The first thing that captures your attention when you are at Royal China is that just like Canton Paradise (another dim sum place I put on the must-go list), it isn't plastered in typical hues of red. Instead, it's somewhat in the range of Tiffany blue. After a disappointing trip to The Cathay Restaurant, the dim sum here has restored my faith in, well, dim sum.
We went there on a Saturday afternoon and apparently there are two time slots that you can choose from when making reservations. We chose the later one which was at 1.15 p.m.
Here are the three dim sum items that we unanimously thought was good.
1) Baked Egg Custard Tartlet
The egg tarts (3 for $4.80) are simply mindblowing. I haven't eaten such good melt-in-your-mouth egg tarts in some time. The last time I ate such good egg tarts was at Neptune Theatre, before it closed down. I normally stop at 1 of these if it's average but I ate three of these mini delights (imagine how much butter I just consumed).
2) Baked Barbecued Pork Puff
The Char Siew Sou ($4.80 for 3) had a flaky pastry which crumbled easily. Within it, the BBQ sauce together with the chewy pork made this a winner. Apparently they also have the famous Royal China Signature Baked Barbecued Pork Bun which is available only on Sundays and Public Holidays.
3) Custard Bun
I do not eat custard buns but those who ate it said that it was one of the better ones around.
As for the ones that were not bad but did not deserve a spot at the die-die must eat list, here are two of them.
1) Deep fried prawn with Century Egg
This was an interesting combination of century eggs and prawns, with the prawns being very bouncy and fresh.
2) Steamed Prawn Dumplings
I would have ranked the har gow in the previous category if not for the fact that the prawns were probably mixed with some ingredient that I don't really like the taste of. Personal preference.
As for those that are not worth trying , here's it.
1) Pan-fried Carrot Cake
The Pan-fried Carrot Cake ($4.80) was very ordinary and lacking in taste.
2) Deep fried mango and prawn roll with Seaweed
I would have preferred the roll ($5.40 for 3) to be encased in the white flaky skin instead of wonton wrappers. Somehow, the texture of the wonton wrapper is not compatible with the delicate nature of the ingredients within it.
3) Century Egg and Lean Pork Congee
The Century Egg and Lean Pork Congee ($6.80) lacks smoothness. Also, it was a little too salty for my liking.
4) Pan-fried Red Bean Paste Pancake
The Pan-fried Red Bean Paste Pancake ($10) was nothing to rave about. It felt like like a tired dish.
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Despite several minor misses, all of us walked away pleased as punch. The star attractions at this dim sum place were enough to overcome the slight hiccups. Service was nothing fantastic, in fact, it was quite difficult to get their attention. Very value for money. For that amount of food, we paid around $20 each.
Royal China
Raffles Hotel Arcade
1 Beach Road
Tel: 6338 3363
We went there on a Saturday afternoon and apparently there are two time slots that you can choose from when making reservations. We chose the later one which was at 1.15 p.m.
Here are the three dim sum items that we unanimously thought was good.
1) Baked Egg Custard Tartlet
The egg tarts (3 for $4.80) are simply mindblowing. I haven't eaten such good melt-in-your-mouth egg tarts in some time. The last time I ate such good egg tarts was at Neptune Theatre, before it closed down. I normally stop at 1 of these if it's average but I ate three of these mini delights (imagine how much butter I just consumed).
2) Baked Barbecued Pork Puff
The Char Siew Sou ($4.80 for 3) had a flaky pastry which crumbled easily. Within it, the BBQ sauce together with the chewy pork made this a winner. Apparently they also have the famous Royal China Signature Baked Barbecued Pork Bun which is available only on Sundays and Public Holidays.
3) Custard Bun
I do not eat custard buns but those who ate it said that it was one of the better ones around.
As for the ones that were not bad but did not deserve a spot at the die-die must eat list, here are two of them.
1) Deep fried prawn with Century Egg
This was an interesting combination of century eggs and prawns, with the prawns being very bouncy and fresh.
2) Steamed Prawn Dumplings
I would have ranked the har gow in the previous category if not for the fact that the prawns were probably mixed with some ingredient that I don't really like the taste of. Personal preference.
As for those that are not worth trying , here's it.
1) Pan-fried Carrot Cake
The Pan-fried Carrot Cake ($4.80) was very ordinary and lacking in taste.
2) Deep fried mango and prawn roll with Seaweed
I would have preferred the roll ($5.40 for 3) to be encased in the white flaky skin instead of wonton wrappers. Somehow, the texture of the wonton wrapper is not compatible with the delicate nature of the ingredients within it.
3) Century Egg and Lean Pork Congee
The Century Egg and Lean Pork Congee ($6.80) lacks smoothness. Also, it was a little too salty for my liking.
4) Pan-fried Red Bean Paste Pancake
The Pan-fried Red Bean Paste Pancake ($10) was nothing to rave about. It felt like like a tired dish.
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Despite several minor misses, all of us walked away pleased as punch. The star attractions at this dim sum place were enough to overcome the slight hiccups. Service was nothing fantastic, in fact, it was quite difficult to get their attention. Very value for money. For that amount of food, we paid around $20 each.
Royal China
Raffles Hotel Arcade
1 Beach Road
Tel: 6338 3363
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