Kam Lai Heen 金麗軒 is related to the previously, Michelin 1 Starred 東怡軒 Tung Yee Heen, as they occupied the same Restaurant Space but are now under a different Hotel Group’s Management. Stanley Ho bought over this ex-Mandarin Oriental Hotel space to convert it into Grand Lapa Hotel and Resort. The previously Michelin starred chef from Tung Yee Heen has now retired but his supporting Chef and now new Head Chef here at Kam Lai Heen has already worked for more than 20 years in the same restaurant, and the food remained every bit as creative with excellent execution. From a Foodie’s perspective, the recipes here were unique and cooked so well indeed. Definitely worth re-evaluating!
Sweated Peanuts, XO Sauce, Caramelized Walnuts -
The hotel obviously advertises that these are the best versions available. The Walnuts were fresh and crunchy and prepared as small batches to stay fresh, very lovely. The XO sauce was packed with flavors but could do with more dried prawns. The wet soaked peanuts were just as I remembered them to be and traditional… ~ 8/10
Siu Mai Dumpling, Prawn & Bamboo Shoot Dumpling,
Seafood Mayonnaise roll in Paper Roll with Almond, Seaweed Roll with Stuffed Cuttlefish -
The Prawn Ha Gao dumpling was done superbly with crunchy bamboo shoots, a really hard to discover versions these days. The Siu Mai was passable as there wasn’t enough pork meat and flavor. The stand out was definitely the Seafood Rice Paper Almond roll – this is a twist on a classic Cantonese dish which is absent from most recent Dim Sum places, but can still be found overseas in Canada or Australia from that epoch of Immigrants. The Seaweed and Calamari roll was also rare to find and inventive. 3 of the 4 items were impressive indeed. ~ 7 to 9/10
Seafood Mayonnaise roll in Paper Roll with Almond
Very impressive Dim Sum item and with many layerings in preparation within..
Braised Abalone and Crab Meat Conpoy Dumpling, in Superior Broth -
This was interesting. The Abalone didn’t seem braised enough in a sauce and slightly whitish. The other Crab Meat and Conpoy dumpling was much more interesting with it’s elastic skin, which was kind of 魚皮餃 like in the chewy texture… I definitely really enjoyed the latter and it’s topped with fish roes and served with a great stock reduction sauce. ~ 8/10
Deep Fried Prawn with Mango, Trio Colored Peppers Sprigs, and Sweet & Chili Sauce -
The prawn was massive, the sauce was like a Thai Nam Jim sauce but home made. What impressed me the most was that this was filled inside with 3 different colored Peppers and tasted as good as it looked appealing. It’s a recipe you can’t easily find on Hong Kong side. ~ 8/10
Wok Fried Beef Tenderloin, with Garlic Chips and Peppercorn -
Probably my less favorite dish of the day. The Beef were sliced and diced a bit into too small pieces, meaning they were thoroughly cooked-through, although still tender but missing beef juiciness. The presentation was awesome but I really think the Beef could be butchered up as much bigger squarish pieces to make this exceptional. ~ 6/10
Steamed Silver Cod Filet with Snow Fungus Mushroom in mini Bamboo Basket -
This was said to be one of their signature dishes. This was steamed perfectly and the Silver Cod fish was both oily and succulent, and the biggest surprise was the way the Snow Fungus was carved up so thickly. Cooked really well. ~ 9/10
Stir-fried Carrots, Water Chestnuts, Mushrooms and Macadamia nuts in Birds Nest,
with Seafood Pine Nuts Fried Rice -
Another yet inventive but sensible dish, the fried Bird’s nest was sad to be likable by the Children who patron this hotel, but at the same time they tried to keep the grease down and be more healthy. This was the end result. The nuts and water chestnuts gave it a crunchy texture. ~ 7/10
Ginseng and Rose Petal flavoured soup, with Glutinous Rice Balls -
The smell of the Ginseng was quite strong indeed, but I much prefer this than it’s Ginger cousin, especially during Summer. Was full by this time and I could only finish 1 at most! ~ 8.5/10
Fresh Fruit Platter to finish -
Kam Lai Heen inside Grand Lapa -
Actually thoroughly amazed me. The Tasting Menu is MOP $728, some dishes and the recipes were Cantonese in nature but quite inventive - many of their dishes cannot be found on Hong Kong side. Can’t wait to be back to try their other dishes. As a side note, I have always found a much higher chance of eating good to great Chinese food at Cantonese restaurants in Macau compared to Hong Kong.
Price: $300 – $728 Per Person
Food: ♕♕♕♕ 1/2 - ♕♕♕♕♕
Address: 新口岸友誼大馬路956-1110號澳門金麗華酒店2樓
2nd Floor, Grand Lapa Hotel, Macau
Ph: (+853) 28567888
~ 7.5/10
