Love bites: French dining

Romance won’t be only in the air this February 14th – with these French restaurants’ combination of elegant settings and culinary flair, you can literally taste that loving feeling

La Bonne Heure


Though it virtually adjoins the crowded Senado Square, La Bonne Heure somehow manages to be a world away from the hustle and bustle. Cosily intimate and atmospherically lit, the restaurant is ideal for lovers who wish to spend some quality time together. Its elongated layout accommodates only a few tables and features small bar areas at either end. A charming touch is the wine list handwritten on a tiny chalkboard. The chef, Koji, has lived in Macau for six years. Before opening La Bonne Heure, he worked at the Lisboa’s famous Robuchon restaurant.

As La Bonne Heure’s rough brick walls and simple wooden furnishings indicate, the cuisine here is unpretentious but extremely well-made. The signature dish, duck’s leg confit with braised cabbage and sherry vinegar dressing (MOP98), is a superb example: the duck pieces are sealed in 80-90 degree oil for six hours before being pan-fried. The result is flesh that literally falls off the bone and melts in the mouth.

Another highlight is the roasted fresh skate wing with almond butter sauce (MOP128). Rather than being steamed, in this case the fish is roasted to bring out its tender sweetness. But don’t forget to indulge in an appetizer or two: the mouth-watering crispy mixed seafood cake with citrus reduction sauce (MOP98), shrimp and scallop mousse wrapped in pate fillo, and citrus orange sauce mixed with vanilla are all worth savoring.

Travessa de S. Domingos, No. 12A
(853)2833-1209

Aurora at Crown


Situated in the Crown Macau, this restaurant’s open layout and elegant décor gives it a contemporary flair not usually seen in fine French establishments. Indeed, Sam Wilkes, the young Australian chef, says that Aurora’s mission is to provide a “broad spectrum” of experiences to its guests. So if you like to keep it casual, sink into one of the outdoor lounge’s Dedon chairs, choose a label from the restaurant’s vast wine cellar, order a Cheese Platter, and drink in the breathtaking view of the Macau peninsula.

For more formal occasions or parties, Aurora also features private dining rooms. The stand-alone Yi Pavilion, located at the far corner of the outdoor lounge, boasts its own separate entrance and a panoramic sea view. It may be the perfect place in Macau to “pop the question”.

Naturally, Aurora devotes the same attention to its food as it does with its settings. To ensure maximum freshness, the ingredients follow a seasonal pattern. The oysters, for example, are sourced from Australia in winter, and France and Ireland during summer. Though the menu is seafood-heavy, more traditional French fare like foie-fras flame-seared (MOP220) and roasted Australian wagyu sirloin are present and utterly unmissable.

For the coming Valentine’s Day, Wilkes has prepared a special set menu full of aphrodisiac elements – giving extra substance to the saying that the way to a lover’s heart is through the stomach.

10F, Crown Towers, Taipa
(853) 2886-8868

Paris


Serge Alain Gros is the kind of chap who likes to give every matter his personal attention. When we met him, Paris’s manager/executive chef was carrying a bundle of baguettes back to the restaurant from his other property, a French bakery.

Gros began his career at the world-renowned Chez Maxim’s in Paris, and followed it up with spells of managing a series of acclaimed restaurants around the globe. Macau is his current home, and it seems that he’s saved something special for the enclave’s dining experience. Going full circle, he’s “replicated” his beloved Maxim’s in Macau. Paris boasts the same claret-red curtains, flower-patterned mirrors, colorful lamps, piano and Art Deco posters as the famed original – stepping into this two-storey bistro is to transport oneself to the roaring Paris of the early 20th century.

In keeping with the setting, the menu is replete with traditional French delicacies of the very best quality. Gros actually insists on selecting the ingredients personally every day in pursuit of original flavors. His approach has paid off; some patrons travel all the way from Hong Kong every week for a bite of Paris’s signature beef Burgundy (MOP88). The beef is marinated for two days prior to cooking, and then stewed over low heat with bacon, onions and potatoes. The lamb legs with white beans is another must-try: if you can’t finish the MOP490 full-size serving, a single portion dish (MOP118) is also available. And don’t miss out on the suckling pig with cabbage and Sichuan pepper sauce (MOP98): the tangy Eastern spices are applied in just the right quantity to leave the tastebuds tingling.

Avenida de Kwong Tong No. 11 Edificio Triumph IV
(853) 2882-1908




Aux Beaux Arts

The latest player to join Macau’s French dining line-up is Aux Beaux Arts at MGM Grand, headed up by Michelin-star chef Philippe Marc. He insists on using the finest French ingredients exclusively, prepared with a low-heat cooking technique that preserves their original flavor. Even the vegetables here are never boiled – instead, Marc takes utmost care in slowly roasting them with olive oil.

Those trying Aux Beaux Arts for the first time should choose the daily seafood selection served in a cast iron casserole (MOP220). The dish uses only the freshest seafood on the market, so its precise contents vary every day. Just as mouthwatering is the veal sweetbreads, crawfish, chicken kidneys and potato confit baked in a casserole (MOP268) – a real explosion of complementary flavors. For dedicated carnivores, dishes like grilled veal skirt with buttered carrots, black olive gnocchi and sage glace (MOP380) and low temperature cooked pork cutlet with gratin potatoes (MOP285) will hit the spot with elan.

Modeled after the Lyons Railway Station, Aux Beaux Arts and the neighboring Champagne Bar and The Russian Room form an alluring “French quarter”. At the center of The Champagne Bar is an eye-catching illuminated “ice bar”, and a two-storey glass cellar housing more than 3,500 bottles of wine. The magnificent Russian Room specializes in caviar paired with vodka or champagne, and is by any definition an extravagant beginning to an unforgettable evening.

Inside the Grande Praca Conservatory, MGM Grand Macau
(853) 8802－8888

Robuchon a Galera


Robuchon a Galera has long been regarded as the paragon of fine dining in Macau, and that’s not just because celebrity chef Joel Robuchon is running the kitchen. The setting is pretty special as well, an example of royal French style at its best. With the dining room’s curtains, carpets and chairs all made from sound-absorbing material, this is also one of the most pleasantly hushed restaurants in Asia.

If Robuchon’s menu is much less substantial than its 104-page wine list, it’s because it changes every three months according to the seasonal ingredients available. The keyword of the winter menu is “black truffle” – a real challenge for chefs, and an absolute joy for the refined palate. The signature dish here, lobster cocotte with black truffle and green asparagus (MOP580), wraps the lobster and the truffle in flour and thus maintain their full-bodied flavors. Another marvel is the fresh abalone cooked in salted butter with crushed black truffles, potatoes and chive emulsion (MOP560), and the divinely simple French lamb au jus with a salad of herbs (MOP490), served with mashed potatoes.

Don’t forget to end your meal with a selection from the colorful dessert trolley, ice-cream trolley or candy trolley – though your evening does not have to end there….

Hotel Lisboa
(853) 2888－3888

Le Bistrot


One inherent advantage of Le Bistrot is that the manager is also a supplier of cooking ingredients to many of Macau’s best resort restaurants, and thus almost 90% of the produce used in Le Bistrot dishes are genuine imported French articles.

As the name indicates, this bistro-styled eatery has quite an unusual setting, the décor including a dark wood staircase, an old bronze coffee machine, an Art Deco ceiling fan, and the booth seating facing big windows that overlook a narrow street. Le Bistrot is a perfect spot for you to kick back, relax, and enjoy a French afternoon.

Meals at Le Bistrot are bliss for health food devotees and fruit-lovers, as best illustrated by dishes like a millefeuille of crab with tomato confit, avocados and sweet apple (MOP78) and grilled foie gras with lychees, green apple, vinaigrette and passion fruit (MOP138). For main courses, sample some of the traditional French delicacies such as eal sweetbreads with lobster, morels, maxim potatoes and baby spinach leaves (MOP138). If that sounds a tad heavy, round it off with a light and uplifting soup of red fruits with yoghurt and Champagne sorbet (MOP58). Or opt for the eight-course dinner set which features all Le Bistrot’s specialties – a safe and delicious choice for diners who can’t quite make up their minds

Nova Taipa Garden
Block 27, Ground floor
(853) 2884-3739