Macau Special
Macanese cuisine is a blend of east and west, European and Asian, Portuguese and Chinese. Take traditional western-style seafood and meat, add a dash of exotic Asian spices, and you’ve got a combination that has become one of Macau’s biggest attractions. Iconic dishes include chili crabs, African chicken, and minchi, a kind of minced meat dish with onion, garlic and potato. I’m in Macau a lot myself – I’m also the editor of Where Macau Magazine - and here are some of my favorite restaurants.
One of my all-time favorites, A Lorcha is the perfect place to kick back after exploring the historic area around A Ma Temple and the Maritime Museum. It’s famous for many dishes, but the brave should give the duck cooked in its own blood a try. No? The grilled lamb chops and the clams Lorcha-style are can't-miss. Open 12:30-3:30pm, 7-11:30pm (closed Tue). Rua do Almirante Sergio No. 289, Macau, 313-193.
Probably one of the best places for chilled-out terrace dining anywhere, Café Panorama at the Westin Resort Macau covers all the bases with Macanese, Portuguese, Asian and international cuisine either in the main dining room or outside in the garden. When I’m done, I always head up to the third floor for a glass of premium port wine at The Porto Bar, which has awesome sweeping views of the ocean and garden, and it’s open right until 1am (the Café is open at 7am, closes at midnight). Right now it’s doing a “Food Lovers Package” for $1,580, including one night’s stay in a Superior Garden View room, two American buffet breakfasts at Café Panorama and the options of either an eight-course Chinese set dinner or western alfresco barbecue dinner for two. 1918 Estrada de Hac Sa, Coloane, Macau, +853 871-111.
Café Bela Vista is a cheerful place with the sun streaming in through the arched windows. It serves up authentic Macanese specialties such as pan-fried veal liver, Portuguese lobster soup and traditional bacalhau (codfish) balls, and it’s open 24 hours, except Thu, until midnight. Mandarin Oriental Macau, 956-1110, Avenida da Amizade, Macau, +853-567-589.
One of my little secrets is a great place in Taipa called Estalagem. Using Portuguese ingredients, co-owner John Ferreria has designed a rustic soup, codfish “lagareiro” style, some great clams with garlic and coriander, melt-in-your-mouth veal medallions with bacon and cream sauce, and to finish it all off, a freshly baked mango parfait with raspberry sauce or moist sponge cake with cinnamon. Drinks? White Pera Manca wine and the sensational red, Quinta Das Castas. Open noon-3pm, 7pm-11pm. Estrada Gov. Albana de Oliveria, No. 410, Edif. Nam San, Bloco 1, R/C, 821-041, Taipa.
Carlos is a well-established restaurant serving a mixed menu of Macanese and Portuguese favorites, like Macanese garlic and chili shrimp as well as bacalhau à gomes sá, a great casserole of cod, potatoes and onion – this dish is often considered one of Portugal’s greatest bacalhau recipes. Open daily noon-3pm, 6pm-11pm. Rua Cidade de Braga, Edif. Vista Magnifica, AR & AS, NAPE, Macau, +853-751-838.