The third floor of Macau’s iconic Lisboa Hotel receives a Portuguese fine-dining revamp in 2012 with the opening of Guicho a Galera. It is an offshoot of Fortaleza do Guincho, the famous flagship restaurant in a hotel of the same name, built in 1642 under the orders of King Joao IV, located on the Lisbon coast. Guincho a Galera takes over the space formerly occupied by Robuchon a Galera, and the decor is relatively unchanged from the time of its former Gallic inhabitants, though it is a touch more earthy with deep red and vibrant orange shades. The muted atmosphere is upheld by professional, near-silent staff and operatic Portuguese music – with the odd Michael Jackson or Stevie Wonder track thrown in. Guincho a Galera is an excellent destination for a quiet business lunch, without the pomp or Gallic flair, or a romantic lunch or dinner.

Guincho a Galera serves food from all over Portugal, from the coasts of Nazaré and Algarve, with a concerted effort at utilising regional ingredients such as fresh seabass, Formosa River salt and pork from Alentejo. We start off with an extremely well-prepared Nazaré-style seafood soup with scallop, shrimp, spring vegetables and a tender and moist cod fillet, which is subtly seasoned. The pungent aioli served on the side gives the sweet seafood just the right amount of kick. Another seafood appetiser of roasted scampi with spring vegetables and lemon basil dressing comes with a mild terrine and some refreshingly crunchy fresh spring vegetables: again, perfectly well seasoned, cooked and presented. The signature royal duck rice with a braised duck breast is a rich and hearty dish. The rice has been cooked in blood sauce, and comes with a nice crispy layer of chorizo and cheese for added texture. The breast itself is almost an afterthought, a slightly dry one. We also try a roasted suckling pig, which consists of a large plate with two pork fillets and enough heart-stopping buttery mashed potato to make a post-meal siesta necessary. The pork skin is crispy with a generous layer of fat underneath it, keeping the meat tender, moist and full of flavour but requiring deft knife skills to avoid chewing on a mouthful of fat. For cheese lovers, the selection is predominantly French, with one or two hard-to-find Portuguese varieties. Make sure to ask for the slightly sour beer bread to go with the cheeses.

59 half bottles made up the selection on the day we visited, with wines by the glass having “not arrived” yet. An impressive selection nonetheless, with wines from France, Hungary, Slovenia and Portugal. Most of the whites appear to be from Germany while the reds are dominated by wines from Bordeaux. The sommelier makes excellent recommendations and was able to pair an excellent vino verde that managed to pair seamlessly with seafood, pork and even a gamey duck.

Muted and efficient, the staff are up to the standards of fine dining the Lisboa has been known for.

A three-course meal for two with wine comes to about MOP2,000, about what one would expect from fine dining at this level. Unlike Robuchon a Galera, which was known for its famously good-value lunch sets, there are no lunch sets available at Guincho a Galera yet.