Rendezvous in Macau: Lisboa Culinary Adventure showcases 10 star-rated dishes

SJM Resorts, in partnership with TVB, has premiered the gourmet series Rendezvous in Macau: Lisboa Culinary Adventure. The series began airing on 7 September on the Jade Channel. 

Ten limited-edition dishes, created specifically for the show, will be available at selected SJM restaurants. In addition, SJM will share the stories behind the dishes through a series of two-minute Macau’s Top Ten Star-Rated Dishes segments, airing from 9 to 20 September on Jade channel, TVB Plus, and TVB News. 

The creations will be showcased in the eight SJM restaurants until 31 October, with some only available till 20 September. 

The dishes include: 

Robuchon au Dôme, tomato ‘millefeuille’, crabmeat, avocado and green apple

Designed in the 1980s by renowned three-Michelin-starred chef Joël Robuchon, this summer dish features the most tender parts from whole Alaskan king crabs, artfully sliced; air-flown Japanese tomatoes, along with the finest avocados, green apples, and watercress. 

These ingredients are skillfully layered into a visually-stunning culinary masterpiece. 

*Available until 20 September 

Mesa by José Avillez, Carabineiro, pork & prawn wantan, fisherman’s sauce 

A lightly-grilled red carabinero prawn stars in a contemporary take on the Cantonese wantan. The ensemble is completed with a fisherman’s broth made from a base of blue lobster, lobster, fresh shrimp, and red carabinero shrimp paste.

Mesa by José Avillez, Crispy suckling pig, coriander, orange scent 

Chef Avillez presents a contemporary twist on the classic Portuguese family dish—roast suckling pig. The suckling pig is deboned and roasted, then layered with skin alternating with the meat to create a sandwich.

Zuicho, Shrimp & zucchini flower tempura

The chef selects fresh zucchini blossoms to envelope plump, fatty shrimp meat from Japan. The ingredients are then coated in tempura batter, then fried to perfection. The dish is completed with a plum-based sauce and shrimp salt. 

*Available until 20 September

Palace Garden, Hot and sour fish bisque with imperial bird’s nest

This dish is a contemporary twist on the century-old Taishi partridge bisque, a staple of Tai Shi cuisine. The chef selects a trio of fresh catches—carp, yellow croaker, and Macau sole— to craft a rich broth, replacing rice grain with bird’s nest. 

Wild chili peppers from Yunnan infuse the soup with a bold, spicy and sour profile. The dish is complete with a delicate-prepared fish meatball. 

Taishi is a branch of Cantonese cuisine.

Hua Ting, Braised abalone and pork belly, tuber melanosporum (black truffle)

Dongpo pork is prepared using premium locally-sourced pork belly. It is stewed for eight hours with a blend of seasonings, then infused with abalone and black truffle. The meat is paired with pearl rice.

The 8, Flambé beggar cod fish

This dish is a novel rendition of the traditional Chinese beggar chicken, featuring fatty Norwegian silver cod brought to sear while encased in caul fat. The cod is then combined with Macau-style bacalhau and Yunnanese large white radish, among other ingredients, all wrapped in lotus leaves and encased in a handmade pastry shell for baking. Bacalhau refers to dried and salted cod.

Don Alfonso 1890, Grandfather’s Ernesto strascinati, traditional cannelloni pasta rolls filled with mozzarella cheese, oxtail and San Marzano tomato sauce

This dish, a classic creation by Chef Alfonso first presented over 20 years ago at the Hotel Lisboa, features cannelloni pasta with oxtail ragù, draped in a rich organic San Marzano tomato sauce from tomatos grown on the Le Peracciole farm in Ponta Campanella. Complemented by a creamy mozzarella and basil sauce, the dish perfectly blends traditional Italian cuisine with the unique flavours of Macau. Strascinati is a particular type of pasta.

Source: SJM. Top: La Scala del Palazzo,
fava di cacao ripieni al serradura.
Bottom: La Scala del Palazzo,
Il cannoncino, fondant egg tart &
cinnamon gelato.

La Scala del Palazzo, Il cannoncino, fondant egg tart & cinnamon gelato

The chef has introduced a unique twist on Italy’s iconic dessert, cannoli, by substituting the traditional vanilla cream filling with the flavours of Macau’s pastel de nata (Portuguese egg custard tart). This creative fusion is paired with cinnamon gelato. 

La Scala del Palazzo, Fava di cacao ripieni al serradura

Inspired by Macau’s beloved serradura, this dish is presented in the form of a jewellery box. The outer shell is crafted from premium French chocolate, molded into the shape of a cocoa bean. There is a filling of milk mousse and orange sorbet. The chocolate is complemented by a vanilla-orange cookie. 

Serradura or Macau pudding consists of Marie biscuits and whipped cream.

Details

For bookings or questions contact +853 8881 1800 or visit https://qr.sjm.mo/59m37t

LAVISH introduces new level of premium catering to Singapore

Premium catering extraordinaire LAVISH rebranded at its 18th Anniversary gala extravaganza in late January, where the company also unveiled the future of catering with a combination of food technology and science. The company is well-known for its experience in helming catering for MICE, corporate galas, private banquets, product launches, after-parties, as well as dinner and dance functions.

Source: LAVISH. The gala dinner was held
at Gardens by the Bay.

Jerry Sim, Director of Strategic Business at LAVISH said, “We recognised at the outset that as Singapore modernised to become an important MICE hub, so would the demand for world-class indoor and outdoor catering. As the average spend per head has more than tripled over the last 10 years from S$70 to S$250, we leveraged on food technology and invested in our long-serving team to develop their passion and skills. Our Service Ambassadors are trained to provide intuitive service before the guests even ask for it. We relooked each aspect of our business and even went on learning trips to enable the company to lead in the catering industry.” 

LAVISH’s Executive Chef Teo Yeow Siang (Chef Siang), a member of the internationally acclaimed Singapore National Culinary Team, presented a unique spread of food fashion that invited gastronomists to expect the unexpected. The menu included local favourites, all reinvented to showcase LAVISH's vision of 'dining 2.0'. 

Source: LAVISH. The team preparing for the gala dinner.

Chef Siang said, "Ten years ago, the catering brief was generally: give us good food and feed us till we are full. Today, we must help make the host look good as well.” Dragon’s Pearl, the chef’s adaption of frozen citrus foam, thrilled guests as they expelled vapours through their nostrils on consuming the mythical pearl - just like mythical dragons. Instead of live cooking or carving stations, LAVISH had a standing degustation menu of intricately created tasting portions inspired by sushi, served on a conveyor belt at a 3m x 3m live station. Dishes included the Reversed Chawanmushi, consisting of cold chawanmushi, scallop tartar, wasabi yuzu, and spring onion foam, as well as Earth, a sous vide egg, wild mushroom ragout, truffle crumble, and porcini foam.

Source: LAVISH. The LAVISH Culinary Theatre featured small bites on a conveyor belt.

Source: LAVISH. The LAVISH Culinary Theatre featured small bites on a conveyor belt.

Chef Siang also showcased some of the dishes that had won awards at international culinary competitions. The Taste of Chef's Award Winning Culinary Journey menu included lobster fritters, mentaiko aioli and seaweed dust, which won an award at the Culinary World Cup 2014; pan seared king crab in brick pastry, lemon puree, a winner at FHA 2012, and braised beef cheek, char leek, bush tomato, smoked onion & potato foam, which made waves at the Culinary World Cup 2010. 

Source: LAVISH. Canapes.

Source: LAVISH. Hainanese chicken rice, LAVISH style. This dish showcased local favourites in the earlier part of the dinner. 

Source: LAVISH. Charcoal Cones containing marinated Thai beef and coconut espuma (a culinary foam). LAVISH had in the past used spicy shredded duck as an alternative for those who do not take beef.

Source: LAVISH. A croquembouche adds interest as a centrepiece.

Source: LAVISH. Edible mahjong tiles.

Source: LAVISH. The exquisite dessert selection.

Sim observed, “We are taking the road less travelled by providing the overall dining experience. Our planning would take into consideration the décor to ambient lighting, the wow factor as well as minding cultural etiquette. Gone are the days when special diet means vegetarian or meat-free. Now, we have gluten-free, no shellfish, no flour, no mushrooms, no pepper…Jain and kosher are no longer the only special cultural dietary requirements.”

Source: LAVISH. From left: Teo and Sim.

"It’s my own level of wow. My team is very passionate about what we do. We try to surpass ourselves because to us, each event is a special event,” Chef Siang added.

Interested?

View LAVISH's curated menus

Epson printer helps Indonesian entrepreneur expand, diversify

Source: Epson. A range of the results from the printer.

When Indonesian entrepreneur and digital textile expert Budi Santoso opened his own business in 2008, it had nothing to do with printing. Moshaict is a clothing store that specialises in fashions for Muslim women. The first store opened in Jakarta about six years ago. In 2011, he had a brainwave: why rely on external printers, when he could print his own products and sell them in his store? 

Having discovered the Epson SureColor SC-F7070 online, Santoso made some comparisons with other similar machines and found that the SC-F7070 was the most suitable for his needs. “Everything I read talked about the quality of the prints and the cost was within my reach. I also found out that many of the other brands use Epson’s parts so I thought why not get an entire machine that was made by Epson, rather than one that only has parts," said Santoso. 

“Working with my designer, I used the printer to create our own unique fashion designs and print them in-house. It was a hit and we managed to reduce our costs,” 

The in-house capability that Santoso had spread by word of mouth, with one designer telling another and coming to Santoso for printing. This led to the creation of another company, iPrintex.

Since purchasing the SureColor SC-F7070, Santoso has seen his business double. When he started with iPrintex, he went through a roll (approximately 100m) of material per day, but after a year, the business is going through two rolls per day, its maximum capacity.

Source: Epson. The Epson SureColor SC-F7070.

Santoso currently has ten Moshaict outlets in and around Jakarta and is looking to open at least another five more. This means more textile printing, an area that Santoso has already decided to focus on.

"I chose Epson and it paid off; my customers are all very satisfied,” states Santoso. “This investment has already allowed me to grow my fashion business and branch out into a brand new area of business – professional printing. I definitely want to expand my printing capabilities, invest more in it and see it grow.”