If you haven’t yet been to Le Chinois on the top floor of the Sofitel Macau then you really ought to treat yourself. Recently taken over by the hotel from a previous operator, the restaurant has been given a complete makeover. The décor is stunning in its simplicity and elegance, aiming to reflect the authentic Cantonese cuisine as well as the French accent in the way it is presented.
At the entrance is a raised Chinese canopied seating area with bright red silk cushions, warm walnut-coloured wood flooring throughout, sections of terracotta brick walls, lattice screens and huge ceiling lights with Chinese decorative trim. On display in large clear containers to see and to smell is a collection of over 30 teas from China, some rare artisanal teas sourced specially for the restaurant.
Tables in the main dining area are comfortably spaced apart to enhance an intimate dining experience and floor to ceiling windows look out over the inner harbor and the southern Zhuhai hills. And there are six beautifully decorated private rooms, all with wonderful views looking down over old Macau.
Dim sum is served here every day starting from 9am to 11am but it is new Chinese Chef Choy Leung Kwong’s signature collection on his summer menu, served daily for lunch and dinner, that truly deserves to be sampled. Tradition meets the present day in Chef Choy’s menu that will take you on a journey through gourmet flavours of Cantonese classics.
Some of the stand out dishes are in the appetizer section including, tender pieces of marinated chicken with chili sauce, (川辣口水雞), delicate little pieces of black fungus marinated with black vinegar and sliced garlic (陳醋蒜片云耳) and the fragrant, favourful and piping hot double-boiled chicken soup with sea whelk and morel (羊肚菌海螺燉雞湯). Marinated cucumber with garlic (手拍蒜香青瓜) is crunchy and delicious, the traditional Macanese roasted pork belly (地道澳門燒花腩) is served nice and chilled for summer.
Another signature dish, the deep-fried tiger prawn with wasabi sauce (芥末生汁大明蝦) got everyone at our table discussing the ‘secret recipe sauce’ – a creamy white paste-like coating on the huge and delectable prawn. Chef Choy graciously shared this with us – condensed milk, a touch of mayonnaise and readymade wasabi.
Other dishes worthy of mention are the braised winter melon stuffed with silky soft tofu (翡翠玉環素瑤柱圃), the stir fried cod fish with scallion and demi glace sauce (燒汁三蔥爆鱈魚) and the fried rice with seafood and black truffle (黑松露海鮮炒飯).
Downstairs on the 6th floor is perhaps Sofitel’s better-known restaurant, Privé. Open five days a week, Wednesday through Sunday from 6pm to 10pm, with only 24 seats, this upscale boutique French restaurant combines the best features of a chef’s table, a private kitchen and a seasonal menu. A la carte dishes are complemented by a selection of tasting menus and tableside classics.
Newly arrived chef Jean-François Nulli, who hails from the South of France, brings his 15 years of experience working in Michelin starred restaurants in France and Monaco to bear in this summer’s seasonal menu.
One of Chef Nulli’s signature appetizers, paper thin carpaccio of seabass, is served with a chili and orange sorbet that delivers quite a kick. The buttered turbot is exquisitely tender, cooked to perfection, served with truffle salsify, parsnip puree, and balsamic vinegar and onion jus. The chef’s interpretation of beef Rossini contains a generous slice of pan fried ‘melt in the mouth’ French duck liver and a spectacular artichoke puree. Your meal should be finished off with the not-to-be-missed Pina Colada Surprise – dark chocolate shell, caramelized pineapple, pineapple sorbet, coconut Chantilly cream and warm chocolate sauce poured over it!
There’s no doubt that if you’re looking for a gourmet experience this summer, be it French or Chinese, Sofitel at Ponte 16 is a great place to head to.
