Diner’s Diary | Is Alain Ducasse’s new Macau restaurant worth two Michelin stars but apparently fabulous Yi none?
- There is, by all accounts, a fantastic new restaurant at the Morpheus Hotel in Macau. And it’s not the one just awarded two Michelin stars
- I had an uneven meal at French super chef Alain Ducasse’s place there, while others who ate at Chinese restaurant Yi raved about every dish they tried
The French super chef’s restaurant at the Morpheus Hotel only opened in June and, frankly, for all that the place looks pretty and the tableware is beautiful, the food is not up to par.
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Even before I was invited to sample its menu early last month, I’d heard rumblings that the restaurant was having teething troubles and no one had a good word to say about it. I walked in hoping for the best.
The service was impeccable, Ducasse’s collection of antique crockery is like a mini museum, and the VIP room has a fun peek-a-boo factor – press a button and an opaque window instantly becomes clears to reveal the action in the kitchen.
The dishes, though, were uneven. Ducasse’s signature Mediterranean gamberoni, an Italian red river shrimp in a gelee and gold caviar, looked impressive but tasted flat, while gnocchi with roasted pumpkin was divine, though the white truffles were not necessary.
The line-caught sea bass was perfectly cooked, but the presentation was hardly appetising, as the fish was placed on a pool of green purée, with broccoletti randomly placed on top. Finally, the dessert of toasted buckwheat ice cream sounded intriguing, but was completely tasteless; this may have been to showcase the home-made chocolate with which it was served, but shouldn’t each element taste delicious on its own?