Vida Rica Bar Fireworks Buffet (Macau)

View from Vida Rica Bar (Macau).

I chose this restaurant as I read that you could see the yearly Macau Fireworks competition from here (which is what I planned our trip around), yet information about it online was limited (especially in English). ​

I made a reservation after they got back to me really quick on the menu, pricing, and hours.  

Service was a hit or miss.  At the beginning we had someone helping us that was really wonderful (non-server, management's assistant).  She was so friendly and made us felt so welcome.  But since it was not her job to look after us, service went down hill from there after she left and gave us Champagne.  

Even though we were one of the first groups to arrive, we were the last table to be notified that the buffet was ready (they were still setting up the buffet 1+ hr past the reservation time). 
​We didn't mind too much about waiting since we could catch up in the meantime, but it was the next events that put a damper to the experience.

[As the night progressed, we had to hunt down an actual server for drinks and then finally our bill. 
My friend walked up to someone to order wine (our package included Champagne, but not endless).  The staff she spoke to (a young female in a white skirt suit) appeared to be chatting away with another, and was quite rude to her.  
​We obviously expected a surcharge (the price list was on the table), but the tone of voice and they way they spoke to my friend sounded very condescending. 
 
We understand that regular customers of the restaurant gets priority service (and I know there's a slight differentiation between the actual Vida Rica Restaurant vs. the Bar [lounge area] where they had the buffet.
Fact is, all of the tables next to us were constantly checked on vs. no one checking on us was kind of disappointing
and not what I expected from Mandarin Oriental.

I supposed the saving grace was the beginning experience, quality and quantity of the food, and that they gave us a prime (view) table.   We were not too comfortable half way into the meal as there was a couple that kept talking and pointing at us because during happy hour, they were originally sitting in our seats (we were sat elsewhere as we were told our table wasn't ready yet).    

The restaurant decided to move the couple to the back once happy hour was over, (which still has beautiful views as the windows are floor-to-ceiling).   If the couple were nice about it, we would have gladly given them the table
(I did put in the reservation a month+ prior, while they sounded like walk-ins).    

I would like to visit this restaurant again as the food selection was really good in terms of taste, freshness
(for the seafood), variety, and price.  I really hope this was an isolated incident (as everyone else's review online didn't mention being treated this way.  Was it because of the nationality of my friend?  To be fair, the last person that helped us with our bill and drinks was very friendly (a guy server), but service was still slow.   

One last thing, the staff at the Valet was very caring.    It started raining very hard shortly after we left the restaurant, and they tried to call us a Taxi, but to no avail (we waited for maybe 20 mins).   In the end, they recommended we walk through to the MGM and get a Taxi there instead.

If you want to visit Macau during the yearly Firework's competition (usually around Mid-September to early October), you can find the official dates featured on the tourism page. 
​
If you have time to plan your trip around it, it's worth it, but do note it usually coincides near or on a
Chinese Holiday so there's massive crowds to contend with. 

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