Hollywood Hotel Gongbei Port branch

Part of the Macao University of Tourism, this restaurant was set up to train the future talents of Macau’s hospitality industry. The menu features European and Macanese dishes using herbs from their own garden; to sample local flavours, check out the Macanese menu's specialitie, such as galinha à portuguesa, and assorted Macanese starters. Macanese semi-buffet is offered at Saturday lunch. Oenophiles should check the wine list, which features a nice selection of Portuguese labels.

The location at the top of the Grand Lisboa Hotel makes for breathtaking views and is a terrific setting for the restaurant's renowned contemporary French cuisine. Whether as part of the set menu or à la carte, the dishes are intricate, beautifully plated and boast an array of intense flavours. The stunning dessert trolley provides a fitting finale, and the wine list is one of the best in Asia.

The lavish interior sports goldfish motifs and the number eight to wish diners good fortune. The menu is traditional Cantonese starring crisply crafted quality ingredients. The head chef adds a new spin to familiar dishes with imported produce like Japanese chillies, Argentinian carabineros and Aussie lobster. At lunch, over 40 types of dim sum are available – try the steamed rice rolls filled with pickled Japanese cucumber and char siu Berkshire pork.

The opulent room is covered in gold and red, the festive colours for the Chinese. The menu offers Sichuan classics, such as sautéed chicken with peanuts and chilli, and Hunanese fare like steamed carp fish head with chilli. Hand-pulled noodles are also worth trying – watching the chefs pulling them in the display kitchen adds to the entertainment. Boiled mandarin fish fillets in chilli oil comes in portions generous enough for a few to share.

Equally suited to power lunches and friendly get-togethers, this strikingly lavish restaurant dominated by a frosted crystal flying dragon offers far more than just a treat for the eye. Cantonese classics and dim sum crafted with top-notch ingredients are what keep diners coming back. Besides the main menu, ask about their seasonal dishes such as clay pot rice and Dongshan goat in winter. Thoughtful service adds to the experience.

This busy shop next to the Chun Lei pier still kneads the noodles with a bamboo pole like in bygone days. The owner’s wife then cooks them perfectly, thus explaining their bouncy texture. The broth simmered with an array of seasonal fish boasts depth and sweetness. Dried prawn roe sprinkled on tossed noodles is toasted by the owner himself, imparting umami and aroma. Also try the crab congee and deep-fried wontons with crispy dace balls.

A family business since the '70s, this noodle shop sticks to its roots and its thin, fine noodles are pressed by bamboo pole in its own factory nearby. Their soup is cooked with dried prawns and dried plaice for 8 hours. The noodles with dried shrimp roe are great, but also try their wontons and dace balls that are served deep-fried or blanched; the fermented clam sauce is the perfect accompaniment to the dace balls.