Kam Lai Heen is the refurbished Chinese restaurant at the Grand Lapa Hotel (previously the Mandarin Oriental Hotel). The original restaurant back in the good old days when I used to work there was called Dynasty, so that's probably why I am a fan. After Dynasty, it was renamed Tung Yee Heen, which received a prestigious Michelin star, so if you are confused, you're not the only one!

The newly designed restaurant has taken on an exciting and posh look with a beautiful golden-lit entrance to welcome guests. The room looks very elegant, with bright colours, warm carpets, tastefully done chandeliers, decorative Chinese art and vases – altogether a traditionally Chinese look in a modern setting.

The restaurant seats 350 persons and includes eight private rooms. The tabletop is pretty much all brand new which includes neatly pressed white tablecloths, beautiful golden rim presentation plates, white Narumi bone China, polished silverware with a sparkle, decent wine glasses and a simple but attractive plant centerpiece.

Offering Dim Sum and Cantonese a la carte menus as well as Chinese banquets, the venue is popular for weddings, which tends to get busy and this year will certainly be no different as its the Year of the Dragon.

I went for "Yum Cha" which literally translated means "drink tea" for lunch and then came back again for a BBC (Blind Bottle Club) dinner on the same day. Imagining the words of the great Irish writer and poet Oscar Wilde, "I can resist anything except temptation."

For lunch, we opted for shrimp dumplings, shrimp and pork dumplings with crab roe, steamed chicken feet in spicy sate sauce, marinated 100-year-old egg with spicy chilli sauce, steamed scallop dumplings with wasabi flavor, stir fried rice flour rolls in home–made spicy X.O. sauce, deep fried soft bean curd in mix seasoning, simmered duck with salty water and fried rice with salted fish and chicken.

Dessert was steamed buns with liquid egg yolk filling and tea was Pu-erh or called Po Lei in Cantonese, a classic tea from Yunnan province in China.

The service was fast and efficient but could have been more engaging - a smiling face is half a meal as they say. First to arrive were the shrimp and pork dumplings with crab roe, moist succulent pork meat with an inviting tender shrimp in the middle and garnished with a touch of crab roe - very enjoyable even though the presentation could have been better.

The shrimp dumplings came next, with large, fresh, plump, juicy prawns and just the right amount of dough, quite flavoursome. This was followed by the simmered duck with salty water - this was much better than it sounded, poached and simply seasoned, and accompanied by a sharp vinegar dip. The steamed scallop dumplings with wasabi flavor were next - hot, soft dough with delicious, tender sweet scallops.

The steamed chicken feet in spicy sate sauce followed. Chicken feet are all about textures and flavours and getting the right softness and balance despite all the little bones, but unfortunately I felt these ones were way off the mark.

The marinated 100-year-old eggs with spicy chilli sauce were next - the pungent egg is a Chinese delicacy and has many uses in traditional dishes; not to everybody's tastes but I found this dish has a lot of contrast of flavours.

The stir fried rice flour rolls in home–made spicy X.O. sauce and deep fried soft bean curd in mix seasoning was very good, and then came a very large portion of the fried rice with salted fish and chicken - it was literally enough for a banquet.

Last but by no means least were the steamed buns with liquid egg yolk filling. We enjoyed this rich and scrumptious dessert but be careful of the boiling hot egg yolk liquid when you bite into it.

For dinner, we ordered the BBQ platter which includes crispy roast pork and roast duck, deep-fried crispy chicken, diced beef tenderloin with peppercorns and sliced garlic, slices of lamb with spring onions and mushrooms, sweet and sour pork with diced apples, seafood cube in golden crisp cups, fried noodles with shredded pork and bean sprouts and fried rice with scallops and egg white. All very well prepared, delicious and really no complaints.

All in all, a nice balance of good food, competent service (but not the most friendly in the world), reasonable prices, a convivial atmosphere set in a beautiful and charming décor. I think it's one of the nicest Chinese dining rooms in Macau in fact, but still there is still a bit of work to be done if it wants to regain its Michelin star.

KAM LAI HEEN

2/F, Grand Lapa 956-1110 Avenida da Amizade, MACAU

Tel (853) 8793 3821
Lunch - 11:00 - 15:00 hrs (Wed to Mon)
Dinner - 18.00 – 22;00 hrs (Wed to Mon)
$$$ = MOP 200 – 300

by Closer's Food and Wine Contributor David Wong
photos by Carmo Correia