(Last updated: September 5, 2024)
A Lorcha might be the most overrated restaurant in Macau. Universally praised online and in guide books (I have no idea why), the place lives off its glorious reputation as one of Macau’s top restaurants, a “can’t miss attraction” among so-called experts and those in the know, who probably haven’t dined there since 2005.
Bottom line: A Lorcha may have been great once – it isn’t anymore. It’s a Filipino restaurant now, including the food.
My friend and I did not have one dish that was any good. The Octopus Salad ($42) was basically a bowl of garlic where you had to fish out tiny pieces of octopus, while the Chicken and Vegetable Soups (both $42) were more akin to water.
The mains kept the pain train on track, headlined by a Fish Fillet ($108) that had no taste, and a Veal Steak ($120) that flashed all the consistency of robust rubber. The side salad, naturally, rocked a healthy share of onions.
I don’t think the cook put anything into the food preparation or presentation and it clearly showed. Our dining experience there was totally lame and insignificant.
Thankfully, people are starting to catch on. Business at A Lorcha is slowing and the manager saved face recently by blaming it on the increasing popularity of the Cotai Strip. His point was that with so many tourists choosing hotels down there now, a lot fewer people were spending time on the old Peninsula, and thus fewer people were going to his restaurant.
After dining there though, I can say the real reason why business is down at A Lorcha isn’t because of the Cotai Strip, it’s because the food is terrible.
If you’re in this part of Macau, do yourself a favour and walk up the road to Litoral instead. A Lorcha in Portuguese means “wooden ship” and this ship has sunk.
**UPDATE**
After a few friends raved about the beef dishes at A Lorcha, I decided to give it another try in August 2024. Dining solo, I kicked things off with a Pork Ear Salad ($68) that was so abysmal I instantly remembered why I wrote the restaurant off over a decade ago.
Just an abomination, pork ear is a strange cut of meat to begin with, while the crispy vegetables added sour tangy notes of nothing.
Avoiding their overpriced appetizers, I decided to continue with two mains then call it a meal. Sautéed Pork and Clams Alentejo Styles ($178) is a dish I seldom see done well in Macau, but A Lorcha brought the goods in unexpected ways.
Flashing great synergy, the soft tender pork, meaty clams and succulent sauce paired like a charm, and might function best as an appetizer if dining in pairs or groups.
Saving the best for last, the much ballyhooed A Lorcha beef is indeed top tier, not to mention excellent value for the price, just $188.
While not as good as a perfectly prepared steak, it had all the scrumptious juice and char you’d ever want, made all the better by the generous double serving.
Serradura ($48) is a stalwart Macanese dessert, available in almost every Portuguese restaurant in town, and A Lorcha serves a mean helping. Fresh for days with no dry clump or sawdust residue clinging to the top of your mouth like an old annoying friend, it’s a clear top selection.
All told, my bill ran $860, which included a $300 bottle of wine, prices that can be considered a bit of a bargain these days.
Originally ranked as a 1 star restaurant from 2012 to 2024, I’ve since moved A Lorcha up to a respectable 3 stars. Order the right thing and you’ll do fine, choose incorrectly and you’ll be scouring the ocean depths for scraps and crumbs.
