Fusion Cuisine At Smile House 笑面府 (Macau)

I was quite excited when my friends decided to go to an Italian/French/Western fusion restaurant away from the hustle and bustle of Macau’s ritzy area. The suggestion came from a “picky eater” so I was quite hopeful what Smile House could offer me.

Smile House is a very small family-run restaurant with a seating capcity of about 40 persons split into two rooms. The owner-wife, a fashionably dressed petite lady, recommends daily specials, which varies according to what is in season while the chef-husband cooks in the kitchen. All their food is cooked/tossed with olive oil. There are plenty of vegetables and fruits on their menu and salads are a major feature in Smile House.

Because the food varies, some of the dishes we had were specials of the day and not printed on the menu. Descriptions and names of dishes during the introduction by the lady owner were also communicated in Cantonese so I am having trouble now naming dishes but I will try my best to offer as much as I can remember.

macau smile house 0319 — The view opposite the restaurant.

macau smile house 0321 — Grilled Fish. Served with Thai styled condiments on a pool of Olive Oil and drizzled with Balsamic Vinegar. The taste is clean, refreshing and certainly appetizing. Worked well as first course.

macau smile house 0324 — Pi-pa Lobster Salad tossed with Mango and Capsicum. Seasonal Price. Light and citrusy.

macau smile house 0330 — Marinated Cold Crab with Mango Pomelo Salad.

macau smile house 0327 — Marinated Cold Crab with Mango Pomelo Salad.

macau smile house 0328 — Marinated Cold Crab with Mango Pomelo Salad. Seasonal Price. The crab meat marinade tasted very much like the one on the fish. I liked the Pomelo chunks with Mango juice (and I am not a fan of mango).

macau smile house 0332 — Papaya Fish Broth. I thought it was pumpkin soup until I had the first taste. It wasn’t exactly yucky and I did finished the soup but I’ll pass next time. Fresh Abalone.
These abalones were different from the Tasmanian breed I had at King Restaurant.
The meat was springy and succulent, almost on the verge of being crunchy that had no resistance and succumbed easily when bitten into. Interesting texture.

macau smile house 0334 — Fresh Abalone. These abalones were different from the Tasmanian breed I had at King Restaurant. The meat was springy and succulent, almost on the verge of being crunchy that had no resistance and succumbed easily when bitten into. Interesting texture.

macau smile house 0342 — Baked Scallops with tasty Cheese. The texture and taste was like having a seafood pizza without the dough. Slightly salty because of the cheese. Juicy whole scallop under the blanket of coagulated milk protein.

macau smile house 0338 — Deep-fried Oysters with Mint and Balsamic reduction. The mint wasn’t sharp and together with the balsamic made a good accompaniment to the luscious moist oysters.

macau smile house 0355 — Salmon Roulade. Did not make an impression on me. Guess I’m not a fan of cooked salmon.

macau smile house 0352 — Portuguese Salt Cod (Bacalhoada or Bacalhau) stewed with “Confinement Food – Pig’s Trotters With Ginger and Vinegar”, a dish where new mothers in the Chinese community eat daily for a month to purify the blood, to improve blood circulation and to expel wind and dampness from the body. I liked the tender ginger nuggets and had the hen egg under the cod. The vinegar wasn’t balsamic but the usual glutinous rice vinegar used in confinement cooking.

macau smile house 0373 — Grilled Australian Lamb Chop flavoured with Preserved Beancurd Dressing. MOP298

macau smile house 0380 — I have a phobia of eating lamb due to a bad experience last year in Melbourne. However, the Preserved Beancurd Dressing (PBC) can supposedly cut down the gamey smell of lamb as well as enhance the flavour of the dish and so I tried some. I was glad that there were mustard and ketchup as safety net should the PBC fail. Meat was tender and moist with hint of pink Verdict: Not bad but not a necessary item on my plate, lol… Preserved Beancurd Dressing (紅豆腐乳) is fermented/pickled tofu which has been fully air-dried under hay and slowly ferment from the aerial bacteria. The dried tofu is then soaked in salt water, a mixture of whole rice, soybeans, bean paste, Chinese wine, vinegar and the red colouring is produced by the addition of red yeast rice.

macau smile house 0366 — Stone Grilled Beef. This was a tasty treat especially when dipped into the shaved sea salt. I could not decide if this was Angus or Kobe Tenderloin but it’s definitely not Angus Ribeye (all offered at this restaurant). Just kidding, this was not Kobe and may not even be Angus!

macau smile house 0359 — Lobster Angel Hair. Advance order is advised. Visually and orally appealing.

macau smile house 0381 — Shell Pasta with Spicy Pork Loin. This was the last dish “inserted” as two young ladies were still hungry.

Smile House 笑面府 (Macau)
Address: Shop A-B, G/F, AVE, Marginal Do Lam Mau, Patane
沙梨頭林茂塘海邊馬路信濤灣地下A-B舖

Tel: (853) 28827000

Operating hours: (Closed on Wed)
Lunch: 12nn – 2.30pm
Dinner: 6.30pm – 10.30pm

Sorry, there’s no receipt available for this meal but the restaurant advised…
Average spending per person: MOP 301 – 500

Signature Dishes: Serradura, Kobe Beef with Preserved Egg Dressing, Pomelo Salad with Mango Juice, Black Ink Spaghetti & Dried Scallop Flavored with Ginger Cream, Prawn with Garlic.