TandT_issue19_Macau_HK

CAD/US $6.95

ISSUE 19 Autumn 2015 CALIFORNIA

FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE TO read, LOVE TO eat AND LOVE TO travel

Expand your culinary horizons

PLUSSYDNEYHILTON HEAD ISPUERTO VALLARTASEDONANEWFOUNDLAND

STUNNING SWITZERLAND

EXTRAORDINARY GRENADA

TWIN CITIES HK MACAU

EXOTIC COSTA RICA

AFFORDABLE ROME

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TASTE& TRAVEL INTERNATIONAL OCTOBER–DECEMBER 2015

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by ELYSE GLICKMAN

PHOTOS THIS SPREAD FROM LEFT Traditional Chinese lanterns; Captain’s Bar at Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong.

OVER THE CENTURIES, THE PORT CITY-STATES OF Macau and Hong Kong were the West's gateways to Asia. With their establishment as trade hubs during the golden age of maritime exploration between the 15th and 19th centuries, these Chinese-influenced territories would ultimately leave an indelible imprint on European food traditions, from high tea to Italian pasta.

Although both colonies were returned to the People's Republic of China in the 1990s, they remain accessible, thanks in great part to their continually evolving food landscapes. Even in times of political flux and protests, it is the best of times in these fraternal twin cities when it comes to food tourism.

A compare-and-contrast itinerary — achieved by a one-hour ferry ride (or by car via The Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge around 2016) is recommended. The most striking discovery I made in these cities is that ‘fusion cuisine’ has been a way of life for centuries. The two-city approach is also ideal if you embrace street food (noodle carts, dim sum parlors, night markets and mom-and-pop establishments), while your companion (like my friend, Derek) loves the pop and sizzle of fine dining.

The Power of ThreeMacau's mosaic of flavours and textures,

informed by Portuguese settlement and intermarriage with locals centuries ago, is less familiar than Hong Kong’s culinary culture, with its ties to Britain and Mainland

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OCTOBER–DECEMBER 2015 TASTE& TRAVEL INTERNATIONAL

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PHOTOS THIS PAGE FROM TOP LEFT View from St Paul ruins; Macau at night; Hong Kong junk; Macau street scene. FACING PAGE FROM TOP Hong Kong at night; Taipa street food; Hong Kong restaurant Man Wah.

China. This is poised to change, as 2015 is a major anniversary of the former Portuguese enclave’s return to China. The House of Dancing Water, a sumptuous Cotai Strip water and acrobatics show, stands as a metaphor for Macau’s cuisine — sometimes rustic, sometimes regal, but always adventurous and surprising.

While Macau is recognized internationally as the ‘Asian Las Vegas,’ there is excitement beyond the glitter of the city’s fabled casinos. A feast of history and architecture can be found at the Macau Museum, The Handover Gifts Museum of Macau (showcasing decorative arts from Hong Kong and mainland China’s provinces) and the Macau Maritime Museum. Dioramas at the Macau Museum depict the mingling of Portuguese and Chinese food customs, The Mandarin’s House and Lou Kau Mansion are also worth a visit because of their food-related rooms and artifacts. The Wine Museum provides additional insight into the area’s complex culinary history.

Although Macau’s physical and cultural landscape has evolved at lightning speed since the 1999 handover, three land masses — the Macau Peninsula and the islands of Taipa and Coloane — merit their own exploration beyond the colossal global buffet offered by The Venetian, Macau Studio City, City of Dreams and other Cotai Strip mega resorts.

Derek and I began our exploration of Macau’s culinary evolution at Vida Rica, the restaurant at the blissfully casino-free Mandarin Oriental Macau. It weaves together mainland Chinese, Macanese and Western flavours at breakfast, lunch and high tea. We loved the inclusion of traditional Macanese egg tarts in the high tea service, as well as the lunch offerings. Made-to-order dim sum and Asian breakfast selections were real eye-openers. After dark, Vida Rica’s bar, under the direction of manager

Lemuel Guirindola, is leading the charge to have Macau’s cocktail scene catch up with Hong Kong’s.

Authentic Macanese dishes such as Galinha a Africana (African Chicken, named for ingredients collected along the old maritime trade routes), Macanese Chili Shrimp, Minchee (ground beef and/or pork sautéed with molasses and soy sauce, topped with an egg) and adapted variations of generations-old Portuguese recipes are worth seeking out. The Red Market, meanwhile, is a must for brave souls who want to go to the source for meats, poultry and produce.

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A TALE OF TWO C IT IESA TALE OF TWO C IT IES


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SERVES 4–6

African Chicken

Chicken 1 whole, cut into serving pieces, skin removed

Cayenne Pepper 1 tsp

Paprika 1 tsp

Chinese Five-Spice Powder 2 tsp

Dried Rosemary 2 tsp

Salt 2 tsp

White Pepper 1 tsp

Garlic 4 cloves, chopped

Red Onion ¼ of a large, chopped

1 PLACE all the ingredients except the chicken in a mini food processor or blender and process to a paste, adding a little water if needed. Rub the paste all over the chicken pieces then arrange them in an ovenproof dish and set aside while you make the sauce.

SAUCE

Olive Oil 2 Tbs

Red Onion ¼ of a large, chopped

Garlic 4 cloves, chopped

Red Bell Pepper 1, chopped

Paprika ¼ cup

Bay Leaf 1

Coconut Milk 1 can, shaken

Natural Peanut Butter ¼ cup

Chicken Broth 1 cup

Salt to taste

Brown Sugar 2 tsp

2 BLITZ the onion, garlic and bell pepper in a food processor until finely chopped. Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet, and sauté the chopped vegetable mixture until soft and fragrant. Add the paprika, coconut milk, peanut butter, chicken broth, bay leaf and sugar and stir well. Simmer until slightly reduced and well blended, about 5 minutes. Add salt to taste.

TO FINISH

Baby Potatoes 1 ½ pounds, halved and par-boiled

Pitted Black Olives 1 cup

3 PREHEAT the oven to 375°F.

4 NESTLE the potatoes and olives between the chicken pieces. Pour the sauce over.

5 COVER the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.

6 SERVE with crusty bread or steamed rice.

IF YOU LIKE spicy food, increase the cayenne pepper. The dish can be made up to a day ahead and held in the refrigerator, leaving the final step of baking until you are ready to serve.

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core.” Pimm’s Cup and Sidecars were generous, and the menu offered lunch specials such as Fish and Chips and Shepherd’s Pie. Then the scent of curry hit us as stacked Indian ‘tiffin’ lunches came out in droves to fashionable patrons who nearly mirrored people in the vintage 1960s Oriental Hotel marketing photos on display.

After imbibing spectacularly inventive cocktails at M Bar, which (along with neighbouring Landmark Mandarin Oriental’s Mo Bar) is regarded by cocktail enthusiasts as a standard bearer for the mixology scene, we strolled into Man Wah, the property’s traditional Cantonese restaurant. Although Time Out and Hong Kong Tattler tout the lunchtime dim sum, we were not prepared for how innovative a ‘traditional’ dinner could be. One bite is better than the next, from appetizers (deep-fried cod fish with preserved olive black bean and five spices; prawn spring roll; Shanghainese-style marinated chicken) to flawless roast Peking Duck, stir-fried fillet of spotted grouper, wok-friend pork loin with pear, fried rice with diced Peking Duck and a Wagyu beef filet.

While the Landmark Mandarin Oriental’s Amber is French, its use of local produce and seasoning in our lunch made it as much a product of Hong Kong as the fare at Man Wah. At the Intercontinental Hong Kong in Kowloon, Yan Toh Heen earns its two Michelin stars, with a creative presentation of condiments for an excellent Peking Duck, a seasonal hairy crab dim sum course, barbecued suckling pig and a signature Bird’s Nest with Crabmeat Roe. The property’s other restaurants help it live up to its name, with outposts for Nobu and Alain Ducasse (SPOON) as well as Harbourside’s epic buffet and The Steak House Winebar & Grill that, like Yan Toh Heen, dazzles with array of artisanal salt, mustards and condiments. The Lobby Bar offers the best view of the Hong Kong side of Victoria Harbour, along with cocktails inspired by the city’s landmarks.

Michelin-star rated restaurants, trendy noodle bars and dim sum parlors are all big draws, but non-Chinese dining and progressive cocktailing in the expat hubs of SoHo and Lan Kwai Fong add more dimension to the city’s food scene. The buzziest restaurants in Hong Kong Central include the aptly-named Comfort (New York-born Chef Harlan Goldstein’s irreverent take on home-style morsels from around the globe), New York-style steakhouse Carbone, Gordon Ramsey-supported Bread Street Kitchen and Parisian-influenced La Vache.

After photographing the iconic Ruins of St Paul, we wound our way down Rua de Sao Paulo, which connects that landmark to Senado Square. The steep, narrow street is a gauntlet of pork jerky and local pastileria (bakery) samplings by retailers competing for tourist dollars. Favourite destinations for more substantial, authentic meals are O Porto and Litoral, tidy establishments that pour all of their attention into perfect African Chicken and Chili Shrimp. In the residential section of Taipa, we get a generous dose of local flavour at Taipa Rua da Cunha, a busy daytime carnival of street food stalls and shops selling less souvenir-y versions of almond cakes, phoenix egg rolls, coconut flakes and peanut candy.

While many chefs have made names for themselves in Hong Kong, local celeb chef Antonio Coelho is introducing selective diners to Portuguese and Macanese cuisine at his eponymous Antonio, an exquisite and atmospheric Michelin three-star restaurant. Further out, on a tiny street in rural Coloane Island, there’s Espaço Lisboa, a gem epitomizing Macau and its cuisine, from the ambiance (Chinese exteriors and Portuguese interiors) to luxurious renditions of African Chicken, fish dishes and various casseroles.

A Fragrant and Varied HarbourEven with political turmoil dominating headlines

during our visit in late 2014, Hong Kong’s mercurial food scene is a powerful glue that binds the city’s diverse populations. This struck us as we walked toward our hotel and witnessed friendly, polite protesters debating issues, rehearsing dance numbers (!) and enjoying makeshift buffet lunches brought in from nearby restaurants.

When we stepped into the half-century-old Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong Central, we were reminded of how international a city it continues to be. We lunched at the Captain’s Bar, which Derek observed was “British Empire to the

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TRAVIS

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Mandarin Oriental Macauwww.mandarinoriental.com/macau

Kwun Hoi Heenwww.grandcoloane.com/dining/kwun-hoi-heen-chinese-restaurant.htm

Litoralwww.restaurante-litoral.com

Antonio Macauwww.antoniomacau.com

Espaço Lisboa8 Rua dos Gaivotas, Coloane Island, Macau

O Porto Interor259B Rua do Almirante Sergio,Macau Peninsula

Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong/The M Barwww.mandarinoriental.com/hongkong

The Landmark/Amber/Mo Barwww.mandarinoriental.com/landmark

Intercontinental Hong Kong www.hongkong-ic.intercontinental.com

Linguini Finiwww.linguinifini.com

Hong Kong Foodie Tasting Tours www.hongkongfoodietours.com

PHOTOS THIS SPREAD CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT A temple in Taipa; Breakfast at Mandarin Oriental Macau; Taipa Square; Lantau Island Buddha; Pawn Shop Museum; Ah Ma Temple; Pastel de Nata; Noodles with hot and sour soup.

On a recommendation from Derek’s friends, we have a late-night dinner at Linguini Fini, a casually stylish SoHo establishment crafted by his fellow New Englander owners who transport the flavours and attitude of modern ‘Boston Italian’ to Hong Kong. Following that, we enjoy cocktails at Dragon-i, a cheeky-but-elegant club known for its international lineup of DJ’s and concerts, and its imaginative but approachable mixology.

Even with the city bursting at the seams with global fabulousness, one can’t really say they’ve visited Hong Kong Island and Kowloon without stepping into tiny no-frills establishments focusing on one or two particular specialties. Though finding the most ultra-local places can be daunting, the guides at Hong Kong Foodie Tours make these hidden treasures accessible. There is a catch — names of featured restaurants cannot be published. According to tour creators Cecilia Leung and Silvana Leung, this ensures the pocket-sized eateries will not be overwhelmed by crowds and can maintain their authenticity and integrity. With astute twenty-something guide Fiona at the helm, the Sham Shui Po Foodie Tour through the commercial streets of Kowloon is a revelation. It doesn’t just deliver on superb representations of milk tea, baked goods, braised goose and ju cheung fun (rice rolls) but offers an engaging, encyclopedic exposition of the area’s history, foodstuffs, cooking supply shops, and earthy and day-to-day customs specific to Kowloon.

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