Royal China (St Johns Wood)

Average or less than average in every respect. Dishes were sanitised, western interpretations and don't get me started on the discretionary 15% service charge. Why has this practice become so common place in London? The service was not bad but it wasn't worth an automatic addition of 15% over and above the already inflated prices. This charge was added for any size group from 2-10 people....tough automatic policy.

The atmosphere was as bland as the food. You can make a good atmosphere in a restaurant based on whoever you go along with, but its much much harder to do here.

I was expecting much more.
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Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 2
Sunday, June 15, 2008

What an excellent, and good value experience.

Had an assortment of dim sum to start, each was sublime. I went for exotic choices, things like lobster, abalone, and beluga caviar, I was impressed.

Second course was Lobster in Schezuan sauce, this was excellent.

Main course, had Wagyu and some steamed rice, again an excellent dish.

Pudding, which was the house selection was something of a let down, but not enough to ruin our meal.

TO drink a bottle of good Burgundy and 4 whisky sodas, the most impressive part was the bill - just £120!

This restaurant represents 'executive' chinese dining, at reasonable prices.
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 9
Monday, March 17, 2008

We were so looking forward to eating at the Royal China St John's Wood on Saturday 26th January 2008. My wife and I had never eaten at the restaurant before however four of our party have eaten there on so many occasions over the last 20 years and have done nothing but express how wonderful the dining experience was.

Unfortunately, from the minute we sat down, we knew it was a mistake, the menu contained nothing recognisable from the old menu our party had told us about and reflected dishes I would associated with a Michelin star restaurant i.e. pigeon, shark's fin, frog's legs, foie gras. I am not sure how they prepare the Baby Pak Choy but I cannot accept a charge of £10.50 for the dish, to me this is daylight robbery or baby spinach at £12.00.

We are not sure what they are trying to achieve or the clientele they wish to cater for. By all means have some exotic, gourmet selection but why remove all the old favourite dishes that have made the restaurant so popular. The members of the party that have frequented the restaurant on so many occasions could not believe what has happened. They could also not believe how empty the restaurant was on a Saturday night. The service was superb and they could not be more helpful in suggesting we could ask for what we want to eat and they would see if the chef could accommodate us. This is ludicrous, why not put some of the old favourites back on the menu at reasonable prices.

You have now lost the four regulars you used to have plus we will never come to your restaurant again unless it changes.
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Simon Patchick
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, January 30, 2008

From being a very good local chinese with excellent food,buzzy atomasphere and good service this has now been turned into a complete rip-off joint.

We paid over £300 for six people without wine BUT only because we requested items that were not on the new menu but which we could remember from the old...the staff clearly are aware of the problem since as soon as they gave us the new menus and saw our reaction they offered items from the previous menu.

The atomasphere is now cold and ininviting and allthough it was a saturday night the restaurant was only half full.

we for one will never go back again......from the other comments on this website it does not seem we will be alone!
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alan Kaye
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Monday, January 28, 2008

I have been going to the Royal china for many years now and i must say it has been my favorite restaurant ever since. When it re-opened as the Royal china club I was very excited to see how the new food was.

I must say the food was slightly better than before and a very much enjoyed it especially the new green tea, I did thing it was i pit pricey for the new quality of food.
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sam freedman
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 6
Wednesday, December 26, 2007

I want to make it clear I am Chinese born in Hong Kong, been living in London over 13 years, I had my fair share of fine dinning experience at numbers of Michelin starred restaurant, and been back to HK quite frequently, so had plenty of opportunity to sample real good quality chinese food. So there you are, and here is my review on the new Royal China 'Club' at St John's wood.

For years, this has been our favourite local chinese restaurant, yes it's slightly pricer than others but food are always good and services are friendly. So after it's reopening, we are looking forward for our dinner at familiar setting.

Unforuntately, from the minute we sat down, we knew it was a mistake, the decor is ok, no better or no worse than before, still a unmistakable chinese restaurant. Quick glance at the menu, it's very expensive to say at least, I am sorry, they may use top quality ingredients, but there's only so many ways you can improve a sweet corn soup with crab meat, to charge £10 for a small bowl (5 Spoonfuls) for that is just day light robbery. So you get the picture, every dish is just ordinary chinese with maybe slight exotic add-on, like pelking duck with cavier, stir fly veg with shark fin or abalone or jellyfish .... etc, and they are all £30 to £40 a main. Chinese in Hong Kong or other place mostly only have shark fin or abalone at banquet, not daily dinner, and I doubt anybody actually want to know what's in bird's nest ...etc. And to sum it all up, when they ask if we want tea, (I think it's basic for chinese restaurant, like tea or coffee at breakfast), I was presented a tea menu, all special tea from over the world and they are £4.80 each the cheapest one. So a quick bite at our local chinese turn out to be £150 for 3 without wine and still hungry, the food are good but not 3 times better than before. Service is better than normal chinese restaurant, but it's still average compare to let say top French restaurant, but I won't moan about that because there's obivously a culture difference on this one.

Personally, I think this restaurant has a major identity crisis, it want to cash in on the fine dining sector, but just a refur and throw in a few exotic ingredients won't do that, they need to look at where they are and what people want. People paid to go to Hakkassan because the whole experience make it special, sitting at RCC make me feel like any other chinese restaurant, so I won't pay £50 plus to eat there again.

From now on if I can't bother to cook, I will just drive a little bit further to the chinese at O2 centre, foods are equally good, and I won't feel being rip off.
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Clem Wong
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
Wednesday, December 19, 2007

I have eaten at The Royal China in St Johns Wood several times (both lunch and dinner) and I have always thought of it as my favourite Chinese restaurant, not any more!

The restaurant has undergone a refurbishment and we took 2 friends (also fans) for supper this week and could not have been more dissapointed.

Goodness knows why they spent a fortune on the refurbishment, I always thought it was a lovely room before. The walls have been covered in gold leaf in a very regimented style which has the effect of making it look as though it is not finished and is waiting for a top coat, frankly pretty awful. Unbeknown to us, they have completely changed the menu, all the old favourited have gone to be replaced by the most expensive dishes imaginable. You will struggle to find a starter under £15 and a main course under £20 - more like Hakkasan prices than local St Johns Wood Chinese. Even more dissapointing than the prices, was the food itself. An overcooked prawn (singular) starter was about £16! Soft shell crabs were dull, tasteless and uninteresting. Other dishes were so unmemorable that I have forgotten them already.

The service was very attentive, hardly surprising given how empty the place was. Shortly after I was presented with a menu, a waitress asked if we have any questions, the only one I could think of was how they got away with charging £12.50 for a double gin (plus something for the tonic!) She merely smiled a resigned smile as if she had been asked this a thousand times already.

What a shame, they have taken a superb restaurant and ruined it. Our bill, including service was around £270 for 4 (we were drinking fairly ordinary NZ Sauvignon Blanc at £25 a bottle).

If you want good Chinese in North London try the Singapore Garden in Swiss Cottage, infinately better food and better value. I will continue to go the Royal China in Baker Street but I will not cross the threshold in St Johns Wood until they restore the old menu and some semblcneof reality to their prices.
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John Cole
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Thursday, December 13, 2007

They have ruined what was previously a good local chinese. The new prices are extortionate, for food of variable quality, the decor is now execptionally cold and unappealing and the service is atrocious.

All in all not a very good experience.
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Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 2
Thursday, November 29, 2007

I was really looking forward to going to the newly renovated Royal China in St Johns Wood so booked in for 3 girls for dim sum. The decor is fancier, but cold. The servings were small, and for 3 girls for dim sum - it was £60! We weren't even full. including chinese tea for 3 that cost £11.60!?

Dim sum is not fine dining, and this definitely wasn't great dim sum.

Yes, there was plenty of staff on hand, and all the dishes, cutlery are new, but for the cost, I wont be going back there. Sorry.
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Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 1
Saturday, November 24, 2007

For many years this has been my favourite local restaurant, fantastic quality, nice atmosphere. Not any more!!

Following a huge makover this is now a royal china "club" restaurant. decor is a bit cold, prices are absolutely exorbitant and the menu is not appealing.

Dishes like braised lamb shank in plum sauce, starters like jumbo prawn in XO sauce (this was priced at £16.80 - note that you get one prawn), prawns with green tea (this comes with a huge upside down glass filled with tea for decorative purposes only).

you get the picture - good solid chinese food has gone (no hot pots, no steamed dishes, no ma po been curd etc etc, only two chicken dishes on the whole menu (one of which has foie gras??).

Find me a main course dish under 20 quid and i'll buy you dinner there myself. Portion size has shrunk dramatically.

management has tried to go all hakkassan without realising that people don't want that in a local restaurant. You cannot even buy plain noodles with beansprouts - the only option is noodles with stir fried veg ((£9.80).
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tom
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, November 21, 2007