Review: Royal Chinese B.B.Q. in St. Louis

For many years, the Royal Chinese B.B.Q. was, in the Guru's judgment, the St. Louis Chinese restaurant that looked and tasted most like the Chinatown restaurants of San Francisco. Slow-roasting ducks, chickens and pork hung in all their fat-dripping, red-gold, crisping glory behind a kitchen window that was visible from outside, and also one of the first sights just inside the front door.

The small foyer was bedecked with pictures, menus and reprints of reviews from area publications. As time went by, the paper curled, the ink faded, a grease stain or two arrived, the opinions remained unchanged. It was not a particularly welcoming sight, and it gave no indication of the glories that awaited inside.

A large menu was hand-printed on a chalkboard in mixed Chinese and English, the atmosphere was casual, English was definitely a second language.

One of my fondest memories was watching four Asian women trimming the tender tips of pea shoots one evening. The restaurant skipped such things as egg rolls and moo shu pork, and was very light on appetizers. Large tables with lazy Susans in the middle were ready for large groups of diners. There was a scruffy air that belied the excellence of the food, the skill of the cooks, the friendliness of the servers who tried, to the extent of their language skills, to make suggestions and explain the menus.

Dishes came out of the kitchen freshly cooked, steaming hot and with the brilliant colors of Chinese cookery, the bright green and red sweet peppers, green and white scallions, the varying greens of bok choy, black mushrooms and straw mushrooms, dark red and dangerous hot peppers, red-edged roast pork, crispy poultry, seafood of all types, pale cubes of tofu dotted with flakes of red pepper and off-white ginger coins.

Things changed during the past few months, but the food has remained exquisite. But now, there are paneled walls, a smaller and uncluttered entry, new tables and chairs and an entire aura of a higher class of restaurant. It remains casual and familiar, and while prices may be a bit higher, but Royal Chinese remains a modestly priced restaurant, with servings that usually provide lunch or even much of dinner the next day.

The chalk board of specials remains, and a boneless steamed duck special was just that - special. The tender, flavorful duck was delicious, though steaming kept the duck skin from being crisp. However, the dish also included roast pork, shrimp, squid, scallops, straw mushrooms, sweet peppers, bok choy, spinach and ginger, all combining for a maximum of flavor. The dish had some hot pepper flakes here and there, but not enough to get in the way or bring too much heat. And at $12, it was a bargain.

The hot pots of northern Chinese cuisine are present in a variety of styles, including seafood eggplant, seafood tofu, beef stew, beef eggplant and a mixed vegetables pot with vermicelli noodles. Being a large fan of eggplant, I went in that direction, and it was pleasantly spiced, definitely tasty and perfectly cooked.

By the way, Royal Chinese and other Asian restaurants are a fine recommendation for vegetarians. Most have plenty of vegetarian selections – more than a dozen at Royal Chinese, and the Szechwan tofu was exceptional, with a smooth, almost silky texture to the soy bean curd and some scallions, pepper and ginger adding an extra fillip of flavor. This was comfort food at its ultimate, and it tastes good in spite of the fact that tofu is good for you, too.

Shanghai water dumplings, or "soup dumplings," are made of light dough, filled with meat and steamed to pick up juices from the pot. Be careful eating. Get the entire dumpling into the mouth rather than trying to take a bite, which will squirt soup all over your shirt. A superior appetizer.

Slices of barbecued pork, crispy and slightly chewy but of rich smoky flavor, are an appetizer that go back to the Guru's chldhood, and those at Royal Chinese bring back memories of an upstairs restaurant at the corner of Eastern Parkway and Nostrand Avenue, next door to the Loew's Cameo movie theater.

Sliced roast lamb, Szechuan style, with lots of scallions and a hint of ginger give a new dimension to lamb and there's a hint of sweetness that is far better than any flavor brought by mint jelly. Clams with black bean sauce are another delight, piping hot and in a tangy sauce, and salt and pepper do wonderful things to shrimp and scallops. The former are not battered but dusted with salt and pepper before being tossed into the fryer, and they're so tender they can be eaten head, tail and all. Scallops, whose shells are definitely inedible, are delicious in the same manner, with plenty of salt and black pepper to heighten the flavor.

As usual, the menu is large, the attitude favors sharing, the flavors range the spectrum and it's often surprising just how good the combination that is odd to the ear will be perfect to the nose and the tongue.
Tea and beer are the beverages of choice. Dessert is unnecessary, and regardless of what your fortune cookie may say, mine always reads: "You shall be happy, healthy and in love while you prepare to return here for dinner."