Since Macau is a former Portugese colony, it only makes sense to eat Portugese food. But which restaurant do you pick when there's a plethora of them- Cafe Litoral, Alondra, Antonio and the list goes on. We finally made our decision based on getting confirmed reservations for our big group!

Antonio was hyped by many folks so I had high expectations for it, especially since it is a Michelin-recommended establishment (not Michelin rated). In fact, Antonio proudly displays the Michelin logo on their front door. Be wary though that there are two Antonios, a restaurant and the cafe/bakery across from the restaurant, in a dimly lit street of the Old Village in Taipa so it might be tricky to find for Macau newbies.

We ordered some of Antonio's recommended dishes, but I was somewhat disappointed with the taste and quality of the food. The shrimps were not fresh, while the wet fried rice, which is really a version of tomato fried rice dumped in sauce, did not have the balanced flavors I was looking for. The dried fish/bacalau was my pick that night knowing that I've eaten delicious bacalau in Portugal. My co-diners hated the dried/salty smell of the fish, whereas I happily ate it. Mind you, I have cooked dried fish in my own kitchen, and my entire condo smelled like stinky fish in the wet market (aka Carbon in Cebu) for a week!

I also tasted the popular Macau African chicken in coconut sauce. This is probably the best entree we had together with the Serradura or Sawdust pudding for dessert. The chicken reminded me of Indonesian style chicken rendang although I would prefer the rendang since it has a stronger punch of spices.

Many establishments in Macau similar to Spain have Filipino wait staff so I was not surprised that I was greeted by many Pinoys at Antonio. I just wonder if their chef is Filipino too. Most likely, yes.

Note: This is the series ender of Eating My Way Through Macau. If you only have a few hours in the country and a seafood lover, I highly recommend Seng Cheong. Otherwise, you can try the Cantonese dishes back in mainland Hong Kong or jetset to Portugal for authentic Portugese food.

Bleh shrimps

At Antonio

African chicken with shredded coconut and coconut sauce

Wet rice. Can't say anything nice about this. Blehh.

Bacalau. Hahha You have to understand what dried fish tastes and smells like to like this dish.

Normal cheesecake to get rid of the dried fish taste.

The simple yet delectable Serradura.

Eating My Way Through Macau Part 3: Margaret's Cafe e Nata

100 yr old egg with ginger and sugar. Sounds weird at first but the flavors all blended well.

The window view of my private room.

Grand Lisboa across the Hotel Lisboa is the only complex in the world that houses not only one but three Michelin starred restaurants!

Crystal king prawn with ham, which I didn't eat. Expensive prawn but so succulent and unique- it is not like any other prawn I've tasted before.

Enjoyed this snake soup with crunchy wontons. Reminds me of Chinese sweet and sour soup.

I was torn between ordering noodles or fried rice because I needed some carbo. I ended up with these noodles with crab meat. The noodles and crab meat sauce are served separately so you can drown as much noodles as you want or eat it crunchy.

Crispy noodles with crab meat sauce.

Steamed prawn and baby spinach dumpling with fish roe. Yumy!! And the dough was perfectly made. Not too sticky nor thick.

The designer menu.

Yes, the carpet!

Tofu skin with bean curd. It's been awhile since I had this. Makes me feel so healthy.

Steamed bun with peanuts and red bean

If you come with a large group, try the ala carte menu.

This is like bochi balls but with foie gras - my ultimate favorite!! Very original.

Love love Wing Lei. Eating My Way Through Macau Part 1: Lord Stow's Eating My Way Through Macau Part 2: Tim's Kitchen Eating My Way Through Macau Part 3: Margaret's Cafe e Nata

Lord Stow's doesn't need any introduction. It usually turns up at the top 3 of any reviews for where to eat/what to do in Macau. I was also fortunate enough to compare Portugese egg tarts with the hard-to-find Margaret's Cafe e Nata. My research tells me that Margaret is Lord's ex-wife so for 8 MOP/egg tart, you can try for yourself which one you like best.

I am a bit biased to Margaret even though it was a hole-in-a-wall (or in this case, an eatery by an alley). Margaret gave me a piece of hot, rich creamy, flaky egg tarts. Compartively, I was only able to go to Lord Stow's in the Venetian, which was more upscale, but I ended up ordering a box filled with 6 room temperature egg tarts. The freshly baked Margaret's egg tart was the runaway winner for me!

P.S. The tropical heat is making me lethargic. So sorry for the endless backlog.