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 Royal China Awards
Dallas Observer 2008 - Best Iconic Eatery MakeoverNo doubt about it, the Preston Royal mainstay since 1974 needed a sprucing up; no matter the quality of the food, always high and occasionally top-notch, the place felt and smelled its age. Not even a sneak peek at the plans for the redo could have prepared us for what we found upon the eatery's reopening in late August, following a two-month shutdown. The place feels absolutely modernÑmarble and steel and glass, all polished to perfection. But even better is the updated menu, which brims with dumpling specialties and tea choices that have turned Dallas' most beloved Chinese restaurant into a dim-sumptuous alternative to our former fave Maxim, way up in Richardson's Chinatown and now off the menu when we need a quick fix of Far East cuisine closer to home. And the regulars have spoken: The place is more packed now than ever before. Thank God there's now a full bar right inside the door, so we can sake before we sup. 
D Magazine Neighborhood FindIn 1973, Shu-Chan "Bucky" Kao, a native of Hunan, China, retired after 30 years as a Chinese diplomat. He loaded up his family and landed In Preston Royal Shopping Center to start a second career as a restaurateur. A fixture on the Dallas dining scene until he retired five years ago, Bucky was either at the front door greeting you or standing beside a table chatting with customers, in the late '70s, Royal China was a happening spot. Pictures of local and national celebrities scrawled with gushing remarks still line the walls behind the cash register. As the Dallas dining scene shifted, Royal China morphed into the consummate neighborhood Chinese restaurant. After Bucky retired, his son George and daughter-in-law April took over the restaurant. Bucky passed away in May 2001, but his solid menu of Chinese dishes dotted with red (denoting hot) asterisks is still top rate. Kick your "spring roll starter" syndromeÑall of the appetizers, including Buck's Dan-Dan Noodles with minced pork and smoked tofu, are above average. If calories don't count, the sun-dried orange chicken is a splurge worth an extra hour on the Stairmaster. Favorites such as Kung Pao chicken, Mongolian beef, and Szechuan string beans with pork are flavorful and the vegetables are crunchy in all the right places. Ñ Nancy Nichols 
Dallas Observer 2003 - Best Chinese RestaurantThree things you can never get people to agree on: whether Polyphonic Spree is gimmick or salvation, just what is the best advertorial in the history of D magazine and who has the best Chinese food in town. Everyone has his fave, and though we've tried many, many of them (August Moon, P.F. Chang's and others rank high on the list), we can't tell you whether this Preston Royal Shopping Center eatery is definitively the all-time greatest. We can, however, inform you that the best dishes here are some of the best dishes anywhere and in any cuisine; dare you to find prawns more fearsomely flavorful than the General Shrimp, which commands a mighty plate. Same goes for the dry-stirred beef, which whets our appetite and then some. Royal China's also expanding its menu to include edamame and cold, rice-paper-wrapped spring rolls--a little Japan and Thailand, in other words. Owner George Kao, who runs the place papa Buck opened years ago, and wife April make every stranger feel like friend and every friend feel like family. One thing's for sure--you will not find a friendlier restaurant in Dallas. 
Dallas Observer 2002 - Best Chinese Food Mainstay That Never Gets OldThree things you can never get people to agree on: whether Polyphonic Spree is gimmick or salvation, just what is the best advertorial in the history of D magazine and who has the best Chinese food in town. Everyone has his fave, and though we've tried many, many of them (August Moon, P.F. Chang's and others rank high on the list), we can't tell you whether this Preston Royal Shopping Center eatery is definitively the all-time greatest. We can, however, inform you that the best dishes here are some of the best dishes anywhere and in any cuisine; dare you to find prawns more fearsomely flavorful than the General Shrimp, which commands a mighty plate. Same goes for the dry-stirred beef, which whets our appetite and then some. Royal China's also expanding its menu to include edamame and cold, rice-paper-wrapped spring rolls--a little Japan and Thailand, in other words. Owner George Kao, who runs the place papa Buck opened years ago, and wife April make every stranger feel like friend and every friend feel like family. One thing's for sure--you will not find a friendlier restaurant in Dallas. 
Dallas Morning News Restaurant Review - By Lawson TaitteRoyal China has been around forever -- owner-host Buck Kao has been hovering over guests and taking pains to make them welcome here for more than 20 years. But the food has never been better than right now. It had been a long time since we tried shrimp with sizzling rice soup anywhere -- those crunchy little clusters, with a texture like Rice Krispies. have gone out of menu fashion. But when the bowl we ordered ($7.9S for a large portion, serves four. $4.98 for a small, serves two) came to the table, not only did the rice sizzle and pop with joy, but the big shrimp were tender and succulent. For main courses we ordered entirely off the page of the menu devoted to chef's specials -- they run about two dollars higher than the general run of dishes here. We were rewarded with a superb meal. The description of "dry stir beef" ($9.95) makes It sound something like orange beef, but the solicitous server assured us that the sauce was different. So was the texture of the beef, it turned out -- the pieces were cut smaller, so it's an easier dish to manage. The "different sauce," a bit sweet, a bit sour, with just a hint of pepper, set off the crunchy tidbits of beef perfectly. Fragrant duck ($10.95 for half a fowl) is clearly a cousin of the crispy Sichuan duck served at so many places. But the flesh breathes more aromatically of spices, and the deep-frying hasn't rendered the basic duck taste unrecognizable. It's always interesting to sample an invention a restaurant puts its name on, and chicken Royal ($9.95) didn't disappoint. The shiitake mushrooms, broccoli and red pepper made a carnival contrast to the white breast meat in its subtle wine sauce. Shrimp with black bean sauce ($8.95) proved equally subtle -- the strong-tasting fermented beans had been stirred in with a gentle hand. Another thing that singles out Royal China besides the food is its decor. Since there's reconstruction going on outside, there's not much walk-up excitement here. And the vinyl booths and chairs look decidedly old-fashioned. But somebody around here has a visual imagination you don't often see exercised in restaurants. Real works of art -- large pieces created of textiles in all kinds of shapes -- decorate the walls and alcoves. And the private dining room boasts periodic exhibits of artwork. A show by multimedia artist Fay Golson is up through Wednesday. |
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