Restaurant review: Henry's Galley, Macau - no-frills hidden gem

Maxim's Henri's Galley faces the Sai Van Lake and has been open for almost 40 years, but it still retains much of its original character, from its marine-inspired décor, authentic Macanese cuisine, right down to its affable maitre d' John, who has been there for about three decades.

We started with the traditional caldo verde, the kale and potato soup, that was smooth and just thick enough not to be too filling, which was fortunate as we found ourselves slurping up the white wine sauce from the clams because it was so good.

The prawns on toast were also a pleasant surprise as they were not dripping with oil as a lot of restaurants seem to do it. The toast was very crispy and the prawn, albeit small, was fresh and sweet.

The restaurant's African chicken is easily the best we have had in Macau. The tender chicken pieces were soaked with the flavours of the pungent rich sauce of red chilli, coconut milk, garlic, paprika and butter, and went really well with the awesome crispy hot bread rolls they serve.

The highlight for us was the curry crab. The crab was fresh and the onion rings simmered in the spicy curry sauce exploded with flavours. It called for lots of rice and more rolls.

To offset the rich sauces, we finished our meal with a simple boiled cabbage, with olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the side. It was the perfect end to a no-frills laidback meal at one of Macau's hidden gems.