Soul kind of feeling

This article first appeared in the Jul/Aug 2011 issue of World Gaming magazine.

The Stallion wasn’t interested in a night at home in front of the TV but he was also not going out for an all night rage either. He called the Panda and the Butterfly and suggested they check out one of Macau’s hottest wine and music bars. He had heard there was great wine, good tunes and some excellent nibbles to be had there.

MacauSoul is not what you would expect in Macau. You could tell your average traveller to Macau that this place existed and there would be a good chance they wouldn’t believe you. This is the sort of wonderful place where one can lose themselves for an evening in a big international city. In this case Macau’s gain is London, New York or Hong Kong’s loss. Macau was very famous for a local fish that Hong Kongers would travel over to sample. So what better way to have a nice play on words and put a Banjo in the hands of a fish?

MacauSoul is owned and operated by David and Jacky, a lovely English couple that have created an atmosphere in which they would love to drink themselves. David is a well-travelled banjo-playing English eccentric with a PhD from Cornell in the US, who now finds himself running a Portuguese wine bar in Macau. Go figure. Eclectic arrays of patrons float in and out reminiscent of a university crowd. Travelers, locals, musicians, dancers, socialites and any lucky passers-by get drawn into the warm ambience that is MacauSoul. The décor is full of interesting artwork and comfortable lounges that make it perfect for long conversation over a bottle of red or three. Downstairs the basement has been turned into one of the city’s finest music venues, where you can expect to hear live music from jazz and blues to classical and folk. You won’t get any heavy rock, pop or electronic dance here!

All the wines are Portuguese, which is great as our knowledge on that particular wine area is not great. We started with a fantastic warm climate shiraz, moved to a very robust straight Pinot Noir and ended with a bottle of port and then a bottle of what resembled a sticky muscat just for good measure. They also serve beer. Well one beer, a local Macanese draught served ice cold. There is an extensive wine list but don’t try to be a hero, tell David what you like and your price range and let him do what he does best.

The Panda was in gastronomic heaven as he ploughed his way through a big bowl of garlic olives (both pipped kalamata and the large green variety). We then had one of their famous cheese boards that included blue, hard, an aged English cheddar and a creamy goat’s cheese smeared on freshly baked currant sourdough. They have a huge range of cheeses mostly from Britain and they change their range daily so you are always in for a pleasant surprise. Prosciutto, sardines and paté rounded out what can only be described as some of the best wine food we had ever tasted.

This is not an easy place for the uninitiated to find and the best way to describe its location is that it is hidden in a cobblestoned alleyway just down the hill from Saint Paul’s ruins before you hit Senado Square in an older, more Portuguese part of downtown Macau. You could easily be in any European city but you would be paying three times the price and would be lucky to be getting half as good a service.

MacauSoul is one of the city’s best-kept secrets. If you need to unwind from the flashing lights and the luck of the cards for a while this is the place to be. It is an experience that one should savour not rush, so try and organize at least a few hours to lose oneself at MacauSoul, and remember it’s always best to call ahead to reserve a table. The only thing I could say is that their prices are too cheap but in this labour of love I think that David and Jacky actually get a kick out of providing an excellent experience to their patrons and friends, over making a quick buck. There would be easier ways to make money but thank goodness they are happy doing what they are doing!