Services: 5/10
Scale: [1=poor ---- 5=average/standard ---- 10=outstanding/exceptional]
A few years back, I did a review on
Chef Man at Eastin Hotel Makkasan branch which was quite a good dim sum experience. This time, an opportunity came again with family lunch at Royal Place 2 branch which is on Ratchadamri road. For this Royal Place 2 branch, it is rather convenient in term of commuting: parking spaces available and within a few minutes walk from BTS Ratchadamri station. As for atmosphere, it is more like its 1st branch, Eastin Grand Hotel Sathorn: more of Chinese contemporary feel. The thing I do not like about this branch of Chef Man is the way it is crowded. Noise is everywhere.
If you are to come here for business discussion, make sure you ask for a private room. Nevertheless, there is a price for it. There is a room charge at THB1,000 per room. Personally, this is a ridiculous charge. If you are in a large group, it is unavoidable to get a private which comes with big table and you should not be charged at all. On the other hand, if there are only a few of you and asked for a private room, then it is sensible to charge. Remember, booking in advance is essential here as it is very famous at the time of writing.
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| Chef Man @ Royal Place 2, Ratchadamri |
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| kind of busy dining hall |
The impression of dim sum here has been constantly delightful. From the steam range,
Ha Kao (7/10) was mouth-filling with fresh and big shrimp.
Siu Mai (5/10) and
Steamed Seaweed Pork Dumplings with Wild Mushroom (5/10) were below Ha Kao standard: kind of bland at a certain point. As for fried dishes, I feel steam range is more superior.
Deep-fried Bean Curd Skin Roll with Shrimp (5/10) and
Crispy Shrimp Wrapped with Rice Noodle (6/10) were not so satisfactory crisp and savoury but generously filled with shrimps.
Deep-fried Taro with Curry Sauce Dumpling (6/10) was, on the other hand, crispy and flaky. The filling was enjoyable but not excellent. At least, the balance between taro and curry played a nice role.
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| Ha Kao (Shrimp Dumpling) - ฮะเก๋ากุ้ง (THB130) |
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| Deep-fried Bean Curd Skin Roll with Shrimp - ฟองเต้าหู้ทอด (THB110) |
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| Crispy Shrimp Wrapped with Rice Noodle - ก๋วยเตี๋ยวหลอดกุ้งทอด (THB170) |
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| Deep-fried Taro with Curry Sauce Dumpling - เผือกทอด (THB105) |
For more famous dishes,
Xiao Long Bao Dumpling (6/10) was juicy and big. But xiao long bao from the chain Din Tai Fung is still the favourite vote with juicier and thinner dough.
Rice Noodle with Barbecued Pork (5/10), however, did let me down really. I expect more than just generous filling of barbecued pork. Dimension of flavour is needed here. As for the dish that gave the birth of Chef Man in Bangkok,
Steamed Salted Egg Yolk Cream Bun (6/10) was another disappointment. The bun used to be thinner and the filling used to pop out like lava explosion. It was not the case this time. Perhaps it is so crowded and consistency cannot be kept at Chef Man. Despite some disappointment, good things also arrived.
Baked Snow Buns with Barbecued Pork (7/10) and
Baked Barbecued Pork Bun (6/10) did bring liveliness to the table. Did not expect them to be as nearly good as ones in Hong Kong. But they almost did. Thump up especially to Baked Snow Buns with Barbecued Pork.
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| Xiao Long Bao Dumpling - เสี่ยวหลงเปา (THB115) |
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| Rice Noodle with Barbecued Pork - ก๋วยเตี๋ยวหลอดหมูแดง (THB150) |
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| Steamed Salted Egg Yolk Cream Bun - ซาลาเปาไส้ไหล (THB125) |
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| Baked Snow Bun with Barbecued Pork - ซาลาเปาหิมะ (THB125) |
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| Baked Barbecued Pork Bun - ซาลาเปาหมูแดงอบ (THB110) |
Now moving on to more serious dish of non dim sum.
Roasted Crispy Pork (7/10) was well prepared definitely. The crispiness, the juiciness, the tenderness, and the savoury were all there. The only problem for this dish was pricing surely. THB1,200 for this plate, you must be joking me.
Deep-fried Prawn in Wasabi Salad (5/10) was an ordinary dish that you now may find in many Chinese restaurants in Bangkok. As usual, it was enjoyable but on average of satisfaction. Wasabi and mayonnaise look like belonging to each other but not compliment each other well in my opinion. It was just a creamy crispy dish with spice of wasabi.
Roasted Pigeon Hong Kong Style (6/10) was well made with crispiness in flavourful tenderness. Again it is expensive with the charge of THB500 per small pigeon. For
Barbecued Peking Duck (6/10), it was delightful with variation of both skin only and meat on skin. The sweetness and distinct aroma of mango brought out another dimension well. However, I still prefer the matching of lychee at
Fei Ya at Renaissance Ratchaprasong Bangkok. This time, we had the duck meat cooked in the recommended way:
Deep-fried Duck with Garlic and Chilli (7/10). I admit that this was a great recipe and technique. Well flavoured and well fried: crisp but still tender. Cheers chef.
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| Roasted Crispy Pork - หมูกรอบ (THB1,200) |
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| Deep-fried Prawn in Wasabi Salad - กุ้งทอดซอสวาซาบิ (THB500) |
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| Roasted Pigeon Hong Kong Style - นกพิราบทอดหนังกรอบ (THB500) |
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| Barbecued Peking Duck - เป็ดปักกิ่ง (THB1,600) |
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| Deep-fried Duck with Garlic and Chilli - เป็ดทอดพริกกระเทียม |
To end savoury meal, it is often to be soup and starch. For the soup, it was
Red Grouper Cooked in Supreme Broth (7/10). Nice, creamy, and rich in flavour the soup was. The freshness of red grouper played its role pleasantly. This is almost my favourite dish for Chinese food. However, I would really recommend this dish at
Silk Road at Plaza Athenee Bangkok for max satisfaction. The left over head of red group was then cooked to another wonderful dish:
Braised Red Grouper Head Chef Man Style (8/10). Again, it was rich in flavour with sticky chewy tenderness of texture. Last but not least, it was Lobster with Egg Noodle Chef Man Style (5/10). Well, it was delicious. But I am sure there are much better ways to cook lobster to bring out its unique scent. It seemed to lack this and that: the texture, the overcooking, the lack of savouriness, and the lack of magic touch supposedly.
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| Red Grouper Cooked in Supreme Broth - ปลาเก๋าแดงลวกยอดซุปสไตล์เชฟแมน (THB4,680) |
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| fresh and rich soup |
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| Braised Red Grouper Head Chef Man Style - หัวปลาเก๋าน้ำแดง |
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| Lobster with Egg Noodle Chef Man Style - บะหมี่กุ้งมังกรเชฟแมน (THB4,500) |
For dessert, we had
Black Sesame Dumplings in Ginger (6/10) and
Mango Pudding (6/10). Both were nice but too typical. They can be found anywhere at Chinese restaurants. It just happens to be of good quality here.
All in all, the experience was at satisfaction though not memorable. What they need to improve here is probably its service. Often the service from staffs here seems to be a bit heartless. It is like the place is so popular and staffs do not have to care much about their customers. The other let down point is the pricing. In two years only, the price has been marked up by 25% - 50% depending dishes: see the previous review of
Chef Man at Eastin Hotel Makkasan. We feel it is somewhat taking advantages out of customers truly. Well, judge it yourself then.
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| Black Sesame Dumplings in Ginger - บัวลอยน้ำขิง (THB95) |
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| Mango Pudding - พุดดิ้งมะม่วง (THB95) |
Chef Man @ Royal Place 2, Ratchadamri, Bangkok - เชฟแมน @ โรยัลเพลส 2 ถนนราชดำริ กรุงเทพฯ
