A Michelin Bib Gourmand, Restaurante Litoral in Taipa (Macau) serves both Portuguese and Macanese food. According to the restaurant itself, Macanese cuisine is "a blend of Southern Chinese and Portuguese cuisines."
This family owned restaurant uses recipes that are over a hundred years old, "many of which have been passed down through generations in the family."
Macau's unique history explains the nature of its eclectic cuisine. In the 16th and 17th century, Portuguese merchants sailed along sea routes to Asia, bringing along spices and other products from Africa and India to Macau. Mix those together with Portuguese and Southern Chinese cuisine, and you have the interesting mix of food that makes up Macanese cuisine.
What We Ate
One of our favorite dishes was this Pig Ear Salad tossed with chili peppers, vinegar, oil, and other flavors. It was so refreshing, so flavorful, and really seemed like a fusion dish with European flavors yet Chinese ingredients.
Sauteed Clams with Diced Pork was a chef's suggestion (prominently displayed at the front of the menu) and it was fantastic! The clams and pork were served together with addictive crispy potato cubes (like mini-fries!) that we just couldn't stop eating.
Sauteed mixed vegetables with garlic was tasty and solid.
Finally, the tomato-based Seafood Rice (MOP $188) was very nice and included a decent amount of seafood.
General Thoughts - Restaurante Litoral Taipa Macau
We really liked this place. We were particularly impressed with the pig ear salad and the satueed clams, both of which were Macanese dishes we had never tried before. It's easy to see why this place has won so many awards. Given its convenient walkable location from the casinos (assuming it isn't during high heat of summer), I think this a great place to book for lunch or dinner, especially if you're planning on exploring the Taipa Village area anyway.
Restaurant Litoral Taipa
Rua do Regedor, n.ºs 53 a 67
Chun Fok Village (Wai Chin Kok)
Fase II, Bloco 4, r/c, loja S, T, U e V, Taipa
