Royal China is one of a growing number of authentic Chinese restaurants in New Dubai. Located on The Balcony Precinct of Bldg. 4, DIFC, the restaurant is an official branch of London dim sum specialists of the same name, and has nothing to do with the Royal China at the Regal Plaza Hotel in Mankhool.
The venue itself is spacious and tastefully decorated in dark woods and traditional, off-setting Chinese red. A well-stocked, full-sized bar greets you as you walk through the entrance reception area.
I spent a pleasant couple of minutes there chatting to the friendly bar tender while sipping my Kirin Japanese draft beer. Hello!? Tsingtao (pronounced ching–dow) is also available, but only bottled. And no munchies – grr!
Although renowned for its dim sum, there is a lot more to the Royal China menu than just dims. This is a restaurant with a pronounced London/Hong Kong taste. Try their signature dishes, especially the crispy duck, and you’ll understand what I mean. Speaking of crispy, also try their superb crispy shredded beef. The sautéed beef in oyster sauce is to die for. I really could go on and on. Everything I tried was excellent.
Service, although attentive, was sloppy at times, with our waitress stretching across the table to serve on more than one occasion. And that was after I discreetly reminded her not to – twice. Perhaps she was new. The friendly Chinese restaurant supervisor (somewhat) made up for these shortcomings, fussing over our table and chatting with my hosts from Beijing in Mandarin.
All in all Royal China is a superb Chinese restaurant and one of the only a handful in Dubai which combines authentic Chinese cuisine within the comfort and ambiance of a fine dining environment. Well worth a detour.
Waste NOT. Want NOT.