Last time I was here was in 2014. I come to Macau every year, but in the past couple of years it wasn't possible due to conflicting events. Needless to say my smile indicates I've missed this quirky little island.
Some quick facts:
The so called 'Asia's Vegas' is located just one hour's boat ride away is a wildly popular paradise dedicated to gamblers. As a Korean, I can testify that gambling was a big taboo when I was growing up. Casinos and gambling in general is strictly forbidden in many Asian countries; China, Japan, and Korea for example have either no casinos or places dedicated only to non-natives.
The reason is clear - Asians have gambling problems. And Macau is the only place nearby that allows gambling. Even with its small size Macau has already surpassed Las Vegas gambling revenues since 2007. It's common to see The Strip packed with human traffic on any given weekend; Macau hardly has a single customer outside of the casinos. In 2013, Macau hit an all time high of $45 billion in revenues, a giant sum in comparison to Las Vegas' $6.5 billion in gambling.
But make no mistake, Macau also caters to non gamblers like myself. Grandiose hotels that puts Las Vegas to shame, elaborate shopping centers, beautiful restaurants, all open late if not 24/7 with outstanding customer service 'just in case a client has needs.'
Grand Hyatt
This is the first time I've stayed at the Grand Hyatt. It's one of the few hotels without a casino built in, making it much more relaxing experience. Most of the tourists crowd around the casinos and restaurants nearby, but at this hotel there's only soothing music and fragrant flowers. The entrance is at least three stories high, forcing you to look up at its intricate ceiling upon entering.
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| The entrance |
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| Drapes over a silver water fountain |
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| Cafe area |
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| Ceiling |
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| They sure do love flowers. |
The rooms are mixgtures of gold, cream, and mahogany. I got the one bedroom corner suite with an open view of adjacent hotels, which doesn't photograph nearly as well as it looks. I was able to grab a photo online.
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| Hallway |
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| Living room of the suite |
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| The newly opened Wynn across my hotel |
And of course, we can't forget the food. After my 20-hr travel, I beelined to my favorite Chinese restaurant in the world, Jade Dragon.
I've written raving reviews of this place and in my last 10 day visit to Macau, I ate here 5 times. Disclaimer: I'm not a huge fan of Chinese cuisine. To be fair I have yet to visit mainland China, but out of all the ones I've tried from hole-in-the-wall to 3 Michelin Starred I've only revisited this restaurant more than once.
I fell in love with this place from the food to decoration to service when it was just open without any recognition; today they earned their well deserved 2 Michelin Stars.
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| Public dining area |
The first night we reserved a private dining room which is much more intimate with its own bathroom facilities. We did not see the menu, rather, the chef came over and prepared a special set of dishes for us according to our tastes. When I confessed to the chef for liking no other Chinese cuisine than his creations, he said he doesn't stick to just Chinese ingredients, rather handpicking whatever's seasonal and fresh all over the world then preparing them with Chinese methods.
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| Their smaller private room |
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| Gold and jade as table sets |
Fair warning: if you actually count the dishes, there were a total of 15. 16 if you count the last dessert tray which we had no courage to finish.
1. Amuse bouche #1
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| Pomelo jelly, dried shrimp, savory jelly. |
2. Amuse bouche #2
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| Deep fried prawn on top of a brioche like toast |
3. Signature pork BBQ
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| I HAD to have this. This is what they're known for. Smoked with lychee wood and flavored with honey. Soooo juicy. |
4. Signature roasted goose
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| MMM look at that crispy perfection. Instead of duck, they use young geese. There's no gamey taste at all. |
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| Prepared in pancakes |
5. Same goose, different style.
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| Doused in its own juice with a side of sweet sauce. |
6. Hot & sour soup with crab
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| This is hands down my favorite hot&sour soup, ever! I don't know how they do it, but from flavor to texture to presentation, it's out of this world. Such a casual dish, but it somehow leaves a lasting impression. |
7. Fish - grouper
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| Asian cuisines value freshness, which is why the chef recommended this vibrant fish that's just flown in. |
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| The fish was so meaty with a firm texture that screams 'I WAS ALIVE 2 MINUTES AGO!' I normally find fish boring, but this simple dish was amazing. |
8. Lobster noodles
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| Lobster with lobster-broth noodles. If you ever wondered if it was possible to have noodles taste more lobster-y than lobster meat itself, wonder no further. So. Good. |
9. Shrimp egg & pomelo skin
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| Ok, so this was one dish I couldn't finish. It's a special delicacy of dried shrimp eggs that's been diluted with the citrus pomelo skin... which was rather bland and soggy in texture. |
10. Wagyu stir fry
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| Tender Japanese wagyu beef with greens, eggplants, and crispy rice puffs. |
11. Korean strawberries with milk
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| This was not a Korean dessert, just a milkshake with strawberries that happen to be Korean in origin. |
12. Hokkaido milk pudding
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| Milk/egg pudding with a bit of pomelo and ginger |
13. Frozen creme brulee
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| Sweet and crunchy pudding with a cool presentation. |
14. Sesame tiramisu
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| My other favorite. So creamy and nutty! |
15. Egg tart - my favorite
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| You have to order this in advance, since they make it on the spot. The popular Chinese egg tarts originated in Macau, and these are little pieces of creamy egg heaven. I ate three. |
16. Petit four as compliment
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| They were neither petite nor just 4. We couldn't finish everything, but the ones we did try were delicious. |
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