Royal Dim Sum restaurant opens in Westbury

Should Long Island have more dim sum restaurants? Judging by the robust crowd at the new Royal Dim Sum in Westbury, the answer is yes. On a recent Saturday morning, the front area by the fish tank felt like a sports game with packed customers spilling out onto the ramp that descends into the grandiose dining room. Patrons seated at the front tables had no choice but to take in that frenetic energy throughout their meal, staring down the hungry masses while they drank tea and snacked on shrimp dumplings. 

Royal Dim Sum has claimed the former home of Chuan Tian Xia or Sichuan World, a handsome high-ceilinged space that closed in 2023 and remained empty for more than a year. This new full-service Cantonese restaurant is a win for the Samanea Mall, which has billed itself as an Asian restaurant row but has yet to welcome many of its advertised concepts. Next up will be the first Long Island location of Nan Xiang soup dumplings, which is expected mid-March, followed by Bonchon Korean fried chicken, Tous Les Jours, YiFang Taiwan Fruit Tea and Ichiddo Ramen later this year. 

Royal Dim Sum owner Ricky Chen moved to Jericho from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania last year, and has previously run revolving sushi bars, seafood boil restaurants, a poke bowl joint and frozen yogurt shop. He co-owns Wagyu Yama Yakiniku & Seafood Shabu in the New World Mall in Flushing, Queens.

"This is what this strip is missing. There's ramen, there's a hibachi," he said. "This is a new field for me. I've never done dim sum." 

Chen is well connected with restaurant people in Flushing, and was able to hire Cantonese chefs Feng Lin, who is originally from Hong Kong, and Ming Lee who hails from Guangzhou. The two crafted a dim sum menu as well as a sizable selection of Cantonese dinner items with an emphasis on preparing live seafood from the tanks at the restaurant. Although there were no carts during a recent weekend visit, Chen said cart service is beginning 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.on Saturday and Sunday mornings. 

When carts aren't available, patrons choose items from a paper menu by checking boxes next to photographs. The 46 items range from adorable custard buns shaped like baby pigs ($6.50), to highbrow selections like pork shumai dumplings topped with abalone ($8.75). About a third of the items — which are mostly deep-fried — are only offered before 3 p.m. when the dim sum chef is on shift. Signature dim sum dishes like shrimp har gow and barbecue pork char siu bao buns are available all day. Once the selections are chosen, customers offer their paper menus up to one of the many servers rushing around the room. A few minutes later, the Dishes appear one by one.

A steamer basket of crystal shrimp har gow dumplings comes with a translucent wrapper that is thicker and gummier than usual. The pork shumai dumplings (minus the abalone) are meaty and plump, some of the best had in recent memory. The barbecue pork buns are brilliantly fluffy and light. But the panfried turnip cakes with dried shrimp and sausage ($5.50) are a favorite, as the griddled patties are smooth and glutinous, with bits of salty meat. A royal meal, indeed. 

Royal Dim Sum, 1500 Old Country Rd., unit 102B, Westbury, 516-382-9091. Open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 

By Andi Berlin

andi.berlin@newsday.comAndiBerlin

Andi Berlin is from Arizona and does not know where she is going. But when she gets there, she’ll find something beautiful and delicious that the world needs to taste.