MGM Cotai unveils culinary adventures with celebrated chefs

MGM Cotai will present a lineup of celebrated chefs and restaurants for its forthcoming resort which will open in the second half of 2017.

Chef Muaro Colagreco

The highlights include celebrated chefs such as Mauro Colagreco, Mitsuharu Tsumura, Graham Elliott and Janice Wong, to bring some of the world’s favored contemporary cuisine to the integrated resort’s visitors.

In line with the region’s aim to become a UNESCO City for Gastronomy, MGM Cotai has partnered with the celebrated chefs to develop new dining concepts.

Grant Bowie, CEO and executive director of MGM China Holdings, said, “Macau has become a thriving food destination, with many of the best chefs in the world contributing to our culinary scene.”

According to Bowie, the gaming operator has sent its food and beverage team to seek partners in a bid to offer locals and visitors a unique culinary portfolio that is “both diverse in rice points and flavors.”

“Macau already has a very impressive culinary scene, and MGM Cotai’s objective is to build upon that by bringing innovative dining concepts and chefs to support Macau as a global destination,” Bowie told the Times.

“It’s important that we create dining concepts that are unique to Macau and the palates of our customers,” the CEO added.

Questioned on how MGM Cotai would contribute to Macau’s aim of being a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, Bowie noted that the newly-offered dining concepts would take the diversity of Macau’s culinary portfolio to the next level and fill niches in the current market.

With a menu created by star Argentinean-Italian Chef Colagreco that includes premium beef sourced by MGM’s Master Butcher from the best ranches around the world, Grill 58° is the go-to restaurant for steak and a destination for food and wine connoisseurs from around the world.

Grill 58° also offers a selection of fish, seafood and other meats, with a 4,000-bottle wine cellar.

Chef Colagrecois is a Michelin two-star award-winning chef and his restaurant Mirazur in Menton, France has recently been ranked the fourth best restaurant in the world by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2017.

Meanwhile, the first authentic Nikkei restaurant will be at MGM Cotai.

Chef Mitsuharu Tsumura

Chef Tsumura is slated to open Aji, a restaurant with innovative food that will be matched by dramatic design.

Chef Graham Elliot

Tsumura’s restaurant, Maido, has risen from No. 13 to become the No. 8 restaurant on the list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2017.

According to him, the restaurant blends spices with the delicacies of the local cuisine.

“There is a story that the original point of entry of chili peppers to Asia was in fact from Macau – by the Portuguese. That is the name of our restaurant, ‘Aji’ – which means ‘taste’ in Japanese, and ‘chili pepper’ in Peruvian. We are blending our spice and spiciness with local cuisine,” said Chef Tsumura.

Taking inspiration from America’s relaxed West Coast lifestyle, Coast will be overseen by Chef Elliot, an award-winning Michelin starred chef and television personality from popular cooking show Top Chef.

Coast will offer dishes that capture the spirit of California and West Coast flavors and bring them to Macau.

Having lived in California, Chef Elliot said, “I know what it means to cook light, seasonal, and most importantly, delicious food!  I am excited to share my whimsical approach to cooking with the sophisticated foodies and diners in Macau.”

Janice Wong

Furthermore, award-winning modern pastry chef Janice Wong MGM is set to offer customers a full sweets experience, offering Cakes, Eclairs, Mochis, Tarts, Ice Cream, Crepes, Chocolates and Confectioneries and Plated Desserts.

Chef Wong is a native Singaporean who was voted Asia’s Best Pastry Chef for 2013 and 2014 at the prestigious Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards ceremony, as well as Pastry Chef of the Year in 2011, 2013 and 2015 at the World Gourmet Summit.

Janice Wong MGM is a sweets shop where customers can observe a live chocolate, crepe and dessert station, take away confectioneries and pastries, or dine in for a dessert experience beside one of the biggest chocolate fountains in the world – a 7.3-meter high sculpture spouting rivers of dark, milk and white chocolate. LV