Fat Rice
Abraham Conlon and Adrienne Lo’s rollicking Macanese restaurant melds ingredients from China, Portugal, South Africa, and who even knows where else into one-of-a-kind, assertive, memorable dishes. The namesake arroz gordo—a crisp-bottomed layer of rice (akin to paella) topped with jumbo prawns, char siu pork, curried chicken, Manila clams, tea eggs, and linguiça sausage—is essential, but so are the lacy-edged potstickers and piri piri chicken, so you’d better come hungry. A couple kalimotxos (red wine and Coke) or an unusual wine from Portugal or Spain turn any dinner into a party. Like the food, the loud, punky restaurant is not for the faint of heart. It feels like a night market in Southeast Asia—the only thing missing is the smoke in the air.
THE DETAILS: Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but line up at 5 p.m. (or 5:30 p.m. when it opens) if you want to get in. Grab a drink (perhaps some bitter-melon Malört) next door at their new bar, The Ladies Room.
