Eating in Macau

Any recommendations on Macanese restaurants? I don’t mind if a place is a bit pricy, I’m on holiday after all. Savoury food only, thx.

p.s. I hate those egg tarts – Fatty Patten used to eat them.

Oh dear! I have terrible news for you. Fatty Patten also eats meat, fish, eggs, rice, wheat, vegetables, beans, pulses and dairy products. Goodness! What will you survive on? He also uses the Internet! AND reads newspapers! AND drives a car!

Love Macau food. best washed down with oodles of cheap Vinha Verde. I just realised these three are on each of the three main sialnds . . or is it only two now they filled in the Cotai Strip?

This is supposedly the best. Strangely I’ve not been to it.
A Lorcha - Rua do Almirante Sergio 289, Macau Tel: +853 313 193

[quote]Frommer’s Review
Just a stone’s throw from the Maritime Museum and A-Ma Temple, this is the best place to eat if you find yourself hungering for Portuguese food in this area. Look for its whitewashed walls, an architectural feature repeated in the interior of the tiny restaurant with its arched, low ceiling. Casual yet often filled with businesspeople, it offers feijoada, codfish in a cream sauce, chargrilled king prawns, clams prepared in garlic and olive oil, grilled lamb chops, baked minced beef potato pie, and other traditional dishes that are consistently good. Its name, by the way, refers to a type of Portuguese boat, which is appropriate for a colony founded by seafaring explorers. [/quote]

Fernandos is very famous - Hac Sa Beach Coloanne.

[quote]Frommer’s Review
For years, Fernando’s was just another shack on Hac Sa Beach. Although outwardly there is nothing to distinguish it from the others (it’s the brick one closest to the beach, below the vines), a pavilion was added out back, complete with ceiling fans and an adjacent open-air bar with outdoor seating, making it the place to dine on the beach and a destination in itself. Now everyone knows Fernando’s, and even though there’s no air-conditioning (that goes for the kitchen as well), it doesn’t seem to deter the faithful who pilgrimage here, especially on weekends, when you’ll probably have to wait for a table. Outspoken Fernando is usually on hand, holding court. The menu is strictly Portuguese and includes Portuguese chorizo, clams, crabs, mussels, codfish, feijoada, charcoal-grilled chicken, pork ribs, suckling pig, beef, and salads. The bread all comes from the restaurant’s own bakery, and the vegetables are grown on the restaurant’s own garden plot across the border in China. Only Portuguese wine is served, stocked on a shelf for customer perusal (there is no wine list). It’s all very informal, and not for those who demand pristine conditions. [/quote]

My favourite, and where many of Macau’s Portugueesers hang out is:
Petisqueira - Taipa Village, Taipa Island. It’s a funky old area on Taipa.

[quote]Frommer’s Review
A small, unpretentious restaurant just off Taipa Village’s main road, on the corner of Rua de S. João and Rua das Virtudes, it offers typical Portuguese fare, including codfish grilled, roasted, or boiled; grilled sole with lemon butter sauce; grilled king prawns; paella; fried tenderloin steak Portuguese-style; grilled sea bass; and curried crab. All grilled dishes are cooked over a charcoal grill. The fresh cheeses are especially recommended. Of course, everything tastes better with Portuguese wine. [/quote]

HG

I highly recommend Nga Tim in Coloane Village, which is in the colonnade to the left as you face the St. Francis Xavier Chapel.

I’ve eaten at Fernando’s, and have no complaints about their food, but I found the food at Nga Tim to be superior, more affordable, and in a more picturesque setting than Fernando’s. Plus, unlike Fernando’s, Nga Tim takes credit cards.

As for those egg tarts, the place that started the Asian egg-tart craze some years back is Lord Stow’s, by the traffic circle in Coloane Village.

I didn’t like Fernandos, but seriously eat in the Casinos. They’ll bring a sandwich to the card tables if you ask.

A Lorcha is a favorite of mine.

The african chicken is tops - as is most everything else

Someone listed some places here: A Portuguese guide to Macau.

I’ve eaten in O Manel’s on Taipa a few times and always liked it. Good food. Laid-back atmosphere. Friendly laoban. Nice wine. But I haven’t been back to Macau in about six years. That restaurant’s expansion since then may have changed the quality.

Thanks everybody, although i don’t really “understand” Sandman’s post. Sandman, it seems you misinterpreted my innocent quip about the last governor-general, who i rather liked. That could only mean you’re either the kind of person who doesn’t like “sensitive” humor, or you’re rather oversized yourself. What’s the world coming to?