My husband and I have a weakness for Chinese cuisine. It’s one of our top choices when it comes to eating out. So, when we got to know that Royal China in Delhi was celebrating Qixi Festival, AKA the Chinese Valentine’s Day, with a special menu, we had to check it out. After all, who could give up on missing out on an opportunity to plan a romantic date? Not us for sure!
A Date At Royal China
Before we start talking about the experience, I think it’s important to talk about Royal China. Although I have been to this restaurant previously, the special menu included items that they don’t usually serve. The beautiful restaurant is located on the lower ground floor of The Chanakya Mall. With a colourfully decked space accentuated by red accents and Chinese couplets adorning the ceiling above the astounding bar, this space makes you take a pause and appreciate the decor.
What Is Qixi Festival?
We arrived at the upscale restaurant for their limited period Qixi Festival. In simple terms, it’s the Chinese Valentine’s Day. The festival is a celebration of love and the tale of star-crossed lovers. The weaver girl (Zhinü) and the cowherd, forced apart to opposite sides of the Milky Way, get to reunite once a year; a flock of magpies forms a bridge. Sounds heart-wrenchingly romantic, doesn’t it?
So, What Did We Eat?
Well, celebrating this, the restaurant created a special menu. And we obviously helped ourselves with their delish dishes. First, we ordered their Asparagus Snowpeas Chilli Oil, Silken Tofu Stuffed With Seafood, and Honey Chilli Dumplings. We started off with the dumplings, which had a sweet outer covering and a savoury and somewhat spicy chicken filling. The first bite had an overwhelming sweet taste, which was swiftly followed by the heat of the somewhat spicy filling, creating an explosion of flavours.
After the bold start to the meal, we followed it up with a mild-flavoured appetiser. Silken Tofu had been fried to perfection and had a spongy texture. Filled with savoury seafood and paired with an egg drop base, it coated our palate with delish flavours, dissipating the heat from the previous dish. I topped mine with their homemade chilli oil in the next bite, which just amplified the flavours.
Pretty Drinks With Lip-Smacking Flavours
Just as we were about to reach in for our next appetiser, the pretty cocktails arrived! We ordered Blissful Blush and Red Dragon’s Passion. The former was a red-hued fruity cocktail with sweet strawberry flavour and a hint of basil. Red Dragon’s Passion, on the other hand, was also a fruity drink; this is basically summer in a glass. The passionfruit-forward cocktail is bright and has a little crispiness, which comes from Anaheim pepper.
With the fruity drinks clearing our palate, we polished off this veggie dish of sweet snowpeas and asparagus. It packed quite a punch, which paired perfectly with the crunchy veggies. So, with the heat turned up, it was a good break for the sweetness left behind from the cocktail.
Time For The Mains
Once we were done with our appetisers, our mains arrived. We ordered their San Pai Chicken and Basil Fried Rice. The bold flavours of chicken are delicious and have umami flavours, which go really well with the mellow-flavoured rice. The fragrant rice, on the other hand, had basil undertones and had smokiness that comes from the wok tossing, which obviously is a sign of good fried rice.
By the time we were done finishing off this as well, we were so stuffed that we were left with practically no space for dessert. So, instead we ended up sipping on our cocktails as we soaked in the glory of food coma, surrounded by the buzzing diners.
To sum it up, we had a really good time, and it’s not surprising, as Royal China is known for its good food. We talked about many things, and sometimes just shared peaceful silence as we focused on our food. So, with another visit to this renowned restaurant done, I am pretty sure we’ll be back once again when we crave some Chinese food. Until then, ‘zàijiàn’!
Where: LG03, The Chanakya Mall, Chanakyapuri
Cover Image Courtesy: Anupriya Mishra
FAQs
Where is Royal China?
Royal China is an upscale restaurant at The Chanakya Mall.
What does Royal China serve?
Royal China in Chanakyapuri serves Cantonese food with modern twist.
