DESTINATIONS MACAO | ASIA
OF THE BEST FOODS TO TRY
E Egg tarts: Buy a sweet, crumbly pastel de nata from the original Lord Stow’s Bakery in Coloane Town Square.
E Chinese dim sum: From elaborate creations in Michelin-starred venues to simpler versions, these bite- sized dishes are a must try.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Pasteis de nata; ‘Food street’, Taipa Village; St Paul’s church PICTURES: Macao Government Tourism Office
the last European colony in Asia is still evident, from its architecture and hotels to its food. With 19 Michelin-starred restaurants and the world’s
first ‘fusion food’, Macanese cuisine, Macao’s culinary scene is reason enough to visit. “For us, every food is a medicine,” our guide, Jenny, tells me as we’re about to eat in Ying, a Cantonese Michelin-starred restaurant in the Altira hotel.
TAIPA VILLAGE
But clients don’t have to spend a lot to eat well, as a walk around Taipa Village demonstrates. On Rua do Cunha, known as the area’s food street, I buy one of Macao’s most famous sweet treats, an egg tart from Lord Stow’s Bakery.
With its original outlet on Coloane Island, Lord Stow’s
Bakery was set up by English industrial pharmacist Andrew Stow, who invented his own version of pasteis de nata in 1989. Now, more than 20,000 of the tarts are sold in Macao every day. On the same street, I watch alua (a sweet made with
butter) being hand-made, see piles of beef and pork jerky for sale in neon-lit shops, and sample almond cookies. Just off Rua do Cunha is traditional Portuguese
restaurant Antonio, where fado music plays out against a yellow-and-blue-tiled interior. The aim here is to serve authentic Portuguese cuisine. “I leave the nouveau cuisine to the hotels,” larger-than-life owner Antonio tells me, chuckling, when I visit.
Clients should also sample some Macanese fusion
travelweekly.co.uk
33With 19 Michelin-starred restaurants and the world’s first ‘fusion food’, Macao’s culinary scene is reason enough to visit
cuisine. Combining Chinese ingredients and techniques with those from Portugal, plus spices brought to Macao by Portuguese merchants, Macanese dishes are rich and spicy. Must-tries include African chicken (marinated in a spicy, coconut sauce)
and minchi (spiced minced beef
served with diced potatoes and a fried egg). As well as being an area to sample some of Macao’s best food, Taipa Village is the perfect example of old and new Macao sitting side by side. A short walk from Rua do Cunha, you’ll find Taipa Houses-Museum – five pastel- green, colonial houses dating back to 1921, one of which is set up as it would have been when it was lived in. Equally colourful is the street art on Taipa’s buildings, such as a cartoon mural of locals going about their daily tasks, on the side of souvenir shop Cunha Bazaar.
COLOANE ISLAND Macao’s other island, Coloane, is located just south of Taipa. Despite its proximity to the dazzling resorts on the Cotai Strip, this is a place to slow down. “We say Coloane is our lungs,” Jenny explains
HONG KONG PROTESTS ²
Macao has escaped the disruption caused by the protests in neighbouring Hong Kong, but most travellers will reach Macao by flying direct to Hong Kong. The Foreign Office advises that some Mass Transit Railway (MTR) metro stations in Hong Kong are closed as a result of the protests, and there are reports of “greater scrutiny” at border crossings. Sue Whitehead of the Macao Government Tourism Office says: “It is business as usual in Macao, which combines perfectly with destinations throughout the region.”
12 DECEMBER 2019 63
E African chicken: Head to a Macanese restaurant to sample one of Macao’s most famous spicy meals – Restaurante Litoral is a good option.
E Pork chop buns: These marinated pork chop sandwiches are served all over Macao as a street-food snack.
E Minchi: This is another must-try Macanese dish, made from spiced minced beef and diced potatoes, topped off with a fried egg.
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