Regal Mansion (Dim Sum Service)

Here we are with an updated post on Regal Mansion Dim Sum service since the original post about a year ago.  During that time, we actually have re-visited the place a total or 8 times, so I can confidently write an informed post.  I have introduced Regal Mansion to my parents and slowly but surely, we are weening them off Victoria Seafood Restaurant (which is their favourite restaurant).  They are all about the convenience and Regal Mansion has that in spades with validated 3 hour (not 2 hours as advertised) parking underground.

So this will include some dishes from several visits including the usual Ha Gau (Regal Shrimp Dumplings).  Continuing the trend in offering up five dumplings rather than the traditional four, it almost seems like you are getting a bonus one (but you are actually paying for it or they are smaller).  I like this number as it is luckier than "4" (LOL) and makes it easier to share with a table of 10.  These are actually quite good with a medium-thick dumpling skin that has appealing elasticity.  The shrimp filling is moist and buttery with the desired snap texture.  Seasoning is mild but the usual white pepper and sesame oil do come through (as well as the MSG).

Now we go back to four dumplings with the Lobster Dumplings.  I'm sure they took away one dumpling because they charge the same price for these and the shrimp dumplings.  In reality, these were actually shrimp dumplings with some lobster added to it.  Therefore, they ate exactly the same as the shrimp dumplings in terms of texture and almost taste except with the unmistakable aroma of lobster.

I have to say their Truffle Siu Mai (Steamed Pork Dumplings) are consistently topped with too much black truffle sauce.  Well, never enough of a good thing right?  I'm not sure because in my mind it is a bit overwhelming with too much woodsiness but then again, I'm sure those who love black truffle will disagree with me.  Beyond that, the siu mai here are comprised mainly of bouncy shrimp with only a bit of pork to compliment.  I find the pork more of a binding agent with the same rebound texture as the shrimp.  Hence the dumpling eats lighter and requires less chewing.

By virtue of so many visits to the place, we've tried a variety of their Rice Noodle Rolls including Salty Donut, Prawn, Beef and Mushroom.  I would say they are fairly consistent with the rice noodle sheets ranging from thin to medium-thickness.  Texturally, they have been the same with a soft butteriness while having elasticity (so they don't fall apart on contact).  My favourite filling is the prawn as they are large and have the classic snap texture.  The mushroom is pretty darn good too where they completely overload the noodle roll with a variety of them.  I find that for the beef, they put too much onion in it for my personal tastes.  It takes away from the buttery tenderized beef and it tastes mainly of green onion.

If you dine-in and order before noon, you can get the Clay Pot Rice at a discounted price.  You have the choice between Sparerib & Chicken Feet and Cured Sausage.  We usually go for both because the kids love rice and also it makes for great leftovers.  Although the rice isn't cooked until it has a socarrat, it is usually fairly dry and nutty.  In terms of toppings, the sparerib version has much more than the cured sausage.  The ribs are tender with a nice rebound while seasoned well with garlic black bean.  I would like to see more cured sausage because it never seems to be enough for the amount of rice.

On that top of Chicken Feet, we often get another order since 2 of them in the claypot rice is not nearly enough for everyone.  This generally is a consistent dish except for one time where some of the skin was hacked up.  Other than that, the chicken feet are medium in size and somewhat plump.  The skin is tender with soft cartilage and fat underneath.  Seasoning is on point with equal parts sweetness and savouriness with plenty of garlic and a touch of spice.

Of course I can't do without the offal and their option is the Tendon and Tripe.  I find that most times, it is more tendon than tripe.  In terms of execution, the tripe is tender and buttery soft while still having a good chewiness.  They are usually medium-size strips which makes it easy to pick up and substantial enough for a few bites.  I find the tendon to be usually on the softer side with portions falling apart.  Not a big issue because the alternative would be chewy tendon.  Flavours are similar to the chicken feet except being a bit sweeter with lots of garlickiness.

One of my Dim Sum favs is the Bean Curd Skin Roll featuring a filling of pork and some veggies.  The one here is quite good with properly fried bean curd sheets that were soft but still retained plenty of that appealing chewiness.  I also thought the colour was right as some places fry it too dark or too light.  Inside, the pork filling had the same rebound texture found in the siu mai.  There was also some shrimp, carrots and celery in the mix.

Normally, the Deep-Fried Eggplant with Shrimp Paste is a dish that consists of four pieces.  Not here though as they take a whole Japanese eggplant and cut it lengthwise and stuff it with shrimp paste on both sides.  The last time we had it, the Thai chili sauce they put on top of it was a bit too sweet.  Best to have it served on the side.  The eggplant itself was tender and the shrimp paste has a good rebound.

One of the best BBQ Pork Pastries can be found at Regal Mansion.  We've had quite a few in the Lower Mainland and this one is our favourite.  On our last visit, it would've been the 5th time we've had the dish and it was consistent.  The buttery and fairly light pastry encased a considerable amount of lean BBQ pork that was sweet and savoury.  The fact they use hawthorne meant it was sweet, but had a nice tang to it.  Delicious.

Like we always do, we get at least one order of the Garlic Shrimp Spring Rolls.  These were good as usual with an overstuffed roll with cold water shrimp that were bouncy and had a moist snap.  They were well-seasoned without being salty with plenty of garlickiness.  The rolls were wound not too tight, but tight enough to be uniform in size.  They were crunchy while not being overly greasy.

One item that we weren't necessary fond of was the Fried Black Swan Taro Dumplings.  Essentially, these were the classic deep fried taro dumplings except with black colouring (squid ink I believe) and swan heads poked into the body.  We found the mashed taro quite dry, possibly in need of more lard (can't believe I said that, but it is true).  Other than that, the pork filling was fine being flavourful and moist.

We normally do not order the Steamed BBQ Pork Buns here, not because they aren't good, but there are just many other things to eat!  Well, we had it the most recent time and it was textbook.  The bun itself was split nicely, revealing the filling.  Texturally, it was fluffy while not being too soft.  The filling was quite sweet with a thick glaze while the BBQ pork consisted mostly of lean pieces.

It isn't very often we order the Lo Bak Goh (Pan-Fried Daikon Radish Cake) because we would rather order the XO Lo Bak Goh.  Well, we've had the latter many times and it is pretty good.  Therefore, the pan fried version would be good too since they are essentially the same cake.  As you can see, this was nicely seared and none-too-greasy.  The cake itself was on the firmer side, but still soft.  It was seasoned well with little nuggets of cured sausage strewn throughout.

Getting to some bigger dishes, the Fried Halibut with Supreme Soya Sauce was very good.  Featuring large pieces of meaty halibut, the dish featured very little filler.  The flaky and moist fish was fried just enough.  Hence, even the outer layer was still tender.  Each piece soaked up the sauce where there was not any left on the plate.  This ensured the dish didn't eat too wet.  The soy sauce was nicely balanced by enough sugar to keep it from being salty.

Now one of our favourites is the Pan Fried Crystal Noodles with Prawn and BBQ Pork.  We seem to get this every time and it is for good reason.  The last time we had it, it was consistent with plenty of ingredients to go with the noodles.  These mung bean noodles were soft, but plenty chewy (in a good way).  Wonderful mouth-feel and not overly greasy.  The marginally-cooked bean sprouts added crunch.

 

Another excellent noodle dish is the HK Style Fried Seafood Noodles.  We had this last visit and it was expertly prepared.  The wok deep-fried noodles were crispy and nutty (yet not too greasy).  They were topped with a starch-thickened sauce that yielded yau choy, scallops, prawns and squid.  These were cooked to perfection with buttery scallops, snap-textured prawns and vibrant vegetable.  Sauce was flavourful enough without being salty.

Of course we would have the Baked Macau Egg Tarts because that is a must-order for Dim Sum. These were also quite good were the puff pastry tart shell was baked enough so that it was flaky and buttery with a bit of browning on the edges.  However, the egg filling itself was missing the usual charring found in a Macau-style egg tart.  Despite this, it still ate well and was silky and creamy. 

 

The best dessert here must be the Golden Sweet Egg Twists coated in a honey (and maltose) sweet glaze and topped with coconut.  I've had these at several restaurants that actually serve it and this has to be the best of them all.  We had it last time and the egg pastry was light and crispy as always.  Even though the glaze itself appeared to be sickingly sweet, it really wasn't.  Very addictive dessert.  In all honesty, we had more items than this over the many visits, but I just didn't want to put all of them in here because this post was getting a bit long.  You get the gist of it though.  The Dim Sum at Regal Mansion is pretty solid and they have a nice dining space.  I guess this is our regular spot now.

The Good:

- Solid Dim Sum

- Validated parking downstairs

- Fairly good service

The Bad:

- A/C is a bit weak (They did say they are fixing it though)

- Elevator leading up to the place is too small and takes forever