Portuguese @ Galo, Macau

I'm quite fortunate to have exposure to many cuisines and foods from different parts of the world, but I've never had the chance to try out Portuguese cuisine (and no, Nando's does not count because strictly speaking, it's not Portuguese, despite what the promoters would like to market it as). I was therefore quite eager to try out some Portugese/Macanese dishes when we recently went to Macau (which was previously a Portuguese colony). I took note that Rua do Cunha is the foodie street of Macau, known for the shops selling various goodies of Macanese, Chinese and Portuguese origins, and the area also has a number of Portuguese restaurants. We headed into Taipa Village after watching Zaia, and unfortunately our first choice of Portuguese restaurant was full, and we weren't that eager to hang around for another hour to have dinner (it was past 7:30pm by the time we arrived in the area, and the boy was understandably tired and hungry already). So we walked the short length down Rua do Cunha, which was crowded and bustling with tourist shoppers buying food souvenirs, and found Galo at the end of the street. This restaurant was also full, which we took as a good sign, but there was only a 20 minute wait for a table, which was better than 1 hour.

Entering Rua do Cunha:

Galo is a no-frills eatery with simple and somewhat aged interior. Service is also rather frank with no frills, but at least the waitresses can speak English. There is a fairly extensive menu at Galo, offering a wide variety of simple and home-style Portuguese and Macanese dishes. We asked for suggestions, and ordered three dishes which turned out to be good choices.

Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato (Portuguese clams, Bulhão Pato-style) - a simple dish of clams cooked with garlic, olive oil and coriander. This dish is named after a 19th-century Portuguese poet who is more famous for his clams recipe than his poetry:

Franguinho no Churrasco (barbecued chicken) - we loved the charcoal flavour imbued in the chicken flesh.:

Bacalhau à Brás (salted codfish with onions, potatoes and egg) - similar to scrambled eggs with ingredients. This is one of the most popular bacalhau dishes in Portugal:

Overall the meal was a good way to experience Portuguese and Macanese food. I was grateful that Galo turned out to be a fairly good choice after our first option fell through. Reservations highly recommended, especially on a weekend.

Galo
45 Rua dos Clérigos
Taipa Village
Taipa Island, Macau
Tel. +853 2882 7423