Royal China (Canary Riverside) — Restaurant in London

This was, without a doubt, one of the most disappointing dining experiences I have ever had and that’s putting it mildly. I gave a single star solely because of the location. Beyond that, everything and I mean everything was truly terrible. This was our first visit, and I brought my fiancée and sister, who is visiting the UK on holiday. What was meant to be a nice evening turned into a complete disaster. We started by ordering your virgin colada, and that alone should have been the warning sign. It was absolutely awful by far the worst colada I’ve ever had. Hoping the food would redeem the experience, I asked for the wagyu spicy fried rice, only to be told it was unavailable. I settled for the pork and shrimp fried rice instead, which turned out to be a terrible decision. The dish was inedible it tasted horrible, the texture was soggy, and it was overall just unappetising and carelessly made. To make matters worse, the service was shockingly poor. It felt like I was begging to be noticed. We were ignored for most of our time there and treated as if we were an inconvenience rather than valued customers. The atmosphere was cold, unwelcoming, and honestly, we felt like they couldn’t wait for us to leave. What made this experience even more upsetting was the manager insisting I pay the service charge despite it clearly being discretionary. As someone who works in the industry, I understand and respect the importance of service charges and never hesitate to pay them when they’re earned. But in this case, the service was so poor, it didn’t even merit being acknowledged, let alone rewarded. This was hands down the worst Chinese restaurant I’ve ever visited. I would never recommend this place to anyone and truly regret bringing my family here. A restaurant experience should never leave customers feeling this disappointed, frustrated, and...

Food Review for Royal China (Canary Riverside)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Royal China (Canary Riverside) with my family, and I can confidently say that our experience was nothing short of exceptional. From the moment we walked in, we were taken aback by the stunning refurbishment of the establishment. The beautiful decor and elegant ambiance set the perfect tone for a memorable dining experience.

Despite arriving close to closing time, the staff welcomed us warmly and ensured that our evening was enjoyable. A special shoutout goes to Kenny, the assistant manager, who truly went above and beyond. His attentiveness and genuine hospitality made a lasting impression on us. Even though the kitchen was closed when we arrived, Kenny and his team didn’t rush us; instead, they took our orders swiftly without compromising on quality, and every dish we tasted was absolutely delicious.

From the moment we sat down, Kenny made it a point to check on us regularly, ensuring that we had everything we needed. He even took the time to engage with my son, making the experience enjoyable for the whole family. It’s not every day that you find a restaurant where the staff genuinely care about their guests, and Kenny exemplified this perfectly.

The food was a highlight, with each dish bursting with flavor and beautifully presented. It was clear that the kitchen staff took pride in their work, and we appreciated the effort that went into every plate.

If you’re looking for a fantastic dining experience in a warm and welcoming atmosphere, I highly recommend Royal China at Canary Riverside. The beautifully refurbished space, combined with exceptional service from Kenny, makes it a must-visit. Thank you, Kenny, for making our evening so special—we can’t...

We visited this restaurant on a Saturday afternoon, as part of their dim sum schedule. We were then given a queue number as it is not possible to book a reservation for dim sum: the attendant did not even lift her head up to address us properly. We were told that the waiting time would be around 30 minutes. We waited for 40, but that's not a problem.

Once seated, we were given the menus and we made our choices. The food came quite quick, which was good. The only dish we didn't like were the spare ribs with black bean sauce: the meat had a greyish colour and it was quite gummy; we were expecting something grilled, but maybe that's our fault for not checking first. The rest of the food tasted good.

When proceeded to requesting the bill, we clearly saw a marking which said: 'rec. gratuity'. Given the the food was only okay and the customer service seemed to be on the fast forward (no check-back) and not at an acceptable level, we decided not to have it included. However, one of gentlemen who came with the card machine didn't even ask how we found the food and if we liked it, he just put the whole bill in, with the gratuity. We pointed, as above, to the lack of customer service and we asked to pay for the food only. He argued that because we're eating in, the service charge must be applied. We explained the law, as well as the bill clearly states that gratuities are 'recommended', but not mandatory. He was quite rude and ignored our explanation for refusing the set recommend gratuity tip.

It's quite a shame about this, as the experience was okay, but this last interaction tipped the scales towards a complaint rather than a review. We will not be...