Macau’s transformation from a casino-centric destination to a thriving holistic lifestyle hotspot has spurred a renaissance in its culinary landscape. With new hotels offering world class dining, established venues such as Wynn Macau have seized the opportunity to revamp their culinary offerings. As a result, the esteemed Sichuan Moon gracefully steps aside to make room for Chef Tam’s Seasons.
A Review of Chef Tam’s Seasons
Chef Tam Kwok-fung is probably no stranger to Macau regulars. He was one of the first chefs to put Cantonese cuisine on the map for the enclave when he led City of Dreams’ Jade Dragon to two Michelin stars. Earlier this year, he also became the first Macau chef to be named Chef of the Year by the Black Pearl Restaurant Guide 2023.
Tam joined Wing Lei Palace in 2018 and took it to two Michelin stars and a spot in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list. The chef is ready to take on his new challenge with Chef Tam’s Seasons at Wynn Palace which will allow him to delve deeper into his passion for cooking according to the seasons with premium ingredients.
Our special chef’s dinner menu, which will differ from season to season, gets straight to the point with the chicken and fresh fruit slices and skins. The Sanhuang old chicken from the mainland is marinated and deep-fried to crispiness and served atop melon and pineapple slices. The mix of savoury and sweet gave the chicken deeper textures.
The hairy crab ge zha, a variation of Tam’s usual coconut custard, turned out to be the highlight of the night. The plain diamond shaped pieces doesn’t do enough justice to the labour intensity of making this dish: the crust is made from a mixture of superior broth, egg and cornflour and stuffed with a rich mix of hairy crab meat, crab paste, crab oil and Kyushu egg yolk before being fried to a light crispiness. Each bite was an explosion of complex tastes.
Similarly the bird’s nest pipa tofu looked deceptively simple but the fresh shrimp meat, water chestnut, Kyushu egg white, mushrooms, Indonesian swallow’s nest, tofu made for a perfect combination with the water chestnuts adding some crunch.
The sweet flavours of the double boiled watercress soup was a welcome respite from the rich start of the meal before we tasted the chef’s interpretation of the steamed fish fillet. Here he uses minced ginger and chicken jus before steaming the fish in aromatic fig leaves.
This was followed by the green lobster stir-fried with olive horns, olive kernels, ginger and scallions and the cuttlefish and dried shrimps simmered in a claypot with the stalks of two different kinds of local kale. Both were bursting in flavours – as was the Cantonese roast lamb shoulder.
Another highlight was , of course, the classic stewed abalone but with the chef’s own twist. The 30-head abalone was stewed in abalone jus with Australian sea cucumber and mushroom. The sauce had me wanting to reach for some jasmine rice to mop it up but I decided to keep some room for the ginger scallion noodles with char siu.
The meal ended with a pudding made from apricot juice, rice and chestnut puree with lotus leaf hawthorn tea. After all the food, it was a heavy end to the meal but, as with all of the chef’s dishes, it was also a testament to his diligent passion for merging complex flavours with traditional Cantonese cuisine.
Cuisine
Cantonese
The Vibe
Other than the name change, the restaurant décor has remained largely the same as it was during its Sichuan Moon days: you walk into a display corner with wines or desserts before entering the warmly lit main dining room sparsely populated by tables. The main premier dining is done in the smaller private rooms surrounding it. The restaurant offers two dining menus: an ordinary one at MOP1,888 and a premiere one for MOP2,888. The latter, naturally includes a bit more of high-priced dried seafood specialities. There’s also a limited a la carte menu – with many of the prices listed as “market price”, it might be more prudent to pick one of the tasting menus. What’s worth mentioning are the special teas and the wine pairing (MOP750). The restaurant has some very interesting and excellent Chinese wines such as those from Domaine Pu Shang and Ao Yun.
Quick Notes
Price for two:
MOP4,000 (excluding drinks and service charge)
Address:
Wynn Palace
Avenida da Nave Desportiva
Cotai, Macau
Tel. +853 88893663
Opening Hours:
Daily: 12nn – 3pm, 5,30pm – 10. 30pm
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Written by
Winnie Chung is an experienced lifestyle journalist who has covered everything from showbiz and Hong Kong films, to food, and all things luxury. After being grounded by the pandemic, she found a renewed appreciation for Hong Kong's vibrant and diverse dining scene.
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