With five outlets, the Macau Restaurant chain is the go-to place for inexpensive Macanese food in Hong Kong. The branch in Shun Tak Centre is also known as Florinda Cafe (after one of the daughters of Stanley Ho). We arrived during the lunch rush and were seated at a small round table sharing it with two solo diners. Of course, we had to try Macau's national dish, the stir-fried beef with rice (HK$68), better known as minchi. The minced beef, potatoes and onions are topped with a slab of luncheon meat and a fried egg, and served with rice. The seasoning of sweet treacle and salty soy sauce is a unique combination, but in this case the balance was tipped too far in favour of the latter and the dish was too salty to finish. We also ordered the macaroni in tomato and beef brisket soup (HK$33), a generous serving of pasta in what tasted like canned vegetable soup. It was hearty, with big chunks of meat, potato and carrots. The Macanese crispy bun with pork chop (HK$25) looked great in the photos, but was a letdown. The bread was too thick, and the thin slice of meat, while well-seasoned, was lost in the bun. We finished with Macanese special coffee (HK$22), which tasted like Vietnamese iced coffee, and Portuguese egg tarts (HK$9). Both were undeniably good, especially the latter. The surface had just the right amount of charring and the pastry was flaky and buttery. The decor is typical cha chaan teng with a few Macanese touches: red floor tiles, Macau road signs and blue-and-white tiles on the walls. A lot of the food looks like standard Hong Kong fare prefixed with the words Macanese or Portuguese. Stick to the traditional Macanese dishes. Florinda Cafe only takes cash. Florinda Cafe/Macau Restaurant, shop 270-273, 2/F Shun Tak Centre, 168-200 Connaught Road Central, Sheung Wan, tel: 2857 1933. Open: 6.30am-11pm
