Two-Michelin-Starred, The Huaiyang Garden, is the creation of celebrity master chef Zhou Xiaoyan and is his first restaurant in Macao. Demonstrating exceptional culinary excellence and delivering a premier dining experience, the restaurant highlights this timeless culinary heritage in an elegant space (over 717 m2 ). The stunning dishes from Zhou, the “Godfather of Huaiyang Cuisine” are complemented and enhanced by sumptuous décor and masterful service.
As one of the four great traditional Chinese cuisines, Huaiyang cuisine originated in Southeast China, around the Huai and Yangtze Rivers, about 3,000 years ago. It is popular for its fresh, light yet complex flavours, requiring all ingredients to be prepared with consummate knife skills and precisely cooked to ensure perfect texture and taste.
As an ambassador for Huaiyang culinary heritage, Chef Zhou is credited with introducing innovations based around contemporary techniques and presentation to further refine this classic cuisine. The award-winning chef elevates authentic Huaiyang cuisine to a true art form, combining traditional heritage with contemporary plating and highlighting the best of Chinese gastronomic culture. Chef Zhou’s culinary philosophy is to maximise and perfect each individual ingredient, before carefully combining them with other elements in a symphony of harmony and delight.
All authentic Huaiyang delicacies offer a perfect combination of taste and presentation, prepared with the best seasonal ingredients while following the rhythms of nature. Signature dishes include stewed pork ball with crab roe in superior soup, which takes two days to make; steamed Hilsa Herring with 20-year-old Huadiao wine, which requires chefs to painstakingly remove over 100 fish bones; shredded bean curd with crab meat and egg white in superior soup; braised Hokkaido sea cucumber with shrimp roe; baked rice with yellow eel and chives, and more. Ingredients are responsibly sourced using sustainable seafood and organic produce when possible.
Complementing The Huaiyang Garden’s exemplary cuisine is next-level restaurant design, created to transport guests to a classic Chinese garden, an idealised miniature landscape with winding paths offering perfectly composed glimpses of scenery. As guests travel through the restaurant, it gradually opens to reveal intimate scenes, presenting a journey of surprise. The restaurant’s main dining area, ‘West Lake Garden’, is inspired by ‘Orioles Singing in the Willows’, one of the most scenic spots at the famous Hangzhou location. The cool tones of the main colour palette create a tranquil and gentle atmosphere. Another dining area, ‘Fragrant Garden’, features golden walls with gilded and hand-embroidered motifs of sweet osmanthus, a symbol of nobility and elegance in Chinese culture and the inspiration for many folk legends.
For discerning guests and gourmands seeking greater solitude, the restaurant has three private dining rooms – poetically named ‘Rippling Pavilion’, ‘Drunken Fireworks’, and ‘Moon in the Lake’ – perfect spaces for dinner events and special occasions.
Chef Xiao Fei
Senior Chef of The Huaiyang Garden
Veteran chef Xiao Fei, who has dedicated his career to pursuing culinary excellence, was handpicked by chef Zhou as Senior Chef at The Huaiyang Garden. He also shares chef Zhou’s determination to reinvigorate Huaiyang cuisine, one of the four great Chinese culinary traditions.
A native of Jiangsu province, Chef Xiao has 24 years’ experience in Chinese gastronomy, particularly in celebrated Suzhou cuisine and to honour the legacy of its traditional cooking techniques, Chef Xiao has focused on the development and innovation of the cuisine’s classic dishes. He has been awarded with the honorary titles of ‘Renowned Chef of China’ and ‘Master Chef of Jiangsu Province’. He is a fourth-generation holder of the title ‘preserver of the intangible cultural heritage of Suzhou-style noodles’, and serves as Vice President of the Suzhou Culinary Association.
Q: Huaiyang cuisine is known for its delicacy and refinement. How do you present authentic Huaiyang flavours in Macao while catering to both local and international palates?
A: Working in Macao—a city where Eastern and Western cultures intersect—has given me a deeper understanding of the diversity and uniqueness of ingredients. Upholding the philosophy of “striving for excellence,” I continuously experiment with different ingredients based on traditional cooking techniques to create even better dishes. I always follow the motto: “Preserving traditional craftsmanship, presented with modern aesthetics.” I aim to pass down traditional skills while applying them to new ingredients, and express innovation through presentation. For example, when ingredient availability is limited or restricted, I slightly adjust the recipes accordingly.
Q: In a city like Macao, renowned for global gastronomy, how do you ensure that Huaiyang cuisine stands out in the high-end dining scene?
A: As one of the four great traditional Chinese cuisines, Huaiyang cuisine is celebrated for its freshness, light yet complex flavours, refined knife work, and precise heat control. It represents the pinnacle of Chinese culinary culture. Master chef Zhou Xiaoyan has been dedicated to both preserving and innovating Huaiyang cuisine—adhering to its authentic flavors while enhancing it with modern aesthetics, turning simplicity into brilliance and highlighting the essence of Chinese flavours.
Q: Which signature dish do you most recommend?
A: Shredded bean curd with crab meat and egg white in superior soup —it is based on the classic Huaiyang dish Wensi Tofu Soup, to which we add king crab leg and pair it with crispy fried Sanzi, a traditional Yangzhou snack. The cooking process is particularly meticulous, resulting in a soft, smooth texture and an unforgettable aftertaste.
Another one is the Steamed Hilsa Herring with 20-year-old Huadiao wine. Hilsa Herring is known for its exquisite flavour but also its 164 tiny bones. Noted author, Eileen Chang wrote: “There are three great regrets in life: ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ left unfinished, Begonia blossoms without fragrance, and Hilsa Herring full of bones.” At The Huaiyang Garden, we resolved one of these regrets by employing a unique method to remove the bones while preserving the fish’s shape. We even keep the fish scales, deep-frying them to add a crispy texture. The tender fish is complemented by Yunnan single-clove garlic, Jiangsu spring onions, our house-fermented rice wine, and a touch of sweet, 20-year-old Huadiao wine.
• Location: Level 2, The Londoner Macao
• Contact: +853 8118 8822
• Website: www.londonermacao.com/macau-restaurants/huaiyang-garden
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