Royal China 皇朝 (London) - ♕♕♕♕

  We arrived at the Canary Wharf branch of 皇朝 Royal China, a Cantonese restaurant highly regarded in London and even receiving endorsement from Time Out London with a 5 out of 5 stars rating Link: Time Out review of Royal China 皇朝.   Disclaimer -  the food photos below will not be honest representations of them during their peak condition, taking into mind we bought these as take-away back to a friend’s house just 2 blocks for private dining.  A quick online research might net you some more fairer reviews and photos which will truthfully reflect the potential quality of Dim Sim and dishes coming out from the kitchen here.  The respected Royal China group has also expanded its dynasty of restaurants all the way to Singapore, Shanghai, Dubai and a few London outlets..

The Canary Wharf branch we bought take-away from..

 

干蒸燒賣 (Minced Pork Dumpling with Shrimp) -
7/10

 

鮮蝦韮菜餃 (Prawn and Chive Dumpling) -
8/10

 

筍尖蝦餃 (Prawn Dumpling with Bamboo Shoot) -
Considering its already cold when we ate it, it was surprisingly good ~8/10

翡翠帶子餃 (Scallop Dumpling) -
7/10

蠔油叉燒包 (Char Siu Pork Buns) -
7/10

 

煎臘味蘿蔔糕 (Turnip Cake with Chinese Cured Meats) -
A bit too oily and paste like ~ 5/10

 

酥炸墨魚餅 (Fried Minces Squid Balls) -
Pretty good for a cold squid ball ~ 7/10

鮮蝦腸粉 (Prawn Cheung Fun) -
Seemed a little thick, but looking at other’s photos, when served hot this is thinner and more transparent.  Hard to rate fairly  ~ 6/10

 

豉汁蒸排骨 (Steamed Spare ribs in Black Bean Sauce) -
Lacking black bean sauce, it was more garlicky instead ~ 6/10

椒鹽吹筒 (Fried Baby Squids with Chili & Spicy Salt) -
Not oily, perhaps just a tad under-fried ~ 6.5/10

 

乾燒伊麵 (Mixed Vegetables E-Fu Noodles) -
Pretty good, better than many Hong Kong places as it carried the proper E-Fu noodles special wheaty & eggs taste ~ 8/10

 

楊州炒飯 (Yeung Chow Fried Rice) -
Gweilo fried rice, but when was the last time anyone ordered this in HK?  None that I am aware of….  nor does anyone eat Banana Fritters here.  But this was fried ok-well, dry and grainy, but seemed a bit too MSG spoiled ~ 6/10

三鮮炒麵 (Mixed Seafood Fried Noodles) -
Calamari were a bit rubbery, prawns also a bit bleached, but otherwise,
this was fried well and crispy but not dry ~ 7/10

 

豆沙窩餅 (Pan Fried Red Bean Pastry) -
This is not a Cantonese dish, but more Shanghai regional based.  Surprising to see this dessert here but knowing its overseas, anything can happen.  Just like how people come to HK to eat Peking Duck, when Beijing is 2,000 km away from Hong Kong!  ~  6/10

 

蛋撻 (Flaky Pastry Egg Tarts) -
These were pretty ok for an overseas Yum Cha restaurant.  Pastry was well layered, looked a bit white but surprisingly weren’t under-baked.  Egginess average but already better than many places in Hong Kong.  Definitely more than a pass ~  7/10

 

If dining in, a nice view of River Thames from Canary Wharf side!  But the gloomy weather made it all look a bit grey somehow, or may be it’s just because of my White Balance setting..

 

Price: Pounds £12-15 per person
Lunch Score: ★★★★☆☆
*Taking consideration we ate these slightly past their prime state though still warmish, I mostly looked at the ingredients and workmanship and their menu offering varieties.


Opening Hours:
Mon:  12:00 – 23:00
Sat:   12:00 – 23:30
Sun:   13:00 – 22:00

Address: 30 Westferry Circus, London, E14 8RR
Tel: 020 7719 0888