Royal China (Chinese) – London, England (8/10)
Mar 11th, 2007 by admin
[UPDATE: 08/12/07 I revisited Royal China, so please read new review here]
Royal China is an upmarket chain of Chinese restaurants in London. I go to either Baker Street or Canary Wharf, both of which are as good as the other, for both dim sum and dinner.
As they don’t take dim sum reservations, there are always long queues at lunchtime outside all the branches. Be prepared to eat either brunch or a late lunch, otherwise you’ll end up grumpy and tired after waiting for up to an hour to be seated. I usually turn up about ten minutes before they open (12 noon on Saturday, 11am on Sunday), so that I can choose where I want to sit. Even then, there’s occasionally a short queue.
This is particularly important at Canary Wharf, as the tables by the floor-to-ceiling windows have the best views of the Thames. Otherwise you’ll be seated in the middle or towards the back, where it’s somewhat dark and feels more crowded. In the summer, there is also the prized seating out on the terrace.
The dim sum is well presented and always fresh and tasty. The cost per portion is not that much more than you would pay in a Chinatown restaurant, where the standards in my opinion generally range from poor to atrocious. My favourites are prawn dumpling, prawn and chive dumpling, prawn cheung fun, roast pork cheung fun, steamed spare ribs in black bean sauce, egg tart and turnip paste cake. I always seem to order the same things out of habit. Of course, I’ve tried almost everything on the menu, and have eliminated the ones I don’t like much, ending up with this fail-safe list. If I go with relatives, they’ll be more adventurous with the ordering – chicken feet and various innards like beef tripe…
The seafood ho fun noodles was disappointing last time I ordered it, as it was a mushy mess, unlike the same dish served at Imperial China. I do however like their vermicelli soup noodles with shredded duckling, which is a good sized lunch portion on its own.
The verdict?
Dim sum for two, with tea and service charge, costs around £30.00 to £40.00, depending on what you order. Royal China is also a good place to entertain people for dinner. My current favourite dinner dish, which my father ordered last time we ate here, is chilli prawns on a bed of glass noodles, cooked in a clay pot. Yummy!
10 – Perfection, 9.5 – Sensational, 9 – Outstanding, 8.5 – Superb,
8 – Excellent, 7.5 – Very Good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 – Average
All the London restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide
Contact Details:
Royal China
24-26 Baker Street
London W1U 3BZ
Tel: 020 7487 4688
Royal China
30 Westferry Circus
Canary Wharf
London E14 8RR
Tel: 020 7719 0888
www.royalchinagroup.co.uk
