Macau’s Sunday surprise

This article first appeared in the Jan/Feb 2016 issue of WGM.

WGM is no stranger to Banyan Tree’s signature restaurant Belon at Galaxy Macau.

Having enjoyed many a fine dinner in its luxurious surrounds, we gave it a glowing review in our Nov/Dec 2014 issue where we described it as, “one of Macau’s very best dining experiences.”

But as we recently discovered, you haven’t experienced all Belon has to offer until you’ve enjoyed its Sunday Brunch.

Perhaps best described as a buffet fit for a king, Belon’s Sunday Brunch has proved hugely successful for Banyan Tree with the cavernous expanses of the restaurant still barely enough to satisfy the growing demand. And it’s little wonder when you walk down the glitzy black staircase and witness the incredible variety of food on offer.

Belon is a seafood restaurant first and foremost and Sunday Brunch is no different with everything from lobster, crab and prawns to hot clams and calamari plus a special “cooked to order” surf and turf section boasting grilled Australian lamb, beef rib eye, Boston lobster, Iberico pork neck and cuttlefish.

There are also five types of caviar, five types of salmon and three types of live oysters – freshly shucked of course. Needless to say, you won’t leave Sunday Brunch hungry!

Our experience is that buffets are very much hit and miss affairs with many restaurants using them as a quick and easy way to feed the masses and get them out the door, but Belon clearly takes a different view in wanting to provide a truly memorable experience.

Attention to detail is the key and aside from the main seafood and meat options, the sides have also been carefully assembled to add an extra burst of color and flavor. They include a range of anti pasti, gourmet salads,soups and pastas, while dessert includes various cakes, ice creams and four sumptuous nitrogen sorbets.

It should be noted that at MOP$798 for adults and MOP$238 for children (plus 10 percent service charge on both), Belon’s Sunday Brunch doesn’t come cheap. But this is also as good a Sunday feed as you’re ever going to have and includes a free flow of champagne and wine – a delightful indulgence given it is soon to become the Moet & Chandon Sunday Brunch.

Belon was one of a select group of restaurants to bring international fine dining to Macau when it first opened in 2011 and five years on it continues to shine brightly despite the huge number of quality restaurants now on offer.

Sunday Brunch is already well on the way to becoming a Macau institution in its own right and with its opulent surrounds and bird’s eye views over Cotai is an experience everyone should savor at least once.