[Review 2819] Infinity of happiness at The Eight @ 8 The Eight

11/09/2013
8  The Eight
南灣葡京路新葡京酒店2樓
2/F, Grand de Lisboa Macau, Avenida De Lisboa, Praia Grande
https://www.openrice.com/zh/macau/review/infinity-of-happiness-at-the-eight-e2319559

The Eight is a Michelin 2 Star restaurant located on the second floor of the Grand Lisboa hotel.

It's decor is extremely oriental with lucky 8 symbols, golden koi carp fishes on the wall and a huge dazzling sphere made with crystals just above the water in the middle of the restaurant.

We had a private room that day.
Above the table, there was a huge oriental chandelier made of old Chinese coins.
It just felt like Royal dynasty there.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Amuse Bouche:

On the left was abalone slices with fresh grapefruit pieces beneath it and lime juice which was refreshing and on the right was diced beef organs and peppers which gets your appetite ready for the meal.
The amuse bouche varies from day to day.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Dim sum assortment:
As they wanted to us to try their dim sums, they put together an assortment.
There was Steamed Superior River Shrimp Dumplings in Fish Shape $42 (3 pieces), Steamed “Shanghainese” Dumplings with Chicken Essence and Vintage Dried Tangerine Peel
$38 (4 pieces) and Steamed Pork Dumpling with Abalone $98 (3 pieces).

The fish shaped dumpling was appealing and the fish eyes were black sesame seeds, the orange colouring on the fish was natural carrot juice. Inside the fish dumpling, it was fresh river shrimp which made it springy.
Next I tried the steamed pork dumpling with abalone which was really luxurious and the abalone sauce enhanced the dumpling.
Last I had the Shanghainese dumpling which was quite a challenge because there was so much chicken essence inside it. The taste was really nice because the tangerine peel had a nice bitterness to it balancing the greasiness of the pork.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Deep-fried Barbecued Pork Roll
The fried pork roll looked intricate with the net wrap on the outside which was extremely crispy, inside there was sweet succulent roast pork.
(This is a new item on the menu)
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Crispy Frogs Leg with Spicy Salt (Regular)$138
The frog meat was extremely springy and the texture was similar to firm garoupa fish.
On the side there was some purple sweet potato mash as garnishing which tasted delicious because it was natrual and sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Barbecued Pork $95

The pieces of barbecued pork were huge and extremely thick cut!
Each piece was tender and juicy and full of barbecue flavour.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Double-boiled Minced Pork in Supreme Broth with Bird’s Nest 每位 (per person) $300
This dish is normally made with fatty pork to give it that soft and springy texture.
But here they have replaced it with generous amounts of Bird's nest stuffed in the centre.
On top of the minced pork, there was another generous dollop of bird's nest.
The bird's nest in supreme broth was delicious and protein rich and it tastes better savoury than sweet.


★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Braised Pomelo Skin with Crystal Prawn $280
The prawn was huge, it was as big as a clenched fist, it was sliced in a way that it resembles a flower.
It was so crisp and springy that you could hear a noise when you put your knife in it.
Then I tried the pomelo skin and that was wonderful, I loved the mushy silky texture and the rich gravy.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Fried Glutinous Rice Topped with Roasted Duck in “Pei Pa Style” $328

The duck was mind blowing because it tasted like roast suckling pig and the flavour that they used to marinate it too, on top of the duck was refreshing lime juice to balance out the strong flavours.
The glutinous rice beneath it was nice and crispy.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Braised Lamb Brisket in The-8 Style $280
The braised lamb was also delicious, the skin on top was extremely crispy and the meat was soft and supple that it was similar to duck.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
30 Years Vintage Tangerine Peel Chicken $195 (half) /$390 (whole)

The chicken was tender and fully flavoured with their tangerine peel which had a nice zesty bitter taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sautéed Seasonal Vegetable with Gingko and Fresh Bean Curd Skin

The gingko nuts were nice and creamy and the beancurd skin was soft and full of flavour after absorbing the water that the vegetables give out during the cooking process.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Lotus Rice with Roasted Goose and Abalone in Casserole (Regular) $320

When this was served, the duck broth was put in the last minute, vaporizing and giving the rice more duck flavour.


The rice was loaded with goodies! When I was eating it, I found so many chopped up ingredients which don't show on the photo such as chopped dried squid, preserved eggs!!
The grains of rice were distinct and had a nice chew to it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Steamed Whole Crab and Shrimps with Stewed Rice and Shark's Fin in Lotus Leaf $480
This dish is bound to amaze anyone with the glistening vegetarian sharks fin and crab roe bursting from the crab.


★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Baked Alaska with Red Bean Sherbet (For 2 People) $100




The cake had sugar on top which was set on fire giving a delicious caramelized top. I loved the egg white pieces on the outside and it was covered in a thin layer of meringue. The cake inside was not too sweet and the red bean sherbet was nice and light with pieces of red bean and a strong coconut flavour.


★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Black and White Sesame Pudding with Sesame Ice-cream (per person) $40
Beautifully presented, the pudding was rich in sesame taste and not too sweet, and the sesame icecream was coated in black and white sesame seeds giving it extra sesame flavour.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Puff Pastry with Sweetened Winter Melon Paste and Served with Pear Sherbet (per person) $40
The puff pastry was really cute, filled with wintermelon paste and the pear sherbet was refreshingly sweet with real pear in it.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Portuguese egg tarts:
These were cute Portuguese eggs tarts which I could not resist because of the miniature size.
There was vanilla, chocolate and cinnamon powder to further enhance the taste of the eggtarts, cinnamon was the best in my opinion.
Lastly there was a cup of tea to finish.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

The Eight is a great and affordable place for luxurious food, the portions are big too.

Address:
The Eight, Grand Lisboa, 2nd fl, Avenida e Lisboa | Macau Peninsula, Macau
853-28283838

http://www.grandlisboahotel.com/dining-the_eight

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★


[Review 2818] The Chan's by the sea! @ 海傍陳記

10/09/2013
海傍陳記
西環堅尼地城爹核士街28號地下C號舖
Shop C, G/F, 28 Davis Street, Kennedy Town, Western District
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/the-chans-by-the-sea-e2319400

Came to this restaurant because it seems to be famous for its pan fried rice rolls.

I couldn't quite figure out why its Chinese name means by the sea because it was a few streets away from the sea.

However inside the restaurant, there is a backdrop of the sea as you view it from New Praya Kennedy Town street.

On the tables, there were cute chopstick holders made from cardboard.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Imitation sharks fin soup:

The soup was big!

It was the usual imitation soup with meat, egg but then I found some pork blood jelly which livened it up because I've never seen pork blood jelly in it!
Although it was weird, it tasted nice.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
XO sauce pan fried rice rolls:

The rice rolls were nicely done but it was too oily for my liking.
The soy sauce and dried scallops on the rice rolls were delicious.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Cute metal spoon with a star handle:

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★







[Review 2817] Pomela skin treats at Fresco @ 悅點居 Fresco Dim Sum

10/09/2013
悅點居  Fresco Dim Sum
西環堅尼地城北街23-25號福安大厦地下A號舖
Shop A, G/F, Fook On Mansion, 23-25 North Street, Kennedy Town, Western District
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/pomela-skin-treats-at-fresco-e2319384
I was surprised this restaurant did dim sums because Fresco does not sound Chinese at all.
Their menu was really good because they had English, but there was only one item I was interested in so I got a takeaway.
I got the pomelo skin because not places serve it and for good ones it takes days to prepare.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pomela skin with dried prawn roe:



For $14 you can't really complain, but there could have been more prawn roe (ie the prawn roes are not really visible in this photo).
The texture was not velvety or mushy but more like soft white carrot.
Overall, it's not a bad dish and I would prefer it less salty and oily.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2816] B for Brilliant @ B Takeaway

09/09/2013
B Takeaway
西環吉席街99號地下3號舖
Shop 3, G/F, 99 Catchick Street, Western District
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/b-for-brilliant-e2319277

A hip and chick burger joint on the corner of Catchick Street offering burgers, fish and chips and more.
I wanted to try the burgers but it was too hot that day, so I just went for their Belgian fries hKd25.
They were chunky flat cut chips and it came with some yellow sauce.
The chips had a nice starchy centre with a crispy surface, and the sauce was surprisingly nice because it was mildly sweet.


[Review 2815] Honeymoon dessert revamped @ 滿啦 MOONnHONEY

09/09/2013
滿啦 MOONnHONEY
旺角港鐵東鐵線旺角東站MKK2號舖
Shop MKK 2, MTR Mong Kok East Station, Mong Kok
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/honeymoon-dessert-revamped-e2319275

When I walked past this shop I assumed it was a skincare shop but when I came closer it turned out to one of Honeymoon's shop in a different style.
They had nice displays of the drinks and desserts they sell.

They also had potato salad too in the fridge.

That day, they were making glutinous mochis filled with mango so I tried one.

The mango mochi was deliciously soft filled with a juicy piece of mango inside and the desiccated coconut on the outside enhanced it even more.






[Review 2814] Back for more rice rolls @ 新華粥品

08/09/2013
新華粥品
灣仔軒尼詩道254號地下
G/F, 254 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/back-for-more-rice-rolls-e2318955

To this date, I still feel these dough stick rice rolls are the best and this is probably my 4th-5th visit because the rice rolls are cheap and quick.
I ended up having two plates because I loved the freshness of the dough sticks in the middle, they were oil free, crispy with a soft centre.
First plate:
Second plate:
Rice rolls with egg:
At first it tasted really nice but it got a bit heavy after eating a few pieces.
It tasted better with soy sauce.



[Review 7821] Kaya toast @ 一粥麵 Super Super Congee & Noodle

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