Our stay at the Sheraton Grand Macao was not only memorable in terms of the splendid accommodation, the dining experiences are strongly etched in our minds and our palate. We dined at 3 of the grand hotel’s main eateries, so let me share with you some of the amazing food we had!
XIN
Located on the ground floor of the hotel, Xin impresses with its signature Asian Seafood Hot Pot Buffet. When I had this 4 years ago during my first visit to the hotel, the memory of the sumptuous meal had lingered in my mind till this day. Everything remained the same, four years later – the buffet was just as spectacular with its variety and absolute freshness of ingredients.
The choices of broths were just as varied (there’s even a laksa broth!) but I always have a simple broth for my hotpot just so that the freshness of the ingredients won’t be marred by strong flavours. So, into my herbal chicken soup went all sorts of seafood, meats and vegetables.
Besides hotpot, there is also a good variety of Asian-inspired dishes on the counters but honestly, I really didn’t have the capacity to try those. I was just focusing happily on my hotpot!
Every Friday-Saturday night it’s Seafood Night @ Xin; on Sundays there’s the Eat-All-You-Can Dim Sum Brunch too… something I must try in my next visit.
BENE
Bene is a modern trattoria-style Italian restaurant which greets you with wonderful aromas as you walk in. You’ll then realise the source of those heavenly smells are from the woodfire oven where pizzas and breads are being baked.
Service is upbeat and friendly with the serving crew flitting energetically between tables with cheerful smiles and greetings. The warm fluffy breads (almost like pane de pasqua) and breadsticks were so good we had to will ourselves not to over-indulge for fear of filling up our tummies too soon.
Then came our delicious courses for the evening…
Parma Ham & Honey Melon
Butternut Pumpkin Soup with Seared Hokkaido Scallop & Parma Ham
Crisp Fried Squids & Whitebait with spicy red pepper mayonnaise
Carbonara e Castelmagno – bacon, eggyolk, parmesan and cream, finished in castelmagno cheese
Roast Lamb Rack with creamed salsify and truffle sauce
Master Kobe Wagyu Beef Sirloin with Arugula Salad and natural jus
FEAST
Feast is so aptly named because a meal here is not just a meal… it is a feast really. The modern in-house restaurant showcases the best international cuisine besides a wide selection of Portuguese dishes, Macanese cuisine and a good assortment of popular Asian favourites. I was told the best occasion to try all these is to have their Afternoon Tea, quaintly and cheekily called “Fat Tea” on Saturdays and Sundays starting from 11.30am till 5.00pm.
We, however, indulged in their spectacular Seafood Feast that’s served every Friday & Saturday evening. The whole restaurant was transformed into an amazing seafood wonderland with all kinds of even more amazing seafood displayed everywhere.
Live oysters were shucked upon request and these were from the US, Australia and France. Steamed Boston lobsters and tiger prawns were abundantly served at the oriental counter and there were more at the appetizers station and main courses tables.
So, a stay at The Sheraton Grand Macao is not only about its splendidly-appointed guest rooms, their restaurants are also top-notch. Food quality and service more than meet expectations so dining at the hotel was something we all enjoyed and looked forward to!
THE SHERATON GRAND MACAO
Cotai Central
Estrada do Istmo.s/n
Cotai
Macau
website: www.sheratongrandmacao.com