Macau: A-Ma Festival and Chinese opera at A-Ma Temple 媽閣廟

The A-Ma Festival was celebrated this year on May 6, the day we arrived in Macau. It falls on the 23rd day of the third month of the lunar calendar. We may have missed the festival day itself. But the festivities continued until May 8.


According to historical accounts, the A-Ma Temple 媽閣廟 (Temple of Barra) was said to be the point where Portuguese sailors first landed in Macau, thus starting centuries of cultural and economic exchange between China and Europe. The temple is among the historical structures inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Historical Centre of Macao.

It is also said that the name Macau come from A-Ma Gau which means Bay of A-Ma. The main prayer hall is dedicated to the Tin Hau 天后 goddess or Matsu 媽祖, the patroness of seafarers and fishermen, a Taoist deity which the locals refer to as A-Ma. But the temple has shrines to other deities from Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism which is an exemplary representation of Chinese popular religion which integrates all three.



As part of the A-Ma Festival, there were five days of Chinese opera (May 4 to 8) in a specially-constructed bamboo shed. We were lucky to be given access to the dressing room behind the stage where the actors were silently preparing and practicing their lines. The group performing came all the way from Guandong Province. We stayed for a while to catch parts of the performance, but not too long since it was hot and humid plus we had a schedule to follow.


Outside the temple, in Barra Square, a lion dance performance was taking place which happens every Saturday afternoon of May, organized by the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO). The next morning, when we returned to the A-Ma Temple, we caught the Portuguese dance performance in Barra Square at noon, also organized by the MGTO for all the Sundays of May.

Macau: Antonio Restaurante (Taipa), Miramar (Coloane), Clube Militar de Macau and more Portuguese restaurants in Macau

Who said you need to fly to Portugal to have a taste of authentic Portuguese food? Macau being a former Portuguese colony, is a haven for Portuguese cuisine. To add, it has a healthy community of expat Tugas who own many of the Portuguese restaurants.


For our second night, we had dinner at Miramar Portuguese Food in Coloane Island. The restaurant is by the beach and has both indoor and outdoor dining. Our dinner included Sonhos de Bacalhau (Codfish Dreams) HK$/MOP37, Rissois de Camarao (Shrimp Rissois) HK$/MOP40, Bacalhau Assado na Brasa (Steamed Salt Codfish served with Boiled Potato, Chick Peas, Eggs and Cabbage) HK$/MOP148, Frango Assado no Carvao com Batata Frita e Salada (Barbecued Chicken with French Fries and Salad) HK$/MOP120, and the highlight of the night Perna de Carneiro Assada no Forno con Batata Assada (Oven-cooked Leg of Lamb with Roast Potatoes) HK$/MOP298. I personally like the Barbecued Chicken and Leg of Lamb which comes with a special mint sauce on the side.

We even had Portuguese beer, vinho verde branco and brandy to go with our dinner. The owner, Antonio Peralta, was a very gracious host. While behind the success of the kitchen is Afro-Portuguese chef Rosa Maria Conceicao.


For our third night, we had dinner at the Michelin-recommended Antonio Restaurante on Taipa Island. It's a really small but cozy restaurant in Taipa's old quarter. We actually joined Chef Antonio Coelho in the morning at Macau's Red Market as he shopped for the freshest ingredients for our dinner.

That evening, we had Presunto Portugues Pata Negra ("Pata Negra" Portuguese Smoked Ham) HK$/MOP255 for starters. Then he served us something not in the menu, Camarao con Quejo (Prawn Cocktail with Spicy Cow Cheese from Azores). You can actually ask Chef Antonio to prepare dishes that are not in the menu as many of his regulars do.


Then came in the Arroz de Marisco a "Antonio" Servido em Tacho de Barro (Seafood Rice "Antonio" Style Served in a Ceramic Pot) HK$/MOP400 and the Secretos de Porco Preto Grelhados no Carvao com Batata Frita e Salada Mista (Black Pork Fillets imported from Portugal on Charcoal Barbecue with French Fries and Salad) HK$/MOP170. Again, lots of Portuguese red and white wine and champagne to accompany the dishes. Chef Antonio even showed us how to open a champagne bottle with a sword.



Finally, for our Day 4 lunch, we tried out the Sunday buffet at Clube Militar de Macau 澳門陸軍俱樂部. Of course, the highlight of their regular Sunday buffet is the Cozido à Portuguesa which is a stew made of assorted meat including pork, chicken, and beef boiled with assorted vegetables and Portuguese sausages which include chouriço (pork sausage), morcela (blood sausage) and farinheira (flour sausage), which you eat with rice and boiled potatoes.

The buffet, which includes Bufete de Salada (salad buffet), Sopa de Cozido (meat broth soup) and the Cozido à Portuguesa, plus Bufete de Sobremesas (dessert buffet) costs HK$/MOP128 per head, not bad for a really heavy meal.

Portuguese Restaurants in Macau
Here is a list of recommended Portuguese restaurants in Macau. Make sure you request your hotel concierge to reserve your table. And do arrive at the restaurant on time because Macau restaurants are usually very full and busy.

Also ask the concierge to write the Chinese name of the restaurant for the taxi driver. Some restaurants are in Taipa and Coloane, so the taxis will be more expensive. Buses are also available.

Macau red and white wines are excellent and reasonably priced, so order some to go with your meal. All the restaurants have Filipinos with their staff which we experienced first hand. Feel free to ask them for suggestions on their specialties and on moderately-priced good wines.

A Lorcha
Rua Almitante Sergio No. 289, Macau
Tel. +853 28313193

Note: Also serves Macanese cuisine. Try out their Grilled Prawns with Garlic, Stewed Oxtail, Clams (Lorcha Style), Steamed Crab, Feiojada (Pork and Bean Stew), Spicy Charcoal Grilled Chicken, and Mixed Seafood Rice (Portuguese Style)

Antonio Restaurante
Rua dos Negociantes No.3, Taipa, Macau,
Tel. +853 28999998

Camoes Restaurant
Shop 101, Lisbon-Evora, Macau Fisherman’s Wharf
Tel. +853 28728818

Clube Militar de Macau
Av. da Praia Grande, 975
Tel. +853 28714000

Restaurante Escada
Rua de Se Nº 8, Macau (Leal Senado Square)
Tel. +853 28966900 / 28389229

Note: Also serves Macanese cuisine. Try out their Portuguese Homemade Soup, Cod Fish Cake, Hot Spicy Sardine, Clam with Lemon, Curry King Prawn, Codfish with Cream, Bitioque (Portuguese steak with white wine and garlic sauce) and Portuguese desserts

Espaco Lisboa
Rua das Gaivotas, Coloane
Tel. +853 28882226

Note: Try out their Pata Negra (Portuguese Superior Ham), Special Portuguese Sausage “An Flambe,” Traditional Portuguese Duck Rice, Prawns with Garlic Sauce, Salad de Bacalhau com Grao (Codfish salad with Beans), Cochinillo, and Baked Bacalhau (with cream, potatoes and bread crumbs)

Fernando’s
09 Praia De Hac Sa, Coloane
Tel. +853 28882531

Note: Try out their Cochinillo, all seafood items on the menu and Fresh Salad

Miramar
Zona Norte da Praia de Hác Sá
(near Westin Resort)
Tel. +853 28882623 / 28882601

O Manel
Rua Fernao Mendes Pinto, No. 90, Taipa
Tel. +853 28827571

Note: O Manel is small but the food is super delicious. You may have to wait in line, even if you have a reservation. Try out their Clams with Lemon & Garlic Sauce, Torresmos (Crisp Fried Pork Strips), Grilled Spareribs, Grilled Sardines, Grilled Bacalhau, Grilled Bass, Favas (Pork and Bean Casserole), Fresh Vegetable Salad, Octopus Rice, Grilled Chorizos and Baked Apple for dessert

O Santos Restaurant
No. 20, Rua de Cunha, Taipa Island

Ristorante Platao
Travessa de S. Domingos No. 3, r/c B, Edf. Jardim Lok Va,
(the side street where McDonalds is in Leal Senado)
Tel. +853 28331818

Vela Latina Restaurant
201 Avenida Almeida Ribeiro
Tel. +853 28356888

Transferring old houses violates international conservation principles

It seems transferring old houses is becoming a fad nowadays. I'd like to stress, especially to those who claim they are preserving an old house by moving it, that transferring heritage violates internationally-accepted conservation principles.

The Philippines is a signatory to the International Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites or the Venice Charter. Article 6 of the Venice Charter says, "The conservation of a monument implies preserving a setting which is not out of scale. Wherever the traditional setting exists, it must be kept. No new construction, demolition or modification which would alter the relations of mass and color must be allowed."

Article 7 of the same document states, "A monument is inseparable from the history to which it bears witness and from the setting in which it occurs. The moving of all or part of a monument cannot be allowed except where the safeguarding of that monument demands it or where it is justified by national or international interest of paramount importance."

It is best to preserve heritage in situ. Each structure is part of the historical fabric of the community where it is located. Uprooting it from where it stands deprives the local community of its heritage. Transferring it to another place renders it out of context and distorts its story.

If transferring it is the only means of saving it, then so be it. But such transfer must be done with certain prerequisites including the proper architectural documentation of the house, and the supervision of a qualified restoration architect.

But for people with the collector mentality who treat old houses like collector's items (which they are not), that is a different story. We are against the poaching of old houses by collectors and antique dealers who force, bait or tempt with monetary compensation house owners to sell their ancestral homes.

The best example of such a violation was the transfer of the Enriquez Mansion to Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bagac, Bataan because the said mansion was not in danger of being demolished in the first place! At the same time, after the house was transferred, they built a ten-floor building in its place, thus destroying even more the historical fabric of Hidalgo Street in Quiapo, Manila. Now is that what you call love for heritage? That's why to date, I have never stepped foot in the Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar until they realize that shopping for heritage houses does not help in the preservation of heritage.

With Republic Act No. 10066 - National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009 which took effect on May 6, 2010, all structures fifty years and older are presumed to be Important Cultural Properties unless otherwise declared by the NCCA. That includes old houses built before 1960. So therefore, demolishing or transferring an old house now requires the permission of the NCCA. As part of the process, the owner must prove that the heritage house in question is not archaeologically, architecturally, culturally or historically significant before approval is made for the demolition or transfer.