Spread the love

Macanese dishes are not yet popular in Australia, in fact most Aussies have never heard of this cooking style until now. The secret is out and foodies are in for an abundance of delicious taste treats.

The Macao Government Tourism Office has implemented a plan to educate the public about this mouth- watering fare and have teamed with the popular House of Tong Restaurant for the Taste of Macao Food Month in Sydney. The House of Tong in the North Ryde RSL Club is the only restaurant in Australia featuring Macanese cuisine and will offer the menu until November 14, 2018.

The restaurant is treating patrons in the well patronised restaurant to a memorable gastronomic nine course experience.  Diners can feast on Macanese delicacies, from an entrée of bacalhau (traditional cod fish cakes) and octopus salad to popular Serradura (traditional saw dust pudding).

Our group of six selected diners experienced this gastronomic feast recently and agreed we should all head to Macao to enjoy more of these culinary delights.

Glamourous and articulate Chef Palmira Pena is spearheading the promotion with Macao Government Tourism Office’s Michael Smith. To celebrate Macao’s Year of Gastronomy in Australia the effervescent Palmira was invited by the restaurant to train its chefs in the preparation of a range of Macanese dishes.

From Switzerland where she studied to ever-bustling Tokyo where she furthered her career in the hospitality industry, Palmira was destined to be a chef. Her grassroots have always been in Macao, her birthplace and much-loved home to her family, where “I learned all the cooking skills from my father since I was a kid”.

Her father is renowned Macao restaurant owner Manuel Pena, who, born in Portugal, arrived in Macao in the 1980s and started his traditional Portuguese restaurant O Manel in Macao’s Taipa Village in 1992.

Macanese cuisine is considered one of the world’s earliest forms of fusion food, dating back five centuries. Portuguese inspired with spices collected along the maritime route between Portugal and China and produce grown in China.

Mr and Mrs Tong with Chef Palmira Pena

A former Portuguese enclave of 650,000 residents, Macao (English spelling) Macau Portuguese spelling) was designated by UNESCO as a Creative City for Gastronomy and is celebrating everything food throughout 2018.

Diners who spend more than $100 in The House of Tong restaurant will be in the running to win a trip for two to Macao, including return air tickets, flying Xiamen Airlines, and accommodation, valued at $6000.

Other prizes include a $3000 Gucci G-Frame Watch from Shum’s Watches and Jewellery, a Sleep Mart Mattress, valued at $1050, and one of 10 House of Tong dining vouchers, each valued at $100.

Written by : John Savage