Wing Lei is Wynn Macau’s signature restaurant and has had a Michelin star for a few years now. They used to have two but lost one in 2013 and I wouldn’t be surprised if they lose their last one in the next year or two. (In 2019, they actually regained their two star status! I suspect some money must have changed hands there….)
Anyway, I had a very disappointing dinner at Wing Lei, mostly because my fellow patrons treated the concept of fine dining like it was an affront to their personal identity. (And hey, after living in China for 10 years, maybe it is!)
Overrun with Chinese bao fa hu (or nouveau riche), they were loud, they were proud and they were just about the last people I wanted to dine with. Perhaps you can’t blame Wing Lei for being situated in the Wynn, a hotel that always has a lot of VIP action, but if that’s the principle clientele they attract, then it’s not a restaurant I’d care to give my business to.
Besides the appalling environment that would have ruined any good meal on its own, the food was quite underwhelming as well. I tried their signature 6 course menu, paired it with wine and didn’t see an ounce of fine dining, either in presentation or taste. Maybe the sommelier was asleep at the wheel too because the wine didn’t match the food very well either, nor was it particularly good on its own.
Of the six courses, I’d only recommend two, the steamed cod fish roll and baked lobster, while everything else was average at best.
The abalone and pork were chewy, the duck liver merely okay and the shark fin’s soup an absolute snooze.
Although the set meal had a few good moments, it was far too uneven to be enjoyable and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, especially since it cost $1500.
If you’re at the Wynn and want a Chinese restaurant worthy of its Michelin stars, try Golden Flower instead.
