Macao Sweet Treats! Portuguese tart, which is the best?
#sycookiestravelogue, #foodeverywhere #2018macaoyearofgastronomy #experiencemacao #sycookiesxmacao
Macau egg tarts. They aren’t exactly quite “news” anymore but a visit to Macao must have egg tarts on the itinerary. Macau egg tarts were initially and commonly considered a Portuguese import, with Lord Stow being one of the early names for egg when it comes to Macao Portuguese tart. Today, it is probably most iconic version of sweet treat in Macao. The recent trip to Macao with the Macao Tourism Malaysia got me learning so much more about this little sweet treat.
Why egg tart and not custard tart? I read somewhere it was due to lacking a direct translation for “custard” into Chinese, hence according to the couple who contributed most to this signature sweet treat of Macao, they just called them egg tarts from when they first started the business at Lord Stow’s first bakery. Chinese customers then, needing a way to distinguish them from the British-style custard tarts, the ones with a shortcrust (still made in Hong Kong), started calling them ‘Portuguese’ egg tarts, creating a confusing taxonomy that persists to this day.
After their separation, both Lord Stow’s and Margarete’s still bakes to locals and tourist on a daily basis. To say or declare either one as the best egg tart wouldn’t do either party any justice. After all, taste profiles are subjective and if any of the answer is as important, I would say let’s look at the years of dedication and what both has contributed to the growth of tourism Macao. With the birth of this pastry treat, and the effort put into continuing the legacy, it is safe to say that Portuguese Egg Tart is synonymous with one of what defines Macao (or at least, the tourism of Macao).
Photography is not allowed but I had a gentle nod when asked if I can shoot. Thanks for being so accommodative.
Lord Stow’s Original Shop
The Crazy line outside Margaret’s Cafe e Nata
Modern version of Portuguese tart may present themselves in assortment of flavours but one that is most epic has got to be this one, unnecessarily with bird nest on it. 壹燕糖甜品 (Yī yàn táng tiánpǐn ) does egg tart with a dollop of bird nest on it. This solidified saliva and are particularly prized in specifically the Chinese culture due to the rarity and supposedly nutritional value. The texture is almost insignificant, let alone the flavour profile. Had this during out Food Hunt organised by the MGTO (Malaysia) .
A trip to Macau is not complete without having some egg tarts, I highly recommend the original tart and that you try them both and decide which one you like best. But before planning on that, you might want to take note that KFC’s egg tart had their recipe from Margarete herself! That’s right… go google that up! If you’ve tried the KFC’s egg tart, then you might have already tried Margarete’s recipe.
If anyone is keen to bake your own egg tart in Macao, Le Cesar is where you can sign up for your Portuguese tart workshop. I baked my first Macao Portuguese egg tart here too! Read about it here: https://wp.me/p1tyh7-2d7
I made my first Portuguese tart in Macao!
Also check out all the other food places I’ve reviewed with #sycookiesxMacao . Food places I have covered in Macao is also pinned on Gastronomy Macao map , so this hopefully would be a great help for reference for anyone planning on a Macao food trip.
Lord Stow’s first bakery is located at:
Address: 1 Rua do Tassara, Coloane Town Square, Macau
Tel: (+853) 2888 2534
Opening Hours:
Open Daily 7am – 10pm
Tel: (+853) 2888 2534
GPS: 22.1181731,113.549123
Margaret’s Cafe e Nata is located at
Address: Gum Loi Building, 17, Rua Alm Costa Cabral,
Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro, Macau
Tel: (853) 2871 0032
Monday – Thursday, 8:30am–4:30pm
Saturday, 10am–6pm
Closed on Wednesday
GPS: 22.1917982,113.539679
壹燕糖甜品 (Yī yàn táng tiánpǐn ) is located at:
Address: 1 R. da Felicidade, Macau
Tel: +853 6660 2916
Open Daily : 12-11pm
GPS: 22.1936883,113.5380083
Book your Egg tart workshop at Le Cesar at:
Address: 300 Rua Direita Carlos Eugénio, Chun Weng Kok, G/F – Old Taipa, Macau.
Reservations: +853 2857 6682
Parking: Street and new large public car park (2 minutes walk)
Hours: Monday to Friday: 12:00 – 15:00. 18:00 – 23:00. Saturday and Sunday: 12:00 – 23:00.
Social Media: www.instagram.com/lecesaroldtaipa
GPS: 2.153535,113.55825
Blogged about my workshop here: https://wp.me/p1tyh7-2d7
Other food places I have covered in Macao is also pinned on Gastronomy Macao map , so this hopefully would be a great help for reference for anyone planning on a Macao food trip. Those struggling with Chinese and Portuguese like I do when planning a trip to Macao, you are welcome- navigating in Macau without these two languages was a pain for me! Now this would be so much easier, these places were all blogged HERE
Follow me:
Love
