Café Encore

This article first appeared in the Jul/Aug 2010 issue of World Gaming magazine.

The Panda decided that he would try out something new and found himself at Café Encore. It is one of only two dining choices at the new Encore casino which is the latest Macau offering from Wynn.

Whenever I hear around the traps that a new casino is opening I instantly get excited about a whole new range of exciting feasting options. Wynn’s new casino Encore opened recently so I waited until all the hype had died down before having a look for myself. I was feeling very hungry and certainly wasn’t looking for bamboo shoots that day.

The first thing I thought as I strolled from one end to the other was, ‘is this it?’ From the outside it looks huge, dwarfing the original Wynn. That’s an optical illusion because Encore is very tall but not very wide. It really appears that Encore is an extension simply adding more rooms to the Wynn complex.

I asked around and found out that there were only two restaurants in the new complex. The first was a noodle house and I was looking for something more substantial than that. The second was Café Encore. I could have easily looked for a more up-market option at Wynn but I had come to experience something at Encore so I grabbed a table at the café.

Cafe Encore

“Café” has become an over used term these days and can range from any place serving pre-wrapped sandwiches and instant coffee to extensive a la carte menus offering close to a silver service style of dining. Café Encore was closer to the latter. The décor was stunning and the atmosphere, like all Wynn establishments, is modern, chic and clean. There is no tacky elevator music here; this is the sort of café that is designed for how the other half eat their eggs.

The service was technically good, but I felt that I had ten sets of eyes piercing into me during the whole dining experience. The secret to good service is that it should appear to come in a relaxed style and shouldn’t make one feel under pressure. At times I felt that I was being urged to quickly finish the last mouthful of any one dish so three waiters could charge over and fight for the honour of rushing the plate back to the kitchen.

The menu was extensive and it serves their clientele well. It had three sections that covered Asian, Western and Portuguese cuisines. I decided that I would try a few dishes from all three different styles. I started off with the Western and Portuguese and got some suckling pig and a Cobb salad. The suckling pig was good but it wasn’t anything special and I have to say I prefer the Asian versions over the Portuguese. The salad was fresh and well prepared and would be an excellent healthy treat for anyone who had spent hours on the tables.

I then tucked into my Chinese main courses which consisted of a braised scallop and eggplant hotpot in a plum and chilli sauce that was only just okay and was very pricey. The braised duck with shitake mushrooms and spinach was good and the sweet and sour pork with figs was superb.

I finished the night with the apple pie and a separate serve of the homemade ice cream. These unfortunately I have to say were only really average at best. The wine list was good and they had a great selection of reasonably priced wines from around the world. I also had a fruit mocktail called a Tai Chi which was a lycee drink and very tasty. I was quite full and didn’t hang around for a cup of coffee at the end.

As cafés go there are worse ones than this one. I think it would also be a good place for breakfast and lunch especially if you were staying at Encore. I am one for really good food and an atmosphere I feel comfortable in and I have to say Café Encore left me disappointed on both fronts. Then again the Panda might not be the sort of clientele that Encore is looking to attract.