Restaurante Litoral Taipa 海灣餐廳 氹仔分店 (Macau, CHINA) ★★★★☆

It took me some time to figure out where to have our Portuguese dinner tonight and to no one's real surprise, we are heading back to Rua do Cunha (官也街), home to some of the best Portuguese and Macanese restaurants in town. 

There were a number of factors to why I wound up picking Restaurante Litoral Taipa (海灣餐廳 氹仔分店) at the end. First and foremost, the restaurant is very spacious which is perfect for large-group gathering (we have 7 tonight) and I really like how its space is nicely decorated with a touch of Old Portugal.

Good thing I made an online booking a few weeks ago cuz it's fully booked tonight.

Plate of clams (西洋炒蜆) – The restaurant actually offers three different clam dishes on their menu, one with diced pork, another with white wine but we opted for this version, with the clams tossed in cream sauce with basil. Pretty tasty.

Cod fish cakes (馬介休球) – A trip to Macau is not complete without a taste of cod fish cakes. I've heard through the grapevines that it's not one of the strengths of this kitchen and it has indeed proved to be the case.

Seafood rice (海鮮飯) – The baked rice was a lot more soupy than I expected but everyone was happy that it was served this way. 

African chicken (非州雞) – One of the signature dishes here thanks to the secret thick sauce made of coconut milk, garlic, butter and paprika. Easily the best dish of the night.

This guy thought it was a little too spicy for his liking yet he couldn't get his hands off the dish.

Stuffed suckling pig (葡式焗乳豬配釀飯) – This came in second to the African chicken.  I thought the crackling was pretty nice. Thin, crispy but slightly chewy at times (in a good way). There was also enough smokiness in there to keep me happy. Not bad to go with the fried rice underneath.

Biscuit mousse (木糠布甸) – I've had better serradura, or sawdust pudding before. The ones I like had multiple layers of sweetened whipped cream and crushed cookie crumbs, which delivered much better mouthfeel.

Another reason I decided to pick Restaurante Litoral Taipa was its proximity to the light rail station. Just a short 5-minute walk to Pai Kok station (排角站).

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, Block 4, 53-57 Wai Chin Kok Nos, Rua Do Regedor, Vila de Taipa, Macau

Closest LRT Station: Pai Kok

Tel: +853 2882-5255

Website: www.restaurantelitoral-taipa.com

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 3:00apm, 6:00pm - 10:00pm daily