Regal Mansion

Awhile back, the City Square location of Kirin closed up shop and was eventually replaced by another high-end Chinese restaurant in Regal Mansion.  Only a few renos were done to the place, including a gaudy mural (in my opinion) right smack dab in the middle of the restaurant.  They kept nearly everything else the same and that is a good thing as the place is spacious and classy.  Not particularly great for weddings though as half of the tables can't see anything (personal experience), but hey, I was here for Dim Sum, so that didn't matter.

We ended up getting our veggies for the meal right off the bat with the Pea Shoots with seaweed and wolfberries.  This looked a bit odd at first, but ate very much like the usual pea shoots in consomme.  Hence, it was very light where the natural flavours of the pea shoots did all the heavy lifting.  As for the pea shoots, there was still some crunch even though they were cooked through.  They were good quality being tender at the same time.

Next, the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll was well-executed.  The rice noodle itself was thin while exhibiting an appealing elasticity.  It was still pillowy soft though.  Hidden within, we found medium-sized shrimp that were sweet and well-seasoned.  They sported a mouth-pleasing snap texture.  Served on the side (but we dumped it on the rice noodle anyways), the sweeten soy was not overwhelming.

We aren't normally super excited about the Bean Curd Skin Rolls in abalone sauce but these were absolutely on point.  Slightly chewy, yet nicely tender, the bean curd skin was fried enough so that it didn't break.  It gave way to a stuffing that consisted of veggies (mostly carrot and celery) and tender pork.  The filling wasn't too dense where it was bordering on loose, but it didn't fall apart either.  Seasoning was just enough where we could eat this without condiments.

Loved how they had 5 Haw Gau (Steamed Shrimp Dumplings) in the bamboo steamer as we had 5 people.  Perfect!  Although they had shifted in the steamer (hence the crappy picture), the dumplings themselves were really good.  Thin and translucent, the dumpling skin was moist with a beautiful elasticity.  Inside, the shrimp filling was sweet and had a buttery snap.  It was well-seasoned being sesame oil forward.

The best deal on the Dim Sum menu in my opinion is the Pork Sparerib and Chicken Feet Claypot Rice for $8.88 (lucky number!).  This was prepared the proper way where the rice was cooked in the claypot itself over a gas stove.  Some places just stuff precooked rice into a pot and call it a day.  The result of this was that the rice was dry (in a good way), chewy and nutty.  On top, the spareribs were mostly meaty and had a good bounce texture.  Impactful garlicky black bean seasoning too.  The chicken feet were plump, a bit broken, but ultimately done right.

So this being a Cantonese Dim Sum service, I wasn't expecting much in the Xiao Long Bao (Soup Dumplings).  It was mostly true with a fairly thick and doughy dumpling skin.  However, the filling wasn't bad being a bit loose, but with a decent amount of sweet soup.  I loved how they served them in their own individual spoons, so that we wouldn't lose any soup due to chopstick malfunction.

So they only had one version of the siu mai on the menu being the Truffle Siu Mai.  I'm not one to complain because I prefer this version anyways.  So their siu mai were comprised of mostly shrimp and maybe a bit of pork fat.  Texturally, it was akin to the ha gau where the shrimp was buttery and had a sweet snap.  There was a considerable amount of black truffle sauce on top which made its presence known.

Okay, if these Baked Hawthorne BBQ Pork Buns with sugar topping look similar to the ones from Tim Ho Wan, then you aren't completely wrong.  I found them to be quite close with a pillowy soft bun that melted in my mouth.  On top, the sugar topping was thin, yet lightly crispy and aromatic.  Inside, there was just enough BBQ pork for effect.  The sweet hawthorne glaze was balanced with a bit of tang and really complimented the soft bun.

Now for more shrimp, we also got the Shrimp Spring Rolls with cheese.  Not sure where the cheese was, but I think it was more just shrimp than anything.  About that shrimp, it was as expected like the ones found in the previous dishes - medium-sized, good snap and sweet. These rolls were actually quite large and stuffed full.  Golden brown, the wrapper was firmly crunchy and not greasy.

Our one larger dish was the Premium Soya Sauce Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with fatty beef.  This was well-portioned and generally prepared properly.  The noodles were not clumpy and still had some chewiness.  Not overly greasy, the dish exhibited decent wok hei (wok heat) and there was caramelization.  I found the beef to be tender but not all that fatty.  Seasoning was on the milder side.  One thing I didn't like was the use of red onion, it was a bit too sharp for this dish (better to use white onion).

For dessert, we got the veritable Baked Egg Tarts.  I would say these were excellent with a creamy silky centre that was sweet with a purpose.  The puff pastry tart shell was buttery and nutty.  It was crispy and light with discernible layers.  Overall, we quite enjoyed the Dim Sum at Regal Mansion.  The quality of the food was reflective of the pricing.  Service was on point and the dining space was inviting.  To top it off, there is 3 hours validated parking at City Square too.

The Good:
- Solid Dim Sum
- Decent service
- Nice space

The Bad:
- On the pricier side