Good Eating Edit: The new Palace Garden at Grand Lisboa Palace Resort Macau presents opulent chinoiserie-inspired interiors and multifaceted Cantonese cuisine

The opulent restaurant features a series of individually themed private rooms, including the Flower Room, Butterfly Room, Pagoda Room and Li Bai Room
Its farm-to-table dining concept focuses on seasonally driven Taishi dishes with a Western touch, offering a wonderful fusion of Eastern and Western cuisine

Good Eating Edit

SCMP Reporter

Published: 10:00am, 13 Apr 2022

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Hearkening back to the chinoiserie period of China’s trade history – when the East was viewed through a romanticised, rose-tinted lens – Palace Garden is the new crown jewel of the Grand Lisboa Palace Resort Macau, an opulently designed restaurant serving exceptional Cantonese cuisine. A magnificent fusion of East and West, Palace Garden takes its inspiration from imperial gardens, each element designed to evoke a feeling of grand nobility befitting of the elegant banquet-style dishes.

The Palace Garden Fan Room at Grand Lisboa Palace Resort Macau.

Past the ornate front gate lies a lush European-style garden, where a fragrant canopy beckons guests to enter the restaurant. Along one corridor, a series of private rooms are rendered in the style of palatial residences and individually themed with rare artwork and antiques. Sip on botanical cocktails in the Flower Room; let your imagination soar in the Butterfly Room against a kaleidoscope of colours; or find tranquillity in the Pagoda Room, lined with arched shelves to mimic a tiered temple. In the Li Bai Room, a bespoke bar caters to thirsty patrons, with signature cocktails served against a moving digital landscape.

The Palace Garden main dining room at Grand Lisboa Palace Resort Macau, which serves Taishi cuisine in a regal setting.

Taking pride of place in the main dining room is a 35-metre-long silk mural, along with an installation of six custom-made, double-sided embroidery fans, replicating the imagery of birds and flowers. In this captivating setting, diners are invited to discover the rich, multifaceted layers of Taishi cuisine – so named after Jiang Taishi, a prominent figure in the history of Cantonese cuisine known as the “first man of the hundred Cantonese foods”. A forerunner of farm-to-table dining, Palace Garden honours the same vein of seasonally-driven dishes, with Western ingredients woven into the menu for a contemporary take on Taishi classics.

Pomelo and mango cream with ginger ice cream at Palace Garden, Grand Lisboa Palace Resort Macau.

From slow-cooked soups to expertly prepared seafood, an innovative menu is informed by centuries of Cantonese cooking traditions. Surrounded by a regal ambience, guests can savour highlights such as Premium Partridge Bisque, a complex broth fragrant with mandarin peel and aged ginger; Crystal King Tiger Prawn, served with 52-month aged Iberico ham; and Beef Slow Stewed with Wild Honey and Supreme Soy Sauce, marinated in the chef’s secret recipe.

The exquisite cuisine is complemented by a 1,000-label-strong wine list and a Mao-tai Programme featuring handblown glasses and Baijiu-inspired cocktails.