Previous Review
Bit overhyped but surprisingly cheaper than I thot
2012-07-10Get the full review with photos at http://thehungrybunnie.blogspot.com/2010/12/royal-china-at-raffles.html
Having tried Royal China, I would say that it's good, definitely one of the better dim sum restaurants but I wouldn't gush about it. The standard at Royal China's like Hua Ting or Wah Lok, mostly hits, with very few misses and a couple of truly stellar items. It was a pleasant surprise that prices here are reasonable and not too hefty, with most dim sum items priced not more than $5.
We had:
1) Steamed Pork Dumplings ($4.80) Siew Mai, which had a flat-leaf parsley and wolfberry on top for decoration. I hate flat-leaf parsley. The one thing unusual about Royal China's dim sum is that they add parsley to a lot of their dim sum.
2) Steamed Prawn Dumpling ($4.80) Har Gow - one of the stellar items. Soft, thin, chewy skin, with a crunchy prawn inside
3) Beancurd Skin Rolled with Prawn ($4.80) - also another dim sum laced with parsley. The parsley was everywhere! This would have been a good dish if not for the parsley
4) Steamed Glutinous Rice with Chicken in Lotus Leaf ($4.80) - another stellar item, rice was incredibly moist and flavoursome, with lots of chicken cubes and mushroom bits adding texture and flavour. Easily one of the best ones around, I still salivate when I think about this
5) Steamed Flour Roll with Scallops ($4.80) - well done, the scallops were succulent and fresh. And the soy marinade was very light, so it didn't overwhelm the delicate taste of the scallops. However, the flour roll was a tad too thick. I would have preferred it thinner
6) Peking Duck ($65) - luxuriously served with caviar and a freshly-made flour wrap that wasn't too thick.
7) Lobster Noodles ($88, serves up to 5 persons) - although raved about was only just alright. They were very generous with the lobster, but I didn't understand the prevalence of ginger as a seasoning ingredient. This would have done very well with just garlic and spring onions. The addition of ginger was one ingredient too many
Having tried Royal China, I would say that it's good, definitely one of the better dim sum restaurants but I wouldn't gush about it. The standard at Royal China's like Hua Ting or Wah Lok, mostly hits, with very few misses and a couple of truly stellar items. It was a pleasant surprise that prices here are reasonable and not too hefty, with most dim sum items priced not more than $5.
We had:
1) Steamed Pork Dumplings ($4.80) Siew Mai, which had a flat-leaf parsley and wolfberry on top for decoration. I hate flat-leaf parsley. The one thing unusual about Royal China's dim sum is that they add parsley to a lot of their dim sum.
2) Steamed Prawn Dumpling ($4.80) Har Gow - one of the stellar items. Soft, thin, chewy skin, with a crunchy prawn inside
3) Beancurd Skin Rolled with Prawn ($4.80) - also another dim sum laced with parsley. The parsley was everywhere! This would have been a good dish if not for the parsley
4) Steamed Glutinous Rice with Chicken in Lotus Leaf ($4.80) - another stellar item, rice was incredibly moist and flavoursome, with lots of chicken cubes and mushroom bits adding texture and flavour. Easily one of the best ones around, I still salivate when I think about this
5) Steamed Flour Roll with Scallops ($4.80) - well done, the scallops were succulent and fresh. And the soy marinade was very light, so it didn't overwhelm the delicate taste of the scallops. However, the flour roll was a tad too thick. I would have preferred it thinner
6) Peking Duck ($65) - luxuriously served with caviar and a freshly-made flour wrap that wasn't too thick.
7) Lobster Noodles ($88, serves up to 5 persons) - although raved about was only just alright. They were very generous with the lobster, but I didn't understand the prevalence of ginger as a seasoning ingredient. This would have done very well with just garlic and spring onions. The addition of ginger was one ingredient too many
