royal china – an oasis in atlanta’s chinese food desert

Since Dinho (and its lackluster sequel, Frank Ma South) have both gone the way of the dragon, there’s been a serious void in my Chinese dining excursions of late. I’ve had to rely on more cookie-cutter Chinese restaurants in the Atlanta area, since there are no authentic, casual Chinese restaurants to speak of anywhere near my ‘hood. The ones that are close by generally get referred to by me as ‘gravy chino’ – due to their tendency to smother almost every dish on the menu in a ubiquitous brown gravy.

Thankfully, it seems like I’ve been delivered from the barren desert of order-by-number Chinese food establishments by one Royal China near Doraville. Since my first visit a few weeks ago, I’ve become a loyal fan… I’m already averaging a once a week Royal China habit. But I don’t give my affections easily, so you can be sure that there are really some solid reasons for my instant fanaticism, namely:

The diners are almost all Chinese
Every time I’ve visited, I think we were the only table in the place where there wasn’t a single Asian person present. The best way to tell if you’re getting good ethnic food is to see if your fellow diners look like they might have grown up on the stuff.

The Lobster and Mussels Specials
Two dishes that seem to be regulars on Royal China specials board could easily be called their signature offerings. The first is mussels in black bean sauce. For an appetizer, it’s a surprisingly large serving of plump mussels bathed in a luscious, slightly briny black bean sauce (no not those black beans, these black beans). The other special, 2 whole lobsters covered in either a ginger scallion sauce or some other sauce (I can’t remember since I’m so hooked on the ginger scallion), is an amazing deal at $18. The lobsters come chopped into manageable bite-sized pieces with the shell still on, so you still get the rewarding tactile experience of wrestling sweet lobster meat from its confines.

Dim Sum
Royal China offers dim sum every day from 10am – 3pm. For those who aren’t familiar, dim sum is the Chinese equivalent of tapas. But instead of ordering from a menu, a variety of small plates – dumplings, pot stickers, rice dishes, and more exotic selections like chicken feet – are wheeled around on carts. You simply point and choose which tasty temptations interest you. A heads-up: the one time I did go for dim sum, I found there were a lot of shrimp items offered, which is fine by me, but might limit your options if you’re not a shellfish fan.

5% Cash Discount
Holster the plastic and bring out the greenbacks and you can save a few bucks. And as we all know, savings make the perfect dessert for any meal.
While Royal China is a bit of a drive for those of us who tend to get stuck eating intown only, I’d happily drive past all the gravy oases in Atlanta to quench my thirst for authentic Chinese.
cheers,
k

Royal China Restaurant
3295 Chamblee Dunwoody Road
Atlanta, GA 30341
770.216.9933

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