Eat at Morpheus: lunchtime peanuts

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I've been invited to spend a day at the newest hotel on the Cotai block, the one that many of us have been waiting for - Morpheus. As perhaps the second-to-last project commissioned prior to the passing of Dame Zaha Hadid, I have been watching (and waiting) as it steadily rose from its base in the City of Dreams.  The distinctive shape and the unique exoskeleton meant that the place was always destined to become one of Macau's landmarks.



Once we arrived at the hotel - before we had time to take in the breathtaking interior design - we were whisked to the Club Lounge on the 30th floor.  We were treated to a "light" lunch while seated in the private "bubble"...

Bamboo shrimp tartar with cauliflower gazpacho - this was OK.  I did wonder for a moment why a gazpacho made with cauliflower would turn out green, but whatever...

Fresh Japanese scallop carpaccio with Shizuoka tomato salsa - the scallop carpaccio was so thin that it looked pounded onto the plate... and we had to scrape it off with a knife.  The flavors and fragrances of sesame oil were pretty prominent, with perhaps a hint of ginger.

Iberico barbecued char siu with braised morel mushrooms and pearl barley - OF COURSE I chose iberico pork out of the three choices on offer... Who cares about filet mignon or Aussie barramundi when there's fatty Spanish pork?!  Oh yes, these were definitely tender and tasty, and served on top of some asparagus.  Not sure why the diced spring onion on top was necessary, though...

The pearl barley on the side was perhaps a tad more creamy than I would have preferred, but the morels certainly brought their wonderful fragrance.

Chilled sago cream with mango (楊枝甘露) with fruits 

With plenty of room left in my stomach, I really looked forward to the Pierre Hermé goodies that Chef Sébastien Bauer brought us...

Satine - having been a long-time fan of The Fat One, I am no stranger to his classic flavor combinations, including this one.  The passion fruit flavors were in the sponge cake above the chocolate base, and the acidity was tempered by the layer of rich cream cheese, then topped with sweet marmalade.  Slurp.

Morpheus BLM macaron - the signature created for the hotel, with basil, lime, and mandarin.

Coffee tart - having only had one cup of coffee this morning, I was more than happy to take another caffeine hit with this.  Very, very good.

Canelé - OF COURSE I asked for a canelé... In fact, I went back and grabbed a second one later.  After we left the lounge, I would hear someone else lament about the fact that she didn't go for seconds...

Montebello - another classic combo from The Fat One.  Just look at those beautiful, succulent raspberries on top of the pistachio cream and dacquoise!

I'm not sure about the others, but I was definitely full by this point.  Not the least from all the popcorn and peanuts thrown about and strewn across the floor...

We then embarked on a quick tour of the key facilities of the hotel, including a certain restaurant that I wasn't allowed to dine in...

Once we checked in to our luxurious suite, I found these goodies from Pierre Hermé in the room.  I was very, very happy... but wondered when, exactly, I would have the stomach space for them...