Anytime MGM Cotai 視博茶點 (Macau, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

The fact that I've yet to taste any pastries on this Macau trip was eating me up inside, so while the gang was having dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, I sneaked out on my own to settle my sweet craving.

My destination was Anytime (視博茶點) at MGM Cotai, a café and pastry shop on the lobby level serving afternoon tea sets, homemade pastries and an all-day food menu during different time of the day.

The in-house chocolatier / pastry chef was putting on a show but where's the audience? 😅

Metis (瑰寶朱古力) – When I saw the word "hazelnut" (thinking it was hazelnut praline), I jumped all over it. Mistake!

This tasted like something we had in Hong Kong at our neighborhood chocolate and cake shop, Lucullus (龍島) with vanilla, hazelnut and 60% dark chocolate.

The chocolate mousse was pretty decent, meshing well with the vanilla centre and there was the layer of nutty hazelnut dacquoise on the bottom for some lovely crunch. Not bad but I expected a little more from this talented kitchen. 

The tea was really disappointing too. Tasted like water!

Food Rating: 5.5/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, MGM Cotai, Avenida da Nave Desportiva, Coloane-Taipa, Macau

Closest LRT Station: East Asian Games

Tel: +853 8806-2338

Website: www.mgm.mo/en/cotai/dining/anytime

Opening Hours: 11:0am - 8:00pm daily

Tai Lei Loi Kei Pork Chop Bun flagship 大利來記豬扒包 總店 (Macau, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

At this point, we were almost done at Taipa Village (氹仔舊城區) but there was one final spot Jelloman would like to hit before turning our attention to Galaxy – Tai Lei Loi Kei Pork Chop Bun flagship (大利來記豬扒包 總店). 



This is not the first experience we found ourselves at a Tai Lei Loi Kei establishment (as they have many outposts around Macau) but it will be our first dining experience at their (so-called) flagship location. Would it make a difference? Let's find out...

Some history on the wall here. This is where it all got started from a humble coffee stall back in 1968.

First up was their pork chop pineapple bun, a modern twist to their original pork chop bun. The oversized bone-in pork chop fried to golden brown color, was pretty succulent but the savory-sweet combination didn't work out as well as I thought it would.

Better was the original pork chop bun served on a warm, buttery Portuguese bun.

This was much much better. 

The original pork chop bun was probably worth a stopover (once) but they needed a much better cup of milk tea to make the whole experience worthwhile. 

Food Rating: 4.5/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, 35 Rua Correia da Silva, Vila de Taipa, Macau

Closest LRT Station: Pai Kok

Tel: +853 2882-7150

Opening Hours: 8:00am - 6:00pm daily

Sei Kee Café 世記咖啡 (Macau, CHINA) ★★☆☆☆

We split up into two teams in our exploration of Cunha Street following lunch at A Petisqueira Restaurant (葡国美食天地). Team A led by Jelloman went looking for souvenir stores while yours truly decided to check out some local delicacies. 

Sei Kee Café (世記咖啡) was one of the take-away shops on my to-do list but I didn't expect such a long lineup.



I remembered Sei Kee has another branch about a block down the street, just a few stores next to Gelatina Mok Yi Kei (莫義記) and this one actually has a small dine-in area.

I didn't have the time to sit down for a cup of pantyhose milk tea so I ordered a bottled one to enjoy on the go. The tea here was pretty strong but there was no creaminess nor fragrance. Just very disappointing.

Food Rating: 3.6/10

Price: $$$

Address: 37 R. de Horta e Sousa, Vila de Taipa, Macau

Tel: +853 2882-8815

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 6:30pm daily

A Petisqueira Restaurant 葡国美食天地 (Macau, CHINA) ★★★★☆

This morning, we were joined by our good friends from Hong Kong. As planned, we dropped our kids off to the playhouse before picking up where we left off at Taipa Village (氹仔舊城區). Our first order of business was an early lunch at A Petisqueira Restaurant (葡国美食天地), a place touted for its traditional Portuguese dishes.

Very simple and warm decor and I have this feeling as if I was invited into someone's house for lunch.

Stewed beef tripe in Portuguese style – I love anything with beef tripe in it and this was really really good. Very soft-chewy and succulent. The dish itself was similar to the Italian version of beef tripe stew with a tomato-based sauce. I like the lentils and carrots in there for the extra crunch.

Octopus salad – This came with some serious acidity but I thought it made a pretty appetizing starter to kick off the meal.

House spicy prawns with garlic – Not bad.

Roasted Portuguese sausage – Love the nice crispy skin. One of my favorite dishes this afternoon for sure.

Stir-fried clams – Pretty tasty.

Shredded codfish – Easily the best dish of the afternoon simply because I've never had it before and it's so delicious. Scrambled egg, onion and shredded codfish. The salt in the codfish along with its texture really made this ordinary scramble egg dish extra special.

Fried Portuguese Rice – I thought the soupy rice from last night was a little bit better but that's just me.

I was so glad to have someone in charge this afternoon so I didn't have to go through the food menu myself! And this was such a hearty recommendation. Many thanks to my friends for the wonderful suggestion and time to move onto the next destination.

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: $$$

Address: 15C-D Rua de S. Joao, Vila de Taipa, Macau

Tel: +853 2882-5354

Website: www.apetisqueira.com/en/home/

Opening Hours: 12:30pm - 2:15pm, 6:45pm - 10:00pm (Tue - Sun)

Shake Shack The Londoner Macao (Macau, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

After walking more than 20,000 steps morning and afternoon combined, we were supposed to be done for the day but none of us wanted to sleep early tonight; and so, we ventured out for an unplanned bonus adventure.

Our final destination was Sands Cotai Central, a complex with shopping malls and various luxury hotels (Sheraton, Conrad, The Londoner, St Regis) all under the same roof. What I like most about Sands Cotai was its late closing hours. At 10pm, everything at Studio City and Parisien were already closed but the Shoppe at Sands Cotai was still buzzing.



I managed to find Shake Shack just in the nick of time before its closing time. Mission accomplished! I finally got my hands on the Macau exclusive milkshake, Ginger Crush (薑汁撞奶). This was frozen vanilla custard blended with ginger juice, pineapple purée and mango purée, topped with whipped cream and candied ginger.

It really did taste like the real ginger juice milk curd and I particularly enjoyed the extra heat of ginger. 

Making this journey even more impressive was the fact that I managed to find a seat on the balcony overlooking the hotel lobby of The Londoner. This is quite an amazing décor they've got here.

Of course, little nugget and I won't pass up the chance for a photo with the "British soldiers" in their famous bearskin hats and red tunics, who were "patrolling" the lobby. Smile, son! 😆

Food Rating: 6.5/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 2200, Level 2, The Londoner Macao, Cotai, Macau

Tel: +853 2889-8823

Website: www.shakeshack.com.hk/tc/location/macau

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 10:00pm daily

LemonCello Gelato 檸檬車露意大利手拉雪糕 (Macau, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

After enjoying dinner at Restaurante Litoral (海灣餐廳) in Taipa Village, we were all set to leave via the light rapid train (LTR) but since little one wanted a sweet treat to wrap up the night, I wasn't going to deny his wish.. 

Good thing LemonCello Gelato (檸檬車露意大利手拉雪糕) was just a few stores next to Restaurante Litoral so we didn't have to walk very far to complete the task.

This gelato shop has been buzzing since we arrived in Taipa Village a few hours ago and it's still buzzing.

Little nugget almost couldn't make up his mind but at the end, he was able to pick three flavors out of the 30+ of them available. Rainbow, yakult and Cookie 'n Cream.

He's pretty beat up after a full day of activities. I don't blame him.

The rainbow flavor came with two complimentary rainbow-colored cones which I thought instantly made it very instagrammable. But then, out of those three flavors, I thought only the yakult flavor warranted a return visit for.

At this point, it began to rain a little. So, I stopped taking more photos and led the gang towards Pai Kok station (排角站).

Food Rating: 5/10

Price: $$

Address: Shop J, G/F, 115 R. do Regedor, Vila de Taipa, Macau

Closest LRT Station: Pai Kok

Tel: +853 2858-3396

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 11:00pm daily

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

Loja de Doces Hang Heong Un 杏香園雪糕甜品屋 (Macau, CHINA) ★★☆☆☆

Our next stop was Loja de Doces Hang Heong Un (杏香園雪糕甜品屋), an old-school Chinese sweet soup restaurant a stone's throw from the iconic Rua da Felicidade (福隆新街).

It was my first visit to Macau since 2015 and we noticed that the stores here are now wearing a different color, green instead of red.

We had a long walk from Monte Fort (大炮台) and everybody was sweating hard when we arrived at the front of Loja de Doces Hang Heong Un. But we were dealt with some bad news immediately. The restaurant is full! So, we had to wait across the street under the nasty heat.

It took about 15 minutes for us to finally get a table but that's only the beginning. For whatever reason, service was very very slow from this family-run restaurant.

If they had trouble offering such a wide selection of dessert soups, perhaps they should consider cutting it down.

After a very impatient wait of nearly 30 minutes, our snow fungus sweet soup with longan (龍眼雪耳糖水) eventually showed up. The sweet soup was pretty heartwarming but I thought it was a little more gluey than I would like.

I have to admit, the water chestnut sweet soup with bamboo pith, longan and coconut juice (竹笙龍眼椰汁馬蹄沙) was a very nice treat especially in a hot and humid summer day like this. It's very soothing to the palate but was it worth the extensive walk and long wait!? Probably not. 

Our desserts arrive in pair (looks like that's the "capacity" of the kitchen. Two bowls every time) and since we have 7 people in our group, it took more than 3 rounds before everyone got to enjoy some sweetness. That's not very efficient service if you ask me. In fact, some of us already finished their desserts while others were still waiting.

Food Rating: 5.3/10

Price: $$$$

Address: G/F, 13 Tv. do Auto Novo, Macau

Tel: +853 2857-2701

Opening Hours: 1:30pm - 12:00am daily