Grand Buffet @ Grand Lisboa Macau

In the tradition of consumption of mass quantities, the original Macau buffet was not thought of much until the likes of the Grand Lisboa opening its doors to foodies.

Since then, many have been trying to attract foodies by offering a buffet spread grander and greater than the Grand Buffet at the new casino hotel. The only bargaining point is really the price, which has of course increased substantially.

To beat the weekend crowd, you really need to book a place. You can call them up or if you are in the vicinity, drop by the restaurant and make a booking. You'd be given a card with the booking time and by doing so, avoid the walk-in queue.

Booking is free of coure unless you are booking during a public holiday or for a festive buffet—which will cost more.

Back in the old days, the price was only MOP188, but now, it has since gone up to MOP288. That's quite a jump really as it is sans service taxes. However like all foods, it's all in the eating that determines the good value of any food. You are only allowed two hours to wolf down your food, and you can choose a booking time starting at 6pm or 8.30pm. This restaurant doesn't offer ala-cart items so you can forget about eating here if buffet is not your thing.

The Grand Buffet is special as it has the longest buffet line in Asia and packs a mean punch when it comes to food selection. I won't argue with the Chinese spread, where you have fresh prawns, dim sum, roast meats etc, but the killer dish they had at one time was the Alaskan King Crab, this has since changed (from 2012) and has been replaced with steamed baby abalone.

I'm not a fan of abalone but that doesn't seem to be with the case with most Chinese who pile their plates up high once the queue opens.

The Japanese sashimi is nice, with a generous selection though no where near the likes of what you find in traditional Japanese restaurants. The North Indian food is nothing short of superb, you have a resident Indian chef who supervises the cooking of authentic Indian cuisine. Then you have the western meats, which is either leg of ham or roast beef, both of which I find excellent.The Tom Yam Gong is excellent too, prepared with the best ingredients so you know you're getting the real stuff and not from a commercial paste.

The pastries and bread are really good, and so is the desserts, which you have south east asian favorites as well as good Portuguese Serradura. Now the real value is in the price. At MOP288, it is a lot more than before. Even though it offers far more better value for money than ANY buffet you find in Singapore, it still represents a hefty jump. I would recommend you try this once in your life but if you are looking for other buffets in Macau, you can find many that starts at only MOP188.

Grand Buffet @ Grand Lisboa