With its eccentric decor and assortment of different cuisines, Royal Vision is the place to go if you are bored of authentic Italian cafes and are looking for something a bit more ‘interesting.’
From its large signage to the Indian waiter promoting a random display of ‘classic Italian’ motorcycles by the entrance, anyone walking down the busy street of Jianshe Liu Malu will notice this bizarre establishment.
We’re not sure whether the place is attempting to capture bella Italia or going for a museum-esque concept, but the well-decorated interior with protected cases of European silverware, Italian motorcycles and chic European furniture definitely give diners an opportunity to capture Instagram-worthy photos.
Apart from the decor, visitors may be easily confused about the type of cuisine this place serves. With curry chicken pizza (RMB68), seafood biryani (RMB88) and Indian tea (RMB20) on the menu, it’s easy to mistake it for an Indian restaurant – and that’s before remembering the Indian staff member standing at the door.
Instead of having a menu brought to your table, diners can order at the counter. As recommended by the staff, we order the curry chicken pizza, avocado salad and mango sorbet. The waiter then throws in a complimentary slice of cheesecake, perhaps because we’re among the first to visit the newly opened shop.
As far as pizzas go, Royal Vision takes a (very) creative approach to making its crust. Inspired by European pastries, the texture of the curry chicken pizza crust is similar to a puff pastry or French croissant. The taste is as phony Western as anything in a local Chinese bakery.
The interesting combination of avocado salad (RMB48) with wasabi-ranch dressing is also not a taste to welcome. The avocado slices are unripe and tough to eat, while the dressing leaves the unpleasant surprise of spicy wasabi.
Moving on to more orderable options, the mango yogurt sorbet (RMB32) topped with creamy whipped cream delivers on fruity flavors. Another dessert that’s not too bad is the cheesecake (RMB22): its blend of velvety filling and slightly crunchy crust reminds one of classic cheesecakes in America.
All in all, this cafe’s attempt at Italian cuisine is not something to go for, but the venue has made a great effort to create its unique European-style atmosphere. Although the food isn’t quite there yet, the service is excellent, so we’ll give them points for trying.
Price: RMB100
Who’s going: the owner’s friends, Italian motorcycle enthusiasts
Good for: fancy dessert, photo ops
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