Guangzhou to Macao, 広州からマカオへ

From Guangzhou to Macao, it takes only about an hour and 30minutes to 2hours by bus.

There are several different starting points and times to choose from. This time, I chose the bus leaving from right below the Canton tower at 7:55AM.

 Canton Tower (left), Map from Guangzhou-Macao (middle),

Bus ticket GZ-Macao round trip CNY110/person (top right), Henqin border (bottom right)

 

 

The main gateway between Zhuhai and Macao is Gongbei border but there are always so many people and have to spend over an hour to cross the border. So, I chose to cross the Henqin border which is much closer to Cotai strip and it was more convenient for me since I was staying in Sheraton Macao Hotel, Cotai Central.

 

 

 Inside of the Venetian Macao

 

 Sands Cotai Central (left), Four Seasons hotel and the Venetian Macao (right)

 

 Night view of Cotai Strip (left), Crown Towers Macau (middle), Hard Rock Hotel Macau (right)

 

 

The way back to Guangzhou, there are also several different starting points and times to choose from.

I chose to leave from the Grand Emperor Hotel in downtown Macao. From there, the bus goes to Henqin border as same as the way from Guangzhou to Macao. At the border, it takes less than half an hour to process. The bus awaits you at Zhuhai side of the border and drive all the way back to Guangzhou. (Note; There are also several choices of the destinations within downtown Guangzhou)

 

 

 Day time view of the downtown Macao with Lisboa Casino (left),

Water and Fire show at Wynn Macau's Performance Lake (right) 

 

 Grand Emperor Hotel (left),

 In front of Grand Emperor Hotel

 The bus schedule from Grand Emperor Hotel to Guangzhou (left), CTS bus awaits in front of the hotel (right)

 

 

 Macau Tower from the bus (left), Henqin border (right)

 

Sheraton Macao -Dining-, シェラトン・マカオホテル -レストラン-

I have tried a couple of restaurants in Sheraton Macao, Cotai Central.

One is "Bene" Italian kitchen and the other one is "Xin" Asian hotpot restaurant.

"Bene" Italian kitchen, Sheraton Macao Hotel,

Entrance (left) and the main dining area (right) 

 

 

One of my best friends from the time I was in Taipei, happened to be the Executive Sous Chef of Sheraton Macao. Chef Gaetano Palumbo from Sicily, Italy. He has worked for world's leading hotels in Rome, moved to Asia and also worked for 5 star hotels, such as Sherwood Hotel Taipei, Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit and  Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers in Bangkok, Thailand.

 

 

 Dining area (left) and the lounge bar area (right)

 

 

 Clean & tidy open kitchen area

 

 

Chef Gaetano recommended me to try Bene -Italian restaurant-. They have a special Brunch on every Sundays. They are serving wide range of cold cuts, cheese, seafood, pastas, desserts on the buffet stations and Italian style BBQ in their outside garden area. Also, many choices of individual portioned a la minute dishes from the special menu!

(for more information → http://www.benemacau.com/en/stuzzichini)

 

 Stuzzichini Sundays - Bene's Brunch Bites

 Seafood selection -lobster, prawn, mussels and more-(left & middle), variety of cheese (right)

 

 Massive selection of sweets

 

Massive selection of sweets, including homemade ice cream station (right) 

Italian-style BBQ at outside garden

 

 Choice from the a la minute menu

Salmon tartar with zucchini scapece (left), Seared tuna carpaccio with fennel in citrus flavor (middle), Rissotto with Italian sausage and mushroom  

Brunch at Bene was wonderful indeed. I wanted to try everything but they just had so much variety and I couldn't eat everything. I would love to go back and try the things I couldn't eat this time...

In the other day, I have tried the Asian hotpot & seafood restaurant "Xin"
I thought it was unique and rare to find a hotpot restaurant in a 5 star hotel. So, I had to try it!
They have also had many choices. Not only the ingredients for the hotpot, also choice of hotpot broth, many varieties of Chinese delicacies, from stir-fried rice, stewed pork, wok-fried vegetables etc... This was another wonderful dining experience!!
(for more information →http://www.xinmacau.com/en/)

"Xin" Asian hotpot & seafood restaurant

Beef & Pork freshly sliced at the buffet counter (top),

Small individual hotpot for each person (bottom left), Dessert buffet (bottom right)

 

 

Sheraton Macao Hotel, Cotai Central, シェラトン・マカオホテル、コタイセントラル

I have experienced the largest Sheraton in the world!

 

Sheraton Macao Official Website →"http://sheratonmacao.com/en/"

 

  

Sheraton Macao Hotel, Cotai Central (澳門喜來登金沙城中心酒店), opened on September 20, 2012,

with 3,896 total guest rooms. Largest hotel in Macao and also largest of all Starwood's hotels.

 

 

 Executive Suite, Living Room

 

 Executive Suite, Bed Room

 

Executive Suite, Bath Room

 

893 ft²/83 m² Executive Suite with a 46-inch flat screen TV and queen-size sleeper sofa in the living room, one king size Sheraton Sweet Sleeper® bed with a 42-inch flat screen TV in the bed room and  the marble bathroom with a stand-alone bathtub, walk-in glass shower and premium Shine by Sheraton™ bath amenities. It's simply Gorgeous!

(They also have Family Suites with Nintendo® Wii™ and children's amenity.)

 

 

 

 Welcome Amenity

 

 Swimming Pool

 

In the swimming pool area, they were showing dream works movies for the families on the side of the swimming pool. In the hotel, they also offer a bunch of activities for kids.  

This hotel is a perfect place to stay for both the adults and kids on their vacation.

 "Palms" the lobby lounge (left), public place on the 1st floor (middle, right)

 

 Front desk -check in counter-, elevator hall

 

Hundreds of people check-in and check-out everyday in this hotel. Check-in counter with 10 experienced front desk staff handle checking-in process very smoothly and it didn't take 5 minutes to get me check-in.

 

 

 Exterior of the hotel

(the buildings in the middle and the right are Sheraton hotel and the left is Conrad and Holiday-Inn) 

 

 Picture in June, 2011

 

I visited Macao in 2011 for the first time, right after the Galaxy in Cotai Strip has opened. At that time, Sheraton and whole complex was still under construction.

Please see the post from 2years ago →"Hotels in Macao" July 18, 2011

To be continued...

Canape カナッペ

"Canape" is a French word, it can be mean "Hors d'oeuvre" or "Amuse-bouche",

it specially comes in a bite size and perfect for a cocktail party.

 

Last week, I was honored to work with my boss, Chef Garth Welsh, Director of Culinary of W Guangzhou, to help him make some of his creations for our VIP guests. 14 different types of savory canapes.

(Get to know more about Chef Garth, here is the video on youku优酷! →"Summer Food That Wows")

 

Sugar Cured Beef, Celery Jelly (left), Scallop, Cauliflower Jelly, Chive Gremolata (middle),

Scallop Ceviche, Watermelon (right)

   

Seared Scallop, Seaweed, Yuzu Jelly (left), Prawns and Chicken Pate, Sliced Papaya and Chili Jam (middle), Chilled Crab Salad, Sliced Mango, Tamarind (right)

  

Spiced Tuna, Pickled Beetroot and Feta (left), Oyster, Cucumber Jelly and Caviar (middle),  Vanilla Cured salmon, Sweet Corn Jelly and Salmon Roe(right)

 

Salmon Tartar, Tomato Consomme Jelly (left), Ginger Tuna, Avocado Puree and Radish (middle), Lobster, Mango Jelly and Mango Chili Coconut Salsa (right) 

 

Asparagus, Quail Egg and Hazelnut (left), Beetroot Jelly, Yogurt and Garlic Chip(right) 

 

 

Making those Canape was not really a Japanese thing but I felt that the process of making those 2cm² sized delicate canapes had so much in common with Japanese cuisine or any other cuisine I guess...

Pay attention to details, paring the flavors to each individual dishes, mixing the different types of textures together to one dish....etc

 

All those Canapes can be used in Japanese "Zensai" appetizer, just change the spices and seasonings, like thymes, chervils, fennel and basils, to Japanese flavors, like miso, oba leaf, soy sauce and wasabi. 

It was very good opportunity for me and my team to learn something different but so much in common. 





 14 types of Canapes ready for the Tasting of VIP event



 Plus 7 types of sweet canape from pastry kitchen (left), Savory canapes for tasting (right)

 

  

P.S. Those pictures below are another canapes Chef Garth has created prior to the ones he and I made last week. 

 

Spinach, Dried Cherry Tomato (left), Pickled Beetroot, Labne, Hazelnut Dukkah (middle left),

Sugar Cured Beef, Celeriac Remoulade (middle right), Pigs’ Cheeks, Pea Custard (right)

 

Smoked Salmon Mousse, Horseradish (left), Spiced Rare Roast Lamb, Cucumber, Tzatziki (middle left), Rillette of Duck, Foie Gras, Cognac Jelly (middle right), Vanilla Cured Salmon, Mussel Salad, Lemon Cream (right)



 

 Date Tarts (left), Crab Salad, Avocado, Flying Fish Roe (middle left), 

Peach and Almond Crumble (middle right), Chocolate Caramel Tarts (right)

 Lime and Ginger Tartlets (left), Espresso Panna Cotta (middle left),

Spiced Blueberry Compote Meringue (middle right), Orange Crème Reverse (right)




 

 

Trip to Singapore シンガポール小旅行

 View of downtown Singapore

 

 

Singapore, one of the international financial centers of Asia, as Tokyo and Hongkong.

Country size is as small as Special wards of Tokyo, with population of over 5 million.

 

I have visited Singapore in the end of August for 4 days to see my old friends and enjoy it's famous diversity of food!

 

 

Sheraton Towers Singapore, Deluxe Room (left and middle), swimming pool (right)

 

 

For 3 nights, I stayed with Sheraton Towers Singapore.

The hotel located near MRT Newton Station, less than 5mins walk from the station. If the weather is not too hot, you can walk to Orchard Road -the entertainment hub and tourist attraction of Singapore-it takes about 15mins.

It's quiet yet not far from the crowd. The hotel itself is quite old but still the service, cleanliness and location are exceptionally good. 

 

 

  Bathroom (left), room amenity (right),

 

 

There are great restaurants inside the hotel, ("Li Bai" Cantonese restaurant, "DOMVS" Italian restaurant, buffet restaurant and bars) but if you care for a local delicacy, there is a food center near by the hotel. Just across the street from the Newton MRT station, NEWTON FOOD CENTRE is there. You can enjoy all the different types of food for a reasonable price (I wouldn't say "Cheap" price because it is not that cheap... well, cheap for the people in Singapore, I guess...)

 



 

 Newton food centre, locates at near Sheraton Towers

 

 

 Singapore's famous Chicken Rice, Fujian style noodle and BBQ Chicken rice (left),

Newton Food Centre's shops and dining area (right)

 

 

There are few things you don't want to miss in Singapore, other than the great food.

Marina Bay Sands is one of them. As soon as it's officially opened in June 2010 (grand opening in Feb. 2011), because of it's characteristic facade, it became a new symbol of Singapore.

Looks like a giant space ship landed on the top of three buildings! The space ship part, "Sands SkyPark", actually is a "Infinity swimming pool / observation deck / restaurants & bars with a panoramic view of Singapore

 

 

 

 Marina Bay Sands, New Symbol of Singapore

 

 Exterior of Marina Bay Sands (left), inside of Marina Bat Sands (middle and right)

 

As I mentioned, many "Must Try" great food in Singapore. "Bak Kut Teh" (or 肉骨茶 in Chinese) is one of them. "Bak Kut Teh" is a pork ribs broth with spices and herbs, usually eaten with noodles or  a bowl of steamed rice.

 

 one of the famous "Bak Kut Teh" restaurants in Singapore (left), "Bak Kut Teh" (right)

 

 Singapore River

A colonial-style Raffles Hotel is one of the oldest luxury hotels in Singapore, another "Must Visit" place in Singapore.

World known cocktail "Singapore Sling" was invented by a bartender in Raffle Hotel between 1910-1915. You can still enjoy their signature Singapore Sling at one of the bars in the hotel.

 Raffles Hotel's Signature Singapore Sling

 

 

One of the great things about Singapore is the diversity of people and food.

The country has many foreign residents and immigrants, such as Chinese, Indian, English, Malay etc, and that connects to a daily necessity.."FOOD"!

I went to Little India and enjoyed Indian Naan bread with curry. Once I stepped into a part of the town, instantly I smell the different types of masala and curry and made me feel like I was in India.

 

 

 Little India area lies between MRT Little India station and Farrer Park station

 

 Variety of colorful and tasty food in Little India's Food Centre

 

Naan Bread with curry dip(left), Food Centre in Little India (right)

 

 

During my short stay, I also have enjoyed Satay -grilled skewers-, Laksa -spicy noodle soup-  in China town and Turkish delicacy in Arabic street.

 

 

 China Town, Chinese temple (top left), Food Centre in China town (top right), Satay skewers (bottom left), Laksa (bottom middle), Chicken rice and poached chicken liver (bottom right)

 

 Dinner at Turkish restaurant (left and middle), night view of Arabic street (right)

  

 

At the last day of my stay in Singapore, I have decided to visit Sentosa island which also recommended by friends who live there.

Going to Sentosa island was easier and quicker than I thought. It is very convenient.



 

 

Way to the Singaporeans' weekend resort island "Sentosa"

 

 Sentosa's Beaches

 Merlion statue at Sentosa Island (left), tropical birds (middle), Universal Studios Singapore (right)

 

 

Inside the island, there are many attractions other than famous Universal Studios Singapore.

There are the beaches, golf course, SPA and 5 star hotels -like, W Sentosa Cove Singapore, Shangri-la's Rasa Sentosa Resort etc-

This time, I didn't have enough time to enjoy those attractions but I would love to come back and stay in one those hotels in Santosa and enjoy the resort.