Many people will tell you that Royal China serves the best dim sum in the big smoke. Now in its 20th year and several restaurants opened since its inception (with a branch in Singapore as well), our Jack and Dom journey to Royal China Fulham to see if it lives up to its hard won reputation.
Rating
Cuisine
Chinese Dim Sum
In a Word
Moreish
Appeals to
Person No.1: “I kind of feel like something Chinesey this evening. Fancy a takeaway?”
Person No. 2: “Nah, let’s get of the house…”
Person No. 1: “But you can’t eat at the takeaway around the corner?”
Person No. 2: “No, I know this other place…”
If this is the chat you’re having right now, then Royal China quickly follows the end of that sentence.
Royal China’s dim sum and then some
As soon as I hear someone mention Fulham I instantly think of Stamford Bridge, along with the tumultous chants from thousands of inebriated Chelsea fans streaming out of the stadium trying to catch the tube home from Fulham Broadway (chaotic to say the least). Coming from a family of ardent Liverpool supporters, I feel as though I’m betraying my roots, but I think I can be diplomatic for an evening and pay Royal China a visit. Don’t you think? Not so sure how my brothers and nephews will feel if they’re reading this, but a couple of pints will sort that out no doubt.
While it says Royal China Fulham, the restaurant is actually much closer to Parsons Green than it is Fulham Broadway. Located on the Fulham Road about five to ten minutes walk from Parsons Green (depending on how fast you walk, of course) Royal China stands on the high street with its signature black and gold colouring illuminated in the summer sun. From a very humble start in 1996, the group has evolved into an award winning chain with several restaurants across greater London, as well as a site in Singapore. Many Londoners – as well as food critics for that matter – will tell you that Royal China serves the best dim sum in London, and Jack and I were very eager to put this to the test.
Environment and Decor
Royal’s China’s decor certainly matches the name – with a very decadent feel to it, but also one that feels typically Chinese (or what appears typical to me anyway). The walls are black lacquer with Chinese engravings and design; although there’s a mural on the wall opposite us which looks like a copy of “The Great Wave off Kanagawa”. That’s Japanese, right? Oh well, it looks pretty nevertheless!
According to the website, this is Royal China’s smallest branch and offers a more homely feel compared to their other sights. I definitely agree with this. The tables are a nice distance apart and make you feel as though you have a bit of privacy from the other diners, and with silk table cloths and black lacquered chop sticks it all adds to the royal theme. Overall, it feels very relaxing on the inside. It also benefits from an outdoor patio area which is open to the public during the warmer summer months.
While we’re there, we notice a fair number of Chinese people in the restaurant as well, which I assume (and hope for that matter) means there’s some kind authenticity to the menu? Would they be there if it wasn’t? I can’t be absolutely certain about this, but it gives us a bit of comfort nevertheless.
The Food and Drink
There’s a couple of ways you can eat at Royal China: you an either go for the full a la carte or you can choose the dim sun menu. In addition, if you’re feeling too lazy to leave the house you can actually order home delivery if you have a minimum order of £15, so that’s definitely something to bear in mind.
Everything on the menu looks and sounds fantastic, but the one thing that instantly stands out – and something their known for as well as their famous dim sum – are the prices. Royal China isn’t cheap to say the least. The dim sum normally ranges between £3-£5 per portion, and if you end up going for a main course from the a la carte menu then you’re probably going to pay somewhere in the region of £15-£20, with starters ranging from £5-£7.
One thing you can do is go for a set menu for two which will give you a selection of hors d’oeuveres, starters, a few main courses with rice and a dessert. You can either choose a seafood option, vegetarian option or the house menu, and you’ll end up paying a fixed sum of around £30-£38, which probably works out a bit cheaper than if you were to go for the regular a la carte menu, but not too dissimilar I think.
We went for this option on our visit, and while on retrospect I kind of wish we had a few of the dim sum dishes which is what they’re known for, I actually quite like going for tasting menus as gives you an overall idea of their offering. I can’t remember that much about the drinks, but it didn’t seem particularly out of the ordinary – for London anyway. A good selection of wines and prices, with some of the more expensive ones costing around £80. There isn’t anything amazingly special about the drinks menu, but there’s enough to choose from so you’re not limited. You also have a good selection of beers and spirits if wine isn’t your thing.
Chef’s Imperial House Hors D’oeuveres
So, moving onto the first course, the starter includes sesame toast, spicy shredded chicken, Vietnamese pancake rolls, mandarin pork chops and seaweed in the centre of the plate. Everything is beautifully prepared with a mixture of different flavours and textures as you try each part. And even though they describe this on the menu as “hors d’oeuveres”, this is definitely a healthy portion size. How big is the main course going to be if this is a starter?
Crispy Aromatic Duck
The next course is a portion of shredded duck and pancakes. The lovely touch about this is that staff bring out the whole roasted duck and start shredding it in front of you, watching the steam rise off the carcass (sorry, duck – this is a noble sacrifice as we’re starving) and really giving you the feeling that it’s freshly prepared. As always with this being a review, we can’t be sure if they do this every time you order it, but it’s a nice touch. Presentation aside, the duck is amazing. It’s crispy on the outside, moist on the inside (apologies to those of you who loath the word MOIST), and while the hoisin sauce is a nice complement, you really don’t need at all – it’s perfect on its own.
Sauteed Prawns with Red Chilli Sauce (Szechuan Style)
The Szechuan styles prawns are beautiful – very tender and in a lovely red chilli sauce. Szechuan is normally considered quite bold in flavour, but this has a nice balance to it; it isn’t too spicy nor is it lacking in flavour. If the spice is overwhelmingly hot it feels kind of pointless to me as all you can taste is heat rather than the food itself. But as I said, they found a good balance here. I’m not sure what the cone is on the plate but it certainly looks pretty. Unsure as to whether it’s edible, I decide it’s best to leave it.
Sauteed Chicken with Pepper & Black Bean Sauce
More sauteed food, and I’m beginning to get the impression they really like to sautee things here! It’s nicely prepared and the word that instantly comes to my mind – which also sounds like an annoying american child saying “poo, mommy” – is umami. Finally, I got it into a review – that’s one for the bucket list. Is that vomiting sound in the background food poising or are you just disgusted with me? Joking aside, there’s nothing amazingly special about this, but it’s well cooked and the vegetables are slightly al dente so it has a nice texture. Thumbs up.
Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables
The stir fried vegetables are a nice balance after the servings of pork, fish, chicken, duck and probably a few other species from the animal kingdom as well. While the menu says this is stir fried, they actually taste (and look for that matter) more steamed? Again, the vegetables have a nice crunch to them which I always prefer.
‘Yeung Chow’ Fried Rice with Roast Pork & Shrimps
So this is hands down the best mixed fried rice I have EVER had (drops mic). I’m afraid there’s no way I can describe this for you except it’s cooked well, the rice isn’t too hard or too soft and the mixture of pork, shrimps and egg is lovely. Give it a try and hopefully you won’t be disappointed.
Banana in Toffee Syrup
Our dessert was definitely one of the most interesting things of the evening, and mainly because it looked liked it had one of David Bowie’s many hairstyles during his career (too soon? We still miss you, David). Albeit this didn’t really do anything for me. The hair is just strands of sugar, and while impressive to look at doesn’t serve any particularly purpose apart from aesthetic – it’s quite annoying to remove as well. The toffee bananas are far too chewy and I just find myself trying to remove it from my teeth for the rest of the evening. Sorry, Royal China, but I probably wouldn’t go for this again to be honest.
Verdict
I think Jack and I both had a lovely evening at Royal China. The food and drink was very good, the atmosphere relaxing and the staff very attentive; although granted we are on a review so they’re always going to focus on us a lot! I think the only thing that would stop me from going back is purely the price. It is very expensive, and even though the food was delightful, your wallet is definitely going to be very light by the end of the evening. If you want really good Chinese food then this is definitely the place for you, but know that it’s going to come at a price.
The Details
Royal China
805 Fulham Rd
London
SW6 5HE
https://twitter.com/royalchinagroup
https://www.facebook.com/royalchinaclub/