Macau: A Quest Failed

This couldn't be happening. After the first nite's out, Macau gave us the impression that it's just a place for casinos. Everyone's there for just one reason.

Nobody seemed to care about food, except us. We were beginning to wonder whether we've landed at the wrong place - a group of enthusiastic food adventurers in a land where the only thing people eat are casino chips.

And we started believing the hotel (Beverly Plaza) people that probably their breakfast buffet was as good as they claimed to be. So the next morning we became very good little boys & girls, and obediently went down to the hotel restaurant.

At the entrance of the restaurant, I saw a guy writing calligraphy on a red notice plate on the wall. When I whipped out my camera, he perked up & gave everything he got with a loud kung fu like yell.

Good showmanship. Incidentally the name he was swishing with his brush was mine which was Huang (or Wong in Cantonese).

But then again, everyone's probably named Wong (including the variations of Wee, Ooi, Ng, Ngui, etc.) in Macau & Hong Kong. You could probably even call the place Wongcau or Wong Kong. Sorry, stupid joke. Had to get it outof my system.

Immediately, I felt good karma & vibe surrounding this place. Maybe the food IS good, & we're destined for it.

But I thought wrong.

Looks stiff & plasticky don't they?

It seemed that the good vibes only hovered & stayed at the entrance. They didn't come in with us.

Porridge with Yu Tiaw. It's just the typical hotel standard.

Now this turned out to be the only best thing available there - Toast with imported butter & European Honey. It's a bit pathetic, with everything imported, how authentically Macau can that get?

At that point, we ran out of time. Our first nite/day in Macau was over. We had to check out to take the ferry over to Hong Kong. If this was the Amazing Race for authentic food, we would have lost with our faces flat on the ground.

But we knew we'd be back again on the last nite. So we left with revenge in our minds, & also in our unsatisfied stomachs.