Royal Pavilion: Pockets of Love for your mama this Mother's Day

Mother's day is exactly a week away. Cantonese restaurant Royal Pavilion at Park Regis, helmed by Hong Kong Chef Chung Ho Shi, has recently unveiled their Mother's Day menu, aptly named "Pockets of Love'. That's what your mum should receive from you especially on her special day. (And every day too, of course!)

We taste tested the menu to find out whether it's what good mothers deserve.

What would an Asian restaurant be if it didn't serve a dish passed down by our former Colonial masters, with an Asian twist? As you can see, these aren't typical chicken pies with a flat top crust. The top crust on these Baked Chicken Pies in Black Truffle Oil is similar that of a Bolo Bun. The black truffle oil definitely sets these apart from the others out there, complementing earthy flavours of the filling encased within.

The Baked Swiss BBQ Snow Buns resembled Tim Ho Wan's charsiew baos. A slightly buttery outer layer baked to a light golden brown.

Cutting through the bun revealed a filling of aromatic charsiew, but there was nothing outstanding about its flavour. It's rather typical of a safe charsiew filling, but better to be safe than screw it up, right? One thing though: The bao would have been better if the outer layer was baked a little longer for a satisfactory crunch as you bite through it.

At first glance, you'd be duped into thinking that these are tiny curry puffs, but they're actually Baked Cod Puffs in Black Pepper. As cod is already naturally rich in flavours, you don't really need much seasoning. These were subtle yet not entirely bland, and thankfully, the cod wasn't dry. After a few savoury items, these helped to refresh my tastebuds a little. I love a good flaky crust too and they nailed it.

Man oh man, the Steamed Foie Gras and Meat Dumplings were an absolute delight. Sad to say, there were actually minimal amounts of foie gras in it, but the flavour was very much present in the broth in the xiao long bao. The only gripe I had with it was that the skin was thinner than paper. Just picking the bao up with my chopsticks caused it to split open, with the broth flowing out onto my plate. What a shame. After all, the best way to eat a XLB for me is to pop the whole thing into my mouth and let the soup ooze out! It was also a tad too big to comfortably fit into one's mouth, though it's not impossible. I'd recommend flipping the whole XLB upside down onto your spoon, pour a little black vinegar over it, and eat it whole. Let it cool down first or you'll scald your tongue.

Royal Pavilion also served up some dainty dim sum for lunch. They've got Steamed Spicy Dried Shrimps, Minced Pork and Eggplant dumplings, Steamed Fresh Scallops, Asparagus, and Egg White Dumplings, Steamed Fresh Crab Meat and Minced Shrimp Dumplings, as well as Steamed Mixed Vegetable Dumplings for the vegetarians.

I found the skin of these dim sums a little too thick and gelatinous for my liking. Hopefully they'll experiment more and try to find a good balance for these, and the xiao long bao.

Here are some close-up shots:

We also had the Stir-fried Coral Clam with Asparagus in "Lao Gan Tie" Sauce.  What's Lao Gan Tie, you ask? It's Royal Pavilion's version of an XO Sauce. However, theirs is more sweet than spicy. The clam was tender with a perfectly bouncy bite.

Who wouldn't recognise the Classic Cantonese Claypot Rice with Waxed Meat & Chinese Sausages This was a bit problematic for me but maybe it's because the claypot rice I'm used to is darker in colour. For this dish, the rice and the black sauce came separately, to be poured in as you mix up the sauce and the meat. This technique however doesn't allow the rice to fully absorb the flavours of the dark sauce and the meat while it's still simmering. It seems like they let the rice cook first in the claypot, then carefully arranged the cured meats and sausages on top. When I had a spoonful of rice and meat, all I could taste was how bland the rice was and how salty the meats were. Perhaps this is a slightly healthier option for mothers who shouldn't be eating food too high in sodium content, and they can decide how much sauce they want in their rice.

This is the highlight. The Royal Smoked Duck with a deliciously crispy skin that's not too fatty and not too oily as most roast ducks tend to be. Eat the skin!

We wrapped up our meal with a Fish-shaped Panna Cotta in Mango Sago. The Panna Cotta had a rich, fragrant coconutty flavour that went perfectly with the mango sago. Can't go wrong with that.

If you have no idea where to take your mum out to lunch or dinner, consider Royal Pavilion for an all-rounded, east-meets-west dining experience that's still traditionally rooted in its Cantonese roots.

Royal Pavilion
23 Merchant Road, Level 1, Park Regis, 058268
Tel: 6818 8851

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