Huaiyang delicacies

The Huaiyang Garden is one of The Londoner Macao’s signature restaurants curated by celebrity master chef Zhou Xiaoyan. As Chef Zhou’s first restaurant in Macao, The Huaiyang Garden combines traditional heritage with contemporary aesthetics, elevating dishes to a true art form. Located in a tranquil space modelled on classic Chinese gardens, guests enjoy authentic Huaiyang delicacies offering a perfect combination of taste and presentation.

Recognised as one of the four great Chinese culinary traditions, Huaiyang cuisine originated in the lower reaches of the Yangtze and Huai Rivers about 3,000 years ago. Featuring fresh, light yet powerful flavours, consummate knife skills and precise cooking methods, it epitomises Chinese gastronomic brilliance.

Braised Hokkaido sea cucumber with shrimp rose

Steamed live crab and minced pork

Chef Zhou, with over four decades’ experience, is an ambassador for Huaiyang culinary heritage and the most recognisable name associated with this time-honoured cooking style. Renowned as “The Godfather of Huaiyang Cuisine”, he is credited with introducing innovations based around contemporary techniques and presentation to further refine this classic cuisine. His peerless execution has seen him earn numerous accolades throughout his career, including the title Chinese Culinary Master and a gold medal at the 4th World Championship of Chinese Cuisine in 2002, widely considered the Olympics of Chinese cuisine. He has also appeared as a Chinese cookery expert on popular documentary series A Bite of China and Once Upon a Bite.

Chef Zhou said, “Macao boasts a wide array of culinary options from around the world, and both locals and visitors are well versed in fine dining. The Huaiyang Garden is bringing a unique approach to Huaiyang food tradition. Each ingredient is handled delicately, with precise cutting and preparation employed to ensure perfect texture and exquisite presentation. Flavour is added where necessary to elevate dishes to new levels.”

In keeping with the spirit of Huaiyang cuisine, Chef Zhou follows the rhythm of nature in seeking the best seasonal flavours. Each individual ingredient is maximised and perfected, before being combined to compose a symphony of harmony and delight. Shredded bean curd with crab meat and egg white in superior soup, a classic Huaiyang dish, is enhanced with the addition of black moss and red crab claw, layered egg white and the famous Yangzhou snack, chasan, to create extraordinarily complex flavours.

For steamed Hilsa herring with 20-year-old Huadiao wine, all 164 bones are skilfully removed while maintaining the shape of the fish, demonstrating meticulous preparation and virtuosic craftsmanship. Other signature dishes include braised Hokkaido sea cucumber with shrimp roe, stewed meatball with crab meat and crab roe, and braised Japanese pork belly with black truffle in soya sauce.

The dining experience is enriched by the restaurant’s diverse beverage offerings. One of the five signature cocktails, Slender West Lake, is an ingenious mix of osmanthus-infused gin, Bénédictine, lemon and elderflower juices and floral mist, bursting with flavours and aromas and transporting diners to the legendary lakeside in Yangzhou with each sip. For a fusion twist, guests can have a glass of Yangzhou Beauty, made with Chinese baijiu, Amarguinha, lemongrass and ginger shrub, pu’er tea and angostura bitters.