food. Delicious #9 : Infusing Portuguese food with Asian in Macau!
Dear Steemit friends:
Today, i'd like to take everybody to a special restaurant I visited in Macau. The St. Louis Portuguese Restaurant. This restaurant has been open for nearly 20 years and it has managed to retain it's essence as a Portuguese style restaurant to this day. As we know, Macau has quite a long history sharing the culture of Portugal and China, the food definitely reflects this history quite nicely as it has become a unique fusion of the two cultures.
Macau was originally a trading port for the Portuguese as well as other Europeans. In the 16th century, it was leased to Portugal as an official trading port and then later became the last remaining European colony in Asia. Because of the long influence of the Portuguese, there are many people in Macau of Portuguese descent who were born and bred there. The food has also taken influence from neighbouring styles such as Cantonese, Indian, South East Asian and even French and then infused with the original essence of Portuguese food. It surely results in a unique blend of tastes that we can now call Macanese food. Let's go in and see what's in store!
As I enter the restaurant, I immediately notice the European style of decoration and in particular the draping flags of the colour green and red which are the colours of Portuguese flag.
The pink brick walls are a common architectural style of buildings in Macau.
The restaurant lighting is on the darker side setting a very romantic tone to the evening.
In one corner of the restaurant, we have some interesting decorations and ornaments. I like the classic gramophone because it feels like i'm being taken back in time to pre-digital era. There are also Chinese porcelain art plates hung on the wall representing the Chinese influence. We can say that Macau is very much represented by this tiny corner, a fusion of Western and Eastern cultures.
A beautiful abstract oil painting. I can't quite make out what it is, but I think it is a lady wearing a red dress, what do you think it is?
This is the wine and liquor cabinet.
Beautiful red roses.
They have large variety of European Wines.
Even the wash room has some cute utensils.
Let's eat!
Roasted Crispy Skin Pork Trotter. This is a really nice appetiser, usually Pig Trotter can be quite fatty but this was Crispy and not too overwhelming.
With some Gravy sauce, it tastes even better.
These are French Style baked snails. It tastes very succulent and the mash potato underneath serves as a bed to absorb the juices from the snails so it also tastes very delicious!
Cantonese Style green vegetables. The colour and luster make it very inviting.
Almond Prawns. The Almonds have a very distinct taste on their own, but when combined with the Prawns, they add a very curious extra fragrance. The sauce is a sweet and sour sauce that is mildly spicy. I've never tasted anything like it before, the only thing I can recognise is the texture of the Prawn meat which is very soft.
Pan fried silver cod. This is this restaurants signature dish, underneath the fish is a slice of potato. The fillet edges are crispy and crunchy because it is fried but despite this, the texture of the meat is smooth and tastes divine!
Vegetable Soup, it looks thick, but it's actually very light.
Prawn Curry with Radish. This curry is exquisite, the enticing prawns are made differently from the Southeast Asian styles because the shells have been pealed. This leaves the prawns absorbing much of the curry flavour which itself has a zesty taste.
Portuguese style fruit pancake. This dish is borrowing the pancake styles of Hong Kong and then adding cream and butter. Together with the fruits, this makes for a terrific and yummy dessert.
I hope you enjoyed this trip to a special Macanese restaurant where we not only tasted a wonderful fusion of food, but also experienced a fusion of cultures. See you again soon for more delicious food!
If you are interested in my other blogs related to Food please check out these other blogs below ^^
