Ask for recommendations on where to eat authentic Portuguese cuisine in Macau, and you are almost certainly going to be given directions to António in Taipa Village. Since its opening in 2007, António has become a favourite among locals and visitors alike, and been recommended by the Michelin Guide Hong Kong & Macau for the past 11 years. Now the restaurant is beginning a fresh chapter in its quest to provide delicious Portuguese dining experiences, with the arrival of new chef, David Abreu.
Hailing from Lisbon, Chef David brings with him more than a decade of experience in fine-dining, having worked in a number of impressive luxury hotels including Pestana Viking Beach & Spa Resort, the SANA Malhoa Hotel, the Grande Real Villa Itália Hotel & Spa and the Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon.
In 2017, he moved to the UK to work at the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire and, most recently, the renowned Three Michelin Star Waterside Inn, under the mentorship of legendary Chef Alain Roux.
Chef David describes his cooking style as “a traditional Portuguese technique with a modern twist”, with a focus on “simple, traditional and correct”.
“Coming to Macau is a good challenge and I live for that. My goal is to give customers new experiences, adventures and points of view on how Portuguese food can be cooked and presented,” he notes as we chat with him after an amazing dinner presenting some of his signature dishes. “I’ve had some feedback from customers who have been coming here for many years, and they notice that some things now taste a bit different, but they like it,” he adds.
Chef David’s signature dishes include veal loin Mirandesa (a Portuguese specialty beef); marinated sardines on homemade corn bread toast; slow roasted suckling pig with potatoes, orange and fresh mixed salad; as well as succulent seafood rice in Portuguese style, and a very typical dish from southern Portugal – codfish mashed bread paste.
“I don’t like to recommend just one dish because I like to recommend everything,” he says with a grin, when we ask for his top suggestion. “The veal loin Mirandesa is a new version, it’s a kind of meat that comes from the North of Portugal, but served with a French sauce and cabbage inspired by sauerkraut. And the potatoes are a very typical Portuguese style. My mission is to bring a bit of everything to build something new, but without moving too far away from authentic Portuguese food.”
Another goal for Chef David is to work with local products and ingredients.
“I like to use local products to give local experiences, and I really enjoy exploring the local markets. Some products that are quite rare in Europe are very common here, like Shiitake mushrooms.”
In these days of no international travelling, as we sit in the cozy restaurant surrounded by painted images of Lisbon and serenaded with live guitar and Fado, it’s fair to say that eating at António is probably the next best thing to actually being in Portugal at the moment.
“Taipa Village is a very warm place, quite similar to a little Lisbon, so it makes me feel a little like home,” agrees Chef David.
Currently António restaurant is offering a number of special promotions for Macau residents including 20% off the total price of the bill. They also have a great value three-course set lunch from Monday to Friday for just MOP150.
António
澳門氹仔舊城區木鐸街7號地舖
Rua dos Clerigos No.7, Taipa, Macau
+853 2888 8668 www.taipavillagemacau.com/directory/António-portuguese-restaurant/
