Honestly, this is the only ice cream I tried in Macau. It is hailed as the best by many websites and it is even recommended by the Michelin Guide. I did like it.
The visit
I visited the main shop of Lemoncello Gelato (sometimes referred as Lemon Cello) on a Sunday evening. It is near Cathedral Square and Senate Square. Other outlets are in the ground floor of Lisboa Tower and in Taipa village.
They have a nice spread of flavors that are made fresh daily.
I tried their Ferrero Rocher flavor that was outstanding. It really tasted like the Italian chocolate candy. My friend had a sweet grapefruit that was also very good.
I am not sure this ice cream can qualify as gelato, but it is thoughtfully made.
This is the story… in Chinese.
The check
Two flavors cup or cone cost 40 MOP (5 USD). Honest.
Local Macanese dishes are usually found in street stalls in Macau. Riquexó offers a comfortable place where to try a lot of them in a family-run restaurant and this was the reason of my visit.
The visit
I and a friend reached the restaurant on a Sunday evening at around 7pm and we got one of the last tables. By the time we finished there were people queuing. My assessment was that most of the customers were locals.
We were a bit surprised by the interior. It was different from pictures seen online. In recent times, It must have undergone a renovation that made it much more modern, but also lost some of its charm as a mom and pop shop.
We had the soup of the day (vegetables and meat stock).
My friend had a feijoada, a dish originally from Portugal, with kidney beans, carrots, shallots and pig skin. It was served with rice.
I went for more of a softball: a local white fish, grilled and with garlic and oil. It was really good.
We also had their chocolate pudding. It was really a jelly, not particularly good as the chocolate flavor was almost absent. (We should have ordered their more traditional desserts.)
A waiter (I suppose from the family of the owners) noticed that we did not finish it and in the end she took it off from the bill. Considering the large number of customers, this small gesture speaks highly of their customer care.
They also sell food for take-away.
The check
We spent around 100 MOP per person (12 USD) including a bottle of water. A very affordable way to try local specialties.
Where in Macau: Songbo Village, 69 Av. de Sidónio Pais.
I found this noodle shop (cafe de fita in Portuguese) almost by accident and I tried one of the best dishes of my October 2019 Macau trip.
The visit
The shop is a typical old-school noodle cafe. It was one of the few establishments open for breakfast in the neighborhood.
The interior was simple.
They had an English menu and also a menu with some pictures, so ordering was not a problem. You can choose between normal noodles and thin ones and you can customize your bowl with a number of toppings.
Their most famous noodle dish is with baby oysters. I added crab balls.
Well, the oysters were just exquisite. Salty, meaty, and fresh. The crab balls were not particularly tasty, but who care… did I tell you that the oysters were so good?
Some spicy condiments were available.
The check
I spent 40 MOP for my noodles (5 USD). My friend took the same oyster noodles with no crab balls for 10 MOP less. This was incredible value for money considering the generous amount of oysters in the soup. Highly recommended.
Where in Macau: 45 Rua de Bruxelas. (Another shop is located at 149 Rua de Coimbra, Taipa.)
The egg tart is a Portuguese cake that originated in the 1800s and is very popular in Macau. However, the history of the current iteration of the egg tarts in Macau is quite twisted. It is not a direct import from Portugal as you might expect given the Portuguese legacy in the former colony.
Based on the pasteis de nata from Portugal, the tarts in their current form were introduced to Macau by a British pharmacist-turned-baker, Andrew Stow in the late 1980s. After tasting the tarts in Portugal, Stow returned to Macau and started experimenting with the recipe to create his own ‘Macau’ version. He opened his first bakery in 1989. He passed away in 2006, but his bakery continues to bake over 10,000 tarts a day. BBC wrote a feature about him. The business is now managed by the sister and the daughter.
Adding twist to the twist, after their separation, his wife Margaret Wong opened her own bakery and started to compete with the ex-husband.
Lord Stow’s Bakery and Margaret’s Cafe e Nata are the two most famous places where to find egg tarts in Macau today, but other local bakeries have them as well. The Hong Kong version, by the way, is quite different and has a different story.
Lord Stow’s Bakery
Lord Stow’s Bakery original shop is located in Coloane village, in the Southern part of Macau.
I bought a set of six for 50 MOP (a little over 6 USD). The individual price was 10 MOP. Unfortunately the bakery in Coloane has no place where to seat. The cakes are best tasted hot. They were firm and the cream brulee cover added flavor to the mix.
Their handmade chocolate pie was another item that attracted my attention, but I did not try it.
They have several outlets in Macau, including some cafes: check their web site for addresses. Finally, two small franchisees are present in Osaka (Dotobori) and in Manila.
Margaret’s Café e Nata
Margaret’s cafe is located near the central Senate Square (17B R. do Cmte. Mata e Oliveira). During the weekend expect long queues. I visited it on a Monday morning and there was no waiting time. They also have some benches in front of the store that is nice.
They have sandwiches and drinks as well. Right in front of the entrance there is a DYI station where to choose the ingredients for a sandwich. But it did not look particularly attractive.
Frankly, the egg tart was pretty similar to Lord Stow’s. Probably the pastry was more flaky and the cream had a stronger flavor. But I would not queue for it.
One tart was 10 MOP (1.24 USD), the standard price around town. Also tried a pizza that was forgettable.
Macau, today a Special Administrative Region of China, from 1849 to 1999 was a concession administered by Portugal and you can see the European footprint everywhere, from the names of the streets, to the architecture and the food. Thanks to this history, in the small peninsula (home to just 800,000 people) you can find some excellent Portuguese dishes. Here’s three Portuguese restaurants in Macau that I tried in October 2019.
The luxury one: Guincho a Galera
The outpost of a Portuguese Michelin-starred restaurant, Guincho a Galera does not betray its five-star setting inside the historic Lisboa Hotel. The tasting menu is a good way to explore the fine dining offering of the restaurant. A lunch set starts at 42 USD for two courses and dessert. By the way, if you go, you do not want to miss the dessert cart.
The over-hyped one: Antonio
Located in Taipa village, Antonio seems to cater mostly to tourists. The food we tried was good, but it did not blow us away. Overall it was overpriced. It may be worth trying if you fancy a special dish with monkfish or Portuguese veal and do not worry about the check.
The good one: Albergue 1601
Located in the heart of a historic district facing a lovely courtyard, Albergue 1601 impressed us both for the service and the quality of the food. The value for money was also excellent. They have Portoguese codfish in various styles and at least one should be on your list.
Albergue 1601 is a Portuguese restaurant nestled in the heart of the historical neighborhood of St. Lazarus District. From October onwards, alfresco dining is also available for lunch in the courtyard under the canopies of giant camphor trees. I included in my itinerary because it popped up in reviews from locals and it was located at a reasonable walking distance from St. Paul’s ruins where I completed my first itinerary in the old city during a trip in October 2019. By accident, the courtyard was a occupied by a very noisy Halloween party (not related to the restaurant).
The visit
I and a friend did not have a reservation but we were quickly accommodated in one of the last table available.
Bread with some dip sauce was provided free of charge and so tap water.
We decided to share the seafood rice that ended up to be quite rich, with mussels, clams, shrimps, and squid. This was our appetizer.
Then each of us chose a type of Portuguese codfish (the signature fish was available in several styles). My choice was for the baked codfish with cornbread. I found this dish delicious and the flavor of the codfish was not compromised by the condiments.
My friend opted for a “spiritual codfish” that turned out to be a sort of porridge (some wine was also used).
Both dishes were very large! Each of them could have satisfied two people.
I need to praise the service. The staff was very attentive and proactive in solving small issues such as a wobbling table. They even offered to switch off an air conditioning unit that was pointing the cold air toward the table.
The check
Without the wine, the food check was around 700 MOP (or 43 USD per person). Considering the size of the dishes, the price was reasonable. I kind of regret that I could not try more dishes, but I was completely satisfied by what I had and I would certainly go back if I visit Macau again.
Antonio was established in 2007 in Taipa Village by Portuguese national António Cohelo who decided to lead his career as a chef after years of service in the military army.
The visit
I made a reservation though Open Table for a Sunday lunch with a friend. I was attracted by the promise of authentic Portuguese dishes and top-shelf ingredients. The restaurant is located in a quiet street of Taipa village, a must-see neighborhood if you are touring Macau.
Outside the restaurant’s awards are proudly displayed. It is a “table” in the Hong Kong and Macau Michelin Guide.
Upon arrival we were offered some bread and butter and some olives.
We decided to share two appetizers. The first was the classic codfish cakes (pasteis de bacalhau). They were very delicate but strangely the codfish taste was almost absent. They were quite different from those I experienced in Lisbon.
The second appetizer was a squid salad. Everything about this dish was perfect: the squid, imported, was super-tender and the flavors were well balanced.
My friends has a squid ink rice with codfish. He was happy with it, but the flavor did no stand out.
I went for what probably was a boring dish: a lamb shank. The dish was perfectly executed with a nice set of vegetables.
We had dessert elsewhere.
The check
The final check was 1151 MOP (142 USD, or 71 USD per person). The food was ok, however, I left with mixed feelings. In the end the premium for imported ingredients dd not pay off and at times the flavors were bland. In comparison, I got more value in a restaurant like Guincho a Galera. Most of the diners were tourists. Unfortunately, the impression left is of an overpriced tourist restaurant, even if the food is not disappointing.
A tip: in front of the restaurant there is another restaurant by Antonio called Tapas de Portugal. It seems to have the same dishes but in smaller portions and comparatively lower prices. It may be a good starting point to try Antonio’s cuisine.
Ps: even if they double checked my name upon arrival, they communicated to Open Table that I was a no show. Quite annoying.
Guinchio a Galera is the first branch abroad of a Portuguese Michelin-starred restaurant. The mothership, Fortaleza a Galera, is located in Cascais. It did not get the star in Macau, though.
The restaurant occupies a large room on the third level of the Lisboa Hotel that was formerly hosting Joel Robuchon (now relocated to the fancier Grand Lisboa).
The visit
I decided to have the tasting menu, which is varied monthly, so do not expect to find exact the same dishes if you go for this menu.
The bread basket was promptly provided and was excellent. It included soft banana bread and classic Portuguese brad with bits of ham.
Their first dish was called “Black and white”. The black was squid ink and the white squid meat. Some uni was added for good measure. The squid was very tender. A very good dish.
The second dish was a creamy slow-cooked oxtail soup. Quite delicious.
The third dish (and first main) was a classic seafood rice. There was only a small layer of rice, while the plate was full of seafood: some Boston lobster, clams, shrimps, ad some crab meat. I was happy about he balance.
The fourth dish (and second main) featured pork in three styles. The pork crusted in herbs (and I believe slow-cooked) was the best.
Finally the waitress brought the dessert cart (very heavy to move!) to let me choose my dessert. I was allowed to pick two. I appreciated the showmanship involved and there were a lot of interesting desserts.
I ended up with a chocolate mousse cake and a rice pudding.
The check
The final expense after including water and service charge was 677.60 MOP (84 USD). Not a cheap meal, but overall acceptable. Service was commensurate with a five star venue. It was a nice lunch.
The lunch set option (418 MOP for three courses and dessert) was certainly a better deal.
