Tan Xiaomi

CUISINE from Macao mixes Chinese, Portuguese, Indian, and Malay influences. The newly opened Macao Restaurant at the Choi Lan Gourmet in CITIC Metro Arcade is therefore a recherché alternative for locals.

Decorated with unique medieval-style black-and-white windows and marble pillars, the restaurant harks back to bygone times.

Before checking out the menu, which is in both Chinese and English, one must understand the meaning of the word "bacalhau", which appears from time to time on the menu.

Bacalhau (马介休) is the name for salted codfish imported from Portugal, which is essential in the flavoring of Portuguese dishes. Before cooking, the fish need to be soaked in water for more than 20 hours to get rid of the salt. It can then be served baked, grilled, stewed or boiled. Popular dishes made of bacalhau include fried bacalhau balls (25 yuan, US$3.3), streamed bacalhau with seafood (48 yuan) or rice.

The Macao-style fried rice with bacalhau, shrimp and squid (38 yuan) is an ideal starting point for diners who are not accustomed to salted cod. Coupons available at the shopping center's reception desk give you a 30 percent discount on the dish.

The pork chop sandwich (8 to 14 yuan according to different stuffing) is a snack you can't miss. It comprises deep-fried pork tenderloin served in a bread roll. Both the toasted bread roll and deep-fried pork are crispy outside and soft inside. The snack is popular throughout Macao and Hong Kong regions. In Macao, it is available at almost all restaurants. Hundreds of local people and tourists queue up in front of the Cafe Tai Lei Loi Kei in Macao from 3 p.m. for the homemade pork chop sandwich. The pork chop sandwich is also an ideal choice for afternoon tea. Remember to get coupons from the reception desk for a half-price discount.

Another must-try is the Portuguese egg tart (4 yuan each.) As the most famous snack in Macao, it is favored by people for its simple ingredients. Bedded with crumbly egg layer and covered with floppy yolk, the egg tart is crisp, soft, fragrant and sweet.

Although the Portuguese-style egg tart resembles the Hong Kong-style egg tart in appearance, it has a topping of caramelized sugar.

Don't forget to try the Macao-style coffee (14 yuan), which served with a layer of coffee powder on top to enhance the flavor.

Other specialties of the restaurant include Portugal-style chicken (36 yuan) and vegetable soup (18 yuan). The Portugal-style chicken, which blends African and Indian flavors, is cooked by frying a whole chicken with potato, onion and eggs in sunflower oil and by seasoning it with curry. It is traditionally served together with red wine. The Portuguese also learned how to use spices from Africa, resulting in Macao's most popular dish African chicken, grilled with peppers and chili.

The Portuguese vegetable soup is a thick soup cooked with minced potato, sliced green vegetable, Portugal sausage and olive oil. For people who would like to spend more, try the stir-fried curry crab and clam (98 yuan). It goes ideally with steamed rice.

Add: A006, Choi Lan Gourmet, B/F, CITIC Metro Arcade, No. 1093 Shennan Road

深南中路1093号中信地铁商场夹层蔡澜美食坊A006铺

Tel: 8380-0553

Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Metro: Ke Xue Guan Station (Science Museum), Exit D

Parking: 5 yuan per hour.