It is a testament to the quality of food at Royal Treasure Seafood Restaurant that I went back. My first yum cha experience there was chaos of the Faulty Towers variety.
My friend Dash recommended it highly: loads of dumplings packed with fresh seafood and greens, sweet and sticky pork buns, great salt and pepper squid and plenty of other hot, crispy delights. Sold.
As we were walking up to the restaurant Dash warned me:
“There is always a queue, but don’t worry, it always moves quickly. 10 mins max.”
Famous last words.
We pushed through the 20 plus people crowding the little desk where the maître de assigns tickets for the waiting list. They had all been assigned their numbers but were still looking very stressed, waving their tickets and barking in Chinese at the poor young girl. I did not envy her job.
We got to the front of the queue and were told it would be a 30 minute wait. We decided to sit it out. We’d driven 45 minutes to eat there so we might as well, right? Wrong.
I decided to relax and accept that it would be a long wait. Dash tried to do the same, but I could feel the stress getting to him.
“Why do they keep going up and asking questions? We all have tickets. She’ll call it out when she is ready!”
Pacing tells me that Dash’s stress levels are on the up. I have known him since I was 12 so I know the signs. He made two trips to the loo – and I am certain it was not his bowel movements that caused this – and went for two ‘walks’ outside. On his way back in he saw a sign that said ‘Celebrating our 3rd birthday. 241 dim sum for two days only’.
"Guess that explains the wait."
“I’d rather pay full price and not have to wait for half an hour.”
It seems I had a sixth sense on that front. When we finally got in 45 minutes later, we found out what the hold up had been: there was only one trolley on the floor in a restaurant that seats 200 plus and it was swarmed with hungry people waving their order cards at the server.
We waited for a bit while Dash got more and more agitated. He stood up and started huffing and puffing next to the table.
“Dash, if you are going to stand up, make yourself useful and go take the card over to that trolley.”
He sat back down.
“OK, I will.”
I managed to return with some BBQ pork buns, which were as billed – sticky and sweet – but that was all the trolley was carrying and it was still the only trolley on the floor. There was a sense of desperation in the air – some people were even hovering at the exit of the kitchen hoping to be the first snaffle up some delicious treats.
Finally Dash had a word with one of the managers:
“We have been waiting for 45 minutes outside and no one told us there was no food. This is unacceptable."
“I understand sir, I’m sorry. We very busy. What you want?"
“Food. Something. Anything. Please.”
“Yes, yes. Very good. I order from kitchen for you.”
Another 10-15 mins elapsed in which we debated eating elsewhere, but once you have waited that long, you feel invested. We stuck it out.
The first dish to arrive was chicken feet. I did wonder whether that was intentional. A bit of a ‘fuck you, gweilo!’ We said no. Not that hungry.
Next around the block was congee, which we accepted because we were desperate. It was as expected – bland and inoffensive. Not something I would order again.
Then things started to get better. I have no idea what these are called, but they are the reason I went back:
The one good thing about the farcical state of affairs was that these came straight from the deep fat fryer. Piping hot and crispy as hell, they were an utter delight. The pastry was what it was all about – crispy on the outside, but slightly chewy on the inside with a hint of sweetness. I have no idea what the filling was – some sort of mystery meat – but it was salty and delicious so I didn’t care. It could have been anything and I still would have eaten it in that pastry case.
We were only able to get hargau (prawn dumplings) on the first visit, which were suitably plump and juicy. I managed to sample some more interesting dumplings on my second visit though: prawn and snow pea, scallop and prawn, prawn and chives – all bursting at the seams with fresh produce.
I never did see any of Dash’s highly rated salt and pepper squid, but I did manage to try two of my other favourites on the second visit. Deep fried taro balls – also known amongst my family and friends as 'snot balls'. Sounds appetising, huh?
Well they are, they just don’t look so great on the inside. The snotty looking substance is pureed taro, but the texture is more gritty than smooth. It is also filled with mystery meat (probably pork) and encased in a light, flaky pastry. Don’t judge this book by its... contents. Close your eyes if you have to. You won’t be disappointed.
Wafer wrapped prawn rolls are another fave and I was lucky enough to catch them as they hit the floor, so they were piping hot and crispy as can be. (Do you sense a theme here?)
I was less keen on the sticky rice with chicken. It was as good as they ever are, which is generally a bit ‘meh’. I’m not entirely sure why I ordered it to be frank.
The prices are extremely reasonable, even without the 241 discount. I ordered enough for 2-3 people on my second visit and it only cost $60.
But the big question: would I recommend it? The answer is yes, but with a few caveats: go early, and before you go, check the website for promotions. Don’t go if there is one.
Royal Treasure Seafood Restaurant: Shop 16, Level 2, Emerald Square, 27-31 Belmore St, Burwood, Sydney, NSW, Australia, 2134; +61 (0)2 9747 0288; RoyalTreasure.SR@gmail.com