Eu Não Falo Português

I didn't know what to expect with Macau. Maybe just another Hong Kong, where everyone works 24/7 making loads of money and spending it just the same.

Thankfully no, Macau, compared to Hong Kong is asleep. Well apart from the Las Vegas style casinos that greet you as you arrive at the Ferry Terminal. 

Macau sure lack's the same quantity of food joints that Hong Kong has, but then again it is a lot smaller as well. There are a lot of bakery’s though, but from what we tried most were really so so.

They do however have some great Portuguese egg custard tarts. The burnt custard topping sets them apart from their Hong Kong counterpart, which as it took me ages to find the best one there. Now I’m in a whole different league, and sadly I am here for too little a time to find the best. But I did my best.

Now as we were in an old Portuguese colony, why not indulge in a few Portuguese treats. Well as in Rome. If you delve a little deeper you can find some pretty good places to eat off the main tourist drag.

As Portugal makes some pretty fine wine and are a kind and beneficial state, they still send a lot of it to their former colony at very good rates. No import duty here. 

So in our Colonial fusion restaurant we ordered a bottle of red. After nearly 6 weeks with hardly no wine, it tasted fantastic. 

The menu consists of some old time classics, like grilled sardines, Caldo Verde and countless Baccahlao dishes.

We were told on a trip to Lisbon that there is a Baccahlao recipe for every day of the year. It wouldn’t surprise me.

So as we were in a former Portuguese colony, why not have some dishes from its other colonies as well. So for starters we choose some Baccahlao balls. Well it is a Portuguese restaurant after all. We shared a couple of dishes, African Chicken, which was coated in a picante sauce. Delish.

As I am a sucker for beans and the off cuts of meat, I aimed straight for the Feijoada. I’d never had it before, and I was not disappointed. The beans were awesome, especially as they still had the pigs trotter flavouring them. It also came with some chorizo and morcilla. Black pudding. Yummmmm .... Heaven I tell you.

It wasn’t very Asian, but it was pretty good and a change from what we had been eating over the month before. 

Macau, like Hong Kong is a blend of old and new, east meets west, but it is more laid back than it’s neighbour. It’s an odd place, but I liked it.

Next stop Bangkok.