Royal China, Dubai
I have a little secret that I’ve been dying to share with you guys. No, I’m not pregnant, but it’s a restaurant that I’ve kept hidden from you all for far too long and it would be selfish of me not to share. You see, BW introduced me to this place a while back, and ever since then, it’s become our go-to place when we’re craving a good, simple Chinese meal. It’s always busy, the food is spot on, and come Sunday, you’re lucky if you snag a table for dim sum – it’s that good. Curious yet?
It’s Royal China. Not any Royal China though, the Baker Street branch is the best in my opinion (don’t mistaken it for the Royal China Club next door). I’m yet to have a bad meal there, and even Mum & Dad have taken their friends there for dinner. I’m surprised as to why they haven’t made the menu halal as of yet, but their fish and vegetarian options make up for it, especially their grilled prawns with garlic, mmmm. So when we found out about the award-winning branch in Dubai in DIFC, BW was insistent we go for lunch and check out their halal offerings. After much back and forth, we finally got ordering.
Cute, little dumplings stuffed with minced chicken and prawns, and topped with fish roe. This was quite plain and straight-forward, but nevertheless enjoyable with some of the house chilli oil on top.
Plump prawns that had been wrapped in a thick rice noodle, steamed until soft, and then drizzled in a good amount of soy sauce to add a hit of saltiness.
A simple yet tasty dumpling that was stuffed with prawns and deep-fried.
Flaky, golden pastry stuffed with sweet and tender shreds of honey-roasted chicken. Although the pastry was light and delicate, it still managed to hold in all the chicken mixture without falling apart, and it was a delight to eat.
Beef slices that had been stir-fried with peppers and onions, and lightly covered in a black bean sauce. The beef had been cooked extremely well, so much so that it managed to remain tender and mouth-melting throughout the meal.
If you’re a smoked shredded chicken fan, Royal China do the best version. The wonderfully smoky chicken had been lightly fried to have a little crisp, and tossed with fried garlic chips, chillies, and chopped spring onions to give it some oomph. Each bite was just an explosion of flavour, and this was our favourite dish of the meal.
The final bill amounted to 495AED [approx £110] for three people, so £36 each including drinks and service. Sure, you could consider this a little pricey for lunch, but it’s the ideal place to take the missus for a nice evening out, or even catching up wth Mum & Dad over some dim sum. Not only was the food fantastic (make sure you order the crispy duck and pancakes), but the service was attentive and helpful too.
I’ve told you about my secret place, what’s yours?
