Macau: A Taste of Wow!
Macau’s casinos have been enjoying the limelight for some time. But the city has another temptation that visitors just cannot ignore: its food. There are so many lip smacking offerings in Macau – why waste your hard-earned cash on slot machines and roulette when you can spend it snacking your way through one of Asia’s tastiest cities?
MACANESE CUISINE
Fusion at its best, Macanese cuisine is a product of Macau’s many faces. It’s based on Portuguese home cooking, and adapted with southern Chinese cuisine, as well as various influences from the Lusophone world. Spices found by Portuguese sailors travelling from Europe to Asia helped Macanese cooking evolve over the centuries as well.
Take ‘African Chicken’, for example, a dish found in Macau but not in Portugal. It seems every Macanese cook has their own version of this zesty dish, but it’s usually baked in a range of different ingredients and spices, as well as garlic, chillies, coconut milk, white wine and more.
Try this – and other delicious seafood dishes and Portuguese specialties – at Restaurante Litoral (261-A, Rua do Almirante Sérgio, Tel: +853 2896 7878) a Macanese family style eatery that’s minutes away from Ah Ma Temple and the Maritime Museum. The surrounding area, Freguesia de Sao Lourenco, is also home to many other Portuguese restaurants.
PORK CHOP BUNS
Pork chop buns, or ju pa bao in Cantonese, simply consists of a sizzling hot pan-fried pork chop sandwiched in a baguette inspired bun.
With no further condiments or ingredients, it sounds far too simple to be one of Macau’s most popular snacks. But when done right, the combination of a tender pork chop and a fresh baked bun – crispy on the outside and pillow soft on the inside – is irresistible.
Stop for a pork chop bun, and other cheap afternoon tea treats, at Café Kam Ma Lon (No. 50 Rua dos Mercadores, near Avenida Ribeiro, Tel: +853 2857 2385), located on a side street near the Ruins of St Paul and Senado Square. The simple eatery has been open for more than 30 years and is great for a taste of local life.
STEAMED MILK
Lactose intolerant visitors beware – milk pudding is a much-loved Chinese dessert in Macau. It’s basically a small bowl of silken smooth milk, served hot or cold, with a subtle sweetness that melts in your mouth.
It’s not your typical dessert and it doesn’t suit all taste buds. But trying a spoonful of ginger milk pudding or double skin steamed milk pudding is definitely worth a shot, and the lineups at Yee Shun Milk Company (G/F, 7 Leal Senado, Tel: +853 2857 3638) are testament to that.
PORTUGUESE EGG TARTS
If you think Lillian Cake Shop’s egg tarts in Shanghai are delicious, try the real thing in Macau. They’re Portugal’s sweetest contribution to China: bright yellow custard treats known for their flaky butter puff pastry and crème brulée-like filling.
Different from Cantonese dim sum egg tarts, Portuguese egg tarts are usually made with a bit of coconut milk and topped with a browned, caramelised shell. Macau bakes these babies by the masses, so look for ones that come fresh out of the oven. Margaret’s Café e Nata (Edifício Kam Loi, Nam Van, Tel: +853 2871 0032) and Lord Stow’s Bakery (1 Rua da Tassara, Coloane Island, Tel: +853 2888 2534) are Macau’s most well-known bakeries for Portuguese egg tarts.
BEEF JERKY, ALMOND COOKIES AND OTHER TAKE-HOME TREATS
Edible souvenirs are the way forward. You’re bound to see tourists toting huge shopping bags from Koi Kei Bakery (www.koikei.com), which has outlets all over Macau. The chain is known for starting the trend of making almond cakes and egg rolls right in its stores upon customers’ requests – a luring tactic that many food stores in Macau have since adopted. Even if you don’t plan on buying anything, take advantage of their generous samplings of beef jerky, peanut candy and various pastries. Koi Kei lets you sample everything in its shops.
STAYING THERE
Macau has an endless supply of top notch accommodation options for lapping in luxury. Take the MGM Grand Macau hotel resort. The opulent 35 storey tower reaches 154 meters into the sky, with its shimmering glass building coloured in three brilliant shades of gold.
The 600 room hotel is also decorated with Salvador Dali sculptures and is directly linked to One Central, a luxury mall with Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Fendi and Cartier stores, among other famous brands. There’s no shortage of the luxe life in its food and beverage venues, either. Get a glass of bubbly at the Veuve Clicquot Lounge and or have pre-dinner drinks at The Russian Room, which is outfitted with sleek white marble and an abundance of caviar and vodka.
To relax and unwind, book a treatment at MGM Grand’s Six Senses Spa, which has huge and astonishing facilities, including a floatation and vitality pool, herbal steam room and heated ceramic recliners for guests to enjoy the hotel’s ocean views.
If you’re looking for something steeped in history, book a room at the Sofitel Macau At Ponte 16. The hotel’s classic European architecture blends together with its setting in Macau’s Inner Harbour, a former Portuguese enclave, and has sweeping views of the Pearl River Delta.
Food wise, Sofitel is conveniently located across from a number of dai pai dong, or open aired food stalls, which are superb for late-night snacks.
The 408 room five-star hotel is equipped with gaming facilities, a French restaurant, outdoor pools, fitness facilities and a club lounge, but what will really get you grooving is the MJ Gallery, a tribute to Michael Jackson which opened in February. Among a slew of signed photographs, performance costumes and other Michael Jackson memorabilia, the gallery also shows off the white rhinestone glove that MJ wore when he presented the Moonwalk to the world for the very first time.
MGM Grand Macau, Avenida Dr. Sun Yat Sen, Nape. Tel: +853 8802 8888. Web: www.mgmgrandmacau.com
Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16, Rua do Visconde Paco de Arcos. Tel: +853 8861 0016. Web: www.sofitel.com
