Which came first? the Chinese Pork Chop Bun or the Bifana Sandwich? In Lisbon, the Bifana is a splendid pork burger eaten as a snack or a after dinner dessert. If you are in Portugal, they even have a McBifana for you to tuck into.
But before you jump into the debate, let's look at the ingredients. First, you must have it on a Portuguese style Bread Bun, ditto in Macau. Then you need a piece of meat, normally pork, ditto in Macau.
But that's where the similarities end. The Bifana in Portugal is all meat—pork cutlet. Macau's version is a pork chop, with the bone sticking out. Then comes the seasoning that is put into the meat. Paprika, pepper and garlic are the norm for the Bifana, but for Macau, the seasoning is more Chinese, with a hint of five spice powder, ginger, soy sauce, etc.
If you put the two together, can you tell it apart?
I suppose not. So you can safely say that Macau's Pork Chop burger owes much of its heritage to its Portuguese counterpart, the Bifana.
When I was in Macau, the favorite place to get one was in Tai Lei Lok Kei in Taipa. There is also another place that is a favorite with the locals, Cafe Cameron which is just behind Largo Senado. The humble pork chop bun is a staple in Macau, served as common snack. The bun is quite hard, as with all Portuguese buns, the outer crust is thick and if you are accustomed to the softer texture of buns from Chinese style bakeries, this may not be your liking.
All you get is the bun and the bread. Nothing else. No salad, no sauces, no add-on condiments. It is a plain burger with just the taste of the bread and meat. This rustic approach is probably best if you hate sauces or bits of vegetables you find in other sandwiches or burgers.
Tai Lei Lok Kei had quite a bit of drama in 2012, when they were closed down by the authorities after they discovered that they didn't have the required permit to operate a proper establishment. Apparently they fell foul of two laws, one that says that you cannot occupy public spaces for business (which they had been doing for years) and another with regard to the actual ownership of the license to sell food. They have reopened since then, as a take away counter. Anthony Bourdain was probably the last celebrity to have had a chance to sit in and eat there.
 |
| Tai Lei Lok Kei @ Taipa Village |
Anyway, Tai Lei Kok Kei has a branch in Venetian Macau located along the shopping arcade. It is tucked away in a corner so you have to find your way to it. The burger there cost TWICE of what you'd pay in the Taipa branch not far from the Venetian.
As for the burger itself, well, it is a pleasant surprise. I didn't find the taste all that fascinating as growing up, my grandparents and my mom use to fry pork chops with a similar marinade seasoning. It is nonetheless a recommended eat in Macau.
Hong Kong too has this same snack if you went to a Cha Chan Tiang (tea restaurant), no doubt influenced by the Macau version. The taste will always be similar as they use similar spices to marinade the meat, and with that you sort of get an idea they are going to taste the same in some ways, the only difference with the Tai Lei Lok Kei version is that it has a much deeper taste than the ones from downtown—probably due to a stronger marinade.
Cameron Cafe on the other hand is a local hangout, where orders are sometimes shouted out across the shop floor in a claustrophobic setting. That review however will be left for another day.
Tai Lei Lok Kei Pork Chop Burger, Macau SAR.
Rating
0 comments:
Post a Comment