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This place reminds me of Two Blur Guys, with the way its name has been derived from. A rather known place for tzechar, I was quite surprised that this name kept popping up whenever I speak of tzechar cravings.

For the not-so-Singaporeans, Tzechar is typically in a coffee shop setting, with most dishes involving frying - hence the name of 煮炒 in Chinese. As most coffee shops would have a tzechar stall, it was pretty rare to hear of any special outstanding one, except perhaps the popular XO Beehoon or the Hong Kong Street ones.

Hidden in quite an inaccessible area away from the train station, it was quite surprising to see the place packed with people even at about 8pm.

The Eight is one of the Michelin-rated restaurants within the Lisboa Complex in Macau. With 2 Michelin stars under its name, it is an intimate Chinese restaurant with a delightfully lavish interior. Offering exquisite Cantonese and Huaiyang cuisine, it is certainly a classic Chinese dining experience with an elegant touch. A name like 8, which is an iconic numeral which Chinese would associate with fortune and prosperity, it was no surprise the fame it accredited in Macau, where casinos are dotted across the island.

I simply love the combination of this unique concoction. The smoked duck breast tasted almost like parma ham and the quinoa seeds helped to give the 'beaded' texture. The confit cherry which was wrapped underneath the smoked duck breast was soft, ripe and burst out with juices. I would have preferred a crisp touch to the dish to round up the textures, but it was still an interesting treat.


This gave the afternoon tea a 'French' touch for this grilled ham and cheese sandwich originated in French cafes. The name came from the verb croquer (to crunch) and the word monsieur (mister). Typically Emmental or Gruyere cheese is used. We suspected that it was either squid ink or charcoal toast but we figured it would more likely be the latter. The toast was done perfectly, very crisp surface with a slightly soft interior, so you know that you are enjoying toast and not 'biscuit-toast'. The melted cheese was generous and together with the ham slices complemented the making of a savoury sandwich.


Served with a slice of fresh fig, it stirred interest in my appetite even before trying out those savoury snacks. I am a huge fan of caneles and figs, so this was something that I was really looking forward to. Canele is a small French pastry with a soft and tender custard center and a dark, thick caramelized crust. It has this classic striated cylinder shape and originated from Bordeaux region of France though it is also a treat commonly found in Parisian patisseries. The shape comes from the similarity in French of the word wave with the word 'cannelure' which meant corrugation or striations. It is made from egg, sugar, milk and flour flavoured with rum and vanilla, though the last two ingredients were an improvised version which originated from the first quarter of the 20th century.

After some background introduction, on to the actual food tasting. To be perfectly honest, I was rather disappointed. The shape seemed rather 'willy-wonky' and did not look too stable on the plate. It was too dense and tasted too much of the flour despite the chewy texture which was good. Being a sweet treat, the caramelized crust was insufficient to bring out the much desired nectarous nature of this snack.


Cheese Puff

I felt that the cheese puff was too salty for my liking. Despite the crisp texture on the outside contrasted with a light and fluffy interior with pockets of air, the overall after-taste was too dry. I was expecting some moist cream on the inside to neutralize the texture but it was actually cheese which added a tinge of salinity to the taste. Perhaps it was not what I had in mind prior to tasting, but it certainly did not deliver a pleasant surprise on the after-taste - too dry and salty, I would pass on that on any other given day.



The bases to the tarts were solid crusts and it was the cookie-biscuit type. Depending on individual, the custard on the inside and the stiff crust went 'okay' by my standard though I felt it was rather pedestrian and nothing too impressive to blow me away. The chopped fruits and nuts scatted at the top gave a good contrast in terms of texture, with the crunch from nuts and a sweet mellow softness from the fruits.


Artisan chocolate