Though I’m a person who likes quantity over quality when it
comes to eating, that doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate good food. Before I
figured out I was gluten intolerant, I’d go to Sizzler and buffets in Vegas,
and they’d lose money on me. I eat a lot!
And even now being gluten-free and
older, I can still pack it in. Anyone who goes to a buffet with me has to leave
extra time to wait for me to finish. I’ll eat til it hurts. I just have to be
selective on what I take.
But that’s the whole point of buffets—choosing small
portions of a lot of different items on the first go around and then returning
for those you liked.
During my Macau trip, I went to a fair amount of buffets
with some making that second trip worth it and others failing on the first try.
Mandarin Oriental
Breakfast Buffet Quite frankly, this is probably the best buffet I’ve ever
had. The Vida La Rica Restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental Macau is not a huge
venue. It’s elegant and upscale. You’d expect a small shelf of offerings, but
you’d be wrong. Everywhere you look, there’s food.
On the left are the entrees
along with an eggs chef who will remember your preference if you dined the
previous day. Okay, you’re saying: maybe remembering the order from the
previous day is impressive but most buffets now have a made-to-order eggs chef.
But they probably don’t make omelettes like the chefs here did. At first I
thought he was adding cheese which sent me in a panic. The middle was juicy,
and I had no lactaid and a 12 hour outing with few bathroom relief times. But
the juice—more than just moist—was actually the egg itself. Not as runny as a
sunny side up but still permeating the entire omelette with juice, I now scoff
at any other attempt. I learned that this technique is called baveuse.
Excessively runny is wrong and although there are people who like it without
any juice, the general consensus is that the inside should be creamy, not
watery or completely dried out.
I’d go back to the Mandarin Oriental Macau just for their
omelettes.
But there was so much more. On the entrée side, I couldn’t
find a single thing that was a fail. Fried rice with prawns, baked tomatoes,
steamed fish were all excellent. Even the “ordinary faire” was excellent such
as the hash browns. There were rice noodle wraps (chee cheong fun) and plenty
more. But that’s not it. A selection of fruits were to the right, and down in
another section were cold cuts including salami, ham, and brusciotto and presunto,
which is the Portugese version.
But you’re not done yet. A large selection of breads, and
several jars of different compotes along with yogurt, nuts, and juices. Behind
that is a noodle chef and (if memory serves me right) a pancake and waffle chef
along with dim sum and a dizzying array of other yummys that I can’t recall.
But the buffet did go on forever.
The thing is there’s not one thing I didn’t like. It did
cost 220 patacas which equals to about $27 so it’s pricey but very worth it.
The service is unbelievable with servers bringing your
filled plates to the table and holding your chair and placing your napkin on your lap for
you.
Four Seasons Macau
Breakfast Buffet This was the
first of two breakfasts I had the day I went as I wanted to eat as much as I
could beforehand so I could have a chance to use the restroom after. (Little too TMI, I know but you had to use strategy when you're on outings all day. I'm used to Comic-Con and going to the bathroom means losing the chance to see Hugh Jackman pass out swag on the streets.)
I was
disappointed in the food. In a site visit, the selections seemed extremely
varied with Indian, Chinese, and American among the flavors offered. But when
it came to quality, it paled in comparison. Like the Mandarin Oriental Macau,
they had noodle, waffle, and egg chefs. The omelette was dry in the middle—no French
style there. I didn’t go back and request another to see if he could do it
baveuse. At Mandarin Oriental, I believe I had three. In one sitting!
The Indian curry was
unremarkable as was most items. Astonishingly, it was probably the only buffet
I didn’t go back for seconds.
Sheraton’s Shrekfast
You have 90 minutes to eat here. On weekends, there are two breakfasts so they'll clear you out.
But along with eating, there’s an interactive
parade of Dreamworks characters who sing and dance on stage and come to the
tables for photo opps. To give you an idea of the wide range of enjoyment, we
sat next to a table that had no children. We had no kids as well. And they were getting into it,
dancing and hugging the costumed performers such as Shrek, Fiona, Po, Tigress,
Toothless, Alex, and many, many more. Like San Diego Comic Con, it was a chance
to be a kid. And yex, we totally got into it. Who was the very first person to take a photo with Shrek? You know it!
As for the food, there were several novelties such as a
Ginger Bread Man cookie ala Shrek and char sui baos and toast made up as Po.
There were several chefs including those for noodles and eggs. But it’s not
fine dining. The flavors are not high quality. What you’re really going for is
the experience which is tremendously fun.
Macau Tower Dinner
I would not return to the Tower. Two of us in my party got dizzy because the
restaurant rotates. I avoided looking outside the 360 degree windows because it made
me more nauseous. It would have been an experience if the food was good, but it
wasn’t that great. There was a wide variety of flavors and different kinds of
food, but nothing jumped out at me that made me want to return. I wish there
was a period that the restaurant would stop so I could l look out at the
amazing view of the city, but the nausea made me not want to fill my stomach
til it hurts which is my MO at buffets.
