Royal China still remains one of my favourite Chinese restaurants for any occasion. CNY is one of them, despite the repetitive menu throughout the restaurants.
The familiar robin blue never fails to elicit a smile.
Get greeted at the doorstep by an auspicious fish and ingot shaped nian gao.
Still charmed by the dreamy surroundings.
The familiar festive appetizer...away with oily peanuts!
The forth time tossing but who ever says no to extra luck?
Salmon slices and crackers..all in the name of prosperity!
Bountiful Harvest Salmon Yu-Sheng
I've probably become so well-versed in tossing yusheng and "prosperi-fying" it with so many good phrases, I honestly can replace the waitress in each preparation. Nonetheless, Royal China's yusheng was delicious. Possibly the best of the four attempted though due to health reasons (given the mean age of the table was way and above by age), they opted for half the plum sauce. Crunchy, delightful...chinese salad could replace caesar salad as a staple.
Braised Shark's Fin with Fresh Crab Meat and Sea Treasure
It could be the proportioning but I received more crab meat and fish maw than fins. Barely present were the fans of fins, despite that..the level of gum and goo in this was well controlled. Hearty broth.
Steamed Live "Soon Hock" Fish with Minced Garlic and Diced Chilli
Eternity of a lifetime for a festive meal like this is baffling, when the restaurants place so much emphasis on the number of table turnovers they can achieve within the limited lunch period. So much being said, there was at least a 20 minute interval before this arrived.
But, I was hardly disappointed with fish so fresh. Loved the marinated peppers that gave this both the dash of colour and added flavour.
Wok-Fried King Prawns in Home-Made Western Sauce
Western sauce that tasted just like sweet and sour sauce. Tangy one which tickled the tastebuds quite well, paired with a succulent king prawn....finger licking good!
Chef's Signature Barbequed Crispy Chicken in Sesame Sauce
Well executed by the kitchen...especially the skin. Light and crispy, I relished every bite. The same could not be said of the meat though. Uneven marination rendered this too salty at parts and bland at others.
Braised Golden Oyster With Japanese Mushroom, Sea Cucumber and Black Moss in Garden Greens
The long hours spent simmering this at low heat could be tasted with the full bodied tasty gravy. Always a feature in festive menus, I actually think this has become an overkill.
Looks just like a pudding!
Wok-Fried Glutinous Rice with Diced Preserved Meat
Somewhat lacking in flavour, the sticky grains were chewy and coated with a lovely layer of oil. Saved by the saucer of X.O. Chilli paste infront of me.
Chilled Fresh Mango Juice with Sago and Pomelo
More of mango juice than anything else, this was quite boring.
歩歩高升!
Pan-fried Royal China Chinese New Year Cake
Infused with sweet potato, the nian gao tasted alot like nonya kueh...missing in the stickyness of a traditional over the counter nian gao. Not too bad, I thought.
Yet another satisfying meal despite some misses, Royal China...I honestly cannot wait to be back for more!
$728++ per table of 10
Royal China
Raffles Hotel
Comments
Post a Comment