A BRAZILIAN CHRISTMAS EVE DINNER IN MACAU: FOGO SAMBA, The Venetian, Macau

A BRAZILIAN CHRISTMAS EVE DINNER IN MACAU

By Ysabel Villaflor

After taking the ferry from Hong Kong, my family and I finally landed in Macau.  It was Christmas Eve, we were in Macau, and we missed lunch!  So, after arriving late afternoon, we decided to have our Christmas dinner a wee bit early and also because we were STARVING.  We found this little restaurant from a free voucher attached to our room keys.  And since we had steak cravings since we arrived in Hong Kong, we were looking for a good steak place anyways.  

So, I called the restaurant via our room and reserved a pretty long table for 16 people.  For some reason, I ended up talking to the other person on the other line in Tagalog! Yes, the receptionist was a Filipino!  So making the reservation was a breeze.

Two hours later, we found ourselves in the middle of Di Mark's Square in the Venetian, looking at Fogo Samba - which was voted Best Brazilian Steak House in Macau!  We were greeted with lively smiles and bold bright colors in the reception, which was a preview of what would happen thereafter.

The Fogo Samba experience consists of a a meat carver going around tables and carving out wood-fired meats right on the plates!  A total of 15 different meat carvers go around with different kinds of meats like lamb, sirloin, tenderloin, chicken, etc.  A button is placed on each plate with a red side and a green side.  When a person has had enough of the food, all one has to do was put the red-side up on the side and the carvers will stop serving.  As long as that button stays green side up, the meat will just keep on coming!  A buffet table was set up for the side dishes that would accompany the meats which are also memorable!  Among the more yummy side dishes - smoked salmon, turkey, lechon (Suckling pig), prime rib, baked potatoes, salad bar dishes!!   

What we weren't prepared for was the amount of food we were going to consume!  Yes, the meat just came on coming -- and it was out of this world!  It was tender, it was the most flavorful and it was down right sinful!   Our table was buzzing with excitement as we were eating and tasting each other's food or which meat did we enjoy the best.  We also had the best pairing of beer and cocktails to go with the meats (Dos XX Equis and Sol -the latter reminds me of Hoegaarden Beer in Hong Kong).  It was the most animated Christmas Eve dinner my family ever had!  

What we also enjoyed was the lively atmosphere the staff and the carvers evoked. Granting it was Christmas Eve, they were happy, they were all smiles and all were approachable for any of our gastronomic needs.  We were surprised when Santa came down bringing with him cookie and candy treats for everyone to enjoy! Imagine the kids who were with us who had their eyes gleam with excitement and shrill shrieks of excitement!  We applauded Santa who was also speaking in Tagalog! 

We ended the day with huge smiles on our faces, big tummies and great memories of this place!

Definitely, FOGO SAMBA must be in every person's itinerary when going to Macau!  It's not only a restaurant, but it's also an experience in itself!

starving to get in FOGO SAMBA!  A life size photo of a meat carver stands at the front of the restaurant

the AMAZING staff of FOGO SAMBA, mostly are Filipinos!

THUMBS UP for the dessert table buffet!

the Side Dish table buffet

very casual but very elegant. great for a romantic dinner or big families!

great for romantic dinners

SERVE ME NOW!! GO!!!!

my side dishes for my meats

Drink of Choice - Dos Equis!!!!

Merry Merry Santa giving away cookies and candy treats to everyone!

Good job Sir!!! wink wink!

RESTING before going for another round of meats!!

The buffet with the meats costs around HK$488 (US$62 or Php3,000) per head. Kids around 3-12 are half-priced and toddlers from 0-2 are free of charge.