This was easily our best meal in Macau on this trip. It was a trudge, and if you know the taxi situation in Macau, you know the exponential factor that adds. But thankfully, we were in the Cotai area, and the taxi line at the Venetian moved very quickly. It is about 15 minutes to Coloane from Cotai, where Espaco is located, and the drive would have been scenic if it hadn't been sundown already. I think we passed a penitentiary facility. It's fascinating that such facilities are in some of the best spots in the world. Guess it makes it difficult for escapes, although the rest of us are always trying to escape to such spots all the time for vacation! The irony of life.

The restaurant is set in a short row of what looked to be 2-storey residences inside a quaint little lane. It's not far from the water although I don't think you can see it from the restaurant. We didn't opt for the balcony seating and chose the ground floor area, which is a cosy and homey little area with a cute bar area that also houses the dessert fridge and the cashier. The picture is deceptively deserted since shortly after, even the ground floor area filled up and the noise levels went up many decibels when the large table got filled up with a loud and noisy group.

Olives
We sat down and started demolishing the little pot of olives at the table. Well preserved to be tasty but still crunchy, this had little salt but retained the full flavor of the olives. So good it needed no alcoholic accompaniment. My ginger ale was good enough.

Clams in a white wine sauce
This one took us unawares. We like our clams and in a white wine sauce, we like them even more. But this white wine sauce was so good we used whatever bread we had to soak up every drop after we were said and done with the fresh bouncy clams. The use of butter in the sauce made it that much more robust, but not reaching the point of greasy creaminess so that less would have been more. The juice from the lemon wedge cut through the richness to make it easily addictive. So, we were craving for more and would have tipped the pot into our mouths if the restaurant were indeed deserted. Too bad Ms Manners was looking.

Duck Rice
According to the friendly owner, this is their piece de resistance. A casserole of shredded duck covered with rice and baked in the oven topped with bacon and Chorizo sausage. So simple yet so good.

Duck rice - deconstructed
We mixed it up to reveal the shredded duck buried in the rice. Morsels of duck, rice, and bits of bacon/Chorizo made for mouthfuls of tasty decadence. Forget that this was not healthy dish, with the different fats from the different meats, but that was precisely why there is so much flavor in its simplicity. And the bits of rice which came into direct contact from the oven's heat had become crisp and added the lovely snap, crackle, and pop we all look forward to in any baked rice dish.

Grilled Sardines
To up our Omega 3 count after the duck rice, we thought grilled sardines would do the trick. The owner warned us that since sardines are not readily available in Macau, they ship theirs in from Portugal frozen. But they were still good. Tasty with a touch more bittersweet as you approach the belly, the type of flavors you would enjoy if you enjoy Mackeral. However, this is not for those who don't enjoy their fish since there are a lot of bones to maneuver through. The trick is to debone before you start to eat. If you can take out the centre bone slowly and leave the attaching "rib cage" area intact, you save yourself a lot of headache later. Simple dish served with grilled green peppers and a boiled potato and a wedge of lemon for a twist of tang. Provincially good.

Sawdust Pudding
This one got us "good". I've had many disappointments with this one, but since the food had been so wonderful, I thought how bad can dessert be. But it's just me. I just don't get this one. I don't get the attraction of layering sawdust over cream. I dislike each and even if happily married, I still dislike them as a unit. So there. My only regret is not having gone for the egg pudding. And I would regret it till my next visit.

I would visit again. It was worth the trudge. Coloane does seem like a lovely area and perhaps a lunch visit next time, with a walkabout would do the trick. Apparently Lord Stow's Bakery (the original) is right on that same row.

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One of the luxuries of being on vacation is having the time to enjoy breakfast. Even better if it's a breakfast you don't often get to enjoy. And even better is because you've had a lie-in, there's no breakfast rush, since everyone else is having lunch.

Shing Kee is one of those places that is a throwback to the good old days when breakfast meant having the traditional goodies. No juice, fruit, yogurt or coffee. And the slight wait outside the shop at 2pm in the afternoon is testament that people still hanker for that bit of nostalgia.

Congee 白粥
As the name suggests, people come here to have a warm bowl of congee to start the day. Chinese believe this magical bowl of gruel cleanses and detoxes the digestive system. A Chinese physician I used to see recommended that I have this every morning. Unfortunately, I haven't found a life partner to satisfy all my material needs to be able to wake up to a steaming bowl of congee every morning without having to worry about rushing to work.

This version is really almost reduced to 98% fluid, with bits of rice grain you might break down without any chewing. The fluid has hints of Fu Chok (腐竹), bean curd sheets which they throw into the pot to cook the congee with to give it a distinct yellow hue and flavor.

Steamed radish cake and fish dumpling 燒賣糕
Of course, the Chinese physician also said to avoid other tasty condiments when consuming congee but when on vacation, nobody remembers what the doctor says. The radish cake was very soft and tasty. A touch of heat from white pepper within. The steamed dumpling is not the usual one we find at dim sum restaurants but is one that is stuffed with minced Dace and bouncier than most.

Steamed rice rolls 腸粉
The rice rolls had decent sauces (combo of sweet, peanut and chili) over making it pretty tasty but the rolls themselves weren't great. A little too much of a rice flour aftertaste and not soft enough.

But, this place is all about the nostalgia. Nothing to it. The food isn't spectacular but just good old-fashioned brekkie items we used to wake up to as kids. Yes, the good old days..

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It was a little deserted when we got there although all 4 window tables were taken but the restaurant quickly got its buzz (read noisy) when 2 large groups arrived. Cosy joint set in decor that was easily from the early 80s. Even the captain and his friendly wait staff in their tablecloth pink outfits could have been from the 80s.

Sangria by the glass
Settling down to a Sangria and shaking off the rain that was beating hard outside, we quickly got down to ordering and chewing on the warm buns that Macau is famous for. Baked to a raw crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. Good with a dollop of butter.

Potato and Vegetable Soup
This soup is quintessentially Portuguese. It's not fancy by any means, but there is something about a potato based soup that's sturdy, protective and just downright homey. The greens provide the much needed fibre.

Stir fried cabbage with Bacalhau
This is probably more Macanese than Portuguese with the use of Chinese cabbage. The use of the dried salted cod pieces give this all the flavor since there is little else.

Crispy Suckling Pig on Fried Rice
This was the only reason we came. I saw a picture of this and said I definitely want to try this. Nothing complicated about this dish. Simply well grilled suckling pig, sealed by a crispy crackling (although some bits were slightly chewy) but the meat was tender, and fell off the bone easily. The bed of fried rice was tasty although it wasn't as good as some of the ones that you get around Macau, my most memorable having been from Litoral during my last visit in 2008.

This isn't the best restaurant in Macau. But it was a good fix for a quick dinner the first night we got there. Especially since this was about 5th on my list - the first 4 including Litoral was fully booked. Shouldn't have been a surprise since it was the start of the Easter weekend.

Decent, competent and wholesome food that was reasonably priced. Not a combination you find too often these days.

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I hadn't thought to come here at all. Their Wanchai branch (actually the original location) has a much higher profile. But on a weekday, who would have thought that a simple reservation for 4 people for a relatively early lunch spot at noon would NOT be available at the now elusive 3-Michelin starred Sun Tung Lok.

Literally, a stone's throw from Sun Tung Lok, Fook Lam Moon turned out to be a not-too-shabby second choice. This Michelin one-starred Chinese restaurant was more spruced up than I thought it would be. The street level entrance was understated but as the doors swing open, a smiley host took us up one level by the elevator, landing us at a swanky bar area. Swanky by Chinese restaurant standards, that is. It's not your hip, chill-out lounge type place. As we were led to our table, smiles and greetings descended upon us. Highly unusual for a Chinese restaurant but a big round of applause to whoever manages and trains their staff.

Despite the modern decor, what we got was actually good quality old-fashioned Dim-Sum. This long-time established restaurant showed its commitment to using good produce and letting them speak for themselves, with simple yet traditional preparation methods which enhance rather than overwhelm.

Deep Fried Spring Rolls 春卷
This was my favorite at lunch. A well fried spring roll that was a dry crisp on the outside, housing generous chunks of crunchy shrimp and tasty pork pieces on the inside. Nothing minced, just the whole of everything so you can savor the absolute freshness within. And as T told us the story of how the Fook Lam Moon name was derived, biting into the spring roll was that much more fulfilling. Fook (福) which means Happiness in Cantonese, and Lam Moon (臨門) which means "at your door", is apt for all the culinary goodness this family used to bring to Hong Kong families in the good old days, when house catering was the rage.

Shrimp Dumplings 蝦餃
I used to love Shrimp Dumplings until my palate got so sick of biting into mediocre to bad versions. As a kid, I used to dig out the insides for my brother and just eat the translucent skin. There is something about a well kneaded dough that when steamed is soft and slightly chewy but without that greasy aftertaste we get from so many average dim sum places today. This version from Fook Lam Moon ignited that spark I once had.

Crispy Roast Pork 燒腩仔
This was surprisingly not as good as it looked. It was competently roasted, and the skin a perfect crisp. But the cut of pork wasn't my favorite almost melt-in-your-mouth part. Slightly more meaty (read chewy) than I would have liked. Still decent even if not my cup of tea.

Steamed Shrimp Rice Rolls 鮮蝦腸粉
Another goodie reminiscent of the old days. Layers and layers of steamed rice flour folded against each other, and encasing fresh crunch shrimps. Served on a bed of quality soy.

Radish and Fish Patties 蘿蔔鯪魚餅
This arrived understated and what we all thought to be the usual Dace-based fish patty turned out to be a delicate mixture of julienned radish interspersed with minced Dace, resulting in a texture short of creamy protected by a lightly crispy exterior. Surprisingly enjoyable and kudos to E for spotting this on the menu.

Fu Yong Omelet on Vermicelli 芙蓉蛋煎米
All Hong Kongers love their eggs. Any dish with eggs is already almost a winner and all you need is execution to make it a home run. The omelet here was very good. Lightly golden brown and fluffy on the inside, almost cushion-like, made tasty from the shrimps and pork within. The vermicelli however suffered from a lack of taste. If this was made at home, you would say ok, we could all do with a lot less salt, but this was almost bland. We were happy enough because we had been pampered by the quality of the preceding dim sum, and savoring the omelet. On its own, however, the vermicelli would have been slammed. A bit of a shame considering it was well sealed to a crisp.

Steamed "Malay" Cake 馬拉糕
For dessert, we all voted for the traditional "Malay" cake. A Cantonese favorite at traditional restaurants, I have no idea why it's called "Malay". There are so many theories that can be made about this one, given the proximity in the region between old Canton and Malaysia. Anyone care to speculate?

While pricey for dim sum in a land where every other shop offers dim sum, Fook Lam Moon's offering is positioned for those who appreciate the old world goodness and perhaps this explained the average age of the customer (excluding our table and the group of young Koreans next to us) was about 65 and up. Don't write them off, 'cos they obviously know a thing or 2 about real food.

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Tang Lung Street is one of the few enclaves left in downtown Hong Kong where you can still sit under the stars (not that you can see them) and have down to earth dirty food. There is an eclectic mix of eateries although quite a few of them serve Chiu Chow cuisine. There is no prettiness here though. People sit on the street more likely because the eateries are small and it's still more comfortable (at least in cooler months) to risk the smell of smog and exhaust from the occasional car that goes by, than to squeeze into a tiny space in the eateries themselves. However, it does make me wonder how they've managed to evade the arm of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department. That aside, for some of us who grew up in the good old days, it makes for a nice way to roll back in time to enjoy a but of retro.

I ate on the street 2 Fridays in a row. At the same eatery no less. I'll tell you it wasn't because Wing Hing is the best Chiu Chow place around. It isn't. But Tang Lung Street has that retro element that appeals to developed city folks that it's a convenient place to showcase a little old Hong Kong without having to get to older parts of Kowloon or even venture out to the New Territories.

Goose and Cuttlefish Slice Combo 鵝片拼墨魚
The braised goose platter was decent. Not the tenderest of cuts, but what was surprisingly good was the cuttlefish. Extremely tender and juicy and managing to absorb enough of the braised gravy to make it super tasty. The braised pig intestines I got on the second visit were also good. Sinfully good since the fat made it both succulent yet guilty to consume.

鼠殼果
For old times sake, we ordered a glutinous rice cake since I don't remember eating it after my late grandmother passed away some years ago, God bless her soul. This version was a far cry from Grandma's creations. The glutinous rice within was way too mashy and there was little to no condiments, such as peanuts and dried shrimp. Only saving grace was that they pan fried this to give the steamed rice flour skin a crispy edge. Otherwise, it just made me miss Grandma's cooking even more..

Sharks' Fin Chiu Chow Style 潮式翅
Terribly un-PC, but I do find it hard to resist a good bowl of Chiu Chow style Sharks' Fin. In taste, this was not as good as Miracle Cuisine, but there was something nostalgic about it that reminded me of old Chinese wedding dinners...

Kale and preserved vegetable stir fried with vermicelli 芥蘭菜葡炒米粉
This didn't look mike much but got quite addictive as I picked out the bits of "Choi Bo" towards the end. I didn't care too much for the vermicelli which was a little too chewy for my liking (this coming from someone who resists anything that's not al dente but this was bordering on asphyxiation). A flat rice flour noodle aka "Gwai Diu" would have worked better but still tasty.

I also tried other Chiu Chow staples on my second visit. The minced pork and baby oyster porridge （肉碎蚝仔粥）wasn't too bad. A decent tasty broth in which the rice and condiments sat, though a tad heavy on the ginger, which detracted from the other flavours. The shrimp and cucumber omelette （水瓜烙）was sadly disappointing though. Way too greasy, and impossible to eat beyond the first pizza wedge. It was hard to tell whether the grease was from failing to rid the cucumber of excess moisture before frying or whether the chef just used 2 more glugs of oil than he should have...

Overall, even Sun Kwong on the other side of Causeway Bay is better, but Wing Hing scores on the novelty factor option of being able to dine under the stars.. and a friendly and chatty "aunty" server who speaks very very decent English so that even non-native speakers can be comfortable with.

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