Its Sunday! While I guess most people these days like to go for a chilling westernised brunch, I think nothing beats a good bout of weekend dim sum with the family. And one of the places that you simply can't go wrong is Royal China!
Not wanting to risk another failed walk-in at Raffles Hotel, I dutifully made reservations for this visit (took place months ago, btw) with family friends and got a table for 4 on a full house Sunday. Having heard so much of their Tiffany blue decor, it did give a unique vibe to dimsum dining that was made even more cozy with friendly service.
Steamed Pork Ribs - Juicy and tender, well soaked in black bean sauce.
Stewed Chicken Feet - Plump, meaty ones. Nicely flavoured too.
Prawn Dumpling - Well executed skin with fresh, crunchy fillings
Baked Charsiew Puff - Skin was buttery and flaky, filled with sweetened barbecued pork. Feels shiok to down one whole in a single mouthful!
Assorted Rice Rolls - With fillings of charsiew, prawns and scallops, the skin was silky smooth and translucent. Good one!
Glutinous Rice with Chicken - Pretty standard stuff with the fragrance of lotus leaf.
Mini Egg Tarts - Good crust and eggy fillings, pity it arrived slightly cold.
Flowing Mango Custard Bun - Innovation points for balancing the salty yolk with sweet taste of mango puree, not as flowing as some other places but good enough for me already!
Charsiew Bun - Another staple. Good pillow-ish exterior with same fillings as the pastry.
Tri-Colour Vegetable Dumpling -Not that it was bad, just looked cooler than it tasted.
Wolfberry Siew Mai - A twist to the classic, though I would say its just aesthetically different. Loved the chokeful combo meat, prawn and mushroom though!
Roasted Pork - This unfortunately, just wasn't value for money. I remembered it being quite highly-priced yet the portion was really small and stingy-looking. The skin also didn't make the cut with not enough air holes in them, and the meat proportion was too lean for my liking.
XO seafood noodles - Very well done with fresh sea fellows, gravy that didn't turn watery, crispy noodles and a dope of their XO sauce. Thumbs up!
Dry-fried Beef Hor Fun - Simple yet remarkable, replicating a true taste of one of my favourite HK cafe order. Tender beef slices and charred hor fun with a fantastic "wok-hei" feel. Double thumbs up!
Sesame Glutinous Rice Ball - Didn't leave too much impression on me.
Mango Pudding - Wobbly and creamy, my way to end off a yumcha session!
As you can see, the four of us were bloated beyond words and as far as I could remember, prices were really reasonable given its hotel status. Now are the dim sums here good? You bet. But did it blow me away? Not quite.
Perhaps after all the raving reviews and self-raised expectations of Raffles Hotel, I was looking for something mind-blowing rather than just really good, and frankly I didn't quite get that feeling here. But don't get me wrong, what they served here are still very much satisfying and worth returning. Just remember to call in advance to jump the queue!
Royal China
1 Beach Road, #03-09
Raffles Hotel
Tel: 6338 3363
Taken with Nikon D70
5 comments:
Maybe yours was the weekend rush, but both my egg tarts & char siew sou were fresh from the oven & arrived piping hot when I was there on a weekday.
got price list mate? I will wanna try this with my parents or something.
ice: ahhh.. The char siew sou was hot and good though! I really cant pinpoint why I'm not falling in love with Royal China although it was really really good. Haha. Expectations.
Graeme: Sorry bro, family friend treated so I had no access to the receipt. haha. But I remembered each dish was in the $4.50 range. You should try with your parents!
I love Royal China! I agree their Dim Sum is one of the best, and the salted egg custard buns are superb. You should reject it if it's cold already cuz the best way is definitely to eat it hot!
365days2play: Hi! Thanks for visiting! Love salted egg custard buns too huh? haha usually I won't reject the food unless its really bad!
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