The mainland Chinese director Zhang Yimou would no doubt approve of the new look Royal China restaurant at the Raffles Hotel Arcade, possibly because it resembles nothing so much as one of the dramatic film sets from an epic movie.

Bathed almost entirely in the same shade of powder blue, the recent renovation – by Colin Seah from Ministry of Design – takes the restaurant boldly where no Chinese restaurant (or possibly any other restaurant) has gone before.

The Emperor's new culinary clothes, as it were, are pretty fine. After a five-year run where it failed to reach the same heights achieved by its namesake restaurants in London, where the Royal China brand has a firm grip, it seems that adding a little (okay, a lot) of colour may just do the trick.

The main dining room comprises a large space divided by two rows of yes, blue pillars down the central portion, forming a corridor that is lined, Western style, by a row of rectangular tables. A large square mirror at the end of the corridor adds volume to the room.

Regular round tables are placed along the sides of the room, and there are also three private rooms, with slightly more toned down colour schemes and decorated with walls of stylized Chinese brocade.

There are also tinges of gold and splashes of white and a few textural elements throughout but the overall effect is one of visual excitement where the senses are heightened and entertained.

Royal China director says she asked Seah to give the space a mere botox treatment, but he went for a complete makeover instead and presented the restaurant a youthful new identity.

While the refreshing visual hype might serve to distract diners, the food also lives up to the billing. With modern presentations, a variety of cooking styles and dishes that linger on the palate and in the memory, the cuisine at Royal China is refined and reflects a strong foundation in traditional Chinese cooking.

The group’s London-based executive chef Kelvin Man is spending some time in the kitchen to oversee the repertoire, which includes a variety of traditional and modern dim sum as well as many of the usual suspects, such as lobster noodles and crispy duck in pancake.

On weekends, the restaurant pulls out all the dim sum stops, with an even bigger variety. Desserts are a touch on the modern side including chilled avocado puree with chocolate ice cream and black glutinous rice mochi with durian filling.

The interior dazzles and, given a proper chance, the food shines too.

Royal China at Raffles
Raffles Hotel Arcade, 328 North Bridge Road
#03-09
Tel: 6338-3363

Editor's Note: Read Wong Ah Yoke's review of Royal China here.  

This article was first published in The Business Times Weekend on May 31, 2008.