There are plenty of good places to find authentic Portuguese cuisine in Macau, but very few have a view quite as nice as Vic’s Restaurante at Macau Fisherman’s Wharf. And very few have a chef quite as charismatic and entertaining as Chef Martinho Moniz. Hailing from the small village of Barreira, near the famed city of Fatima in Portugal, Chef Martinho came to Macau eight years ago, after successfully opening one of the first Portuguese restaurants in Hong Kong, Casa Lisboa.
His first big challenge in Macau was to open what was at the time, the only fine dining Portuguese restaurant in Macau, Guincho a Galera, at Hotel Lisboa. After doing so to great acclaim, and staying on there for another three years, he decided to take a break, and has now returned to the Macau dining scene as head chef at Vic’s.
“David Chow and Melinda Chan gave me an opportunity to give some new life to the Rock’s Hotel here at Fisherman’s Wharf. People can enjoy a very different dining experience, with all the glamour but not inside a casino, and with this beautiful view of the harbour,” he says proudly, as he guides us to the spacious alfresco dining area overlooking the Friendship Bridge and the outer harbour, busy with ferries coming and going from Hong Kong.
In bringing some new life to the dining scene at Fisherman’s Wharf, Chef Martinho is committed to offering diners very authentically traditional Portuguese cuisine, with a focus on ingredients straight from his home town.
“This is very unique Portuguese cuisine from my home village Barreira,” he says. “I bring ingredients back with me and everywhere in my restaurant you can see them, like piri piri and bay leaves. The bay leaf tree in my garden is actually from my village. Bay leaf is present in many of our dishes, and is a very characteristic flavour of my village. It makes me happy because I like to show people my culture.”
Barreira is near the mountains north of Lisbon, with fields full of rosemary, thyme, mint, parsley and other aromatic herbs. “These are the flavours of my countryside,” notes Chef Martinho, who has cultivated a herb garden just outside the kitchen for a ready supply of fresh ingredients for his cooking.
Positioned around the restaurant are other very clear signs that this is indeed Portuguese fare, including a row of whole Bacalhau (dried cod fish) hanging above the open kitchen.
Some of the most popular dishes at the restaurant include Chef Martinho’s Lobster Rice with Monk Fish, and another Portuguese classic, Shrimp Assorda.
Inspired by flavours of his home village, Chef Martinho’s Mixed Skewer presents black pork from Portugal, beef, sausage and bacon, peppers and onions, “with a traditional Portuguese sauce from the mountains, my grandfather’s sauce, made from bay leaf, garlic, rosemary – all the flavours of the mountains.”
A favourite way for guests to begin their meal is with a selection of snacks on Chef’s Cutting Board including “family style, tapas like gratinated cheese with honey, pumpkin jam with orange and olive oil, black pudding roasted in the oven, homemade pickles, and scrambled egg with farrineirha (a type of Portuguese sausage).”
As delicious as the food is at Vic’s, and as pleasant the environment, both inside and out, certainly one of the defining features of the restaurant is Chef Martinho himself, who’s joy and passion for his craft, and enthusiasm for sharing his homestyle dishes with guests, is truly infectious.
“Vic’s is unique, it’s like my house, I bring all my energy, I enjoy working here. The harbour, gardens, morning light from the sun, watching the boats going in and out – it’s more than just a restaurant, it’s a place to relax,” he enthuses. “I’m always happy to tailor make something for the guests. I just want to make people happy, and for them to feel like they are at home.”
Business Hours: Mon-Sun
07:00-23:00
Tel: (853) 8295 6580
Location:
G/F, Rocks Hotel