You’d rarely see Fernando’s restaurant looking like this. The famed Portuguese beach-side restaurant is packed to the rafters almost every single night. It’s the must-try in any guide book, from Lonely Planet to Frommers. Even Taiwanese, Japanese and Chinese tourists stumble in with slightly crazed looks, clutching articles cut from magazines and newspapers with pictures of pig ear salad and baccalau (salted cod). Located at what seems the end of the world (by Macau standards), by Hac Sa Beach in Colaone (Macau’s countryside), it seems like a whole different country from the bright lights of the casinos 20 minutes away.
Humble however, Fernando’s isn’t. Which is why, for 8 months, I tried my darnedest to stay away. I’d heard horror stories about how the restaurant owners and staff, big-headed with a never ending crowd of patrons would treat patrons. Turning them away, despite making the pilgrimage from faraway lands to try the famed sangria and clams, without even a small apology.
I’d been warned, that they didn’t take reservations. In the event they made an exception for a large group or important occasion, dare to venture in even 1 minute late, and your table would be given away and you’d meet an angry stare, and be banished to the waiting area.
However, friends have also raved to me about the tasty salads and grilled meats. The must-try sangria which enhances the flavors of the food - sooo, on Tuesday, my curiosity got the better of me.
Five of us headed down to Hac Sa beach on a windy Tuesday night. I put on my best smile and approached the portly Portuguese staff/owner(?) at the counter. He only lifted his head after I requested a seat, and grunted a few words and pointed to a corner table before going back to whatever he was distracted with.
The 2 locals in our group suggested sitting out in the courtyard, where the atmosphere is a little more pub-like and cherry, but it was packed full of expats that looked like they’d be there all night. In the front of the house, it was more of a mixed crowd of tourists that ranged from PRC visitors, construction workers, still wearing their bright vests, families and a group of men in suits.
Although the main menus are in Chinese and Portuguese, there is thankfully a booklet illustrated with pictures and English, making selection simple. We ordered the cod-fish rice, (tasted like Chinese fried rice), grilled chicken (tastes like it sounds), grilled squid, served with olive oil sauce, a simple salad, boiled baccalau and Portuguese-style clams. We avoided the suckling pig and veal (I don’t eat babies) and the very popular pig ear salad. *warning* People who aren’t used to salty flavors should ere on the cautious side when ordering baccalau which has always been salty enough to make every single guest scrunch their face in distaste or reach for water. On the whole, it was a very simple style of cooking, with basic cooking style and natural flavors. Not bad, but not the mind-blowing experience some had hyped it up to be.
The grilled squid has us fazed for a minute about whether we had the right order. Served in mussel shells, my shellfish avoiding dining partner wondered allowed whether it was off limits - we decided it wasn’t. The sangria was delicious, with the right amount of sweet and tangy flavors. The price was very reasonable, and yes, the clams were rather tasty. However, we didn’t particularly find it worth raving about - nor did we find the mediocre service worth complaining about.
The very simple open air restaurant doesn’t have a beach view - more a view of the car park, and it isn’t exactly an atmospheric place to stay for hours and chat - although if we’d had a few more jugs of sangria, I might change my mind.
We decided to head to Morton’s Steakhouse at The Venetian for New York Cheese Cake (flown in by DHL direct from NYC), Godiva Hot Chocolate Cake and a large helping of their warm and friendly service. I don’t think I’ll be returning to Fernando’s anytime soon, unless I get a hankering for sangria.
The resurrected Miss Macau pageant crowned its first winner in 11 years last Sunday. As a 2007 IFT (Institute For Tourism Studies) graduate, Florence Loi, 23, should be well equipped to market Macau to the world as her new beauty queen!
As part of their presentation to convince judges of their eligibility to be the face of Macau, the contestants had to wax lyrical about Macau’s signature snacks, including the Portuguese Egg Tart and Pork Chop Bun.
The second runner up Ana Kuan Barroso, a Macanese of mixed Portuguese and Chinese heritage, was a crowd favourite, so it wasn’t surprising that the Macau Polytechnic Institute student bagged 2 subsidiary awards.
They are:
Most Stylish and Glamorous Hair Award
Most Popular Miss Macau
The hotel may not be open yet. But the shops just has their soft launch yesterday… here are the details.
THE SHOPPES AT FOUR SEASONS FACT SHEET
Blended with heritage, quality, tradition and artistic innovations, The Shoppes at Four Seasons is the first luxury shopping mall in Macao.With the finest array of more than 180 luxury brands around the globe, this shopping mall is redefining the retail in luxury that is beyond comparison.
The 211,000 square feet mall is located in the heart of the premier Cotai Strip.The shoppes are connected to the Grand Canal Shoppes of The Venetian-Macao-Resort-Hotel and Four Seasons Hotel Macao, Cotai Strip.The mall itself is feast for the eyes with its high ceiling, Portuguese facades and ornate detailing along the corridors.The creation of high end shopping haven is perfect for the discerning few to wind down in style.
Brands
More than 180 best brands of the world will be housed all under one roof.More than 60 brands hitherto unavailable in Macao will be found in The Shoppes.
Limited editions
Indulgence in the world of luxury, The Shoppes at Four Seasons is launching dozens best of the best limited editions products from the luxury brands.
Mall Concierge
Located at the Mezzanine floor of The Shoppes at Four Seasons, the mall concierge can provide information on restaurant and shops locations, promotions, personal shopping guides and image consultancy services as well as transfers and ticketing to ensure your leisure shopping at ease.
Image Consultants
Wandering in the world of top-notch luxury brands, you are urged to meet our image consultants who are there to provide you the latest trends in fashion world as well as wardrobe recommendations on the sought after brands to match your style and personality.
Private Shopper
After receiving a handy checklist from our image consultant, you will need a private shopper to help treasure hunt your beloved luxury goods in an efficient way.
Hotel delivery service
Do not worry about the number of shopping bags you will carry as the majority of the shops will send your predated items to the doorstep of your hotel room within 24 hours to ensure your happy shopping worry free!
Limousine ride
Complimentary limousine ride to one destination in Macao is at your service upon spending MOP50,000 or above in the same day.
Some girls have ALL the luck. While I put on weight just LOOKING at Portuguese Egg Tarts, this pretty lass, Natsuko Sone, eats more than a Sumo wrestler and is a tiny 43 kg!!!
The 22 year old is a mere 5 feet 4 inches tall. Known as Gal Sone, she wears thick make-up and girlie clothes and looks every-inch the trendy Harajuku girl. But while most girls in her platform shoes watch their intake, in order to fit their cutsie clothes, Gal Sone can eat 183 pieces of sushi in half an hour, or 200 pounds of food in one meal.
In Japan, she is known as a FOOD FIGHTER. Here, the team of waiters are presenting her with her just desserts.. mmmm.
Her favourite saying before downing a gigantic mountain of food is “I can eat this easily!”.
Obviously enjoying her meal. She likes to say mid-way through: “This is delicious”
All gone!
She is a celebrity in her homeland Japan, where she appears on tv shows and travels the world in her job as a celebrity food fighter. She has her own show - “Gal Sone Eat A Lot In The World”, she gets to travel the world and eat signature dishes in seoul, Shanghai, Hong Kong and now, MACAU.
Natsuku stopped over in Macau recently to film a portion of her show at MGM Grand Macau, where she ate:
11 Shark Fin Soups
6 French courses
10 desserts
Imperial Court Chinese restaurant and Aux Beaux Arts Brasserie prepared the dishes and we assume MGM footed the HUGE bill.
Next stop for Gal Sone is Bangkok. Where we can only imagine the amount of Tom Yum soup and Pad Thai she’ll consume.
Although her Macau eating adventures will only be broadcast in Japan on September 16 at 7pm, you can watch Gal Sone in action here, as she challenges Japanese magician Cyril Takayama to an eating contest.
Looks like even Cyril’s magic can’t help him here!
Macau.com is Macau's foremost destination marketing and travel company. The company provides one-stop, online booking for hotel accommodation, airline tickets, ferries, shows, and packaged tours.
Without question, Mahjong is one of the most popular games in Asia.
Now, the World Series of Mahjong is turning the game into a star-studded tournament, with contestants from around the world recently competing in Macau for one million US dollars in prize money.
This year, 302 contestants from 15 countries battled it out for the title of "World Mahjong Champion", with the 1st place winner taking home a cool 500,000 US dollars.
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