I wasn't really aware of Royal Seafood Restaurant until I read a "10 Best Richmond Dim-Sum Restaurants..." article at nomsmagazine.com. We decided to pay them a visit one rainy Sunday morning to get warm and satisfy our recurring dim-sum cravings. Even though we forgot to order the dishes that the article recommended, we were impressed.
Located in the Garden City Shopping Centre at Blindell and Garden City, parking is not an issue. Seating was not an issue either but only because we arrived on the early side before noon. This place got pretty busy by the time we were done. Were not surprised that it is popular as you will see.
While we try to be adventurous most times that we dine out, I feel like we slide into a comfort zone when it comes to dim sum. Deep-Fried Eggplant with Shrimp Paste is one of our go-to's when we see it on the menu. It provides such a nice combination of flavours and textures. The highlight here was that the shrimp pieces were large and had good snap (not really paste at all). Perfectly cooked!
Chicken feet are another of our favourites. This one is with a spicy sauce that was not really spicy. We didn't mind. They were so tender with the perfect texture. We always scarf down the peanuts in the sauce as well.
Going a little off our beaten path we tried the Chicken with Ginger Steamed Buns. These were very tasty and ginger forward. We love the puffy steamed bun texture which provides a nice contrast to the other dishes we had tried.
Back to the texture items again, we enjoyed their Beef Tendon Chee Hou (that is how it was listed on our receipt although it is listed as Szechuan Sauce on the menu). The tendon were ridiculously tender and with a smooth and luxurious texture. The sauce was not very spicy but was rich and had just enough tang to it to make the dish wonderful.
The Meat and Shrimp Puffs were also very nice. A familiar slightly saucy filling inside a deep-fried shell this time. Calling them a puff is appropriate. The outside crust is light and crispy.
We finished up with the Golden Yolk Custard Lava Buns. These sweet and delicious buns were a real treat. Mharie had to help me break this open as when I tried, I sprayed filling halfway across the table! Chopsticks are not great as cutting tools! Don't miss out on these.
RSR has a beautiful dining room with sharp-dressed and efficient servers. Prices are not bad with most dishes at around $8.50. We were a little surprised that tea was charged to us at $3 each. It's not a problem but isn't tea usually complimentary? Either way, we agree with Royal Seafood Restaurants being assessed as in the top ten dim sum restaurants in Richmond!
Food 4 out of 5
Comfort 4 1/2 out of 5
Service 4 1/2 out of 5
Value 4 out of 5
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