I love it when I walk into a restaurant and know instantly that there’ll be no need to consult a menu—instead, I’ll just order whatever it is that smells so good. That’s exactly what happens when I step for the first time into Macau’s Restaurante Litoral.

I’ve been in Macau long enough to become familiar with the distinctive scents of great Macanese cooking. It’s become comfort food for me, and Restaurante Litoral’s welcoming aromas envelop me like a warm embrace. But there’s a problem: it isn’t just one thing that smells so good. There are lots of wonderful and tempting aromas. Luckily, I’m hungry.

Raymond, the manager, seats me at a table upstairs. My eyes roam across the pages of the menu but the words can’t compete with the robust aromas of bacalhau and fresh shrimp, and the sweet scents of turmeric, coconut and cinnamon.

I ask for Raymond’s advice. He has worked at Restaurante Litoral for eighteen years, from the day the restaurant first opened its doors. Without a moment’s hesitation he confidently recommends three of Restaurante Litoral’s most popular dishes:
“Duck in baked Portuguese rice, African chicken, and clams with black beans.”

I order one of each, as well as casquinha a’ litoral—fresh crab with mushrooms and cheese, deep-fried in breadcrumbs—and a large serving of tamarind stewed pork. Raymond assures me it’s more than enough.

Not so long ago, it was almost impossible to find genuine Macanese food in a restaurant. The tradition was preserved in home kitchens, by grandmothers and mothers and the occasional talented uncle, cooking from recipes passed down through the generations. Over time, fewer and fewer cooks learned the dishes. Cuisines, like languages, do disappear, and there was a time when Macanese cuisine might have passed into true obscurity.

Manuela Ferreira, an accomplished cook and hostess, refused to let her cherished Macanese family recipes fade away. She opened Restaurante Litoral in 1995. To Manuela, cooking means more than making meals. It’s a passion, a way to stay connected to her family’s roots, and a way of preserving Macanese culture.

During recent years, as more and more visitors have been passing through Macau, discovering places like Restaurante Litoral, the word has been getting out: Macanese food is fabulous, a true east-meets-west cuisine that combines winning simplicity with a repertoire of exotic touches imported from China and all the far-flung points of Portugal’s former colonies.

Popular with locals and tourists alike, Restaurante Litoral has earned a reputation as one of the finest Macanese restaurants in the city. It is located on Macau’s interior port a stone’s throw from where the Portuguese first landed in Macau.

“Litoral means ‘to face the sea’ in Portuguese,” Raymond tells me. “It’s a reminder of the old Macau and how things used to be.”

Restaurante Litoral is decorated in the style of a Portuguese home with stone floors, wooden beams and whitewashed walls. Blue and white tiles provide a splash of color, and paintings of old Macau adorn the walls. A large fireplace adds to the homey intimacy.

The food I’ve been coveting since we arrived appears at our table, and it doesn’t disappoint. The pan-fried clams with black beans and the stuffed crab shells are perfect starters—I love dipping my bread into the savory clam juice. The African chicken—Macau’s perennial favorite—is tender and moist, doused with a sauce that perfectly combines sweet, savory and spicy.

The baked Portuguese rice is laden with pieces of succulent shredded duck and topped with spicy chorizo and thick chunks of sizzling bacon. My taste buds kick into overdrive when I tuck into the stewed pork. The brown sugar and tamarind play a sweet and sour duet, while the shrimp paste and chilies lend the dish a delicious Macanese pungency.

Mopping up the last of the sauce with my bread, I feel that sense of contentment and gratitude that comes after a great meal. Restaurant Litoral’s delicious offerings have hit my comfort food bullseye. It’s one of those places where you feel like you could work your way through the entire menu and never be disappointed. Sounds like a plan.

View the recipe of Portuguese Duck Rice

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Written by Jean Alberti, Macau.com's food and beverage columnist and Chef at Large.

Photography by David Hartung

Content Provided by Macau.com