Chow Down Atlanta

Royal China’s owners have been in the food business in Atlanta for over 25 years starting with Barbeque Corner inside the Din Ho food court and its sister BBQ Corner II on Buford Highway (I practically grew up eating their food). In the mid-80s, the owner wanted to bring authentic Cantonese cuisine especially dim-sum to Atlanta so he imported hand-picked one of the best Cantonese cooks in Hongkong and brought him to BBQ Corner II. Later on, he opened Royal China and moved the Hongkong chef to it.

I can understand why some people think Royal China isn’t as good as their favorite places and I can’t fault them because that can be attributed to the fact that authentic Cantonese cuisine takes some getting used to. In other words, it’s an acquired taste for the average Westerner’s palate. Most Chinese restaurants in America serve Mandarin, Hunan, and even Szechuan cuisine (or a combination) and these are what people are used to (read: heavy sauces). Dim sum is a Cantonese invention and as such, has Cantonese flavors and style of cooking (steaming, boiling).

Royal China has the best most authentic dim sum in Atlanta hands down. Not only that, the food is fresh, delicious and unique, and the prices are inexpensive. Dishes are served hot via steam carts (unlike other places) that roam around the restaurant. You point at what you like, the server places your selection on your table, then marks it on the food card which also serves as your bill. If you’re not familiar about what to order, my tip is to try everything you think looks good because I assure you, each and every dish is really good. On weekends, there are special items such as clams on bean sauce or steamed Chinese broccoli which are only available that day so do try those as well. I do have a few suggestions, however…

Don’t miss the siu mai or dumplings. They come in several varieties such as pork (a must try for its tastiness), shrimp, shark’s fin, and other combinations. If you’re feeling a little adventurous, go for the beef tripe — fork-tender slices in ginger broth — the clean taste of the broth balances the texture of the tripe. There are also items for the hard-core such as the chicken feet (tasty but bony). The fried minced shrimp wrapped in bacon served with spicy sweet and sour sauce is another must-try and goes well with the lotus-wrapped rice (sticky rice topped with chicken and pork sausage, hard-boiled egg, and spices wrapped in lotus leaves then steamed). Other dishes worth trying are the char siu bao (pork buns) which are steamed dough buns filled with barbecued pork simmered in vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce; fried eggplant with shrimp (slices of eggplant topped with steamed minced shrimp served with sweetish-salty sauce); steamed Manila clams in ginger-soy sauce; radish cakes (mashed radish mixed with shrimp or pork then steamed or fried); egg custard cups; steamed cake buns; and, better save room for the tofu dessert — silky smooth soft tofu in ginger-sugar sauce. A perfect way to end your wonderful dim sum experience.

Insider tip:
Dim sum is served daily with weekends having a more extensive selection. Plan to go before 11 am on weekends as it’s common to have an hour wait around noon. If you’d rather not wait, ask to share a big table. Not to worry, you won’t share the bill or the food. Just the space.

The scoop:
Royal China Restaurant
3295 Chamblee Dunwoody Road,
Atlanta, GA 30341
Phone: (770) 216-9933
Major Credit Cards accepted
Plenty of parking

Technorati Tags: Royal China, Cantonese cuisine, Chinese Cuisine, dim sum, Buford Highway, dumplings, tofu dessert

This is Atlanta’s best kept secret — it’s the best Vietnamese restaurant in town. Hands down. Aside from consistently scoring a Health Code rating between 99 to 100 since opening day almost three years ago, they have the best service, the best food, and the best bubble tea. The best. I know, I’m a Phoenix Noodle groupie — eating there at least twice a week since opening day and on first-name basis with the entire staff.

A little background story… the famous Canton House (best overpriced dimsum) on Buford Highway was owned mainly by two Vietnamese brothers. Early 2004, one of the brothers who was also the main chef, got out of the partnership and opened Phoenix Noodle on Peachtree Industrial Blvd across from The Forum Shops. A family-run business, the ex-partner/dad is the head chef, the mom is the hostess/cashier, the dad’s sister is manager/server, and all four Georgia Tech/Georgia State-graduate sons are part-time servers.

Pho is what Vietnamese cuisine is known for over here. It’s a soup that is actually a breakfast food in Vietnam, commonly sold on the streets. It is made with beef broth with rice noodles and topped with thin slices of steak, beef tripe, and beef tendon to which you add fresh basil leaves, fresh bean sprouts, lime juice, and jalapeno slices. When we were young, my mom had a very close Vietnamese friend who we’d visit on weekends. Most times, we’d get invited to stay for dinner. She made the best home-made pho. The best. And so her pho was my standard. It has been a life-long mission to find pho as good as hers.

In the 90s there was a Vietnamese restaurant inside the Burlington Coat Factory plaza on Buford Highway called Pho Ca Dao. The chef was a little old Vietnamese lady who spoke no English. She made great the best pho. As good as my mom’s friend’s pho. Never mind the dingy atmosphere — it was frequented by a lot of Vietnamese and came highly-recommended by my Vietnamese friends. Sadly, the place closed down a few years ago. I’ve been to almost all Vietnamese restaurants in Atlanta and none has ever come close to my mom’s friend’s pho or even Pho Ca Dao’s. Until now.

Phoenix Noodle’s pho is not only comfort food. It is delicious: tasty and full-bodied with that simmered-for-hours taste. Everything on the menu is good. Every item. From the fried and fresh spring/basil rolls to all the grilled meat/shrimp plates (best value for the money), to the vermicelli noodle bowls, to the entrees. There is nothing you could order wrong. The tender spicy salt and pepper squid which is very lightly battered then fried served with a sweet-salty sauce is enough to lure you to come. Best of all, the bubble tea — tea-based cold drinks (or smoothie) which come in assorted flavors that you can mix and match with tapioca pearls (balls) or cubes of fruit jelly. Highly recommended flavors are honeydew, fresh avocado, coffee, taro (potato-like), lychee, watermelon, mango, and rainy day (assorted berries).

Insider tip:

• Some bubble tea flavors are made with real fruit depending on availability. This week they have cantaloupe, watermelon, strawberry, and avocado.
• Lunch menu entrees come with soup.
• There’s a separate kid’s menu that includes noodle dishes and grilled chicken.
• The pho rice noodles can be substituted with low-carb Japanese clear noodles for $2 more. (They had to search and go to great lengths to find a low-carb noodle-substitute but personally, I found it altered the taste of the pho.)
• They chef is very willing and so versatile that he can accommodate special orders — this week we requested him to cook a Malaysian noodle dish.
• You can request a bowl of plain pho broth for $2 and a side of fried egg is $1.
• By default, you will be served with a sweet-salty sauce (for eggrolls and fried entrees) but you can ask for the equally-delicious Thai-style sweet-and-sour sauce.

The scoop:
Phoenix Noodle Cafe
http://www.phoenixnoodlecafe.com/
5450 Peachtree Parkway, Suite 2E
Norcross, Georgia 30092
Sun - Thur: 10:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Fri - Sat: 10:30 AM - 11:00 PM

Technorati Tags: Phoenix Noodle Cafe, Vietnamese cuisine, Cantonese cuisine, pho, fresh basil roll, spring roll, lunch, dinner, bubble tea, tapioca pearls, fruit jelly, pho, spicy squid, vermicelli bowl, grilled plates, Peachtree Industrial Blvd, The Forum Shops, kids menu, Atlanta