New Royal Garden

Mietta's Eating & Drinking in Melbourne 2000

Contributors' Choice
Page 114

On a prime corner spot in Syndal, the New Royal Garden is one of the area's busiest and best restaurants. Most of the customers come from Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. They are mainly families who live locally with lots of children at their tables. The banquets here are quite spectacular, a lot of seafood but also Peking duck, excellent suckling pig and other roast meats. There is a display of these meats and other poultry (the soya chicken has a lovely delicacy) at the entrance which doubles as a takeaway shop. Traffic is constant, the kids run round and the tables turn over quickly. Basic linen cloths, blue speckled carpet, soft-pink walls and large latticed windows provide a pleasant though undistinguished atmosphere. But you will be far too busy here keeping up with all the food to worry about looking around. Because so many customers are regulars here and know what they want you might expect the waiters get a bit impatient if you ask too many questions. Bring along half a dozen friends, preferably some Cantonese cuisine experts or just order the King Crab or one of the other special banquets.

562 High Street
Syndal
Chinese Cuisine
Phone: 9886 1388
Opening hours: Mon-Thur 11.30am-3pm, 5.30-10.30pm, Fri-Sun 11am-3pm, 5.30-11.30pm
Licensed & BYO
Corkage: $1 per person
Accepts credit cards
Seats Inside: 220
Features: Restricted smoking, kids encouraged, private room seats 24
Favourites: Stuffed duck with prawns fried with light batter and dipped in a mussel sauce $18.50, Pork spare ribs with spicy salt and chilli $10.50, Eye fillet steak with honey & black pepper suace $14.50

An updated review of New Royal garden