Macau: 360 Cafe, world's highest bungee jump by AJ Hackett and more from Macau Tower

Ever wonder where the best view of Macau can be found. It's at the Macau Tower of course, 338-meter high communications that hosts restaurants with breathtaking views of Macau and Taipa, as well as AJ Hacket's Bungy Jump, the highest commercial bungee jump in the world.



First order of the day was a trip to the up to the observation deck for a grand view of Macau. Tickets cost MOP/HK$100 for adults and MOP/HK$50 for kids aged to 11. Kids below 3 years old are free of charge.


The observation deck gives you a 360 degree view of Macau. And to make things a bit more exciting, some parts have glass floors which you can walk on and look all the way down to the street!

A few floors up is AJ Hacket Macau Tower, a must-try for thrill seekers. As I mentioned, the Bungy Jump is the highest commercial bungee jump in the world!


The Bungy Jump, which includes an exclusive t-shirt, certificate and membership card, costs MOP1,688 or US$218. The Skywalk X, which is walking around the top of the tower with a safety harness, costs MOP588 or US$76. The SkyJump, which is a controlled descent ride, costs MOP988 or US$127. Also check out the Mast Climb which is not for the faint-hearted. It costs MOP1,688 or US$218 to climb the mast of Macau Tower.

If you want to purchase the additional CD + DVD + 2 Photos bundle, the full Bungy package costs MOP2,288 or US$295. It looked really tempting but since I still couldn't smile for the photos and video, I decided to wait until a future trip when I was better. Make sure you book since you need prior reservation owing to its popularity among toursits.


If you want to have a meal with a view, check out the buffet lunch or dinner at Cafe 360. The cost of the buffet includes entrance to the tower. Lunch buffet is HK$/MOP198 for adults and HK$MOP148 for children. Dinner buffet is HK$/MOP288 and HK$/MOP188 respectively. For reservations, call (+853) 8988 8622.

The international dinner buffet had a selection so wide (Chinese, Macanese, Japanese, Indian and Western cuisine among others), we didn't know where to start! I don't even remember how many times I returned to the buffet.

Macau: Around Macau's Red Market with Chef Antonio Coelho

The Red Market 紅街市大樓 or the Mercado Almirante Lacerda is a wet market in Macau built in 1936. It's called Red Market because it is constructed out of red bricks. We got to explore the Red Market as we followed Chef Antonio Coelho move around the market to purchase the freshest ingredients for our dinner that same night at Antonio Restaurante.


Well, it's a wet market so nothing you can take home from there unless you will be able to cook when you get back home to your hotel or where you're staying. But it's interesting to visit it and walk around.


Outside the main market building is a street market with stalls that sell almost every ingredient in the Chinese kitchen. That I guess means anything and everything!

Macau: Popular Macau delicacies and top food finds (Macau pasalubong)

While Macau has so many popular delicacies to savor and take back home, there are five food finds which people can't stop raving about. A lot of tourists take them home for pasalubong. Here they are in no particular order:


1. Portuguese egg tarts 葡撻
Portuguese egg tarts are modifications of the Portuguese custard pastry called pastéis de nata. The original Macau version is a creation of Lord Stow's Café 安德魯餅店葡塔 in Coloane Island. The owner, a Briton named Andrew Stow, following the same pastel de nata recipe, baked the egg tarts using techniques in making English custard tarts. The main feature of the egg tart is a caramelized custard with a crème brûlée-like consistency inside a puff pastry case.

Aside from Lord Stow's, another popular source for the Portuguese egg tarts would be Margaret's Cafe e Nata 瑪嘉烈葡塔 which is near the Grand Lisboa. The store was quite hard to find since it's in one of the side streets. Good thing I had a photo of the egg tarts in my phone so I was able to ask locals for directions by showing the photo. When we arrived there, the line was quite long, proof that the egg tarts are much sought after. One piece is HK$/MOP7 while a box of six is HK$/MOP40. We bought two boxes, enough supply until breakfast the next day!

2. Bakkwa (jerky or dried meat) 肉干
Walking towards the Ruins of St. Paul, it's impossible to miss the stalls selling bakkwa. In fact, the vendors will try to grab your attention by talking to you in broken Filipino and offering you a free taste. These sweet or spicy preserved meats are another popular Macau delicacy you might want to take home. Price depends on the type of meat and the flavor.


3. Almond cookies 杏仁餅
Another treat you'll see while walking to the Ruins of St. Paul are almond cookies, which are also referred to as almond cakes or almond biscuits. In fact, don't be surprised if the hawkers start offering a free taste, hoping to get you to buy more.

One of the more popular stores for these yummy cookies is the Pastelaria Koi Kei. I got my box of almond cookies from a neighborhood pastelaria that was off the beaten track, somewhere near Macau's Red Market for HK$/MOP20 a box.

There are variations to the almond cakes including almond cake with yolk 蟹黃肉心杏仁餅, almond cake with sesame and peanut 芝麻花生杏仁餅, and almond cake with almond bits 杏粒杏仁餅.



4. Phoenix rolls 紫菜肉鬆鳯凰卷
Phoenix rolls are something I discovered only on this trip. While at that neighborhood pastelaria near Macau's Red Market, I decided to try everything by buying one piece of each pastry which was displayed in glass jars on the counter. And the phoenix rolls caught my fancy. Phoenix rolls are egg rolls with shredded pork and seaweed.

Phoenix rolls actually fall under the category of egg rolls 蛋餅 which includes the traditional egg roll 傳統蛋捲, and egg rolls with pork floss 肉鬆蛋捲.

5. Crunchy peanut candy 花生糖
Another popular delicacy sold on the way to the Ruins of St. Paul, these crunchy peanut candies are Macau's version of peanut brittle. Hawkers also offer as free taste at their stores.

Which is your favorite Macau delicacy?