The Eight — Restaurant in Sé

This one has been on my list since 2019. Once the boarder reopened after covid, I successfully booked with them. Granted it was a 3-month advanced booking, but it was for the peak Easter holiday; so it was alright.

I must admit, the food itself wasn’t as impressive or spectacular as I’d expected for a Michelin 3-star restaurant. I was more wowed with the food other restaurants I visited before. They were art-like, sophisticated and required a lot of work, which I really admire; but they were more on a good level than great or oh-my-god level. We particularly enjoyed the Steamed Garoupa Fillet with Shark’s Fin and Crabmeat in Superior (lobster) Soup.

But the whole experience from the moment you arrived at the reception was seamless and perfect.

Every detail of the decorations were utterly well-thought-out, the chain-like 8 symbols at the hallway to the reception, the projected animated goldfishes swimming across the corridor as the diners walk in, the different statues on every table etc.. The restaurant was extremely clean and comfortable.

And what we were most impressed with, was the service, it was the most courteous and on-point services we have ever received. Everyone was attentive but never to the point that make you feel uneasy. They made you feel like they are all genuinely welcoming and happy to be a part of your dining experience. They were just pleasant and filled you with warmth. Visited a lot of places with great ambiance before and The 8 took it to a whole different level. Just the service itself deserved the three Michelin stars in my opinion.

And in all fairness, the value for money is great. All the “popular”/ “highly recommended”/ always fully booked local restaurants we have visited in our Macau trip weren’t that great in any aspect but similarly pricey; I’d much prefer to spend with The 8 and enjoy...

Made the reservation 1 month in advance. Wasn't too hard to secure the reservation, but they have a bunch of policies which made things annoying. My seating was 11:30am for 3 people. We sat down and ordered the set menu for 3 people, which was 3000MOP total. Service was extremely lacking as tea was never refilled on time and never hot. Supposedly they should have someone that keeps refilling and making sure tea is properly refilled when it's included in a set menu.

Food was nothing spectacular or amazing for a 3 star restaurant. In fact, some of the dishes were overly seasoned and tasted very heavy. They also lacked the basic culinary skills of making a perfect ChaSiu, which you can find in small food stalls all over Hong Kong. Any small hawker restaurant in Hong Kong can serve up some bomb ChaSiu over noodles. This place served heavy veined pork, which was tough and hard to eat. Responded our opinion about this dish as none of us finished. Manager was notified but he never came over to check on us. They didn't care for customers complaint.

They also rushed the last 3 dishes because they needed to flip the table. Last 3 items were all served at once and we could only eat one at a time. The other dishes were room temp by the time we got to it. Definitely spoiled the quality and taste.

Not sure why these Michelin Inspectors gave them 3 stars. Maybe they don't know anything about Cantonese cuisine....

The Three Michelin stars is well deserved! Great service from entry and the staff attended to our every need. There is an expectation that customers wear smart casual so do not come in with shorts (based on the diners there, long pants and t-shirt is still ok). The decor is very spacious whilst maintaining a Chinese theme.

As expected of a top notch restaurant, the portions are small but there is a lot of care put into every dish, not only in terms of presentation, but also taste with the staff recommending the order in which we eat our food to maximise our experience. Expensive as expected but still recommend ($ 3,280 HKD per head without wine pairing)

Pictured: set menu Chilled razor clam, roasted suckling pig, tea smoked pigeon superior bird's nest with snow crabmeat braised Yoshihama abalone steamed Garoupa fillet A5 Kagoshima Beef (sizzling on presentation) Poached vermicelli and Boston Lobster (very creamy broth) sweeten chilled mango soup (staff recommendation after the normal set menu...