Best of Macau day 2: going private

Our last meal in Macau this weekend was, in a way, also my most-anticipated.  I would be introducing our visitors to the world of private kitchens, and return to Sing Gor Private Kitchen (勝哥私房菜) for my second taste of the chef's cuisine.  Most of the table were first-timers, so the group was brimming with excitement.

It's Sunday and we were the only group tonight, so I finally got to sit at the adult table.  The Man in White T-shirt had apparently arranged the menu with the chef, and I looked forward to trying out some dishes I didn't get to have last time.

The daily soup (例湯) was made with pork belly, pig's pancreas (猪横脷), seaweed, pig's small intestines, Chinese foxglove (生熟地黃)...  Love the dark brown color...

Crispy chicken (炸子雞) - this was. very good... and the skin was still paper-thin and deliciously crispy.

Stir-fried frog's legs with kailan (玉簪田雞) - one of my favorite dishes from my last visit.   So old school and requires so much effort.

So we've got frogs' legs which had their bones removed, then tied around a section of kailan (芥蘭).  The frogs' legs were incredibly tender and the kailan nice and crunchy.  They glistened beautifully under the light from being stir-fried in lard.  It's too bad that the bamboo shoots they used didn't seem to be fresh.  I wondered if they came from cans or were preserved in some way. 

Stir-fried spinyhead croaker rolls (菜膽炒獅頭魚捲) - another old school dish requiring flawless execution to ensure that the ingredients didn't fall apart during the cooking process. 

The croaker fillets were wrapped around pieces of Cantonese duck liver sausage (膶腸), Indian almonds, and chives.  Perfect execution to deliver this texture and form.  Stir-fried with hearts of Chinese lettuce, carrots, and a sprinkle of dried flounder powder (大地魚粉).  The only disappointment was, once again, those bamboo shoots.

Deep-fried crispy crab cake (金錢蟹盒) - I was so happy to see these 'ravioli' once again... as it was my favorite dish from the last visit.

Encased between two layers of deep-fried pork lard was a collection of crab meat, crab roe, coriander, mushrooms, and water chestnuts.  A heavenly medallion, to be sure. Maybe next time I would ask for 3 of these just for myself...

Pan-fried prawn toast (蝦多士) - as good as I remembered from last time.  The thick toast was golden brown and crunchy, and the big prawn on top was tasty with a little tomalley.  Just an incredibly satisfying feeling biting down on this, and feeling a little oil ooze out onto the tongue.

Soy-marinated pigeon (豉油皇乳鴿) - this was very, very tasty... thanks to the soy marinade.

Stir-fried fish maw with chicken liver and goose web (鳳肝花膠伴鵝掌) - this was an interesting combination of soft goose web which had been de-boned, crunchy fresh fish maw, and chicken liver together with bell peppers. Probably a little challenging for many visitors who have issues with "textures"...

Sweet and sour pork with young ginger (子薑咕嚕肉) - always a great dish at top Cantonese restaurants, and they used big chunks of young ginger here.

Fried glutinous rice with preserved meats (生炒糯米飯) - a little surprised to see this dish so early in the season, but I would never complain about having this.  Pretty tasty, but I would have liked to have a little more seasoning here.

Glutinous rice dumplings in coconut milk (椰皇湯圓) - interesting to see these black sesame-filled dumplings baked in coconut shells with coconut custard inside.  There were also some chunks of 清心丸 jelly.

Chef Tam brought us a tart from Wynn Palace, along with a pineapple and passion fruit sauce.  I, of course, asked for a very, very small slice...

Chef Tam also brought some fresh lotus seeds from Taiwan, which the kitchen cooked simply with some sugar.  Very nice.

We brought a few bottles to dinner, including the other magnum I carried over from Hong Kong:

Georges Vesselle Cuvée Juline - nice and rounded, pretty easy to drink.

2012 Roses de Jeanne Les Ursules, dégorgée en Avril 2016 - bigger nose and more concentration on the palate.

1994 Montrose, en magnum - smoky, minty, a bit earthy.  A little too warm, and still got tannins here.

Our friend from the Grand Lisboa Hotel generously contributed a very special bottle from the hotel's cellar. If only this bottle didn't need to be shared 11 ways...

2012 Keller Nierstein Hipping Riesling Großes Gewächs Trocken Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth - a little petrol, good acidity, flinty.  Served a little warmer than optimal temperature.

A very delicious dinner and another fun evening.  So glad to have had to chance to come back and get another taste of some fantastic dishes.  Hopefully I don't need to wait another 5 months before my next visit...