OMG talk about a Sunday binge! We had the most incredible (and tech savvy) Chinese meal I’ve had in a long time at Royal China on Turner Road in Bandra. Aside from a delicious variety the presentation was phenomenal, so much so that Cyrus Sahukar was tempted to grab a bite from across table! I’ll let Nowshad Rizwanullah take over on the food review but oh did I mention the celebrity spotting I did? Sandhya Mridul was at the next table too!
P.S. Andrea and I loved the prawn Dim Sum fashioned into little Nemo’s 🙂
Royal China, Food Guide by Nowshad Rizwanullah
If you’ve lived in Mumbai for any amount of time, you’ll know that Royal China serves up some of the city’s best Chinese food. We decided to drop by their Bandra branch last weekend to get a closer look at the latest addition to their menu: iPads. Or rather, menus on iPads. While it sounds gimmicky, we actually found the tablet menus to be surprisingly useful. Not only do they allow you to jump to your specific area of interest with a few taps (so you can easily find that perfect veg appetizer or seafood entrée) but they also feature pictures of (almost) all menu items – no more guessing how much gravy is on the Kung Pao Chicken or what the Fuk goes in a Fukien Fried Rice. While the interface has some glitches and a little spell check wouldn’t have hurt, we think you’ll like this new innovation in Mumbai dining.
AppetizersWhile we were there, we couldn’t resist having a bite to eat, and as usual we came away pretty happy with our meal. We went easy on the Dim Sum (among Mumbai’s best) but couldn’t resist the Prawn & Chive for a taste (we’re glad we gave in to our cravings). The Fried King Prawn Breadcumb were large and plump, and as most things fried, delicious. Tucking into the Crispy Aromatic Duck we remembered why we always order this dis: few things go together as well as crispy shredded duck rolled in paper-thin pancakes with sweet-n-sour plum sauce, mild spring onions and cool cucumber slivers.
Mains
For the main course we devoured the Char Sui Pork – barbecued with a sweet glaze (and ordered some to take home for later). We enjoyed the Yeung Chow Fried Rice (with pork, shrimp and egg) along with Roast Chicken in Oyster Sauce, before taking a (brief) moment to consider all the vegetarians we had left behind. Oddly, the two most spectacularly presented dishes were among the least flavorful. The Pan Fried Groupa Stuffed with Prawn, de-boned and expertly reassembled into a whole fish, was bland and slightly chewy. Meanwhile, the Salt n Pepper Crab with Dry Red Chili was one of those dishes that looks so beautiful you want to love it, but can’t. We found it difficult to eat whole crab pieces in the shell after they had been battered and deep fried, and the seasoning didn’t really come through. We have faith, though, that with a little tinkering this dish can taste as good as it looks (pretty please?).
Dessert
For dessert we went with Steamed Custard Buns with Chocolate – essentially a sweetened roast pork bun minus the pork. Whatever you’re thinking right now is exactly what it tastes like.
So whether you love Chinese food and/or are just looking for an excuse to play Angry Birds at dinner, drop into Royal China and have a go at the new i-Menus. We’re curious to know what you think.
WTF is a Meal for Two?
Average Appetizer: Rs. 300 – 600
Average Main: Rs. 400 – 600
Average Desert: Rs. 200-300
The Details
Royal China
Near Popley Gold Plaza
192 Turner Road
Bandra West, Mumbai – 400050
Tel: +(91)-(22)-67049553, 67049555, 26425111, 26425533