Hong Kong fare at Room Eighteen

My parents and I were in Mid Valley one day, and we were in the mood for Dim Sum. After searching high and low for a restaurant, we finally stumbled upon Room Eighteen - part of the Thai Tong Group of restaurants. The establishment is located outside, on the Ground Floor - the same row as Starbucks Cafe, near to the Center Court of Megamall, Mid Valley.

As I looked at the drink list, there was a long list of teas and right at the end, an option where you could mix any of the two. Being a tea lover, I was deeply impressed with this and I ordered a Mixture of Jasmine and Oolong right away. However when the drink came - to my surprise, it was nothing but two teabags in a glass of hot water. I found it quite funny.

We were served Deep fried Tofu in a Sweet sauce as a complementary appetiser.

As for the food, we ordered Taro Yam Croquettes. Each portion ordered contains two pieces. This dish was slightly disappointing, as the yam wasn't crisp enough and there was a lack of filling. We also ordered the World's No.1 Baked Bun, which consisted of two pieces, and was nice, crisp and warm, with a sweet pork filling that complemented the bun.

The Chinese Herbal Xiao Long Bao was quite different from the other soup dumplings that I usually have. The soup in these dumpling had a much thicker consistency than most of the other ones. The herbal flavour of these dumplings was very bold and was a bit too strong for me. Personally, I did not like this dish - but I guess it all boils down to your personal taste in the end.

Up next was the Steamed Siew Mai. These pork dumplings were incredibly succulent, with just the right proportion of meat and fat it. The dumplings were also served steaming hot - an indication of their freshness. Then we were served the Spicy Tofu Skin Roll. This dish was quite surprising as it wasn't spicy - at all, though the skins were nice and crisp and the meat inside was tender - with the sauce being very subtle in taste and complementing the meat nicely.

The Signature Fried Rice that we had ordered truly surpassed our expectations, as it had the distinct flavour and texture that authentic fried rice seems to have. The prawns were not overcooked, being large and juicy, while the rice wasn't over-salted or oily. This allowed me to taste the flavours and textures of the other ingredients such as the anchovies, green beans and the carrots.

Lastly, we were served the Barbecued Pork Ribs topped with Sesame Seeds. These ribs were very tender and succulent and had a natural sweetness to it. This complemented the crisp skin which was baked with a sweet marinade. This pork dish was very easy for me to eat, as the meat came off the bone very easily and was cooked very well.

On the whole, Room Eighteen was a satisfactory restaurant for me - though it wasn't that great of a place to dine in as the quality of the food wasn't consistent throughout. The service too was rather slow - and the waiters seemed to be rather stressed out due to the large crowd that was having lunch that day. I would recommend you to come early or later to avoid disappointment, and the food would presumably taste a lot better and fresher, then.

Presentation: 6/10

Ambiance: 5/10

Service: 4/10

Overall Taste: 6/10

General Impression: 5/10

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Cheers,

BrianandRepublic