Tian Yi
Tian Yi: A Story of Self-Loss or Surrender?
Once the first chef-owned modern Chinese restaurant in Macau, Tian Yi now disappoints with its lackluster dishes, seemingly thrown together to make up a ten-course menu. The offerings barely qualify as "creative cuisine," let alone "modern Chinese."
Located in the Morpheus Hotel and part of the New Hoi Group, Tian Yi boasts a Michelin-starred location, decor, tableware, and conceptual design. However, the execution of the dishes is underwhelming.
Two or three years ago, Tian Yi was hailed as Macau's best modern restaurant. Then, overshadowed by the rising popularity of Chuan Jiang Yue, it faded into obscurity. During my recent Macau trip, where I visited eight Michelin-starred restaurants, Tian Yi disappointingly ranked last in terms of meal quality considering the price.
The dining experience started positively, with the restaurant's restrained yet culturally blended ambiance impressing me. The high ceilings, soothing music, spacious seating, thoughtfully designed lighting, and delicate pink roses on display plates harmonized beautifully with Bacarrat crystal glasses and metal alloy chopsticks.
However, disappointment set in with the first soup. Most dishes seemed more fitting for a mid-range restaurant. More than half of the menu went untouched after a few bites. The restaurant's philosophy to menu execution suffered significant losses at each stage:
- The concept, rooted in "Yi" from the I Ching, revolves around food as medicine and harmony between heaven and man, changing menus monthly according to the 24 solar terms. This should drive menu rotations based on seasonal ingredient benefits rather than change for change's sake.
- Operational execution in the kitchen appeared overwhelmed by nearly twelve unique menus yearly. Even a simple dish like curry-baked abalone was touted as a local innovation blending Portuguese and Cantonese features.
- The menu hardly reflected the food-as-medicine ethos. During my "Start of Spring" visit, besides goji leaves, dishes were typical meat-based Cantonese fare, reducing the concept to mere lip service.
Moreover, the menu wasn't extensive, but the four-hour meal duration, partly due to long waits between courses, indicated operational inefficiencies. Even on a half-full night, both front and back of the house seemed understaffed.
The tea pairing felt cursory with only three teas offered in small servings. The pairing lacked coherence, resembling a discounted combo rather than a thoughtful match.
Tian Yi: A Culinary Disappointment in Modern Chinese Cuisine
Tian Yi, once the pinnacle of chef-driven modern Chinese cuisine in Macau, now barely scrapes by with its uninspiring dishes. It's hard to imagine that this was once Macau's finest modern restaurant. Now, it struggles to justify its presence among the eight Michelin-starred restaurants I visited, ranking last in terms of value for money.
The restaurant, nestled in Morpheus Hotel and part of the New Hoi Group, enjoys a prestigious location. Yet, its culinary offerings fall flat. The concept is based on the 'Yi' from the I Ching, focusing on the harmony of food and medicine and changing menus with the 24 solar terms. However, the implementation feels forced, with dishes failing to showcase this philosophy genuinely.
The meal started on a high note with well-executed appetizers, including radish in puff pastry and a seafood platter with squid rolls, smoked pomfret, and sea urchin shrimp toast. However, the experience took a downturn with the first soup. The rest of the menu, comprising mostly average Cantonese dishes, lacked the innovation or quality expected at such a price point.
The 'Fish Roe Crab Meat' dish, a modern take on steamed egg whites, was dominated by overpowering fish roe, overshadowing the crab meat. The 'Fish Maw Soup,' a traditional Cantonese broth, was a surprising shift from the modern approach, lacking any standout ingredients. The 'Steamed Grouper' was an underwhelming dish with no discernible flavors of orange peel or anise, despite their mention on the menu.
The 'Curry Baked Abalone' was a low point, unfitting for a high-end menu and overwhelmed by curry flavor. The 'Tomato Sauce Wagyu Beef,' an additional dish, was tender but unremarkative. The highlight was the 'Tian Yi Lemongrass Pigeon,' consistently well-prepared but not enough to elevate the overall meal.
The 'Roasted Suckling Pig,' with hard skin and filled with shrimp, mushrooms, and rock rice, further disappointed, especially when paired with a small and unimpressive black truffle.
Dessert, a 'Coconut King Pudding,' was akin to street-side sweet shops and not enhanced by the addition of bird's nest.
Overall, Tian Yi, once a beacon of modern Chinese cuisine, now seems to have lost its way, delivering an experience that does not live up to its Michelin-starred setting or its promising concept.
