EATING OUT
Delicate Cantonese-Taechew fare draws discerning diners to secluded eatery
VANNIYA SRIANGURA
The 103-year-old residence was renovated at a cost of 20-million-baht. |
Baked imported scallops with clear noodles. |
Crispy rolls stuffed with sauteed minced duck meat. |
Some of the mouthwatering dim sum available at lunchtime. |
Naturally sweet prawns bathed in Chinese wine. |
The restaurant is exclusive and cosy on weekdays but can be lively and packed on weekends. |
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China Palace always crops up when talk turns to the topic of highly-cherished Chinese restaurants in Bangkok.
With an easy-to-miss, narrow entrance, China Palace restaurant occupies a renovated two-storey historical building that was once a home of one of the four aristocrats of "Si Phraya". Due to its rather secluded location, the majority of its customers are discerning diners - wealthy Thai-Chinese businessmen, executives from Japanese corporations, high-ranking statesmen and local families - who are more or less familiar with the restaurant.
There must be a good reason why a restaurant that has been open for only 13 years (which is quite young compared to many time-honoured Chinese eateries in Bangkok), has become one of the most respected joints in town. Delicate Cantonese-Taechew fare, imported fresh seafood and reasonable prices would seem to be the main answers.
Over the weekend, especially on Sundays, the 330-seat restaurant with 12 private rooms (no extra charge for the rooms) is always busy and walk-in customers waiting for tables are a common sight.
The restaurant's all-time best-sellers include moo hun (roasted suckling pig), Peking duck, shark's fin soup, lobsters and rock lobsters. At lunchtime, mouthwatering varieties of dim sum are also seen on every table.
Priced at 50-65 baht per basket, China Palace's dim sum delicacies are regarded among the best in Bangkok. The classic prawn dumplings, vegetable dumplings (fun gow), rolled noodles, deep-fried taro and salapao buns with cream filling proved to be of top quality every time we've visited.
But if you want to try something special, order gui chai gow and hum sui gow, and I guarantee that you'll be truly satisfied.
The first delicacy is steamed chive dumplings with prawn which offered a substantial and toothsome prawn-packed content. The latter, the restaurant's signature item, presents deep-fried dough with soft savoury filling made with chives, dried shrimp, pickled radish, minced pork, chicken and shiitake mushroom. This delicious nibble is best enjoyed while still warm.
The next dish, the creme de la creme of Chinese soups, phra kradod kumpaeng, or "monk jumps over the wall" (1,450 baht) is treasured by the Chinese for its delicate flavour as well as its medicinal properties.
Braised for eight hours, the thick brown soup is a concoction of prime Chinese ingredients - shark's fin, dried abalone, dried scallop, sea cucumber, fish maw, black chicken, soft shelled turtle's belly and venison tendon as well as five Chinese herbs. The rich and subtle soup is believed to be beneficial to your health and proved to be sumptuous.
Of all the hors d'oeuvre choices, we waived drunken chicken, jelly fish in sesame seed oil, deep-fried shrimp balls and chilled pork leg, for deep-fried banana and seafood fritters (170 baht for five pieces) just because it sounded unusual.
Before it arrived, I couldn't imagine how the sweet banana could blend in with the briny seafood. But the brittle treat with creamy stuffing presented aromatically delicious evidence of great creativity that will please kids and grown-ups alike.
Another item that you shouldn't miss is por pia ped, or crispy rolls with duck filling (150 baht). This one-of-a-kind dish made with stir-fried minced duck meat wrapped in a delicate rice lattice and served with iceberg lettuce is among the reasons why I personally love patronising China Palace.
To eat, wrap the roll in the crisp lettuce, with or without adding sweet plum sauce. What you'll get is a lovely combination of refreshing flavours and awesome textures.
Baked scallop with clear noodles (250 baht per two scallops) is currently a hit among regulars. Presenting imported scallops from Japan, the dish was an equally tasty yet less messy alternative for those who like poo or goong ob woonsen.
Normally I have no interest in any dish cooked with liquor, but goong chae lao, or flash boiled prawn in Chinese wine (300 baht) was so good that my dining companions and I plan to order it again on our next visit. The prawn meat was so impressively naturally sweet that I could simply ignore the liquor fragrance as well as the sour and spicy dipping sauce that was served on the side.
Regardless of how much great food we already had on our table, the steamed red garoupa in soy sauce (2,400 baht per kilo) was supposed to be the star of the meal. Unfortunately, when it arrived piping hot from the kitchen, the 800-gramme fish, bathed in salty soy sauce and topped with finely sliced spring onions, was a bit overcooked and the meat had lost its sweet juice.
We wrapped up our lunch with deep-fried Chinese pancake with jujube paste (150 baht) as usual and weren't at all disappointed.
This wasn't my first visit to China Palace, but I can absolutely say that it's my best call ever. Perhaps it was because this time we didn't solely follow our own gastronomic desires but ordered what we were told were the best the restaurant has on offer.
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China Palace
Si Phraya Road
Tel 02-236-6519/20
Open: Daily 11am-2:30pm and 5:30-10:30pm
Parking: Plenty within the premise (valet service available)
Credit card: Visa, Master, Amex
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