Can Macau really boast the world's best Chinese restaurant? That was the ambition of Steve Wynn, developer of the Golden Flower restaurant at Wynn Macau Resort.
The flood of money, both in investment from casino developers and the spending of mainland guests since the liberalisation of the territory's casino licensing laws in 2002, has led to an explosion of restaurants and a huge leap in quality, some gourmets argue. As new five-star hotels compete for custom, their high-end Chinese dining options bid to outdo each other in decor, quality and variety.
Donald Hall, head of Chaine des Rotisseurs in Macau, an association dedicated to promoting fine dining, believes restaurants in the former Portuguese colony are better than those in Hong Kong.
'Chefs in Macau have more pressure because management is constantly looking at the competition. Everyone is pushing for quality because they are bringing in high rollers from China; they need to prove they have the best restaurants, and mainlanders want to be treated well.'
Macau's chefs are more willing to bring diners the new experiences they are demanding.
'In Hong Kong the food is more traditional like [at] The Chairman in Central. It's important for them to keep the food quality high, especially [at] the older restaurants. Hongkongers are willing to try modernised dishes once in a while, but they will revert back to traditional restaurants,' says Hall, who has lived in Asia for 49 years, splitting his time between Hong Kong and Macau before settling in Macau eight years ago. 'In Macau it's not about attracting locals because it's too expensive for them. Instead it's about the high rollers, Hong Kong residents and tourists.'
Haigan Wong, general manager of wine importer Adega Royale, also emphasises the reliability of some Hong Kong restaurants. He cites places such as Luk Yu and Langham Place's Ming Court as his favourites, saying: 'I like the simplicity of their clean dishes.'