Royal China (Putney)

My husband and I had a fantastic sunday lunch at the Royal China, Putney recently. I had read the reviews and was a little concerned, particularly about the standard of service, but I needn't have worried as servivce was efficient and polite and the food very good on the whole.

We particularly enjoyed the deep fried octopus and the pork belly house special. The vietnamese spring rolls and the yam croquettes with meat were also delicious. The cheung fun and the bbq pork buns were quite average and we didn't much like the beef dumplings (quite tasteless) but our overall impression was very favourable and we will be returing soon.

I thought it was great value for money - £40 for the two of us - and we left feeling full (we had over ordered with 7 dishes!) and satisfied.
Comment on this reader review

Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Monday, June 16, 2008

I feel I must defend Royal China Putney somewhat against the overwhelmingly negative reports. Four of us (including 2 young children) just had a perfectly lovely Sunday lunch. The food was some of the best dim sum we've ever had - and we've probably had more than 200 dim sum lunches in our lives - including Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong, Singapore, San Francisco, etc. It definitely wasn't cheap - £70 including two SMALL glasses of very nice wine, one tea and LOTS of food. The service - well it was nothing to write home about - just efficient and not overly friendly, but certainly nothing like the experiences described in other reviews. Overall great food, arrive early if it's a weekend lunch and don't expect a cheap feed.
Comment on this reader review

Susan
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 5
Sunday, April 20, 2008

One to avoid I am afraid if you are planning to eat out in Putney.

Dim Sum lunch yesterday (Sunday April 6th) absolutely spoilt by the attitude of the staff at the Royal China.

It becomes very tiresome continually having to ask for drinks, cutlery, drinks, cutlery, the dessert menu, cutlery, the bill etc over and over again.

Felt that even though I was the paying customer, I was somehow spoiling their Sunday afternoon by being there.

A very poor experience capped off first by their refusal to accept our Visa, MasterCard or Switch cards and then the non-return of our change, already having paid 12.5% for the privilege of "dining" at the Royal China.

A real shame as it could be a real local treasure.

Save yourself the grief by going elsewhere.
Comment on this reader review

Ivor Conway
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 1
Monday, April 07, 2008

The rudest - even aggressive - staff I have ever met.

Please do not go there!
Comment on this reader review

Jody Rose
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 1
Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Unable to comment on the food. We sat with two young children for 35 minutes without even receiving anything to drink. We had had to ask three times for the menu, which were eventually slapped down on the table with a grunt. Needless to say we left after 35 minutes and had very nice meal at Strada round the corner.

They are the rudest, most unpleasant staff I have encountered anywhere in the world, and I have visited 72 countries, including China!! This is a very lazy, arrogant restaurant that is ver busy because of the (supposedly) good food and pays no attention to the service offering. No standard of food can compensate fo this appalling service.
Comment on this reader review

Simon Norridge
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Monday, March 10, 2008

In my experience the Royal china has excellent food and almost always bad service. Not bad in the sense that you wait a long time or they drop your dinner in your lap but bad in that they are brusk to the point of rudeness! We have come to accept this as part of the larly as well for a quick pleasant cheap eat.

If you like Thai then Talad Texperiences and in all honesty the food is very good and we just let the staff's attitude wash over us.

If you want friendly staff and quick service Friends opposite is good but the cheaper price is reflected in the food. That said we go there reguhai on the Upper Richmond Road is excellent for the price.

Just to set the record straight, and in fairness to Royal China, they are not on the river so the review before this one is, I suspect, meant for Thai Square.
Comment on this reader review

Sam
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, January 02, 2008

we were first told they couldnt guarantee a riverside table although we booked nearly a week in advance...restaurant very busy and not the kind of place you would go for a romantic meal - however the staff were fairly efficient and food was lovely - although we found prices for the food and drink to be on the expensive side compared to other thai restaurants in the area...(over £20 for a bottle of wine)
Comment on this reader review

Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 4
Monday, December 17, 2007

Please remember that this restaurant is NOT a part of the Royal China Group of restaurants (Baker Street, Bayswater, Canary Wharf and Swiss Cottage).

The food here is mediocre to a standard found in any China Town place and the service very average.
Comment on this reader review

Alex
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 3
Thursday, November 29, 2007

We have been going to Royal China every 3 out of 4 weekends in the past year since we moved to Putney, as it is our local. The service has been getting progressively worse. Whilst we enjoyed the food, the service can be off putting. Although my partner and I are regular customers, we were almost never given good seats, and hardly ever got a smiling welcome from the maitre de (who is always too busy to smile and acknowledge us).

The dimsum and crispy duck entice us back, but last Friday we had enough. My partner had gone into the restaurant to make a booking 20 minutes earlier, before picking me up from Putney station as I arrived back from Paris. When we walked into the restaurant, not only could the waiter not find our reservation, he made us feel that he was doing us a huge favour, with a grumpy face. He insisted we never booked and it would not have been their error, and found us a table in a corner, whilst there were plenty of empty ones around.

So we walked out. The food might be excellent. the service has to get better, or it does not deserve its customers!
Comment on this reader review

Eric Teo
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 5
Saturday, November 03, 2007

Cosy little authentic chinese restaurant located in convienient outskirt of london. Excellent food, just as you would expect the high standard across the Royal China chain. Attentive service, reasonable price, honest food. However, they refuse credit and debit card which only causes inconvenience to customers. The staff presented our bill was rude. Would definately recommand the food, but definately not the service.
Comment on this reader review

eric che
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 6
Friday, April 06, 2007