‘Macanese Nights 2024’ celebrates Macau’s culinary heritage

The vibrant cultural experience of “Macanese Nights 2024” is returning to Artyzen Grand Lapa Macau by popular demand, celebrating Macau’s rich gastronomic traditions and history as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.

This event holds special significance as Macau recently earned the title of “Culture City of East Asia 2025.”

“Macanese Nights 2024” pays tribute to over 450 years of Macau’s culinary history, reaffirming the city’s status as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.

Running from Oct. 8 to Oct. 24, exclusive tasting menus will be crafted by renowned Macanese chef Antonieta Manhão and Artyzen Grand Lapa Macau’s executive chef Pedro Santos Do Carmo.

“As a long-standing advocate for Macanese cuisine, I am overjoyed to participate again,” said Manhão. “I am excited to introduce a few new dishes in this edition that capture the essence of Macau’s cultural fusion.”

Rutger Verschuren, area vice president for Artyzen Hospitality Group and General Manager of Artyzen Grand Lapa Macau, expressed enthusiasm for the return of “Macanese Nights.”

He said, “This event reinforces Artyzen Grand Lapa Macau’s role as the cultural bridge between China and Portugal, with Macanese cuisine as a testament to this fusion.”

During a press conference, Manhão and Do Carmo jointly demonstrated the classic “Porco Bafassá,” a beloved braised pork collar seasoned with turmeric that represents the Asian influence on Macanese dishes.

Executive Chef Pedro Miguel Santos Do Carmo added, “This marks my third collaboration with Chef Neta, and her culinary expertise and knowledge continue to inspire me. I am so excited to see her new dishes added to “Macanese Nights 2024” signature dishes, which will elevate the flavors and diversity of traditional Macanese cuisine.”

CafÈ Bela Vista unveils new menu additions

As Café Bela Vista kicks off its culinary event promotion, the chef has unveiled an upgraded menu brimming with both new highlights and enhanced versions of beloved classics.

A native Portuguese chef with two decades of culinary expertise, five years of which have been spent at the helm of Café Bela Vista, Chef Pedro continues to innovate and elevate the restaurant’s offerings.

“Not only [do] the people have the chance to try them during this period, but also after that,” he said.

Seafood lovers will delight in the new “Chilled Seafood Platter”, a sharing plate showcasing the freshest lobster, abalone, oysters, shrimp and mussels.

Chef Pedro has also refined classic dishes like the Braised Atlantic Octopus Salad, now garnished with vibrant edible flowers for a touch of elegance.

Other menu highlights include the quintessential Portuguese stew Cataplana de Bacalhau, featuring tender seared codfish braised to perfection in a sealed copper vessel.

The restaurant’s take on the iconic Arroz de Marisco, or Wet Seafood Rice, celebrates the flavors of the sea with scallops, mussels, clams, squid, prawns and crab meat.

“Our aim is to actually be authentic, bring the real Portuguese items and also Macanese,” Chef Pedro said, promising a truly immersive culinary journey for diners. Victoria Chan

Verschuren: Promoting Macanese cuisine overseas vital

Promoting Macanese cuisine internationally is crucial to ensuring its survival for future generations, according to Rutger Verschuren, area vice president of Macau Operations for Artyzen Hospitality Group.

Verschuren spoke to the media about the importance of hosting an event at the Artyzen Grand Lapa Macau focused on highlighting Macanese dishes.

“Macanese cuisine is very complicated, as it has evolved over hundreds of years as a fusion of East and West,” Verschuren said.

While acknowledging the value of examining historical recipes from a century ago, he stressed that “the whole point of Macanese cuisine is that it evolves.”

Verschuren said modern Macanese dishes may incorporate ingredients like imported Portuguese pork that were not available in past eras.

However, the executive warned that “if it is only the local people in Macau [who] appreciate Macanese food, it’s not going to last for another 100 to 200 years.”

He said promoting the cuisine internationally is crucial, so people visiting Macau “try and appreciate” its uniqueness.

“Macanese cuisine reflects” the city’s history as “a melting pot” of Chinese, Portuguese and other cultures, he added.

“We need to bring it out to the world, let them know that, hey, our cuisine is like the people,” Verschuren said.

“We are a melting pot. It’s a fusion of east and west and very unique.”

The executive said events at the Artyzen Grand Lapa Macau aim to “spread the word about Macanese cuisine across the globe” to visiting tourists. VC