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A guest lecture was held by the two founders of award-winning Macau Kitchen Restaurant in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom. The audience learnt from Head Chef Kei de Freitas and Restaurant Manager Hoeyyn Ngu about menu design and how it plays a role in smooth restaurant operations both front and back of house to ensure guest satisfaction and therefore attract return patronage. Fourth-year students of the Bachelor of Science in Culinary Arts Management programme were able to consolidate the theoretical concepts learnt in Menu and Recipe Development course led by Dr Christy Ng, Academic Coordinator of Culinary Arts Management programme. The audience included postgraduate students and faculty members interested in culinary arts and gastronomy research. Macau Kitchen is an independent business focusing on Macanese and Malaccan Portuguese cuisine, following the Portuguese along then Asia spice route. It has recently received a Rosette from the AA guide for culinary excellence.

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How long have you been a chef?
On and off for about 10 years, and full on for the last 10 years. So 20 years.

Why did you become a chef?
I enjoy cooking food for people, and seeing them enjoy that food.
Food is very much related to the way I was brought up, I was always around food. Gastronomy is cultural, if I was not working as a chef I would be 'chefing' anyway - I just love cooking. I'm cooking everyday with my team - I simply love cooking. I can finish work and go home and cook again, as well as on my day off I will also cook.

Favourite ingredient?
Balichão (fermented shrimp paste), chilli sauce, tamarind, Gula Melaka (coconut sugar), aged soy sauce, and Flor de Sal. I could not choose one, these are always with me.

Favourite or signature dish?
It is a very difficult question. But from what I'm cooking now it's Signature Crispy Coconut Duck, Sour Pork Curry and Debal Chicken.

Favourite kitchen tool or equipment (apart from sharp knives)?
It has to be the wok.

Food hero(es)?

Kei’s list extended to a page and a half, so we’ve had to edit it down. He explains that his cuisine is so diverse that there have been numerous influences.



Family

My parents and brothers have amazing cooking skills. My Chinese mother in law - she is my southern Chinese cooking teacher, second to none.

Singapore and Malaysia

From Singapore, Eurasian Chef Quentin Pereira. From Malaysia, the late Noel Felix trained me on Melaka Portuguese cuisine. From the same cuisine, I still meet Sara Federica every year to share her three generations of family, handwritten recipes.

Macau

From Macau itself I have to mention Chef Florita Alves. She has amazing knowledge of Macanese and Portuguese cuisine and displays this at her restaurant in Taipa Macau. I’ve also been inspired by Chef Antonieta Manhão.

Goa, China and Thailand

I learned a lot about Goan cuisine from London based Chef Savio Azaredo. On Chinese food Chef Yu Bo has such a deep knowledge of Sichuan cuisine, and Chef Pam Soontornyanakij is an expert on Chinese Thai cuisine, as is Iron Chef winner Chef Gig Kamol.

UK

Finally, from the UK I have to cite Andrew Wong, holder of 2 Michelin stars at his restaurant A Wong, and Marco Pierre White, who needs no introduction.

Any food you can’t/won’t eat
Plain & tasteless food would be my nightmare.

Comfort food/guilty secret?

Nasi Lemak (fragrant rice cooked with coconut milk and pandan leaf), Bak-Kut-Teh (pork rib cooked in broth), leitão assado (Portuguese suckling pig), Chinese suckling pork. Desserts: abade de priscos (a rich Portuguese version of creme caramel) and burnt cheesecake.

If I’m going out to eat, and I can’t get a table at your place, where should I go?
You can go to The Palmerston. They use great ingredients and they have lot of space, so you maybe lucky enough to get a table.

Stupidest customer or kitchen experience?
There are good and bad experiences in this industry, but for the most part we have good ones - maybe 95% good!

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Claiming the title of the UK's "only Macanese restaurant", Macau Kitchen should be at the top of your list if it is something fresh and bold you are after. This tiny haven is a true hidden gem, and it likely won't stay that way for much longer.

Beloved by regulars for its fusion of Portuguese, Goan, Malaysian and South China cuisines, Macau Kitchen is one of the most unique dining experiences you are likely to find across Scotland and beyond. The cosy atmosphere completes the experience, and there is no doubt you will leave with a smile on your face.

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Good News Macau

January 20, 2024   BY GILBERT HUMPHREY

Macau Kitchen, a Macanese cuisine-serving restaurant in Edinburgh, Scotland has recently won the “Asian Fusion Restaurant of the Year” award from the “4th Scottish Asian Food Awards 2023”, which was held in Glasgow on 8 January. “We can’t believe we won,” Macau Kitchen’s owner and head chef Kei de Freitas told Good News Macau.

“It was another excellent event and we’re proud to be able to shine a spotlight on the trailblazers who enrich our culinary experience every day,” said a Scottish Asian Food Awards spokesperson, as reported by Yahoo! News. 

Meanwhile, Freitas told Good News Macau that the Macau Kitchen had also been shortlisted for the “Best Restaurant in Scotland” category of the Golden Chopsticks Awards 2024, one of the biggest Asian restaurant awards in the United Kingdom. The award ceremony is scheduled to take place on 29 April. 

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Caption: Macau Kitchen owners, Kei de Freitas (second from left) and his wife Hoeyyn Ngu, are seen here posing for a group photo with two of their staff members after winning their award at the 4th Scottish Asian Food Awards 2023 in Glasgow on 8 January.

Mozambique-born Portuguese chef Kei de Freitas has done a great deal to expand awareness of Macanese cuisine in his adopted home of Scotland....

De Freitas, who also has Goan and Kristang heritage, and his wife were back in town last week, doing further research on the Macanese cuisine scene and enjoying meals at the city’s Macanese restaurants.... In between appointments, the 50-year-old de Freitas found time to talk to Macao News about his culinary journey. 

1. How did you feel about your latest award from Food Awards Scotland?
2. So where is Macanese cuisine now in terms of people’s awareness?
3. What do you think should be done to further promote Macanese cuisine?
4. What are your most favourite Macanese restaurants in Macao? 
5. What is the one Macanese dish that you like to eat the most?
6. What’s next for Macau Kitchen?

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MACAU KITCHEN, SCOTLAND

Far from the subtropical heat of Macao, over in the cobbled alleyways of chilly Edinburgh’s Old Town sits a temple to all things Macanese cuisine. The Scottish capital may not seem like an obvious location for a Macanese restaurant but Macau Kitchen, which opened one and a half years ago, has become a hit with diners in the city – especially during the UK’s COVID-19 lockdown when it prepared takeaways for locals. The restaurant has since reopened and it is well worth a visit. The cosy dining room is complete with trinkets, photos, newspaper clippings and works of art telling the story of the historic cuisine’s evolution.

Chef Kei de Freitas is the founder of Macau Kitchen. He’s a proud storyteller to each and every guest in his role as UK gastronomy ambassador for the Korsang di Melaka, a group which promotes Portuguese cultural heritage around the world. Born in Portugal, with a mix of Portuguese, Goan and Malay heritage, he is well placed as a cheerleader for the cuisine that takes influences from all of these communities. He says that he got involved due to his love of Macanese cuisine. “You’ve got the whole spice trade in Asia,” he explains. “Macao is really the last stop. That’s where everything is happening. And because it was connected to Portugal until the last 20 years, the culture is still alive.”

The Edinburgh restaurant serves classic dishes like minchi, ‘balichão’ pork and creamy dessert serradura, as well as a number of curries and specials which might borrow in turn from Goan or Malaysian traditions. De Freitas explains with proud enthusiasm: “Cantonese and Macanese people get excited and come here with memories of these dishes.” He says that the restaurant’s mission is to promote Macanese cuisine as authentically as possible, which means frequent trips back to Macao to dine with friends and exchange recipes. “When we serve the dishes here, we tell people about the history,” he says. “So it’s not just about serving the food – it’s about telling the story of the Macanese.”

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Macau Lifestyle

26 JULY, 2019  BY LEONOR SÁ MACHADO     

MACAU KITCHEN

Located in ancient Edinburgh, Macau Kitchen is geographically far from its namesake but it hits close to home when it comes to concept and tradition. This spot serves typical African chicken, but also an array of curries which you can also find in several restaurants around Macau. Even though not entirely Macanese, it focuses mainly on Macau food while offering other Asian delights as well. Their menu – crafted by chef Kei De Freitas – includes Portuguese chicken and Serradura for dessert. Their chefs are dedicated to promoting the heritage of Macanese cuisine, as the first fusion cuisine in the world. They also travel regularly to Macau so recipes can be updated, added and bettered.

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The Leither

Jul 12, 2019  by Alan Bett