Crafting an Unforgettable Celebration
MACAU SAR 11 November 2024 – Galaxy Macau™ Presents Tatler Off Menu took place from November 8 to 10 at the Galaxy Macau™ Cabana at Banyan Tree Macau, Asia’s most highly awarded luxury integrated resort. Following its successful debut in Macau last year, this year’s festival returned with an even more impressive lineup of chefs and elevated gourmet offerings. Food enthusiasts were treated to an extraordinary culinary experience with gastrononmy and cocktail innovations, with electrifying live beats, featuring the return of this exclusive dining event that highlighted Macau’s status as a UNESCO “Creative City of Gastronomy”.
Surrounded by lush greenery and within an al fresco poolside setting, Galaxy Macau™ Presents Tatler Off Menu was hosted at the Cabana at Banyan Tree Macau. As Asia’s most anticipated live culinary festival, this year, the event assembled an impressive lineup of 15 world-renowned chefs and mixologists. Many of them have earned prestigious accolades from The Michelin Guide, Black Pearl Restaurant Guide, as well as Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants and the World’s 50 Best Bars, as well as Asia’s 50 Best Bars. As guests savored exclusive pairings in the kitchen and expertly crafted cocktails, they took with them lasting memories of spellbinding gastronomy and excellence in the culinary canon.
Chan Chek Keong, Assistant Vice President of Food & Beverage Culinary of StarWord Hotel, has led Feng Wei Ju to achieve a Michelin two-star rating for eight consecutive years and to receive a coveted 2024 Black Pearl One Diamond Restaurant accolade. He showcased his profound expertise in Sichuan and Hunan cuisine with a showstopping dish featuring Simmered Grouper with Pickled Mustard Greens in Sour Soup. Meanwhile, Chef Peter Cuong Franklin, a trailblazer in modern Vietnamese and Asian cuisine in Ho Chi Minh, crafted Vietnamese-Style Ceviche with Scallop, Coconut, Lime, Fish Sauce, Phu Quoc Chili and Sichuan Pepper flower, highlighting rare spices and umami taken to new heights. Making a highly anticipated guest appearance, master Chef Umberto Bombana joined his 8½ Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA Macau team, which has held its Michelin star for nine consecutive years and has been awarded a 2024 Black Pearl One Diamond Restaurant accolade. Chef Bombana presented one of his standout signatures, a Parmesan and Foie Gras Ravioli in Beef Consommé. French chef Loïc Portalier, from one-Michelin-starred restaurant Louise in Hong Kong, prepared the comforting and delectable Onion and Comté Ravioli with Toasted Walnuts and Sherry Vinegar. The use of different cheeses in both dishes created a delightful contrast. Jan Ruangnukulkit, Executive Chef of Saffron at Banyan Tree Macau – a Michelin Selected Restaurant, brought her creativity and passion for modern Thai cuisine to the event with a creative dish of Spicy David Hervé Oyster with Thai Acacia Leaves and Perseus Caviar. Rounding out the savoury dishes, Lok Hin Yam, the pastry chef for Galaxy Macau, StarWorld Hotel and Broadway Macau™, prepared joyfully delectable desserts for the event: Japanese Pancake with Sweet Potato Ice Cream, Chantilly Cream and Lemon Foam, showcasing his exceptional pastry skills and flair for the spectacular, garnered from his tenures in the world’s leading pastry kitchens.
In addition, a number of acclaimed international chefs and mixologists shone brightly at this year’s event. Among them were Yusuke Takada, chef of La Cime in Osaka, which has impressively retained two Michelin stars for nine consecutive years, and Natsuko Shoji, head chef of the acclaimed Tokyo restaurant Été. The dynamic duo prepared a refreshing Golden Leaf Puff filled with freshly baked fluffy shrimp pie with a refreshing tom yum sauce, as well as a Parfait Après L’Été featuring roasted tea parfait with chestnuts and apples. Manav Tuli, the Indian culinary star from the Michelin Selected restaurant Leela in Hong Kong, and Kim Hock Su, the chef-proprietor of the Michelin-starred Restaurant au Jardin in Penang, showcased their creativity with wagyu beef cheek as the main ingredient. They presented Icon Wagyu Beef Cheek Biryani and Icon Wagyu Beef Cheek Tsukune Taco with hot sauce, pickled cabbage and onion, offering a unique interpretation of mouthwatering, flavourful wagyu. From Taipei, Chef Kei Koo, the 2022 Michelin Guide Chinese Taipei, Taichung, Tainan & Kaohsiung Young Chef Award winner, is the driving force behind de nuit’s modern French cuisine. He crafted a dish of Assorted Plums with Burrata. The duo of Chefs Dae Hyun Yoon and Hee Eun Kim – both renowned culinary superstars from South Korea – celebrated for their innovative approaches to traditional Korean cuisine with a dish of Steamed Lobster Roll with Pine Nut and Perilla Sauce, a creative and unforgettable medley.
Rome native Lorenzo Antinori, founder of headline-grabbing Bar Leone in Hong Kong—ranked in the top two of the World’s 50 Best Bars and first in Asia’s 50 Best Bars in 2024 —created two signature cocktails for Galaxy Macau™ Presents Tatler Off Menu. Bringing his unabashed flair to the Yuzu Americano, crafted with yuzu sake, Campari, sweet vermouth and soda, as well as Milan with a View, made with non-alcoholic Italian red bitters, cucumber and soda. The mixology maestro added fizz and flair, together with Nokoy Mak, Head Mixologist of Long Bar at Raffles at Galaxy Macau, who has a reputation for bringing quality and creativity to every bar. Mak crafted two cocktails with distinct profiles: Jasmine Echoes, combining Raffles 1915 Sipsmith Gin, Oloroso, Umeshu and Saicho Sparkling Tea, and the Sparkling Regatta featuring jasmine shrub, apple juice and Saicho Sparkling Tea. Both cocktails delivered rich flavors, infusing the experience with an air of sophistication. The exquisite creations from these two master mixologists elevated Off Menu to fun and spellbinding new heights.
Galaxy Macau™ Presents Tatler Off Menu exuded effortless energy and elegance, with dynamic performances by three trending female DJs—Natalie Dunn, Crystal So, and Mengzy —who delivered captivating music sets throughout the four sessions. Elevating the vibes to exhilarating heights amid rhythmic beats, guests savored a symphony of gourmet delights and creative mixology, experiencing an unforgettable sensory journey in the breezy al fresco surrounds of the Galaxy Macau Cabana.
The much-anticipated return of Galaxy Macau Presents Tatler Off Menu drew both loyal foodies and fans, inviting them on a singular and elevated journey of global gastronomy. A premier dining destination, Galaxy Macau’s wide variety of gastronomic delights, exquisite experiences, and the finest quality ingredients, feature over 120 options from Michelin starred dining to authentic delicacies. The event further reinforced Macao’s status as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, at Asia’s most highly awarded, world-class integrated resort.
