Macau Day 2 (Breakfast)

Woke up with my stomach rumbling in anticipation of today's meals. But first, there's breakfast to settle. We went down to the Festivita Food Court again to have some Dim Sum.

There was a long queue in front a stall named Imperial Ocean which sold selected dim sum. The Zhu Chang Fen seemed to be the most popular dish ordered. It was smooth, soft and drizzled over with sesame oil and light soya sauce. My favourite was this deep fried sweet sesame ball that was cut into thick slices. It was piping hot and the fragrant sesame seeds gave the chewy dough an interesting texture.

PT was checking out the other food stalls and succumbed to several delectable Xiao Long Baos.

Macau Day 1 (Dinner)

It's back at the Venetian for dinner. FT and JT were pretty tired, having hardly slept on the plane and being on their feet from the early morning. Thus, we decided on a relaxing dinner at the Festivita Food Court, which is quite an amazing place. The architecture and clear blue skies gives you a strange feeling of al fresco dining along the streets of Venice.

 Hearing so much about the Pork Chop Bun in Macau, I went over the the Macanese booth and ordered one to try. It was quite yummy. It's a large piece of pork chop placed in between 2 slices of toasted bun. The sandwich was moist and tasty, even without any dressings.

Afer sharing the bun with PT, I still felt greedy. So I walked over to the Mexican Stall (No way was I going to eat local food at the food court when there are so many wonderful options outside) and ordered a Vegetarian Quesadilla. I didn't have too high an expectation (Mexican food in Macau?) but was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. The cheese was rich and creamy and the guacamole was freshly made.

PT stayed conservative and ordered his familiar Chicken Cutlet on Rice. The chicken was sweet and juicy and deliciously seasoned.

While the servings are large, the prices are steep to. A standard order would set you back by at least S$8 - S$10.

Macau Day 1 (Biscuits)

After visiting the Ruins of St Paul's Church, we made our way down on of the many side streets to Senado Square. All of a sudden, I spotted a crowd around a small, dark shop tucked away in a small alley. Stepping closer, I saw a gnarled, old man bent painfully over a charcoal stove. He was deftly making egg biscuits.

The authenticity of the entire painstaking process, the stubborn adherence to tradition and the obvious care of the old man in making each biscuit impressed everyone of us there. The freshly made biscuits were hot, crisp and delicately eggy.

Macau Day 1 (Egg Tarts)

Woo hoo! Finally managed to try the famous Egg Tarts from Margaret's Cafe e Nata. It's a dingy little place tucked in a small alley near the Lisboa Hotel.

But the egg tarts are nothing like the ones in Singapore. They are served oven fresh and piping hot. First, the pastry is crisp and flaky, giving light little crunches with every bite. As for the egg custard, it was the creamiest and eggiest version I've ever tasted. The smooth and sweet custard practically melts and oozes in your mouth with every bite.

Mmmm! Mmmm! Mmmm!

Margaret's Cafe e Nata
Gum Loi Building, Rua Almirante Costa Cabral

Macau Day 1 - Lunch

We had just touched down and checked into our rooms. Food on the budget airline left much to be desired and we were starving. Without wasting a further second, we went quickly out to the main lobby in search of good Cantonese cuisine.

Thankfully, our search was short. Just along the West Lobby of the hotel was Neptune Restaurant which specialised in roasted meats.

Our first dish was the restaurant's speciality - Sio Bak. Normally, I wouldn't touch this dish with a ten-foot pole. The Sio Bak I had a long time ago in Singapore was oily, gamey and worst of all, had layers of fat that just squished around my mouth. But this dish completely turned my perception around. The piping hot meat slices was firm and the thin marbled layers of fat just melted away with every bite, providing added juciness to the dish. Best of all was the thin crispy layer of fat at the ends,

Our next order was roast duck. The meat was tender and fragrant and the duck was delicious.

This Fish Skin was a fairly odd dish. I expected something crispy but instead a cold, jellyfish like tasting dish arrived. I actually felt slightly icky taking the first bite, expected the plastic taste of scales. Instead (thankfully), I bit into a chewy, well-seasoned slice which grew more addictive with every mouthful. The tangy ginger and spring onion slices complemented the fish well.

This was a hot favourite. The shrimps were spicy and crispy and were highly addictive, somewhat resembling airy keropok.

I didn't quite like the egg dish. While it was tasty, what turned me off were the crushed peanuts that were sprinkled liberally over the eggs.

To round up the meal, we ordered several bowls of tasty porridge - Chicken, Pork and Fish.

A tasty meal, but an extremely expensive one. Total bill for 11 pax came up to almost S$300. When I staggered out of the restaurant, it was due more to the pain of an unexpectedly expensive lunch rather than the heaviness of the tummy.

Old Neptune Restaurant
The Venetian
Macau

Macau Makan Adventure

My recent holiday in Macau was a trip of lavish lodging and epicurean delicacies.

The magnificent opulence of the Venetian Hotel and the gastronomic exploration of Macanese cuisine have made this a truly unforgettable holiday.

Have a look at some amazing shots of the Venetian.

This is a corridor along the Canal Shoppes. The sheer size and frescos on the walls are simply amazing.

The artificial sky darkens and lightens according to the time of day and the canals run through the hotel.

Here's the centre of the hotel which opens up to reveal the Casino on the first floor.

Sob...I want to go back....

Surprise Lunch

Guess what? We had a surprise pot luck at work today. At 12.00pm, a bevy of yummy dishes miraculously appeared on the table. FANTASTIC! All I can say is that my colleagues are fabulous cooks.

The homemade Pineapple Rice was sweet and fragrant and its yellow saffron shade was so attractive.

Now, this Vegetable Curry carried a real kick. Who would have thought that a meatless curry could taste so good? Filled the potatoes, fresh lady's fingers and an assortment of vegetables, it was tasty and filling. Best of all, the gravy was thick and not at all oily. I spooned ladles of it over the Pineapple Rice.

The Fried Been Hoon was refreshingly light and the sliced vegetables gave it a nice textured crunch.

What's a party without Satay and Otak? These 2 favourites were bought from Jalan Kayu. The otak was spicy and had big chunks of seafood.

The famous Polar Swiss Rolls were bought for dessert, but I was too stuffed to eat them. Didn't matter though, they were perfect for tea.

What a wonderful meal and what great colleagues!