Macau's current dining landscape has been infused with more variety and higher standards in local restaurants, reports Lois Iwase.
Macau today is a place of extreme change and many new attractions, not least among them some exciting places to enjoy fabulous food, both of the local and international variety.
Fans of “old Macau” may feel some nostalgia for smaller, older restaurants that are closing their doors, some because of rising rents, others because of tougher competition, as more and more glitzy new resorts and casinos appear. The inevitable shakedown may have claimed its victims, but there is some good news, too. The newcomers have raised the quality bar, and those places that have kept up with the demands of more sophisticated customers are winners in the marketplace.
In the past, peninsular Macau was the area with the best dining, with a few notable exceptions in Coloane. Nowadays, the city’s demographics are shifting, with mega-resorts on the Cotai Strip attracting more and more hungry visitors not just to the Strip, but to nearby Taipa, where a spate of new restaurants is offering good food at reasonable prices, attracting visitors and residents, so it’s not surprising that the island is rapidly becoming the city’s new culinary hot spot.
Macau’s recent changes have brought fresh ideas, more variety in restaurant styles, and a higher standard of quality to local restaurants, not to mention international talent. Suppliers of meat, fish and produce to restaurants and hotels are enjoying economies of scale, and consumers are reaping the benefits. You will find many more styles of restaurants to choose from, in a wider price range than ever before. And there is more to come as new hotels continue to appear, driving the continuing development of the local hospitality industry.
If you haven’t been to Macau for a while, don’t wait too long to come and see the changes. You might not recognise the place.
ALMOST PARIS
LE BONNE HEURE
Almost as romantic and palate pleasing as a trip to Paris, but quite a bit more affordable, a lunch or dinner at Le Bonne Heure is a memorable event in its own right. This quiet, intimate place is hidden on a narrow cobblestone lane just a few steps away from bustling Senado Square. By all means, make reservations beforehand, though, because there is a limited number of candlelit tables under the arches in this tiny place, which also serves as a gallery for local artists, who display their works on the walls upstairs and on ground floor.
Fine French wines accompany selections from a limited but innovative menu that lists fresh seafood, classic French favourites, and excruciatingly delicious desserts. Selections include appetisers like hot goat cheese wrapped in delicate ballotins with Provencal herbs, or tender beef carpaccio with parmeggiano cheese flavoured with white truffle. An excellent main course choice would be pan-fried sea bass or grilled veal rib seasoned with vegetables and natural juices. Prices are on the high side for Macau, but not as much as a plane ticket to Europe. Besides, the excellent food and service are worth paying a bit more for.
PRICE: A meal for two costs from US$80 without drinks.
CONTACT: Travessa de S Domingos, No. 12AB, tel 853 28 331 209. Open daily from noon to 1500 and from 1730 to 2200 Sunday to Wednesday and to midnight Thursday to Saturday.
WELL-KEPT SECRET
LA GONDOLA
Possibly the most underrated restaurant in Macau, or maybe one of its best-kept secrets, depending on your point of view, La Gondola deserves kudos for its consistently fine food, freshly baked bread, and spectacular location overlooking Cheoc Wan beach and the South China Sea.
Just a short walk down the beach from the parking lot, this casual restaurant’s air-conditioned interior is somewhat rundown, but its wood-burning oven-baked pizza, homemade pasta and fresh seafood are just as delicious indoors as they are on its breezy terrace, a favourite place for lunch or moonlit dinner among the local sun and surf set, their families, friends and even dogs, as well as out-of-town visitors in the know. Especially memorable are the penne in crab sauce, crispy fried squid and prawns and tagliata de carne, a T-bone steak thinly sliced and covered with salad dressed with olive oil and balsamico.
Early evening is the best time to appreciate the surroundings. Watching the dragonflies circle overhead as the twilight spreads over the mountains and the moon rises over the sea while feasting on authentic Italian delicacies washed down with cold beer, good wine or a pitcher of sangria at this beautifully situated restaurant, is the perfect way to end a day at the beach or pool.
PRICE: A meal for two costs from US$30 without drinks.
CONTACT: Praia de Cheoc Van, tel 853 880 156. Open daily from 1100 to 2300.
LOCAL FAVOURITE
CAFÉ LISBOA
This friendly, family-run café is a favourite among local residents for late breakfast, lunch or dinner, or for just lingering over cappuccino and cake in the afternoon. The specialty here is Macanese/Portuguese cuisine, with fresh-from-the-market seafood, hot bread and pastries right out of the oven, and traditional favourites like roast suckling pig, spicy grilled chicken, and bacalhau with cream, with daily specials posted at the bar, and home-made Portuguese-style pastries made fresh daily. House wine and reasonably priced Portuguese red and wine are available, along with beer and some spirits.
Café Lisboa is almost always crowded at lunch hour and dinnertime, when patrons can expect to meet and chat with friends, neighbours and co-workers and their families as they enjoy their meals, but it is comfortable and welcoming at any time, with its plain, unpretentious and casual decor. Practically unknown among tourists, Café Lisboa is a perfect place to feel at home among Macau residents while getting a glimpse of neighbourhood life and tasting authentic home-style local cuisine. Arriving in advance of dinner or lunch time is a good idea, especially on weekends, when this place is especially popular, and the limited amount of tables fills up quickly.
From Taipa Stadium or the Grandview Hotel, walk eastward toward Rua Branganca and turn down the alleyway behind Mei Keng Gardens, notable for its pet shops.
PRICE: A meal for two costs from US$30 without drinks.
CONTACT: Rua Branganca, Mei Keng Gardens, Taipa, tel 853 2884 3313. Open daily 1100 to 2300.
REGIONAL CHINESE
VILA PORTO DE MACAU
There are lots of reasons to visit Macau Tower, and one of the best is the dim sum and provincial Chinese cuisine at Vila Porto. Don’t be fooled by the Portuguese name: Vila Porto specialises in the cuisine of Sichuan, Shanghai, Jianguan and other regions of China, with some deference to local tastes.
Manager Martin Lung says the most popular dish they serve is garoupa in Sichuan style, which is priced according to season and usually serves four. Australian lobster, also popular here, is similarly priced at a seasonal rate. Not to be missed are the Nanchou noodles, shrimp and pork dumplings, pan-fried glass noodle with sliced beef, and stir-fried pork ribs with red chillies. Delectable sweet, sticky, red bean paste-filled pumpkin cakes round off a meal.
A variety of Chinese teas is available, as are red or yellow Chinese wines by the bottle or house wine and beer to wash it all down. Little chillies next to the spicier menu items indicate the relative spiciness of each dish, but it’s also possible to request that the spices be served on the side.
With tables near the huge windows affording a good view of the harbour and, at night, the Taipa skyline, comfy banquettes and soft lighting, Vila Porto is a place to spend an enjoyable afternoon or evening, and the staff are attentive and friendly to children.
PRICE: A meal for two costs from US$30 without drinks.
CONTACT: Ground floor, Macau Tower, tel 853 2896 8899. Open Monday through Friday from noon to 1500 and 1830 to 2330 and on Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays from 1100 to 2330.
CHILLI HAVEN
INDIA GARDEN
One of Macau’s newest – and by far its most elegant – Indian restaurant features a bold, modern approach with glass-fronted open kitchen and some impressive examples of Indian art in the upstairs and downstairs dining areas.
Reading the substantial menu is an entertaining experience in its own right. The many items are organised by region and imaginatively named, like “Bengali Bonanza,” “Jain’s Jackpot” and “Tamil Nadu Thunder” and include zingy curries, fragrant, freshly prepared breads and rice dishes, and many others based on fresh seafood, meat and poultry, and a wide variety of vegetables, all shown in brilliantly coloured photographs. Some of the tables offer a view of the glass-fronted kitchen, where energetic chefs whip up dishes to customers’ specifications of spiciness, from mild to devilishly hot and all stops in between (the vindaloo should come with a warning). To counter the fiery effects are creamy raitas and lassi, with the mango lassi a particular palate-soothing treat.
A favourite among local residents, this friendly neighbourhood eatery has not yet been discovered by tourists. Reservations are recommended, especially on weekends, since the number of tables is limited.
To find India Garden, look for the Nova Taipa block of residences, a short walk from the Taipa Stadium.
PRICE: A meal for two costs from US$30 without drinks.
CONTACT: Shop No. 18, Bloco 27, No. 453 Rua de Seng Tou, Nova Taipa Garden, Taipa, tel 853 2883 7088. Open noon to 1500 for lunch and 1800 to 2300 for dinner.
AFTER-HOURS NOOK
JOCKEY JAPANESE RESTAURANT
Although Jockey does a brisk dinnertime business, the restaurant’s claim to fame is as an after-hours eatery. The restaurant started out in the days when there was little to bring visitors to Taipa except for the Jockey Club, and from the start it was a place for the horsey set to gather for a meal after the races.
Its owners are well experienced in pleasing the palates of visitors and the even more demanding expectations of local residents, who can often be found here at large family tables. The specialty is Japanese cuisine, and a native Japanese chef is on duty at the sushi bar, but many of the dishes on the extensive menu are imaginatively modified for local tastes, like the popular hot pots, and are displayed in photographs.
Jockey offers an unusually wide variety of vegetable dishes, like baby green peppers, grilled eggplant and others in season, as well as seafood, grilled meat and poultry dishes. A good selection of sakes is also available, served warm or cold, as well as the usual Portuguese wine, beer and some spirits.
Guests can opt for western-style seating in the capacious dining area, or slip off their shoes and sit on comfy cushions, surrounded by elements of Japanese decor in authentically designed tatami booths.
PRICE: A meal for two costs from US$30 without drinks.
CONTACT: Avenida de Gumaraes, Supreme Flower City, Taipa, tel 853 2882 1864. Jockey is open daily from 1800 to 0300.
EAT PORTUGUESE
O MANEL (MANEL COZINHA PORTUGUESA)
Restaurant O Manel, on a little tree-lined street leading into Taipa Village, has been enjoying a reputation for fine Portuguese food since it opened in 1991, a time when there was little competition. Recently renovated, it’s as good today as it ever was, and Manel himself is almost always presiding over the kitchen and attending to guests personally, making sure the quality of the dishes and service is as good as it can be.
Don’t be put off by the narrow dining area and simple furniture; what gets put down on the crisp linen tablecloths on delicately-patterned blue-and-white china makes waiting for a table worthwhile, as Manel’s many loyal customers know well.
Along with traditional favourites like clams in lemon sauce and barbecued ribs and seafood rice, Manel serves up daily specials like lobster, and a dish he perfected himself, squid ink rice with meat, shrimp, and squid. Other excellent menu choices include roast piglet and barbecued pigeon.
Manel says using fine olive oil in his dishes keeps them light, and this could be one reason why the cuisine his restaurant beats most of the Portuguese food in town for flavour and appetising presentation. He also uses wine from his father’s vineyards in Portugal in cooking, which is also available by the glass.
PRICE: A meal for two costs from US$40 without drinks.
CONTACT: Rua Fernao Mendes Pinto No. 90, Taipa, tel 853 2882 7571. Open noon to 1530 and 1800 to 2300.
FIESTA 24/7
There’s just no other place in Macau like Nga Tim – it’s an outdoor festival any day or night, anytime of the year. It has to be one of the favourite spots for visitors to Macau, which fortunately does not include tour groups. And while it’s usually crowded, especially on weekends and holidays for lunch and dinner, with its sprawling outdoor seating on the spacious plaza in front of St Francis Xavier Church, it seems as though it can usually accommodate everyone, but making reservations in advance is still a good idea. This is an excellent place to watch village life unfold as well as to sample several local specialties representing different cuisines at the same time.
Understandably, service can be slow during the busiest times, lunch and dinner during the weekends and on holidays, but nobody seems to mind; this is not a place where anyone is in a particular hurry.
Nga Tim is also a favourite among local residents, who often hold parties at long tables, while children and dogs play in the plaza, and the atmosphere is always casual and festive, and most importantly, authentic. A huge variety of tasty and reasonably priced Chinese, Portuguese and Macanese dishes are on offer, and diners may order from any of several other restaurants that line the plaza. Portuguese wine, beer and sangria are popular accompaniments to the fresh fish, meat, chicken and other specialties Nga Tim serves. Especially delicious are the deep-fried squid, grilled chicken, spare ribs and garlic prawns.
Don’t look for dessert here, though, because the best egg tarts in the world are sold just down the street at Lord Stow’s.
PRICE: A meal for two costs from US$30 without drinks.
CONTACT: Caetano 8, Coloane Village, Coloane, tel 853 2888 2086. Nga Tim is open daily from noon until midnight.
