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Cantonese dim sum gets stylish royal treatment
By Elise Fu |
April 5, 2009, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
ROYAL China, on the top floor of City Plaza near the Jing'an Temple, is one of the outstanding Cantonese restaurants in Shanghai, not only for its high quality food, particularly dim sum, but also for its authentic Canton-style service.
It is one of a chain of restaurants first established in London but now with branches in Singapore and Shanghai, each with high standards of food preparation and style.
The specialty of the City Plaza branch is dim sum -- a wide range of light dishes and snacks served with Chinese tea. The a la carte menu is extensive, but the vast majority of the beaming customers are tucking into dainty rolls and dumplings served in a small steamer basket or on a small plate with stuffings made of meat, seafood and vegetables, plus desserts and fruit.
In a Cantonese restaurant, it is customary to order "family style," sharing dishes among all members of the dining party. Because of the small portions of dim sum, you can try a wide variety of food.
In Hong Kong and most parts of Guangdong Province, many restaurants start serving as early as five in the morning. It is a tradition for the elderly to gather to eat dim sum after morning exercise and to peruse morning newspapers. For many southerners in China, yum cha or morning tea is treated as a weekend family activity.
Consistent with this tradition, dim sum restaurants typically serve courses until 3pm or 4pm, about the time for afternoon tea in the West. Other kinds of Cantonese cuisine are served in the evening.
From 10:30am to 4:30pm, you can enjoy this kind of authentic morning tea at Royal China without flying down to Guangdong and soak up the convivial atmosphere of yum cha: people chat in Cantonese over tea and silently read the newspapers.
After trying the Thai durian puff (24 yuan/3 pieces) and steamed barbeque pork bun (18 yuan), you'll agree this is some of the best dim sum available. The barbequed pork was very tender, and the shrimp dumplings fresh and luscious, overall a nice option for a Sunday brunch or afternoon break.
The Thai durian puff has a paper-thin crispy skin and is agreeably not oily, retaining the original flavor of the fruit. The chicken feet in black bean sauce (18 yuan) is a refreshing dish that incorporates a spicy touch, the tender meat and its sweet freshness appealing to the palate.
Vegetarians should try the steamed cheung fun or changfen with sweet corn and Chinese broccoli (18 yuan). The vegetables are flavorful and crunchy, disarming critics who claim that vegetarian dishes are boring and bland. Another recommended dim sum item is Royal China prawn dumpling (22 yuan). This proved irresistible, as not only were the prawns succulent and fresh, the use of egg white complemented the seafood perfectly.
After a handful of bamboo steamers, you may want to try the main dishes that are equally satisfying.
But for more elegant, high-end Cantonese dinner, try the new branch on the third floor of Longemont Shanghai at 1116 Yan'an Road W. - the Royal China Club.
Business customers, drawn by its relatively quiet and grandiose decor, find it ideal to entertain guests. The grand hall has a capacity for over 300 people and there are 10 private rooms as well. All dishes are made with fresh local ingredients and are appealing in presentation. Seafood dominates the menu so the prices are higher compared with its City Plaza branch.
Start off with a cold dish of garlic marinated pork in which the garlic flavor neutralizes the pork's greasiness. Saut??ed asparagus with whelk in crab meat sauce (108 yuan), sea cucumber braised with pumpkin, and Royal China's lobster with noodles (488 yuan) are highly recommended.
You can also sink your teeth into the stir-fried American beef with gingko. Cooked to perfect tenderness, the beef is juicy and the sprinkle of gingko, which has a high energy, nutritional value, compliments it nicely.
Royal China Club will also cook dishes to customer requirements.
It is one of a chain of restaurants first established in London but now with branches in Singapore and Shanghai, each with high standards of food preparation and style.
The specialty of the City Plaza branch is dim sum -- a wide range of light dishes and snacks served with Chinese tea. The a la carte menu is extensive, but the vast majority of the beaming customers are tucking into dainty rolls and dumplings served in a small steamer basket or on a small plate with stuffings made of meat, seafood and vegetables, plus desserts and fruit.
In a Cantonese restaurant, it is customary to order "family style," sharing dishes among all members of the dining party. Because of the small portions of dim sum, you can try a wide variety of food.
In Hong Kong and most parts of Guangdong Province, many restaurants start serving as early as five in the morning. It is a tradition for the elderly to gather to eat dim sum after morning exercise and to peruse morning newspapers. For many southerners in China, yum cha or morning tea is treated as a weekend family activity.
Consistent with this tradition, dim sum restaurants typically serve courses until 3pm or 4pm, about the time for afternoon tea in the West. Other kinds of Cantonese cuisine are served in the evening.
From 10:30am to 4:30pm, you can enjoy this kind of authentic morning tea at Royal China without flying down to Guangdong and soak up the convivial atmosphere of yum cha: people chat in Cantonese over tea and silently read the newspapers.
After trying the Thai durian puff (24 yuan/3 pieces) and steamed barbeque pork bun (18 yuan), you'll agree this is some of the best dim sum available. The barbequed pork was very tender, and the shrimp dumplings fresh and luscious, overall a nice option for a Sunday brunch or afternoon break.
The Thai durian puff has a paper-thin crispy skin and is agreeably not oily, retaining the original flavor of the fruit. The chicken feet in black bean sauce (18 yuan) is a refreshing dish that incorporates a spicy touch, the tender meat and its sweet freshness appealing to the palate.
Vegetarians should try the steamed cheung fun or changfen with sweet corn and Chinese broccoli (18 yuan). The vegetables are flavorful and crunchy, disarming critics who claim that vegetarian dishes are boring and bland. Another recommended dim sum item is Royal China prawn dumpling (22 yuan). This proved irresistible, as not only were the prawns succulent and fresh, the use of egg white complemented the seafood perfectly.
After a handful of bamboo steamers, you may want to try the main dishes that are equally satisfying.
But for more elegant, high-end Cantonese dinner, try the new branch on the third floor of Longemont Shanghai at 1116 Yan'an Road W. - the Royal China Club.
Business customers, drawn by its relatively quiet and grandiose decor, find it ideal to entertain guests. The grand hall has a capacity for over 300 people and there are 10 private rooms as well. All dishes are made with fresh local ingredients and are appealing in presentation. Seafood dominates the menu so the prices are higher compared with its City Plaza branch.
Start off with a cold dish of garlic marinated pork in which the garlic flavor neutralizes the pork's greasiness. Saut??ed asparagus with whelk in crab meat sauce (108 yuan), sea cucumber braised with pumpkin, and Royal China's lobster with noodles (488 yuan) are highly recommended.
You can also sink your teeth into the stir-fried American beef with gingko. Cooked to perfect tenderness, the beef is juicy and the sprinkle of gingko, which has a high energy, nutritional value, compliments it nicely.
Royal China Club will also cook dishes to customer requirements.
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