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DISCLAIMER If you have any comments/suggestions/places you think serve great food, do share with us! Email me at qiuyi_ong@hotmail.com or leave a comment in the tag board. Thanks and cheers to future gastronomical adventures! MY TO-GO LIST Au Jardin (Eaten!) Au Petit Salut Buko Nero (Eaten!) Cugini (Eaten!) Forlino (Eaten!) Gunther's Jaan (Eaten!) La Strada Le Bistrot Nicolas Pasta Brava (Eaten!) Sage (Eaten!) Tatsuya Tetsu (Eaten!) I LIKE Cugini Kuriya Le Figue LivinGreens Nanbantei Ootoya Original Sin Pasta Brava Sage Tetsu Valentino PAST ENTRIES May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009
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Tuesday, July 8, 2008
A Word on Hong Kong and Macau:
And so. My 8 days trip has ended and I really enjoyed it. Besides shopping (the clothes are cheap!), we also went around playing tourist. The view from the Star Ferry is awesome!
While we were at the Avenue of Stars, we saw Jackie Chan! I think he was filming something for the Olympics.
Surprisingly, there was no media around and we got to go quite close to him.
The Golden Bauhinia at Wan Chai is Hong Kong’s emblem and this is where the daily flag hoisting ceremony is held.
I was excited when I saw a Rolls Royce parked outside the super luxurious Peninsula Hotel. The car is so huge!
We went to Ngong Ping where we took a cable car up to see the famous Tian Tan Buddha. This was taken from the cable car when the statue came into view.
People here still lead a very simple life and live on stilted houses. Most of them fish for a living so you can find many seafood restaurants there.  As for Macau, of course we had to go to the famous Ruins of St. Paul. The Monte Fort was originally used to protect the church from pirates. This is the Church of St. Francis Xavier which was built in 1928. We also went casino hopping at night using the free shuttle buses. The Venetian is my favourite as it was more interesting. But the ones in Las Vegas are still the best. I like Hong Kong for its retail therapy but in terms of architecture and food (there’s a limit to my intake of Chinese food!), Macau definitely clinches it for me. The baroque style of its buildings and the European cuisine appeal to me. I want to go back to Hong Kong and Macau again! Any takers? 4:43 PM ----------
Solmar
512 Avenida Da Praia Grande, Macau 2888 1881 For our final meal in Macau, I chose this oldest Portuguese restaurant in the city which is popular among locals and tourists.  The complimentary bread looked dry but I wouldn’t know since I didn’t try. Since we are at a historical restaurant, I have to order the specialty—the African Chicken (HKD$108+/SGD$19.60+). This dish borrows ideas from both the African and Indian traditions of using spices. It’s excellent! The chicken is very tender and fragrant and the sauce is tasty and not too spicy. The Portuguese Style Baked Fish (HKD$85+/SGD$15.40+) was very good too. The fish is so fresh and juicy and retains its natural flavor. You can expect some sort of rice dish when my parents are around. The serving of the Solmar Fried Rice (HKD$60+/SGD$10.90+) was extremely generous. There were a lot of prawns and scallops in it too. For desserts, I decided to have the disgustingly fattening and high caloric Sawdust Pudding a la Solmar (HKD$40+/SGD$7.20+) again since it’s also one of their signature items. The serradura here has a very silky and smooth texture and it tastes a little like ice cream mousse. I like the interior of the restaurant which features leather chairs and well known white tiles. It’s quite classy and has a toned down elegance. I can see why this traditional restaurant has a loyal customer base. The fantastic food, generous portions, reasonable price and friendly staff really make this a restaurant worth going. My parents and I agreed that this is our favourite Portuguese restaurant out of the few we’ve tried.Labels: Macau 12:04 PM ----------
Koi Kei Bakery
G/F., 24A-24B, Rua de S. Paulo, Macau 2835 8515 We did some last minute shopping for local goodies after breakfast. As you walk along the street leading to the Ruins of St. Paul, there are many shops selling egg tarts, barbecued pork, phoenix rolls etc. But the most famous bakery is probably Koi Kei.  The Almond Cookies with Whole Almonds (HKD$32/SGD$5.80 per box) are very addictive! The samples they handed out were WHOLE almond cookies still warm from the oven. They were extremely generous and I easily polished off 4 cookies without even realizing it. There are also other flavors of almond cookies like black sesame, egg yolk and pig fat. If you ever come to Macau, you must come to this street! Come on an empty stomach and you will be full by the time you reach the ruins.Labels: Macau 10:33 AM ----------
Margaret’s Café e Nata
Gum Loi Building, Macau 2871 0032 This cafe just next to our hostel is another famous place to try the local Portuguese egg tarts and other pastries. Actually, Margaret, the café's owner and who used to be married to Lord Stow, helped Lord Stow found his bakery in 1989. After their separation, she founded Margaret's Café e Nata to much public fanfare.  The Portuguese Custard Egg Tart (HKD$7/SGD$1.20) tasted as marvelously as the one from Lord Stow’s Café. I suppose the same recipe was used since they were husband and wife. The top of the tart is slightly charred to give it a crisp texture and there’s a sprinkling of cinnamon on top. I also tried the Vegetarian Quiche (HKD$12/SGD$2.10) which was delicious! The pastry is not too buttery and thick, the filling is creamy and substantial, and the texture is quite smooth and a little crisp. We bought the Apple Pie (HKD$10/SGD$1.80) to eat on the flight back to Singapore. Maybe because it wasn’t warm and had been sitting for a long time, the pastry was too soft. The apple filling was very generous though. Business was very brisk while we were there. The staff was very efficient and no-nonsense. Hui Yi and Jia Ling, I hope you enjoyed the egg tarts! This is the place where I bought them. I think they will taste twice or thrice as nice when eaten piping hot from the oven!Labels: Macau 8:17 AM ---------- Monday, July 7, 2008
A Lorcha
289A Rua do Almirante Sergio 2831 3193 Just a stone’s throw from the A-Ma Temple, A Lorcha seems to be the best place to eat since I’m hungering for Portuguese food again. We were lucky to get a table without any reservation as the place was fully packed.  I didn’t try the complimentary bread but they were still warm from the oven. Call me boring, but I ordered the Char-Grilled Portuguese Sardines (HKD$82+/SGD$14.90+) again even though I just had them for lunch. These came with a potato and bell pepper salad. They were very fresh and meaty! The Char-Grilled Perch Steak (HKD$98+/SGD$17.80+) was recommended by the waiter after we ordered some other fish dish. I’m glad we listened to him as the perch was excellent. Like the sardines, it’s very fresh and fragrant. The accompanying tomato rice had a refreshing tangy flavor. The Lorcha Style Stuffed Squid (HKD$88+/SGD$16+) was quite interesting. I think there’s both minced meat and seafood in the squid and the sauce was very tasty. The squid was not tough at all. Everything was good, portions were substantial but it would be even better if they tone down the saltiness of the food. This tiny restaurant is very quaint, with whitewashed walls and an arched, low ceiling. Its name, by the way, refers to a type of Portuguese boat, which is appropriate for a colony founded by seafaring explorers.Labels: Macau 7:24 PM ----------
Lord Stow’s Cafe
Largo do Matadouro, Coloane Village, Macau 2888 2174 Actually, I have an ulterior motive for visiting Coloane Village. My main purpose is not to see the church but to eat the original Portuguese egg tarts. The egg tarts in Macau originated from this cafe, owned by Andrew Stow who has unfortunately passed away.  Besides egg tarts, the cafe also sells a range of freshly baked pastries and breads. The Lord Stow’s Egg Tarts (HKD$7/SGD$1.20) are excellent! Different from the egg tarts in Hong Kong and even in Portugal itself, Macau’s version is more decadent, with a buttery flaky pastry shell and rich custard filling. Being a tiramisu lover, I had to try the Tirami”Stow” (HKD$18/SGD$3.20). This rendition of the Italian style coffee truffle is different from the traditional tiramisu. There are no lady fingers and it’s creamier. The coffee liquor is very strong! The Serradura (HKD$18/SGD$3.20) is a traditional Portuguese dessert which literally means “sawdust”. It’s really fattening as it’s made with cream and condensed milk with crushed biscuits sprinkled on top. While egg tarts are available at bakeries all over Macau – especially near Senado Square, you’ll have to make the trip out to Coloane to taste the original, which locals still swear is the best.Labels: Macau 3:47 PM ----------
Nga Tim Café
1 Rua Caetano, Coloane Village, Macau 2888 2086 After checking into our hostel in Macau, we took a bus to Coloane and had a late lunch there.  Popular with tourists and locals, the restaurant serves up authentic Portuguese fare which makes use of the infamous bacalhau (salted cod fish) liberally. We started with the Caldo Verde (HKD$18+/SGD$3.20+) which is considered by many to be Portugal’s national dish. It’s actually kale soup made with mashed potatoes, onions, kale, olive oil and slices of chourico (sausages). I like this simple and tasty soup! The Deep Fried Bacalhau Croquettes (HKD$44+/SGD$8+) are good too. It’s not oily and the proportion of potato to bacalhau is just nice. My parents have the Baked Seafood Rice (HKD$48+/SGD$8.70+) which is very fragrant. There’s an abundance of prawns, scallops and crabmeat. My favourite is the Baked Sardines with Cheese (HKD$45+/SGD$8.10+)! These are fresh sardines and not the canned types we are familiar with. Luckily, the taste of cheese is very subtle and does not cover the natural flavor of the sardines. I only have one word to describe the Bacalhau Salt Cod (HKD$98+/SGD$17.80+): salty! It’s baked and served with mashed potatoes. The potatoes offset the saltiness very well but there was too little of it. I think this is the 1st time I wish a dish has more accompanying potatoes. The piece of cod fish was very large though. The café has a beautiful outdoor setting and it’s located in the colonnade on the left side of the famous St. Francis Xavier Church. We really enjoyed our lunch with views of the church plaza and the waterfront. There's more hits than misses here and I think Nga Tim Cafe's rendition of Portuguese food is quite authentic, though I'm a novice of Portuguese cuisine.Labels: Macau 2:15 PM ---------- WELCOME! LOCAL FOODIES' BLOGS Gastronomic Ruminations She Bakes & She Cooks Singapore Daily Makan Photo Small Potatpes Make the Steak Look Bigger The Orthorexic Foodie The Skinny Epicurean Timeless Facade Food Glorious Food FOOD FOR THOUGHT | |
After climbing 260 steps, we reached the base of the bronze statue. It looked so magnificent! We saw the famous late singer Anita Mui’s tablet inside the museum.
