We’re not sure why we aren’t hearing more about Royal Pavilion, but this quiet entrant to the dining scene has proven itself to be a serious contender well worth its dim sum and roasts. While the 5,000 sqaure-foot restaurant sparkles with chandeliers dipping from the ceiling and welcomes you with newly minted furnishings waiting to be worn, the chef helming the kitchen is no stranger to the scene. With more than 30 years of culinary experience behind him, Executive Chef Chung Ho Shi, formerly from Golden Peony at Conrad Centennial Singapore, delivers his style of modern Cantonese cuisine with flair and vigour.

Come for the roasts — especially the royal smoked duck. It's roasted till the skin is crisp, meat succulent, then gently smoked with lychee tea leaves and wood chips. The best part? The duck is skilfully deboned before it arrives at the table.

Mains are backboned with clean, well-balanced flavours, and plated individually with modern-leaning sensibilities. Prawn and scallop arrive speared with crunchy green asparagus and set on a fresh moat of roe-rich crab meat sauce. An elegant ode to earth and sea. Another main features a side of fresh fish pounded into a paste and piped into slim noodle-like strips. Its creative showing is however upended by its plate mate — lobster dressed with ‘lao gan tie’ sauce, an umami-flushed chilli sauce made with dried prawn, silver fish, and chilli.

Dim sum, available for lunch all through the week, takes on a more classical showing. Though familiar dim sum favourites are well executed, give the new fangled creations such as the beautifully flaky shredded radish pastry roll and baked swiss barbecue snow bun a go. The latter reskins the traditional barbecue pork bun with a sweet and chewy casing laced with milk powder.   

Level 1, Park Regis Singapore. 23 Merchant Road. Tel: 6818 8851.