Multi-Layered Macau

Beyond the gleaming casinos, there’s a wide culinary world to explore on your next trip to Macau

- Aatish Nath

The first bite of an egg tart is one that will always be savoured. The baked yellow and brown mottled crust gives way to a custardy interior. The flaky tart and velvety insides are a study in contrasts, but that’s what makes this snack much beloved in the former Portuguese colony of Macau and elsewhere.

The play of contrasts though is also apt when it comes to examining Macau’s food scene, which includes restaurants that have been there much before the glut of casinos, coupled with the fine dining that the megahotels are using to lure travellers from the mainland and beyond, including a growing Indian contingent (though the country still isn’t one of the top 10 markets for inbound travel).

Macau, which was a Portuguese colony from the 1500s till 1999, has a distinct culinary history, on top of which is layered the glitzy dining that you can find at the hotels. As a result, there are the aforementioned egg tarts, the best of which are available at Lord Stow Bakery’s multiple outlets. The original, from 1989 can be found at Coloane Town Square but there are other locations all over the city. The tart isn’t unique to Macau though, and it is available in Portugal as well, where they’re called pastel de nata, and recently, with the glut of Goan restaurants opening all over the country, they’re also showing up on menus in Indian cities.

While in the city, it’s also best to make a beeline to Communal Table, especially for those seeking third-wave coffee. The casual and cosy café serves up spectacularly frothy nitro coffee, provides a respite from the heat and rain that can sometimes plague the city. Stop by for lunch (their baked potato is especially great) before continuing on to tour the ruins of St Paul (a 17th-century church that was destroyed in a fire) that is a 10 minutes walk away.