Restaurante Fernando, Macau

I wasn't so keen about this place when I learnt that it's mentioned in most Macau travel sites/books(cue crowded, long queue, waiting, waiting and waiting), and I was even less excited when sc tried to call and book a table, and the guy replied "we don't accept bookings on weekends/holidays. we open at 4pm, you can come over and wait"

Uh oh...but anyway, let's get it over with, let's try this famous place and hope it's worth it.

When we arrived (it cost around HK$50something by taxi from City of Dreams, Taipa), I saw the place and fell in love with it. It's old, it's charming, it felt like I was in another world!

We arrived around 6pm and there was no one waiting yet. Oh yeah! Our early-birds-senior-citizens dining habit always gives us the edge!


I walked through a corridor to the back part of the restaurant, passing by a corridor full of currencies from everywhere...


...and a cozy looking outdoor bar (mosquito repellent needed) for patrons waiting to be seated, or for those who wants to enjoy their drinks outdoor...


We had a nice seat by the window, overlooking the bar and the garden...love the warm lighting, the checkered table cloth, the brick walls and the wooden framed windows...charming!


Soon after ordering a truckload of food, our bread arrived...they're fluffy and decent, but I gotta save space for our orders.


We ordered a vegetable and chorizo soup. I didn't know that there was gonna be lots of potatoes in there. It's a tad too filling for our meal and a bit too bland for my taste.


We've also ordered the charcoal grilled cod fish. Good news is, it's boneless, the skin tasted nice with lots of chilli sauce. Be careful when pouring the chilli sauce, it's pretty thin. Not knowing this, I poured half of a bottle of chilli sauce onto my plate. Luckily, I love the chilli sauce, it's tangy and hot. The fish, however, is flavorless and too firm for me.

Was it that bad?
Nonono...

Now, the good stuff.

The roasted suckling pig. WOW! The best non-Chinese style suckling pig I've ever had so far. Absolutely delicious!


Crispy crackling skin with juicy tender meat. Every part is so tasty, it didn't need any sauce. It was served with rustic homemade-looking fries, which I consumed with chilli sauce after making a fool of myself by asking for ketchup. Restorante Fernando doesn't do ketchup :D

Another hit...

The drunken beef. When I saw it, I doubted that the beef would be so delicious. It looked pretty overcooked to me...


But it wasn't. It's pink at the center...absolutely juicy and infused with garlicky, boozy sauce. Yummy to the max!


...and it was served with a mountain of fries. I made them absorb all the tasty sauce and clean the whole plate up. Carb heaven...here I come...

After we're done with dinner...we needed a little walk, so we went to explore the back of the restaurant...

We saw the place where they hang dry the table cloths...

...and...

Is this also a dog shelter? Look at them cuties!

On our way out...we saw this adorable scene...


...and this lady's business card...a very hot looking mama of five kids, with a killer bod.

Do I really wanna know her secrets? Hmm, it probably involves eating none of those sauce soaked fries and definitely not the suckling pig... T_T

Check out Restaurante Fernando's website for locations etc.