Restaurants

Comfortably furnished in chic shades of taupe and gold, the classy dining room and gleaming crockery at the Baker Street branch of this well-regarded chain promise a fine-dining experience. Normally the Royal Chinas can be relied on for top-notch dim sum. How disappointing then, to be so let down by the food on our last visit. With the exception of a chefs special of sea bass and mango rolls, which proved to be an unusual but lovely blend of flavours, the other dim sum dishes we tried were painfully mediocre. Glutinous rice in lotus leaf, pan-fried turnip cakes, beef cheung fun rice rolls and prawn dumplings were fine but forgettable; greasy sesame-coated duck spring rolls and barbecued spare ribs coated in sauce, less so (bad dim sum is rare enough to be memorable). Dishes seemed also to be abnormally saturated with MSG, and service was cold and indifferent to the point of rudeness. We were baffled by the experience and hope it was an aberration. Otherwise, a return to form is needed.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008