Macau Munching

In the cool 15-degree weather of a January night in Macau, this thick, tomato-based stew was the comfort food I seeked and found.
It brought one of my all-time favorite parts of the pig--the pork knuckle--together with softly cooked kidney beans, still-crisp cabbage, carrots and thin slices of a spicy chorizo sausage in a way that satisfied both my tummy and soul.

Picked up a few boxes of these "one-bite" cookies at the Macau International Airport. They're from "Choi Heong Yuen", a famous bakery in Macau that's been in existence since 1935. This particular packaging contains four flavours of the cookie, so besides the original almond, there's a black sesame with shredded pork jerky version, one with pumpkin seeds and another with pine nuts. All of them, individually-wrapped.
To be honest, I found the cookies a little dry for my liking but there is no denying they are fragrant. On hindsight, I ought to have had them with a cup of hot tea.

Leaping beyond my expectations (which admittedly, were set conservatively with "Good Fortune Kitchen" being a nondescript eatery located in an airport and all), these double strips of pure, sweet porkiness were strikingly juicy with a fantastic crackling to boot. And so, whoosh! Just like that, my quota for sinful calories was gone.

Had this at "Good Fortune Kitchen" in the Macau International Airport just before I boarded my return flight to Singapore. The dumplings were good - silky of skin and stuffed with a fresh tasting mince of pork, prawns and black fungi. Unfortunately, the egg noodles were below par - a bundle of overcooked blahness.

One of the better roasted suckling pigs I've ever had. The magnificently crispy skin was a gorgeous golden-brown and had a subtle garlic aroma and taste, which made it distinctively delicious. Furthermore, the ratio of fat-to-lean in the rich, juicy meat itself was spot on. Granted this was rather expensive for the size of the serving but oh boy, did that pork get me grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

Considering this is a celebrity restaurant with prices to match, the set lunch seemed to be the most ideal way to sample the cuisine without burning too huge a hole in my pocket.
From the three sets designed to fit different appetite sizes, the "Menu Plaisir" at 698MOP (SGD$125) was the most appealing in my opinion as it included an amuse bouche, a soup, an appetiser, a main course, choice of either dessert or cheese from the respective trolleys, and coffee or tea.
Almost immediately after my order was taken by one waiter, another came bearing a huge basket with more than half a dozen types of bread. Simultaneously, a waitress pushed a trolley with two gigantic pillars of butter, one salted and other unsalted, right up to my table. She proceeded to carve off a huge curl of my preferred (salted, of course) for my bread-slathering ritual. It didn't take long for the amuse bouche to make its entrance after that.
Looking like a snapshot of synchronized swimmers, the appetite-whetter had smoked duck meat forming a cute pattern with the marshmallow and popcorn in the pool of thick yet light and slightly sweet corn soup. Although lovely, I thought the amuse bouche at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Singapore still managed to trump this.
Next up - my appetiser, which was obviously inspired by a bird's nest. Tucked within a cluster of crispy wisps was a half-cooked egg that revealed a glorious orange yolk when I cut through it. A bed of the famous Robuchon silky-to-the-max mashed potato lay beneath. When eaten together with the creatively fried egg and fresh baby spinach, it gave every bite of this dish a great range of texture.
The soup course followed. My foamy yet richly concentrated seafood bisque was presented in a jug and poured into a cup-bowl at the table by the waiter. Two little bouncy squid balls encrusted with crunchiness accompanied it. Needless to say, I didn't waste a single drop or crumb.
I chose the Maine lobster pasta for my main (had to top up 90MOP/SGD$16 for this) and it proved to be the standout dish of the set lunch. Its spicy "coral" emulsion was like no other sauce I have had before. So pardon my inability to describe it apart from saying it's not tomato nor seafood bisque-based. I'm guessing there's "uni" (sea urchin) in there though but don't quote me as it's really a stab in the dark. What I do know is that it's complex and exuberantly "umami" with a surprising heat that hummed along as a baseline. In this vibrant richness wallowed perfectly al dente spaghetti while impressive chunks of Maine lobster that were sweet, springy and succulent to the nth degree, crowned it.
My eyes almost popped out of their sockets when the heavily-laden dessert trolley got wheeled over. You can imagine how tough it was to choose just two items from the tempting spread that included profiteroles, a large chocolate macadamia tart, a lemon meringue tart, rum baba, slices of "opera" cake, "floating island" with chocolate mousse and more. But I did; eventually settling on the restaurant's signature "mille-feuille" and a helping of fruit salad. The waiter, in a burst of generosity, also added a few cinnamon-grilled pineapple slices whilst doing the plating.
As though I wasn't already on cloud nine, my piping hot coffee had wonderful crema, and was served with two small pitchers - one containing cream and the other, caramel sauce. I must say, I loved how my shot of caffeine tasted with a bit of both stirred in.
The final hurrah? Another trolley, this one runneth over with all sorts of "mignardies" a.k.a. "petit fours". I was feeling so stuffed by then, managing to only fit in a chocolate marshmallow, an orange and almond crisp, some caramelised pistachios, plus a rose and raspberry cream lollipop.
When I was finally done with my meal, and had let my credit card do its job, I rolled off slowly into the sunset. Ok ok, not quite but close enough. 😆😆

Morton's is a name synonymous with great steaks so we were looking forward to a fantastic meal at the one located in The Venetian Macau. I chose the U.S. Aged Ribeye (663MOP/SG$117) and decided on medium-rare doneness. Well, the 16oz. (453gms) cut was enormous but it also turned out to be rather dense and heavier than expected. Even though it's juicy, it wasn't as flavourful in that rich beefy way that I like. To be honest, the piece of Australian Aged Porterhouse (758MOP/SG$134) I stole from my fellow diner's plate was a lot tastier and much more tender. I would order that instead if I am ever back here.
However, all the side dishes our group picked to share were superb. The buttery Chicago Mashed Potato (110MOP/SG$19.50) was whipped till gorgeously light in texture, and when the waiter served it, he offered sour cream, fried bacon or more butter as topping (we greedily opted for all three - lol!). Being a little hard to find in restaurants these days, I was glad the rest of my fellow diners also wanted the Brussel Sprouts (100MOP/SG$18.50). Sautéed with bacon and bits of sweet onion, I found this to be a yummy vegetable to go with meat. Although we knew it was going to be hard to finish, there was no way we could skip the Macaroni & Cheese (115MOP/SG$20.40). Heavy on the Parmesan, this was a little dry-ish but in a good way. Under the baked cheese, the curly pasta tubes were al dente and had just the right amount of white cream sauce coating them. We kept groaning we were full, and yet each of us couldn't stop reaching out for another of those maddeningly delicious twirls.

Never knew clams and pork could taste so amazing together but here is proof. Bridging the treasures of sea and land was a lipsmackingly spicy sauce that was thick with garlic and finished with coriander. It didn't hurt that the clams were the freshest plump cushions and the pork came from the famed Iberico black pig. To be honest, I was pretty much blown away by the sweetness and juiciness of the tender pork that were cut into bite-sized chunks. The serving size of this dish was huge so it's best to share, leaving you tummy space for the other items at this well-known Portugese restaurant.

Profoundly fresh, the pair of sardines were dressed with salt, loads of chopped garlic and grilled. This simple style of preparation set the stage for its natural flavours to be the star. I also found the heat-sweetened garlic the most mouthwateringly perfect complement to the fish.

I loved this dish because it was cooked very well but most of all, for its huge chunks of fresh crabmeat and that lightly-grilled giant prawn which tasted amazingly sweet. Special mention must go to the extraordinary service at this restaurant. I was impressed when the waiter checked if "al dente" for the pasta was fine with me or if I preferred it softer. Seriously, I can't recall the last time a service staff asked me that question.

This is one of the few hip little cafes in Macau that should please cafe-hoppers looking for a good cuppa. The space is quite small and so is the menu but that adds to its charm. I enjoyed my cappuccino but thought the lemon cake could have been more moist although the lemon flavour was quite strong.