In an age of growing environmental awareness, what is luxury? For many if not most of us, it’s no longer about having it all, no matter the cost. Instead, it’s about taking a thoughtful, highly curated approach to the planet and its bounty. That’s the sustainable dining philosophy followed by Michele Dell’Aquila, Executive Sous Chef of The Manor. He crafts wholesome dishes where each meticulously sourced, seasonal ingredient gets to shine – and tastes exactly as it should.
At the restaurant, the Italian-born chef (who started investing in sustainability-centred menus long before they became a trend) gives diners a chance to indulge in fine-dining with the least possible impact on the planet. It only adds to the experience. “Diners understand what they’re eating, where it comes from and why it comes at a premium,” Dell’Aquila explains.
“The fine-dining experience is rooted in premium ingredients. We focus on their quality, texture, size, shape, colour, taste – sourcing is a very detailed process,” he adds.
In curating the restaurant’s latest Celebrate Sustainability menu, the chef has turned to small-scale, ethical producers and family businesses showing deep respect for the environment.
“Rather than exhausting resources, these farmers only produce what they can produce in a given season. And when they run out of product? Well, then we wait for next year,” says Dell’Aquila, adding that these businesses focus on quality over quantity.
Sustainable cooking, pristine flavours
Producing a Geay oyster doesn’t come without a good dose of tender love and care. Each of these delicacies takes the Geay family between three and five years to rear in oyster beds out in the Atlantic waters of Marennes-Oléron, on the West coast of France. But it’s well worth the wait. Boasting outstanding flavour and a velvety flesh, the Geay oyster is the centrepiece of the first dish on the line up.
The oyster is crowned by a dollop of Oscietra Caviar by France’s leading caviar producer, Sturia, while drops of lime add freshness to the dish.
From the best of France to the best of Japan: Senryo eggplants are front and centre in the second course. Originating from Okayama prefecture, where low rain and plenty of sunshine form the ideal climate to grow them, these gorgeous, glossy eggplants are extra flavourful during summer.
From the eggplant millefeuille on a bed of cherry tomato soup, to the grilled eggplant on the side, the second dish on the menu is a showcase of pure, natural flavour.
Dell’Aquila honours tradition and innovation with the lobster dish that follows, choosing 5DO, a French shellfish farmer operating since 1895, to supply the Brittany lobster.
The firm uses advanced deep freezing technology to preserve maximum flavour in the succulent lobster meat that the chef prepares with seaweed and radishes from boutique French gardener Eric Roy Maraîcher in a subtle broth. The result? An intentionally understated, beautiful course that impresses in all its simplicity.
Following the lobster, is an exquisite risotto. Perhaps no chef in Macao has mastered this deceptively difficult and quintessentially Italian dish like Dell’Aquila. It is the perfect compliment for the ultra fresh Mediterranean red mullet served with it. The mullet comes from France’s certified sustainable fishing company Le Viviers de Noirmoutier, while the carnaroli rice hails from the nature reserve of San Massimo in Italy’s Ticino Valley and has been certified with the park’s blue label for its eco-friendliness.
Top-grade Wagyu often features on the menus Dell’Aquila designs and the Celebrate Sustainability six-course meal is no exception. After all, the Japanese breed is known to be reared and fed according to strict welfare guidelines.
For the meat, Dell’Aquila turned to Zen-Noh Wagyu, Japan’s oldest and most trusted producer. Their beautifully-marbled A5 wagyu beef features the melt-in-your-mouth texture that meat-loving diners crave for. The chef brings the best of its flavour by pairing it with an onion confit made with Les Vergers St-Eustache onions (a French company sourcing produce from small, local growers), which lends the dish a hint of sweetness while balancing the wagyu’s complex flavour.
Rounding off the experience is Dell’Aquila’s summery dessert. Comprising a delicate peach-shaped shell, with a jelly-like peach filling featuring hints of The St. Regis signature blended tea, it is adorned with edible flowers grown by Marius Auda – a producer championing traditional gardening techniques in the south of France.
Naturally, a meal of this calibre wouldn’t be complete without great wine. Sommelier David Duan has selected a stellar line up of sustainably sourced, biodynamic wines to accompany each dish on the menu.
