Cuisine Royale

Cuisine Royale is located on the 7th Floor of the Hopewell Center on Queens Road East. The dim sums are above average in quality and the prices are just right for everyone. 30% off for Monday to Sundays 9am to 12pm and after 2pm, except Saturdays when it's 30% ALL DAY. Yes, you read right, 30% off all dim sum dishes (not a la carte). Only exception are Public Holidays.

What's good there? Well, my favorite hands-down was their own specialty, which is not available elsewhere, the 'Crispy Rice Flour Roll w/Vegetable'. It's basically a 'cheung fun' rice roll stuffed with fried dough crispies and just the right amount of veg. You dip the pieces in soy sauce and it's heaven!

The 'char siu bau' (BBQ pork buns) were moist and delightful, very good version of this dim sum staple. The fried wontons were excellent, lots of prawns and very crispy.

They also offer 'Siu Long Bau' (Shanghai Soup dumplings) but they are just OK, not as good as in 'Din Tai Fong', certainly. Also OK were the Chiu Chow Fun Gor - (Chiu Chow Steamed Dumplings and the steamed spongcake.

Save up your appetite for the scrumptious mini-desserts. We tried four types, the Chilled Tofu & Minxed Fruits with Almond Flavour- very refreshing and light with some canned fruit. The Chilled Mango Pudding was a good staple. the Sweetened Grapefruit Soup w/Mango was a surprising chilled sweet soup - make sure you stir with soup before drinking as the grapefruit sinks to the bottom of the bowl. The Chilled Pomelo Pudding with Aloe Vera was a light jelly. At HKD8 a bowl and in cute little portions, you can try several different kinds and not feel guilty. There are a total of 13 to choose from, both cold and warm desserts.

Menus are bilingual, which is very helpful but no photographs. This is a 'mark down what you want on the order form and we will bring it to you' kind of restaurant. Also, in the morning they don't do a la carte so you must order from the dim sum menu. The ambience is 'luxurious' with lots of crystal chandeliers but the color scheme is in soft cream so it's not too overwhelming. It's clean, lots of elbow room and the staff speaks Cantonese only but try to be helpful so bring your Dim Sum Guide.

My party of 11 ate very well and the bill came to just HKD 60 per person tip included.