"O Santos": A Taste of Portugal in China

I plan to share more of what I found after taking a random bus that brought me to Nanping. However, it appears that a video I would like to use for the next post needs much more time to finish uploading. So, in the meantime I will share one of my recent experiences in nearby Macau.

Although Portugal no longer administers Macau, the Portuguese influence can still be found. A benefit of this is that I could have a "local" meal of Portuguese food today even though I was still in China. Since I was in Macau's Taipa Village, I stopped by this well-known restaurant for lunch:

"O Santos" Comida Portuguesa restaurant

After taking a seat I opened the menu with great delight. The first dish was an easy choice for me:

Octopus Salad

And for the main dish I stuck with the seafood theme:

Grilled fish and beans

Everyone else seemed to be finishing their meal with an expresso, so I decided to do the same with a little improvisation:

Espresso and chocolate mousse

One of the more remarkable moments of the meal occurred with a very simple item -- the free bread. As soon as I bit into it I realized it had been a long time since I had last enjoyed this style of bread -- the crust! I will not belabor my impressions of the food and will just say that I enjoyed every bite. The food, the house wine, the espresso, and the friendly people were just what I needed to make the more than 90 minutes needed to pass through immigration at the Macau border with mainland China seem like a distant memory and well worthwhile.

The owner heartily thanked me as I left the restaurant, and I tried my best to express that I should be the one doing the thanking.

So, again, "Muito obrigado!"

Inside of "O Santos" -- The owner is sitting in the center at the farthest table.