Kao in Macau : Shopping at the Red Market and Lunching at Ristorante Litoral

Lunching at Ristorante Litoral

For lunch, we trooped off to Ristorante Litoral, one of the best Macanese restaurants in Macau. This is where they bring the country’s special guests and VIPs, Joao tells us, so you can imagine how this excited us more. For the curious, Macanese cuisine is an off-shoot of Portuguese cooking. Immigrating Portuguese brought with them their homeland’s cooking, adapted to suit local ingredients from Macau.

We started the meal off with a nice fresh Salad Mista (mixed salad) and a basket of bread. The bread was insanely good. Non-descript looking, it was just like your typical dinner roll. I helped myself to one and was greeted with a symphony of crisp crackling sounds. Each tiny crackle met the other, in a melodious chorus that was testament to the crisp freshness of the bread. Complemented by an extremely tender and pillowy crumb, this is one of the best breads I have eaten my whole life.

For starters, we had Pasteis de Bacalhau, a codfish croquette similar to the one we enjoyed at Miramar, another croquette-like dish whose name escapes me now, the really flavorful Vinagrete de Lulas (squid in vinegar) which offered a delightful play in textures and flavors, and the Pipis a Litoral (Chicken Giblets A Litoral), a meaty stew-like dish of giblets.

Our entrees were the Galinha Africana (African Chicken), a distinctly spiced grilled (or perhaps roasted?) chicken dish, fish laid atop a bed of vegetables then baked in foil (once again, the name escapes me), and a Macanese Curried Crabmeat dish that was served with rice.

One of the stars of the meal was the Macanese Seafood Rice. “Don’t call it Paella,” we were told. Doing so can be insulting because it was Macanese and only the Spanish cook paella. I can’t complain—after tasting this unforgettable rice dish, I understand the pride they have. With the melodic harmony of flavors, there’s good reason to be proud and to remind people that THIS is from Macau.

You’d think we’ve had enough food by this time, but dessert was a different yet equally elaborate affair altogether. Probably not wanting to be outdone, their Pastry Chef sent out a large selection of parfait cups, ramekins and an enormous pillowy meringue that teases your eyes even before you’ve had the chance to pick up your spoon. Truth be told, I was in a daze even before I could sample all the desserts.

Dining at Ristorante Litoral has opened my eyes to the wonders of Macanese cuisine—and it definitely is something I’d love to eat more of. In fact, it should be de rigeur for every visit. Who knew that the Portuguese sailors’ wives would be starting a cuisine so delicious, with their efforts to substitute and localize?

Still to be continued!

Epic series is epic! Catch Day 1 and Day 2 of my Macanese Adventures!