Don Alfonso 1890, the Italian fine dining restaurant at the Grand Lisboa Macau, is unabashedly old-fashioned. With red chandeliers, oil paintings of southern Italy decking the walls and strains of Puccini and Verdi in the background, this is the perfect setting for long, romantic dinners.

Chef Alfonso Iaccarino is famous in his native Italy for authentic southern Italian cuisine, featuring lots of seafood and fresh ingredients. A dish that perfectly exemplifies his culinary philosophy is the signature spaghetti Don Alfonso with San Marzano tomatoes and basil. There is nothing fancy or modern about this dish, rather it simply but quite brilliantly allows each of the quality ingredients to shine. A more decadent pasta dish is the homemade cappelli stuffed with wild pheasant, black truffle and burrata fondue. We simply adore this rich sauce that owes its deep flavours to the gaminess of the pheasant as well as the earthiness of the truffles. What we did wish, however, was that the cappelli were little less al dente and there was more sauce. Although osso bucco is a dish from the north, we decide to give it a try regardless. The veal shank is succulent and fork tender, accompanied by perfectly cooked marrow and a delicious saffron risotto. The dish is only slightly let down by the sauce, which is on the bland side and lacks the zest of citrus peel. For dessert, chocolate lovers will adore the trio of soufflé, mousse and ice cream. We substituted the mousse for a soft-centred chocolate cake, a great decision as it is luscious and rich. For those who are feeling tired after a heavy main course, the tartness of the Amalfi coast lemon sorbet will be sure to kick your palate out of its postprandial coma.

Don Alfonso 1890 presents the impressive Lisboa master list on an iPad. While this is undoubtedly a lighter version of the original encyclopaedic tome, it is still not terribly easy to navigate. For most diners (with the exception of real wine connoisseurs), it is simpler to just ask the knowledgeable sommelier for pairing suggestions.

For the most part, the service at Don Alfonso 1890 goes well with the décor as it is both old-fashioned and courteous. The one blot was that at several points over the evening, we could hear quite clearly a senior manager berating his staff, which was jarring amidst the tranquil atmosphere of the restaurant.

A three-course dinner for two with wine will come to under MOP2,000. Considering the atmosphere and quality of the food, this is not expensive at all.