Robuchon a Galera

There is definitely no doubt about the quality of food in this three-Michelin-star restaurant in Macau. Located inside the long-established Hotel Lisboa, Robuchon a Galera is a place of elegance and style. We did not make any reservation for dinner, but easily found a table next to the window. It turned out that the restaurant was pretty empty that night, but be reminded that it is usually full during lunch time because of the much more affordable lunch set it offers.

In order to try most of their signature dishes, we decided to have a tasting menu for dinner, with a little tweak to it. We removed an omelet dish and added back a foie gras dish for extra pleasure.

We knew it was going to be a marvelous dinner because of the first dish, the bread! Every piece was heated and different, though I was worried if that would take away too much space from my stomach! Then the starter arrived. The warm cheese puff was so delicious that I didn't think just one was enough for my gastro-need.

The next dish was Le Cerise Burlat, which is a cherry gazpacho (cold soup) with ricotta cheese sherbet and pistachio flakes. While I wasn't a fan of sour and cold soup, I think it was not bad at all.

This starter was amazing. It is Les Saveurs Iodées, which is caviar, sea urchin and crab meat in delicate crustacean fine jelly with fennel cream. We started with the lighter crab meat first, and then the sea urchin. The uni was unbelievably fresh without any fishy smelly, while the caviar was no doubt of high quality. I wasn't sure about the jelly at the bottom because it didn't at first look eatable but I didn't like it anyway.

The main course followed, and instead of L'Æuf Organique, we got ourselves a Le Foie Gras.

The original L’Æuf Organique is a "slow cooked organic farm egg with sautéed girolle and lettuce veloute under a fine crispy tuile". We decided that this dish would be less interesting than the others and so we kicked it out. The subsituted main course was indeed far more impressive! Le Foie Gras had three parts, and the first is the Pan Fried Foie Gras in Fresh Cherry Compote with Kirek's Beer Reduction.

A pretty typical way to do foie gras, but still very nice. The next part is the Steamed Foie Gras in Vegetable Mille-feuille with Fruffle Emulsion. I never tried steamed goose liver, but this one was not bad. The only problem is that the layers collapsed once you lifted it up with your fork.

The final part was Fine Ravioli in Fresh Sorrel Veloute. It was an interesting combination because the pasta dough added a different texture that the foie gras did not have. The dough didn't have much taste and so allowed the foie gras to express itself fully.

Then we were back to the preset menu. This one, called La Truite de Mer, was a Confit Sea-Trout with Ginger Broth and Lightly Smoked Cream.

The fish was nice, and the interestingly it was thoroughly cooked but maintained the softness of an uncooked fish meat.

L'Agneau was French Lamb Au Jus with Herbs Salad, served with Mashed Potato. Yes, that is the signature creamy mashed potato from Robuchon!

And it was a little bit hard to believe that it was lamb, because it looked like two pieces of thin steak. The lamb meat was tender, but again, the mashed potato completely stole the spotlight.

After the hot dishes, the meal didn't just end. While we expected dessert as on the menu, we were offered so many kinds of desserts! To begin with, we had Le Yuzu Vert, a Green Vuzu Granite with a Lemon Grass Jelly and Cloud of Cachaca. It was not too sweet at all, and just a little sour to boost our appetite, making you ready for the next round of sweetness.

And the dessert session went on! Two carts came for us to choose desserts, which they called La Symphonie des Douceurs. We picked up this signature Naplonean cake and Opera cake, and then a Mini Creme Brulée.

That Napolean was truly classic, with every layer to be so crispy. It was not as sweet as I thought, but the creamy layers went very well with the crispy ones. To add more, I also tried the Coffee Truffle with Dark Chocolate.

It was an amazing night and we were so full after this 8-course dinner. I must say that everything in the meal was so well done that you could taste all the effort by the chefs. The ingredients were not any hard-to-find materials, but they were prepared, made and cooked to delight your taste buds in an unexpected way. The cookery was second to none, and I can now see why people keep coming back again and again.

When we left, we received a bag of souvenirs, and I would guess it was a cake, something that other restaurants also gave out. However, I never thought it was this big!

OMG, that was huge! It was filled with cheese and rich smell of eggs, a wonderfully made cake!

Some people went to Robuchon for the stars, but if you are a truly gourmet, you cannot miss this place either. No matter how many stars this place has, you cannot deny the exceptional cookery and amazing cuisine Robuchon a Galera offers. Be there and enjoy a meal that stimulate your mouth and tongue, and reach a new level of food standard!