皇庭海鲜舫 Royal Palace Seafood Restaurant — Restaurant in Sydney

A SUCCULENT Chinese meal if I've ever seen one

Royal Palace Seafood Restaurant, Haymarket

You might recognize the entryway to this restaurant! This building has a 30-year history of serving Cantonese seafood to Sydney city, after all. With so much changing around Sydney's Chinatown district over the last half-decade, closure after closure of the OG big dawgs restaurants like GC and Mangold after Covid-19 had shaken everything up, Royal Palace sure has big shoes to fill. I feel like they're very much up for the challenge though and I sure as hell am excited about a restaurant that will continue the 90s/2000s charm of eating on this side of Dixon St!

I've always loved the wall of seafood tanks here. Whether you're just peepin' from outside or you're inside choosing your fish/lobster/abalone fresh to order, the tanks here make for half the experience. The other half are the actual dishes of course, but I'm sure you could make the case for the light banter you'll have with the waitstaff here too.

Let's chat about food. The signature dishes are the map tofu lobster and the XO pipis, as recommended by the service. XO pipis are the instant classic and require no introduction. The map tofu lobster though? Woah!! I've never seen it before. I enjoy map tofu as its dish. I loved it when my parents used to cook it for dinner. It's hard to beat those spicy pops of numbing mala, fatty bits of mince, and soft tofu cubes on white rice. When it's used as the sauce for sweet chunks of lobster meat, though? Special! Mate, it might even rival Singapore chili crab. I would also recommend the salt and pepper fried whitebait (not greasy at all) and the plate of jellyfish, crispy skin roast pork, and char siu. My triple-star dish, you...

Disappointing Experience with Overpromised and Underwhelming Seafood

I had high hopes for this Chinese seafood restaurant, but unfortunately, my experience fell far short of expectations.

Firstly, the misrepresentation of the king crab was a major issue. The waiter assured us that the crab was 2-3 kg, but it turned out to be a much larger 5 kg crab. While this might seem like a good thing, it was actually a sign of things to come.

The crab was clearly not fresh. It had been sitting in the restaurant for a long time, which was evident from the quality of the meat. The shell was not filled with meat as it should be, indicating that the crab was not of good quality. This was a huge disappointment, as freshness is crucial when it comes to seafood.

To make matters worse, the cooking method was poor, and the seasoning was overly salty. I suspect this was an attempt to mask the fact that the crab was not fresh, but it only served to ruin the dish further. The excessive saltiness overwhelmed any natural flavors the crab might have had.

On the bright side, the service was good. The staff were attentive and polite, which is the only reason I'm giving this review one star instead of none. However, good service cannot compensate for the subpar quality of the food.

I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a quality seafood experience. The combination of misrepresentation, poor quality, and bad cooking makes it a...

Been there many times since its opening with friends and family. Last year my partner and I recommended to so many of them and raved about the food and service. Although occasionally the dumplings are over-steamed, the food overall is fantastic. Last year, the wait staff were so attentive and courteous, they even poured tea for you. It was wonderful dining there. Unfortunately, the service has gone downhill the past few months. You have to ask the waiters multiple times for service. Something as simple as refilling hot water for the teapot is now a waiting game (leaving lid over teapot handle is often ignored). Chilli sauce is usually provided when the tea arrives. Last time it didn't so we asked one of the waiters for it. Nothing happened for 10 minutes so we asked another waiter. Several minutes later, we received 3 serves of chilli sauce and 1 serve of chilli soy (which we did not ask for or need). You arrive at 10am and are told the special mix drinks cannot be ordered until 11am. If you would like to sit and enjoy your tea after your meal for a little while you better leave some food on the table. Otherwise, they will rush you off by asking whether you want more food/are finished (that's when the waiters pay attention). While you understand they want you to vacate so they can grab the table for the next customers, it still leaves a bad taste...