Dim sum at Wing Lei Palace in Macau is a cut above the rest

Fine-dining Cantonese restaurant Wing Lei Palace never fails to impress. Guests are greeted at the entrance by signature Wynn flowers, while inside is an elegant jade and gold-toned chinoiserie dining area overlooking the hotel’s lake.

For appetisers, we had barbecued pork with honey, chilled enoki and cordyceps flower with sesame oil and deep-fried diced cod fish with salt and spices. The barbecued pork was tender, while the crunchy mushrooms had an appealing sesame oil aroma. The cod fish was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

The quality of a Cantonese restaurant’s dim sum defines how successful it is. With its modern presentation, Wing Lei Palace’s dim sum was a joy to the palate and a feast for the eyes. We had steamed pork, shrimp and scallop dumplings, and a luxurious rendition of regular siu mai. We also had deep-fried shredded turnip with cheese, a mini lotus-shaped and fluffy puff pastry, and a shiitake-shaped custard bun with cocoa dust.

We then tried the restaurant’s signature simmered garoupa fillet with egg white in supreme chicken broth. The fish and the egg white, which was cooked in tiny droplets, tasted spectacular with the savoury chicken broth. But we were a little disappointed by the wok-fried wagyu beef with rice crackers. The seasoning was slightly overwhelming, and the rice crackers and deep-fried edible basket were not crispy enough.

For dessert, we enjoyed deep-fried sesame balls filled with custard and bird’s nest, and chilled mango cream with sago and pomelo. The sesame balls were crispy and chewy, with a smooth filling and the mango cream was refreshing; the milk flavour did not overpower the mango and pomelo. Lee Wing-sze