Guest Chefs at Sofitel Macau

Photo: Richard Toix heads fine dining restaurant Passions et Gourmandises in Saint-Benoit

With the release of the 2016 Hong Kong and Macau Michelin guide, there is no better time to start sampling all the starred establishments the city has to offer. But spare a thought for those restaurants that missed out (or were strangely excluded from the guide altogether). One of those restaurants was Sofitel Macau’s French restaurant Privé. Not deterred by this it is offering Michelin-starred cuisine anyway, courtesy of French chefs Richard Toix and Nicolas Isnard. Until Sunday the chefs, who both run Michelin-starred establishments in their native country, will be serving up a range of gastronomic delights at Sofitel over the weekend.

Isnard co-owns the L’Auberge de la Charme in Prenois, which earned a Michelin star in 2009 within a year of opening, and Toix heads fine dining restaurant Passions et Gourmandises in Saint-Benoit, which earned its first Michelin star in 2008, a mere nine months after opening. Ladybird of Leisure sat down with Toix to find out what he thinks of Macau and his thoughts on the Michelin Guide.

During his time in Macau, Toix has visited several restaurants, including The Tasting Room, the French restaurant in the City of Dreams headed by Chef Guillaume Galliot. Awarded its second Michelin star in the 2016 guide, Toix said that The Tasting Room is certainly worthy of its now two-star status, but when asked if the Michelin guides in France and Hong Kong/Macau hold restaurants to the same standards Toix had to admit that he did not think they did. Of course getting a Michelin star anywhere is difficult, he said, but he believes that in France it is more complicated and difficult. He went on to say that he doesn’t understand why his restaurant still has just a single star. Richard Toix will present his four-course lunch and six-course dinner at Privé tomorrow.

In addition to chatting with the chef, we sampled his four-course lunch menu. To start was a dish made up of fava beans, a green pea fricassée, confit egg and Colonnata bacon. The richness of the bacon worked well with the freshness of the peas and beans while the egg added a silky texture. It was, we are told, a staple on the summer menu at Passions et Gourmandises. The following dish is another staple at his restaurant. King prawns and mushrooms with a ‘gourmet’ crust were presented in a bowl which then had mushroom bouillon poured on top. A great dish for cooler weather, we really enjoyed the interesting texture of the crust, which partially dissolved in the bouillon. Following that was lamb filet topped with a seaweed crust and drizzled with red wine jus. Lamb and seaweed seems a strange combination, but as always the proof was in the eating and this did not disappoint. The lamb was perfectly cooked and very tender and the seaweed complimented the delicate meat with a savory note. To end the decadent meal was an appropriately decadent dessert: Valrhona dulcey chocolate fondant with pomelo, strawberry and avocado ice cream. Another interesting combination that worked well – so much so that we, true to form, ate every last bite.

Be sure to check out the Sommelier’s Secret Wine List for some great quality, affordable wines by the glass or bottle to go with lunch.

Chef Toix’s menu is available Saturday Nov. 14th with Chef Isnard’s menu available on Friday Nov. 13th. On Sunday Nov. 15th both chefs will join forces with Sofitel’s resident chef, Jean-François Nulli, to present guests with a six-course dinner. See the menus below.

Lunch Menu by Nicolas Isnard