Last week saw me on one of my regular jaunts to Asia, where I always spend a few days in Macau. I’d heard from friends out there about a restaurant that opened last year, specialising in Algarvean cuisine, and how the owners, a couple from Faro, had given up their restaurant in the Algarve capital, upped sticks and found success in the ex-Portuguese colony.
I visited with Portuguese friends who have lived in Macau for many years and now make a point of visiting this restaurant at least once a week.
But it’s not just the Portuguese expats who keep the restaurant busy enough to pay the hefty rent in Macau (some of the most expensive real estate in the world) and keep a smile on the faces of husband and wife team Constantino and Noemia José. Foodie magazines and guide books from nearby Hong Kong and as far away as Taiwan and Japan have given them glowing reports, ensuring a steady flow of tourists.
A catering professional of many years’ experience, who cut his teeth working in Algarve hotels before setting up his restaurant in Faro (O Baía on Rua de Stº António), Constantino has spent his whole life in the business but decided he had had enough of trying to make ends meet in Portugal when the VAT hikes and other tax burdens introduced by the government became too much.
His son (an IT engineer) had found work in Macau and when Constantino and Noemia made a visit, they saw the opportunity to relocate … and never looked back.
Constantino runs front of house whilst Noemia does wonders in the kitchen. The food is simple and delicious. Our meal included an excellent cataplana of pork and clams.
Restaurant A Baía, Macau
abaiamacau.com
By PATRICK STUART [email protected]
