Dim Sum lunch at Royal China, Putney - 9th of August, 2009

I have briefly mentioned Royal China before in my bit on egg tarts. I went there for lunch with a friend on a glorious sunny Sunday and even though I've been there a few times, it never ceases to impress and satisfy. Dim sum is, I believe, the very zenith of Chinese eating. Small and condensed, intensely flavoursome portions of loveliness (almost always served in threes), they're a million miles away from the greasebox takeaways so much of the UK associates with Chinese food.

My friend and I split a plate of Shanghai pork noodles to share, then proceeded to eat our way through yam croquettes (like mushroom in a deep-friend casing), tsim-sha-tsui (thin and long barbecued pork dumplings with soy sauce), roast pork buns (gorgeous parcels of pork baked inside large fluffy white dumplings), pork puffs (similar meat inside sweet and buttery pastry cases) and the aforementioned egg tarts.

It's a lot of pork (it tends to be mainly pork and seafood at dim sum places), but the quality is high and it's a great lunch to treat yourself to once in a while. It is a very convenient way of eating too. The service is always prompt and efficient. It's also super quick - within five minutes of ordering, your first couple of dishes are at the table. It's the proper way to eat Chinese and more people should get involved in it.

Royal China