Hing Kee Dai Pai Dong (興記大排檔)

I love street food.  As much as I love fine dining, street food is my one true love.  Happiness for me is actually very simple:  good friends, beer, and food.  (一班好友, 一支大青, 幾碟小炒.)

All of which makes Hing Kee one of my favorite places for casual gathering.  It's close to where my friends and I live,  food is delicious and cheap, the ambiance is warm and inviting, and there is no dress code.  You can talk as loud as you want and I have seen topless men eating there.  It is also one of the dwindling old style Dai Pai Dong.

Angela's Cafe

I am sure you have heard this one before - "Don't judge a book by its cover".  Have you ever skipped a restaurant because it's located in a supposed "trap".

Angela's Cafe, located in New Yaohan - a department store plus a must-go for Chinese tourists, this place probably screams "Abort!  Abort!" to you.  However, if I want a quality sandwich, this is where I go.  In fact, I have been a long time fan since the beginning of time - when they first opened in the old Yaohan, more than 15 years ago.

Cheok Yuet Hin (灼悅軒)

One of my best discoveries in 2012, this restaurant has been on my "encore" list forever.  Their signature item is their seafood hot pot and it's a tower of the freshest seafood ensemble not for the faint of heart.  Needless to day, it is a quest in itself to gather enough crusaders to conquer this formidable tower.

In addition to the seafood hot pot, there are numerous delicious side dishes tempting your taste buds and testing the limits of your stomach while you see your neighbors oohing and ahhing over their delicious food.


no fancy decoration but it doesn't bother any of us

Clube Militar de Macau

If I have to recommend a restaurant with character in Macau, Clube Militar de Macau will be one of them. 

Founded in 1870, the Club is a private club that entertains officers and their invited guests for recreational activities.  The building itself is largely influenced by the Southern European architecture style of the time.  It has since been renovated and the restaurant is also opened to the general public.  (You will need a membership to enjoy the rest of the facilities and the membership is by invitation only.)

Image found on Google - I forgot to took one myself - as usual -.-|||
No copyright infringement intended.  Click here to view the source article.

Don Alfonso 1890

Recently, my friends and I went to celebrate our friend's birthday at Don Alfonso 1890.  As usual, we opted to experience their budget friendly lunch set menu.

Cakez Cafe

If you didn't want to travel all the way to Taipa for KAFKA or if you are tired of afternoon teas at hotels, Cakez Cafe is a good choice.  Opened in April 2012, their cakes are less delicate compared to KAFKA's (in my opinion) but they are equally tasty.  They also offered a tea set for MOP178 +10% (includes 2 drinks) but it's only available on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

KAFKA Sweets & Gourmandises (卡夫卡)

KAFKA Sweets & Gourmandises is a patisserie officially opened on January 11, 2012.  The chef is trained at the Cordon Bleu and is independently owned.  It's famous for it's French pastries in Macau.  The Chinese name reminded me of a comic book by Yuki Kaori.  More people probably relate the name to Hauki Murakami's book but the name is actually referring to the Czech novelist Franz Kafka.  The patisserie is meaningfully located on "Prague" (布拉格) street.  (The actual street name is Braga, after the Portuguese town, but the Chinese street name is homonymous to Prague in English.)

Shek Si (石獅美食)

Shek Si (石獅美食) is known for their glutinous rice wine soup base (秘制糯米酒湯底), fresh whelk in spicey wine sauce (辣酒煮花螺), and boiled cockles (白灼螄蚶).

Beef Stew with Sa Cha Sauce

A frozen food store just opened around the block from where I live and I got really excited!  They are currently offering 5% off to celebrate the event and I took advantage of the offer by shopping there almost everyday.

Nothing goes better with daikon (leftover from my friend's hot pot party) than beef brisket in my mind so I brought home a pack.  I have previously made it with "chu hou" sauce (柱侯醬), tomato sauce, curry, etc.  So I thought I would try it with "sa cha" sauce (沙茶醬) this time.

Macau Series (10) - Hot Pot: Homestyle

One afternoon, a co-worker threw me a random question, "where do you and your friends go when you dine out?"  Dear me... there are too many... and the place changes depending on who I am with and what we were in the mood for that night.

However, one of my friends loves hot pot.  If I am in the mood for hot pot, she would be the #1 person I would call.  Consequently, I have tried quite a few places for hot pot and I thought I would share especially since the winter is usually the perfect weather for hot pot.

Let's start with the "homestyle" or what people normally would prepare at home.

Macau Series (9) - The World's Largest Rubik's Cube Mosaic Art (as of 2012)

I am sure most of us have played with Rubik's cube before but how many of us have tried to turn it into a huge art piece?  A huge Rubik's cube display is currently outside One Central in Macau.  This piece showcases the different local landmarks and is the current Guinness World Record holder for ‘Largest Rubik’s Cube Mosaic Ever Created' using 80,940 Rubik’s Cube.  (See here.)

Macau Series (8) - MGM Macau, A Christmas Tale

My friends often ask me what they can do in Macau if they are not big on casinos or gambling.  In fact, I personally do not gamble - not even a dime.  I can proudly say that all casinos in Macau have never made a cent from me in gambling revenue and I have no intention to break my record in the near or distant future.

MGM Patisserie

I was at MGM earlier last month to check out their Xmas decoration "A Christmas Tale" and I saw this cupcake set promotion outside of MGM Patisserie.   The pastries look good so when my friends mentioned a Xmas gathering, I suggested to come come here for afternoon tea.  Unfortunately, this set was not available on the day (not sure if it was because of Xmas or if it was a limited time offer).

Robuchon a Galera

I just realized I never wrote a blog post on Robuchon a Galera.  I went there a little over a year ago with my friend before it moved.  It's now moved and renamed to Robuchon au Dôme.  It's the only restaurant in Macau that's awarded the prestigious Michelin's three stars.

Christmas Decorations

Happy New Year!  Hope y'all had a good holidays with your families and friends.  December had to be one of my favorite months in the year.  Holidays, sales, good food, good times~  I had the opportunity to check out a few of the popular X'mas decorations in Hong Kong during my recent trip and they are beautiful.

PS.  Not sure what is going on with Flickr but the thumbnails are not showing up properly.  (I tried re-doing the links but it didn't solve the problem)  However, if you clicked on the picture, the links are working.  Oh well, I am probably going to post it on G+ and link it from there next time.