This season, Executive Chef Homan Tsui of Imperial Court at MGM Macau presents a masterful interpretation of Lingnan cuisine-where time-honored craftsmanship and contemporary elegance converge in a truly elevated dining experience.
The exclusive dinner starts with Marinated squid with Mexican jelly fish in vinegar and soya sauce. Tender baby squid from the Pearl River Delta is paired with crisp jellyfish. The squid brings natural sweetness, while the jellyfish adds a refreshing crunch. A light vinegar and soy dressing ties the flavours together.
Barbecued Iberico pork with egg yolk, honey and pepper is inspired by the classic Cantonese Phoenix Eye Char Siu. This dish reinterprets tradition with a Macanese twist. Instead of the usual salted egg yolk filling, the chef infuses the center with smoky Portuguese sausage, creating a fusion of sweet Iberico pork, honey-pepper glaze, and savoury sausage. A bold blend of Cantonese craftsmanship and Macanese heritage.
MDT’s favourite of the night is Double-boiled sea whelk soup with yellow fungus and seaweed. Inspired by Su Dongpo’s poem, “When will the bright moon appear?”, Chef Homan integrates poetic elegance with Lingnan’s soulful soup. Carefully simmered for five hours with premium ingredients such as pork ribs, sea whelk, chicken and partridge, the broth is clear and nourishing. The soup comes with a piece of seaweed, which is reshaped as a tree by the collagen-rich chicken soup. The seaweed unfurls when it is added to the soup, releasing a fresh ocean aroma.
Next, Crispy chicken skin with shrimp mousse and salted fish flakes steals the show. Reinvented by Chef Homan, the classic Lingnan handcrafted “deconstructed chicken” is crafted to a whole new level at Imperial court. Swapping steamed chicken skin to crispy-fried to achieve a crunchy top shell that offsets the shrimp mousse made of three types of shrimps , including Japanese Obsiblue prawn, Vietnamese white shrimp and Pearl River Delta’s Kuruma prawn, a thoughtful combination gives the shrimp mousse an al dente texture and a vivid taste profile full of sweetness and umami.
Finishing the refined creation with freeze-dried salted fish flakes, a specialty ingredient unique to Macau, to enrich the overall palate, this contrasting yet heavenly balanced delicacy is bespoken for Lingnan gastronomy. Moreover, its fishing net-inspired plating also pays homage to the historic past of Macau as a fishing village.
Lastly, Chilled tofu pudding with coix seed Lingnan style concludes the evening. Silky homemade tofu pudding meets modern molecular gastronomy. Bursting pearls of coix seed add a playful crunch, harmonizing with the pudding’s delicate smoothness.
No Comments