Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [257]
Great streets for antiques, ceramics and curios (eg traditional Chinese kites) are Rua de São Paulo, Rua das Estalagens and Rua de São António, and the lanes off them; most shops are open from 10.30am or 11am to 6pm or 7pm, with a one-hour lunch some time between 12.30pm and 2pm.
Coloane Village has a few shops selling bric-a-brac, traditional goods and antiques. Asian Artefacts ( Map; 2888 1022; 9 Rua dos Negociantes; 10am-7pm) is recommended.
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CLOTHING
For cheap clothing, go to the St Dominic Market ( Map), in an alley just north of Largo do Senado, or the Three Lamps District ( Map), especially around Rotunda de Carlos da Maia near the Almirante Lacerda City Market in northern Macau Peninsula.
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SPECIALITY FOODS
On Rua de Felicidade – the ‘street of happiness’ but more commonly known as ‘street of souvenirs’ – a cluster of shops sell Chinese pastries original to Macau. Koi Kei ( Map; 74 Rua de Felicidade) specialises in phoenix rolls (shredded pork wrapped with seaweed) and peanut candies. Choi Heong Yuen ( Map; 2835 5966; 70-72 Rua de Felicidade), going strong for over 70 years, is Macau’s most popular place for hang-yàn-béng (almond-flavoured biscuits). Both shops have numerous outlets, but Felicidade has the more elaborate choices. Other Macau specialities you might want to try include nougats, preserved apricots and yuk-gàwn, dried sweet strips of pork and other meats. The shops usually open from 10am to 10pm.
Pun Veng Kei ( Map; 2833 5127; 1B Rua do Monte; noon-6pm), just below the Ruins of São Paulo, is a humble but beloved pastry shop selling freshly made aromatic kam chin béng (egg crisps). Mr Pun’s son also sells the egg crisps from the cart in front of the Museum of the Holy House of Mercy.
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STAMPS
Macau produces some wonderful postage stamps: real collector’s items that include images of everything from colonial landmarks to roulette tables. Mint sets and first-day covers are available from counters 17 and 18 at the main post office ( Map) facing Largo do Senado.
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EATING
While the new mega-resorts boast high-end international cuisines that have changed the food culture in the city, Macau’s own fare is still alive and well preserved. Be it Portuguese cuisine, Macanese ‘soul food’, Cantonese dim sum or the special treats from street stalls, eating is often the prime motive for making a trip to Macau.
The most popular tipple in Macau is vinho verde, a crisp, dry, slightly effervescent ‘green’ wine from Portugal that goes down a treat with salty Portuguese food and spicy Macanese dishes. You may also try one of the fine wines from Dão, Douro or Alenquer.
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Portuguese & Macanese Cuisine
Portuguese cuisine is meat-based and not always particularly refined. It makes great use of olive oil, garlic and bacalhau (dried salted cod), which can be prepared in many different ways. The cuisine sometimes combines meat and seafood in one dish, such as porco à Alentejana, a tasty casserole of pork and clams. Some favourite dishes are caldo verde (a soup of green kale – a type of cabbage – thickened with potatoes), pastéis de bacalhau (codfish croquettes), sardinhas grelhadas (grilled sardines) and feijoada (a casserole of beans, pork, spicy sausages, potatoes and cabbage).
Macanese food borrows a lot of its ingredients and tastes from Chinese and other Asian cuisines, as well as from those of former Portuguese colonies in Africa and India. Dishes are redolent of coconut, tamarind, chilli, jaggery (palm sugar) and shrimp paste.
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PRICE GUIDE
This price guide is for the approximate cost of a two-course meal, with drinks.
$$$$ More than MOP$1200 a meal
$$$ MOP$400-1200
$$ MOP$150-400
$ Up to MOP$150
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