Reviewer: Foodnut.com Zi Yat Heen Estrada da Baia de N. Senhora da Esperanca Macau, China SAR (853) 2881-8888 |
Why did we dine here? – Zi Yat Heen is the Chinese restaurant at the Four Seasons Macau. We were staying in the hotel and saw that this restaurant had two Michelin stars, making it a no brainer to eat here. We knew nothing about the restaurant, so off we go on another dim sum adventure. Prior to this, we were in Taiwan, so we missed traditional high end Cantonese fare.
Insider Tip – High quality 2 Michelin Star Dim Sum at expensive prices.
Cuisine – Cantonese Chinese
Location – Four Season’s Macao Cotai Strip, China SAR
Service – Zi Yat Heen hosted in a private room with a server to ourselves. Hence the service was excellent. The server knew her stuff and took care of all our needs. Yes, high end restaurants in Asia are far different then the United States.
Verdict – Zi Yat Heen is an expensive restaurant. There were some excellent dishes along with some clinkers. All in all, we feel they deserve one Michelin star and not two. The food is still far better than any Chinese in the US. Stick to interesting Portugese food while in Macau.
We feel that quality in Hong Kong is still higher than here.
Is this restaurant worth a 5 minute drive? Yes. 30 minute? Yes. 1 Hour? Maybe.
Zi Yat Heen Signature Dishes – Suckling pig, Abalone puffs, rice rolls. These are clearly marked on the menu making it easy to order.
Zi Yat Heen’s Menu includes all the classic dishes you expect at lunch time along with their dinner menu with many sophisticated dishes you do not see in the US. Their flowery use of dish names makes it difficult to translate into familiar dishes sometimes.
Zi Yat Heen Food Picks:
US$1 = MOP$8
Barbecued Suckling Pig (MOP$240) was simply beautiful individual sculpted portions of crispy and delicate pig.
Barbecued Pork with Honey (MOP$140) fatty, slightly sweet, awesome. There is nothing close in the US. Hong Kong has a lot of restaurants with this level of quality.
Crispy Pigeon with Osmanthus (MOP$160 each) was very good but not excellent. Smaller birds than in the US, with mellow flavor.
Soup of the Day (MOP$80) was corn, water chestnut, pork. Light flavors, strong corn influence, long boiled.
Baked Whole Abalone Puffs with Diced Chicken 2 pieces (MOP$110) these were very good with some tender abalone and savory gravy. A dish we do not have in the USA.
Steamed Lobster, Shrimp and Bird’s Nest Dumplings 2 piecs (MOP$100) interesting signature dumpling that was pretty massive and full of shrimp and lobster.
Steamed Crystal Dumplings with Crab Meat (MOP$57) had a lot of bamboo shoots in this medium sized dumpling. Very good but not tiptop tier great.
Steamed Scallop and Pea Sprout Dumplings with Conpoy (MOP$57) a solid dumpling with a huge scallop and balanced flavor.
Egg Tarts (MOP$54) were very good. Hot out of the oven, small. You can’t compare these with Golden Gate Bakery in San Francisco, these are slightly different. Lord Stow’s is the reference in Macau.
Pea Shoots in Supreme Broth (MOP$220) were done very well. Crisp, bathed in a light broth.
OK: (Order if you like this dish)
Steamed Barbecued Pork Buns (MOP$54) were average even though they were supposed to be a signature dish.
Steamed Rice Rolls with Shredded Chicken and Cordyceps Flower (MOP$60) had a good noodle but lacked flavor.
Steamed Rice Rolls with Scallops and Honey Beans (MOP$75) was just ok, order something else instead.
Steamed Glutinous Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaf with Chicken and Dried Scallop (MOP$60) was ok, but should have been better.
Pans: (We would not reorder these dishes)
None
Do you agree with our review? Have you found other nearby restaurants that are better?
Restaurant Map:
No Comments