on top made it much better and more refreshing. We struggled to finish this one, as good as it was!
With that the meal came to a formal end, and petit fours were served in a very pretty Chinese-style multi-layered tray. These consisted of mango mochi coated with dessicated coconut, 雞仔酥 (lit. 'chicken biscuit' - a savoury Cantonese pastry made with malt sugar, peanut oil and sesame seeds) and walnut puff 合桃酥. All were decent, and I liked the mango mochi best for its juicy sweetness and the coconut coating which contributed a nice bite and a rich distinctive flavour.
Some pictures of the restaurant before we left. I really liked the décor actually - bright and colourful without being ostentatious or gaudy. Compared to Zi Yat Heen the day before, the ambience here was more contemporary and casual.
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| Very intricate gilded wood carving depicting all sorts of auspicious flora and fauna. |
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| Private dining rooms |
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| Centrepiece of the restaurant - a stunning flying dragon studded with 90,000 Swarovski crystals and other hand-blown glass components. |
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| Side entrance/exit |
Summary notes: food was generally enjoyable and of very high quality (except for the appetiser and quite appalling tea), but service definitely had room for improvements - otherwise what would distinguish this starred establishment from its 'normal' counterparts? It was all in the details (or lack thereof) - a sullen reception, less than meticulous table setting, tatty menus, and a seemingly random order of serving dishes do not speak well of the place. There was however one very polite and friendly Filipino guy who welcomed us and showed us into the restaurant, and thanked us for our custom when we left and showed us the other way out. I also wish to credit a Ms Ann Leong with whom I corresponded via phone and email for my reservation, and who created a very good first impression on me with her professionalism and enthusiasm.
The prices at Wing Lei are generally lower than in other two-starred restaurants in Macau, and they do a very cheap dim sum deal at lunchtime (MOP$188 per person for any 6 types of dim sum, out of a list of 24), which might be something to consider if you're looking for a fine-dining experience that won't break the bank.
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