Alleyways / childhood memories / Complicated / Dinner / Food / Heritage / Macau Culture / Old Street / Photography / slowdown attitude / Soy Sauce / Street food / Uncategorized
Mercado de S. Domingos Municipal Complex
St. Dominic’s Food Mall is located on the third floor of the Municipal Complex Market, one of the oldest property stationed in Macau. Counting back its operation since 1998, it has a long history of more than twenty years. If you wish to eat some authentic local flavors, the Dominic’s Food Mall can find lots of varieties and specialties that have been rooted in Macau for years. Almost every stall stationed on the third floor has a long history at least half of a century old; and all food items goes super delicious and worth tasting each available dish.
Since most food stalls used to serve the community “along the street sides”; Which, back in those days, after all stores settled in the market “upstairs”, most good-food-conscious minded individuals clearly aware how to reach these local authentic delicacies. With many years of good reputation, the owner did not lose its demographic advantages when they are located along the alleyways; and which, as years passed, they didn’t reduced the number of locals and tourists enjoying their food inspections on the top floor.
Why Macau also called “Macao Street”?
I used to hear a lot of people say: Guangzhou City, The Hong Kong Island and Macau Street. Why this little alleyways named as “Main Street”? Back in early days, Macau appealing as a Main Port; where a major commercial street formed; which claimed as today’s “St Dominic’s Street”, namely “Macau Main Street” or simply “Macao Street” by majority locals.
The formation of Dominic’s Street
The mentioned “Macao Street” refers to St Dominic’s Street; (In Portuguese named Rua dos Mercadors) which related as Trading street, or the Merchant Place; A street for business basically. According to history that claimed, this old street belong to a place where the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty stationed back in time. It then renamed for purpose monitoring the actions of the Portuguese “invaders” in the expanding forces; Now called ” Camp Street” in Chinese, claimed as the earliest market appeared in Macau; Thus “The Dominic’s Market” subsequently developed within the said area. “The Camp Street” regarded as the oldest, and most important street during the Macau development period, thus labelled as “Macao Main Street” till now. From this place that referenced also named as one of the core street after all those discoveries.
In the past, the camp street gradually developed from a “Street stall place” to a “Central market” exchange point. In order to optimize the life of local citizens and improve their surrounding community districts; has lately transformed into a seven-story multifunctional “The Dominic Municipal Market Complex ”.
Looking for food within the market place
The Camp Market (St Dominic Municipal Complex), is located around the lively, prosperous street, Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro, in Macau. The underground, first and second floor settled as the local market place; meanwhile, the central food stall located on the third floor. The great food recommended by numerous gourmets and foodies all hide in here. Though not too many shops opened during the day; however each store that stationed at the Camp Street’s complex exists for more than 40 years close by.
Although the surrounding area has relatively few personalities (when compared back to the street stall times); The famous Zi Kei Beef Offal and Ping Kei Stir fried Beef Ho Fun and Clay pot Rice, all classified as one of the most popular food items on each dining table. Sing Kei or Keung Kei Clay pot Coffee is also one of its famous beverage item within the Macau Chaa Chan Teng choice (or food stalls); In the past, they used to make coffee in ceramic clay pot for a long time; Having considered efficient sales volume, most tea stalls have gradually transformed themselves into fast food making process; Thus traditional Clay pot coffee making starts to fade out and eventually not part of their core business focuses anymore.
The food types that exists within Camp market are not really that kind of unique, but due to broad selections under affordable prices, and many time-honored brands that established, have expressed their own unique flavors; up till now still considered as one of the famous, favorable civilians’ dining hall choice.
Sing Kei Coffee
The owner of Sing Kei Coffee has been selling at coffee counters for 70 years. The most famous Clay pot coffee, all specially made from their clay pot utensils. Coupled with their unique, fragrant and smooth secret recipes, their cooking style were quite special; and the taste is smoothing and mellow. The coffee always go fragrant enough as usual. It all beautifully mixed with condensed milk; Every time the bitterness is not too strong. If liked to adjust a fair bit; can put on an earlier request to the boss when ordering. Their secret recipe was that when coffee starts to get slightly boiled up; they will filter with burnt stacked eggshells; The coffee went so smooth and fragrant after all. If their coffee and milk tea is a preference, you should try their pork chop buns and yummy toast. Once started, can’t stop till finished.
Zi Kei Beef Offal
Zi Kee Beef Brisket is one of the collective name of an old shop, going through almost half of a century history; The beef offal will stewed up for a long time which yet, is super tasty, rich in flavor and texturized. If you like their mixed sauce, you can try Zi Kee’s secret yellow and red mustard hot and chilly mixes. My best favorite is their traditional chili oil along with their special “Mixed Sauce”; which combined as one of the best beef offal in town.
Zi Kei uses fresh beef parts from the market. All ready and rinsed out during singing time, and then boiled in order of different parts. They carefully boil the broth for at least four hours every morning to make a clear soup base; accompanied with freshly made beef with brisket sauce, the after tastes was absolutely memorable; The stewed beef is so flavorful, without losing the original beef flavor. The entire dish is not too beefy or too saucy at all; and the beef jus is strong and fragrant.
Indeed, quite a bit of beef portion in there, including the tripe’s, tendons, lungs, and burdocks; as well as beef intestines, beef brittle bones of course; they also include beef intestines parts that rarely could be seen in the street. If you want to try special internal organ parts, or some item that don’t want to eat, you can speak to the owners when ordering. It also goes well accompanied with additional item base, noodles and pasta.
Chiu Kei Lamb Brisket in Clear Soup
Chiu Kei specializes in hot pots, stick bamboo bean curd with muttons, braised suckling pig and stewed bones are quite popular. With a self-service portable stove, can choose a variety of ingredients, or alternatively can serve it in a huge bowl. The lamb cooked well done or on average; while the bamboo sticks can cooked for a longer time. They also provide other hot pot ingredients on the side as well.
Ping Kei
Ping Kei is the only small stir-fry stall across the food center floor. All dishes went well cooked wok-fried; once you pass by their stall, you can smell their food fragrance. Speedy fast food cooking is one of the main selling point of this food malls. If wish to eat traditional, one of the days-taste, Ping Kei’s small stir-fry would takes time, so thus need to wait patiently. The fried squid are golden and crispy, fresh enough as usual, and always refreshing after eating. Their salt and pepper dish also did very well, accompanied with rice and beer not too bad indeed.
They also specialize ready-to-order Clay pot rice. There are more than a dozen types of Clay pot rice to choose from; The most popular whole boiled egg with beef, cured preserved meat, pork ribs, etc., are all must-eat items. Other specialties such as Sora, Eels, Yellow boned fish, etc; apart from their good tastes, if wish to eat burnt rice on the pot, you can tell the boss in advance to dried out some excessive water in the pot when almost done on the stove, in order to make a more crispy rice burn. The price is also quite reasonable. Buying a super-nice standard, burnt Clay pot rice costs around 40 dollars. However, it takes time to make one, and each Clay pot rice should be well cooked for about 20 minutes.
Chi Kei – Must Eat Curry Chicken Wings
Most of Chi Kei’s cooking items are noodles based. It operated around the camp market for more than half a century; Managed by the second generations from street side stalls, up to the market floor now. The stall history are authentic enough, while the prices are quite reasonable. They were so famous among the neighboring area for years.
Many of the fresh beef mixed noodles recommended by the neighborhood include: Fresh beef offal noodle, Beef offals include omasum, liver, kidney and Beef heart. One large bowls are only 30 yuan, which is very popular. In addition, the up to standard clear soup wanton noodles, prawns are refreshing, elastic and bouncy when bite; As for the curry chicken noodles, the curry sauce is full of flavor; must given a try on their curry chicken wings! Their style and taste was that the spiciness is their true spice collected that oozes from the inside to the outside. For those who can eat spicy, it is definitely worth a try. The dumplings also makes you so full, wrapped with shrimp, pork, and fungus as main fillings; The double-pish and even the assorted ingredients, and other combo choices also available anytime.
