As one steps down the transparent, blue back-lit steps at Belon you feel as if you’re descending into a magical underwater world of caves, flowing waves, jelly fish tentacles, spiraling shells, and a bar wrapped in forms of scallop tails.
This aquatically themed restaurant at Banyan Tree Macau won the ‘Restaurant within a Hotel’ Award at the prestigious International Hotel and Property Awards 2012.
And over the past three years since, Belon has welcomed a series of guest chefs from around the world, coming to share their expertise and ideas with the restaurant’s Executive Chef Robbie and his team, and to enhance customers’ dining experiences with internationally flavoured dishes that complement the existing menus.
“Our regular diners really appreciate this”, explains Banyan Tree Macau General Manager Jerry John. “We aim for a guest chef every three months or so. Rather like the concept of a pop up restaurant that operates say for a week to a month in an established restaurant, the guest chefs stay long enough to satisfy the needs of the community, and then move on.”
When Chef Pere Planaguma agreed to be Belon’s guest chef in late September, he brought with him his own unique interpretations for preparing local ingredients. The 40-year-old Spaniard who is resident chef at the Michelin Starred Les Cols Restaurant in Olot, Spain, practices nueva cocina cuisine. Simply put, this means cooking locally and seasonally, using indigenous ingredients – in his case to the region of North East Spain – and focusing on the ‘terroir’, the ‘taste of the land’.
Mr John adds that they decided to invite a Spanish chef this time, “as French dining is overdone here in Macau and we were looking for a cuisine that is close to the non-pretentious home style cooking of the Portuguese. Bringing in a Michelin Star restaurant chef is a challenge to fit into their work schedule, so we were delighted when Chef Pere accepted our invitation”.
A 10-course dinner menu with wine pairing for each course was on offer, entitled ‘Exotic Dinner Les Cols’. Standout dishes were the delectable Catalan fish stew (braised lobster, potato and chicken), the crispy shoulder of lamb with milk jelly and thyme, and paella with clams and mussels that promised ‘the smell of the sea’.
As the meal was coming to an end, diners were presented with a memorable Catalan cream dessert with a surprise ice cold lemon sorbet at its centre, followed by Chef Pere’s spectacular Volcanic Landscape – a combination of chocolate chunks in several ways, with crumbled chocolate brownie-type cake that represented the molten lava. Out of this world!
The name Belon is taken from the premium oysters from Brittany, France. It is Banyan Tree’s signature restaurant perched high on the hotel’s 31st floor. The a la carte menu echoes the aquatic decor, offering over ten types of oysters as its main attraction. Top quality and simplicity is the aim – there are a number of innovative seafood and meat dishes from the grill, and some of them are cooked at the table for a more interactive culinary experience for diners.
Many readers will be familiar with Belon’s famed Champagne Sunday Brunch, but you may not yet have tried their Sunset Hour. Daily (except Tuesdays) from 5-7.30pm, it is the perfect way to unwind after work, meet up with friends and enjoy watching the sun go down over the Hengqin hills whilst sampling a range of boutique beers (unlimited for MOP168 a head), signature cocktails (unlimited for MOP98) or unlimited glasses of Champagne for MOP198. Hors d’oeuvres are served and toe tapping live piano music plays in the background.
What better way to end the day!
BELON OYSTER BAR
5:00pm – 12:00pm
DINNER
6:00pm -11:00pm
SUNDAY BRUNCH
11:30am – 3:00pm
