Royal Tea Drinking

Royal Teahouse
10 Applecreek Boulevard
Building B, Unit 3, Markham
905-946-1898
Lunch for two (many small dishes) including taxes & tip: $25

Yum Cha is a Cantonese phrase meaning “drink tea”. It also means having an early breakfast or lunch comprised of tiny steamed dishes and aromatic tea. This tradition originated thousands of years ago and it has played a big part in the Chinese culture ever since. I, as a Chinese, of course, go yum cha once in a while; in recent years, I’ve noticed an increase of non-Asians popping up at these restaurants. To accommodate the taste of all people, restaurants have reinvented themselves and yum cha dishes are no longer limited to those who can use chopsticks (many Westerners actually know how to hold chopsticks better than I do). Royal Teahouse is definitely not the typical Chinese-decorated restaurant specializing in dim sum lunches. It is a place to sip some tea and enjoy chitchatting while you sample a variety of bite-size food.

When I was a child, yum cha used to be a weekly activity. I would always go with my grandparents; while I enjoyed the typical shrimp dumplings, spring rolls, and congee, they’d read the daily newspaper. Nowadays, yum cha is not just for seniors to baby sit their young grandchildren and catch up with the news, it’s also a place where people go with their friends, and co-workers. The beauty of yum cha is that you can order so many different things and try them all at once without getting way too full, although I still manage to.

I love love love siu mei (pork dumplings) and my sister loves ha gau (“supreme shrimp dumpling”); both are quite typical dim sums. The ha gau was quite delicious, the shrimp was very evident both visually and taste. The translucent skin of the dumpling is the first clue how well the dumpling is made; basically, the thicker it is, the less tasty the dumpling gets, since it overpowers the taste of the shrimp and other ingredients; and Royal Teahouse’s shrimp dumplings were steaming hot in their relatively translucent skin. The siu mei, on the other hand, was a bit overcooked with a very chewy texture that was unpleasant. The pork meat used in the dumpling lacked freshness, giving it a bland taste.

The pan-fried dumpling also was a disappointment since it was too greasy. It’s a tricky dish and I have yet to encounter a good pan-fried dumpling in recent years. However, the deep-fried squid tentacles this place makes are quite tasty. The squid was not overcooked so it was pleasant to chew. Since squid usually has a weak taste, the spices used to marinate it improved the flavour. It’s like French fries, but better!

The highlight of the meal was the steamed lotus seed bun. This is a dish that you can’t find in many places for dim sum-ing. Usually eaten during birthday celebrations, many Chinese restaurants require customers to pre-order this dish. But at Royal Teahouse, it’s a regular item. To top it all off, it is made in the “traditional” way, the Hong Kong style. Molded into the shape of a peach, it represents longevity; hence, people eat it as “birthday buns”. Inside the freshly steamed bun is sweet lotus seed paste. This is the version I usually get in most restaurants; but at Royal Teahouse, they’ve added the marinated duck egg yolk in the centre of the bun which makes it the Hong Kong style. The slight saltiness from the egg yolk creates a beautiful balance of sweetness with the lotus seed paste. I can finish the entire order (each order is 3 buns) on my own! This is the main reason why I keep returning to this place to yum cha!

With all these foods to enjoy, you can sit there for hours. I usually prefer going to Royal Teahouse on weekdays since it’s less crowded. It’s close to impossible to get a table on weekends - one must either go early or really late to avoid big crowds. For the first visit, I recommend going on a Monday, when it is easier to actually enjoy the tea and food without having to worry about the huge line-up of people waiting their turn.