Glamorous Cantonese Cuisine
A new chef, a new look and magnificent Cantonese food make the Royal Pavilion well worth a visit. 
Reborn as a fabulous crystal chandeliered, plush Cantonese restaurant, the former lobby coffee shop at the Park Regis, Singapore, has been renovated and renamed the Royal Pavilion, and it’s attracting rather a lot of attention.
The small but airy restaurant, located on level 1 of the Park Regis, seats about 140 people in considerable comfort. It also features six private dining rooms, plus one very popular semi-private room positioned right under the mammoth grand chandelier.
The décor is contemporary Chinese with dark woods, open inlaid dividers and golden deep pile embossed carpets, all of which combine well to create an air of modern Asian luxury.
To complement the elegant restaurant, vastly experienced Executive Chef Chung Ho Shi, formerly of the Golden Peony at the Conrad Centennial, Singapore, and the Spectrum Chinese Restaurant at the Millennium HongQiao Hotel Shanghai, has cooked up a blend of traditional Cantonese favourites supplemented with some rather unusual and quirky little dishes.
Whilst his excellent traditional roast meats and lunchtime dim sum will always top the popularity stakes, the Chef tips his hat to a range of other classical Cantonese dishes, plus some with a subtle international influence.
Chef Chung Ho Shi’s dim sum gets some great reviews and is the menu of choice for many taking lunch at the restaurant. From the fried and baked selection, signature dishes, such as the appetising and attractive Carrot Cake with Lao Gan Die Chilli Sauce, sit alongside a range of other dim sum, such as the delicious Siw Mai Skewer, Crispy Prawn Roll with Mango and the Baked Swiss BBQ bun.
On the steamed menu, the chef’s individual take once again shines through as he proffers some neat but subtle variations. Combining whole fresh prawn with superfine vegetables stuffed into a semitransparent skin, the Steamed Shrimp Crystal Dumpling really takes some beating.
From the main course choices, the dish that seems to be on everybody’s lips is the signature Royal Smoked Duck. Maybe it’s the aroma of this lychee-smoked water fowl that makes it so popular, or how beautifully it’s presented, or perhaps the unusually crispy skin, or even the fact it’s boned to make enjoying it simple and less messy?
But most likely, it’s because it is simply mouth-wateringly good. Using Malaysian ducks, which have less fat than their Chinese counterparts, Chef Chung Ho Shi has created a dish fit for a king. Available in half or whole duck portions, it really needs to be checked out.
A restaurant of this quality is unsurprisingly already becoming a hit with the city’s business sector and discerning diners seeking authentic and high quality Cantonese cuisine. Hats off to the chef, staff and designers for reworking the old coffee shop into something so glamorous.
