Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

Largo do Senado (Senado Square) – The landmark of Macau city; come on weekends and be swarmed by bobbing heads popping up all over your shots. Trick is to come as early as possible to beat the late risers.

Now that the long Chinese New Year break is over, and there probably isn’t another public holiday in sight until May 1st – Labour Day in Malaysia; we should revisit the missed traveling stories from 2013. For one, allow Motormouth to regain his composure post CNY blues and the gradual recovery from the dastardly bout of food poisoning. Scary, I tell you. Got me resorting to liquid food, vegetarian and even organic (!) cuisine for a few days.

Ou Mun Cafe – We missed this place during the previous visit, hence this was instantly our first stop for brunch upon arriving in Macau from Hong Kong.  

But of course, now that the inspiration to write flows back into my veins … let’s revisit the Hong Kong – Macau 2013 chapters and a fitting closure to the Macau portion of the stories. We spent 2 days, 1 night in Macau; and despite the fact that this was my 3rd time in Macau; there was nary a moment of boredom or lapse in . The cooling weather last November was a plus, and we ended up strolling all over the place; occasionally stopping by for a bite.

Okay, I used the word “occasionally” very loosely. 

Upon arrival, we checked in into our hotel within walking distance to Senado Square and hurried over to Ou Mun Cafe for a late lunch. Thankfully, the cafe was opened and they run throughout the day.

The menu had more breakfast selections than actual mains; so don’t expect a full arsenal of the usual Portuguese fares like African chicken, baked Bacalhau (salted cod fish) rice or even grilled sardines in all their glory here. Still, the sandwiches with ham and cheese, tijelada (Portuguese sweet of egg pudding drizzled with honey) and salted cod cakes (Pastel Bacalhau) were decent fares; and coupled with a cup of latte … this was a brunch well executed. Did not sample their food enough to pass judgment, and they do have a pretty impressive line up of desserts behind the glass display that beckons for a repeat visit someday down the line.

The meal came to MOP100/MYR40/USD13 for two pax.

OU MUN CAFE
Address: 12 Travessa de S. Domingos, Macau
Phone: +853 2837 2207
Business Hours : 9am-10pm from Tue-Sun
*This is located on a side alley off the main area of Senado Square, remember the Shanghainese cuisine restaurant we tried almost 3 years back? Still there, and along the same alley.

Part of old Macau charm is the multitude of old buildings projecting a dilapidated yet nostalgic feel; and retaining that retro outlook that has been preserved since our grandparents’ days.

Lunch at A Lorcha near to A-Ma Temple in Macau – One of the highly-regarded Portuguese restaurant in Macau

After brunch, we went back to refresh ourselves and embarked on a brief walk around the square and surrounding area. This time around, we skipped doing the confectioneries run aka biscuits sampling spree at Koi Kei Bakery outlets that have significantly outnumbered its closest competitor; Choi Heong Yuen.

Instead, we took a bus to A-Ma temple area for MOP4/MYR1.60/USD0.50 per way. You can take the bus from the main road of Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro (San Ma Lou), but look for the exact stop where you should wait. In spite of the same road that the buses ply, they may not stop at all points.

Near to A-Ma Temple is one of the most popular Portuguese/Macanese restaurant in town; A Lorcha.

Half expecting the restaurant to be empty that late in the afternoon (past 2 pm), we pushed open the door that reminded of The Ship Restaurant in Malaysia somewhat; (lorcha means “A kind of light vessel used on the coast of China, having the hull built on a European model, and the rigging like that of a Chinese junk”) and stood in awe. The place was packed to the brim. Lucky for us, a table for two was left vacant right by the bar.

We shared a Dried Bacalhau Salad (MOP58/MYR23), Clams in Garlic, Parsley & Wine (MOP98/MYR40) and Grilled Portuguese Sardines (MOP102/MYR41); that proved to be too much after a late breakfast at Ou Mun Cafe earlier. The cold, flaky dried bacalhau (dried salted cod) tossed in a tangy dressing with chopped onions and parsley pumped up the salivary glands into overdrive before tasting the fresh, delicate morsels of clams cooked in a beautiful broth of white wine and flavoured with garlic and parsley. This was the best dish, hands down. The Grilled sardines were exemplary of good cooking skills; lightly salted before thrown on the grill though the boney bits may prove to be too much of a hassle to devour the trio of mid-sized sardines. The other must-tries here include African Chicken, Grilled Bacalhau, Portuguese Fried Rice and their Sawdust Pudding aka Serradura.

A LORCHA
Rua Almirante Sergio No.289, Sao Lourenco
Tel No : (853) 2831 3195
Business Hours : 12.30 pm – 3.30 pm, 7.00pm – 11.30pm
Closed on Tuesdays 

A short walk ahead and a turn around the corner will lead you to A-Ma Temple; one of the most popular historic sights in Macau; in existence before the town even came to place. Devotees from all over the world come to pray; tourists come for a look at one of the oldest temple in the region while shutterbugs have a great time soaking in the sights of prayers in motion and a myriad of paraphernalia being sold for blessings and decorations.

A-MA TEMPLE (Wiki)
St Lawrence’s Parish, Macau

From Macau island to Taipa; exploring Macau on foot and taking the public buses does not sound daunting at all.

We then took a bus from A-Ma Temple to Rua Do Cunha @ Taipa for MOP4.50/MYR1.80 per person.  Now, Rua Do Cunha is a street in Taipa gloriously lined with restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops, bakeries and more. And we never failed to pay this area a visit; having the famous crab porridge and serradura in 2008 and the amazingly juicy and tender Tai Lei Loi Kei pork chop bun in 2011. This time around, we could only stomached a few egg tarts and milk tea at San Hou Lei Cafe; en route from Rua Do Cunha to Tai Lei Loi Kei’s direction. We sampled their bird’s nest egg tarts before, and they still bake a pretty good Portuguese Egg Tart.

Though not as impressive as Lord Stow’s or even Margaret’s.

A tad too late for the 2pm only pork chop buns; though you can also easily grab hold of Tai Lei Loi Kei’s pork chop buns, noodles and rice at their branches in Klang Valley.

SAN HOU LEI CAFE
No 13-14, Rua do Regedor, Vila de Taipa
Read more from THIS POST

TAI LEI LOI KEI PORK CHOP BUN
18 Rua Governador Tamagnini Banbosa R/C, Vila de Taipa

And expansion comes in the form of a restaurant around the corner and Tai Lei Loi Kei has also an outlet at Venetian Macau.

And the Taipa Houses have always been a choice location for wedding shots … just like the 2011’s Love Story 

We traveled back to our hotel for a wee bit of rest and walked out to a chilly breeze and darkened skies. Dinner’s on the agenda and we thought of not doing Portuguese or Macanese anymore. Bacalhau may be a fresh idea in the initial stage but after a few tries, the idea gets old. And so, we ended up at Tou Tou Koi Restaurant; dishing out Cantonese cuisine at pretty reasonable prices. And in a comfortable environment to boot.

A mixed platter of roast duck, roasted pork and ‘char siew’ BBQ pork (MOP88/MYR35) greeted us almost immediately upon ordering; and the platter of roasted meats were delicious. Sinfully good stuff; the Roasted Pork especially; dipped into sugar and mustard. Another one of their highly recommended item is the braised cabbage with ham bits in shark’s fins soup (MOP78/MYR31) which came in a claypot of milky broth that got so much sweeter at the end of the meal due to the natural sweetness of the boiled cabbage.

And this being ‘winter’ in Macau, I realised that the production of waxed meats (sausages, duck, etc) should be ramped up and it will be a sin not to order anything with waxed meats. Thus, I went all out and ordered something not on the menu; Fried Glutinous Rice with Shrimps, Waxed Sausages, Scallops and Mushrooms (MOP98/MYR39). And I daresay, this single portion of glutinous rice fried to an aromatic finish was the SINGLE MOST MEMORABLE DISH throughout the entire Hong Kong and Macau trip. Seriously good stuff; where every grain of rice has texture; taste and bathed in a sauce that elevated the humble dish to a heavenly level.

TOU TOU KOI RESTAURANT
G/F, 6-8 Travessa do Mastro, Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro
Business Hours : 8.00 am – 11.30 pm daily

Good Night Macau! If you have time and wish to burn off the calories; go for a really long walk around the square and vicinity; observing life at night in the serene Macau; especially around St Paul’s Ruins.

Good Morning Macau!!! Various food and fruits stalls starting to operate in the early hours of the day, though don’t expect restaurants and cafes to do the same. Anytime after 11am is safest for most eateries in Macau.

And back to Nam Ping we went, for I missed the Nam Ping sandwich the most; a loaded eggs and ham sandwich that has earned a local’s nod of approval for BEST sandwich ever award. Should there be one.

The French toast and Macaroni Soup here were okay; stomach-pleasing fares yet paled in comparison to the sandwich that I have come to adore to bits. The chunks of roasted pork within made all the difference; coupled with the visually-gratifying golden egg omelette wrapping around the meat.

Breakfast for two came to MOP70/MYR28 including drinks.

NAM PING CAFE
G/F, 85-85A Rua de Cinco de Outubro
Business Hours : 6.30am – 6.30pm
Read more from previous visit HERE

And I could not imagined leaving Macau without a standard bowl of chilled or warm double-layered milk pudding; aka “Siong Pei Nai”. Yes, the ginger milk version is equally as popular, and addition of red beans is a norm yet I still like my milk pudding unadulterated; chilled this time. The Steamed Egg Custard at background was another top notch choice at Yee Shun. MOP20/MYR8 for the milk pudding, MOP25/MYR10 for the egg pudding.

YEE SHUN DAIRY COMPANY
GF, 381 Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro, Macau, China
Read previous post for more 

Just before departing to Hong Kong via ferry service (MOP147/MYR60/USD20 per pax, per way), we managed to squeeze in some time at the local morning market in an enclosed building near to the Square. The many photo opportunities come in the shapes and forms of traders and peddlers taking pride in what they do best for a living.

And that concluded the Macau 2013 chapter, but not the Hong Kong 2013 chapter just yet. I wish that I can finally complete this before quickly running through the Taiwan, New Zealand, Sweden and Bangkok stories. Though as the year progresses, this appears to be somewhat challenging. Plus, a writing stint that I will take up in a few weeks’ time may leave me with probably a solitary post per week on this blog. We shall see.

This blog has reached the 10 million hits mark in February 2014; and I guess it s time for a change.