Be Happy at Hong Kong Royal

Be Happy at Hong Kong Royal
Interviewed Cuiyin Zhang Written by Pam McElroy

“Eat happily.” This is Kenny Kei’s philosophy when it comes to running his successful Hong Kong Royal Restaurant in Carrollton, Texas. He and his staff do everything possible to be sure each customer is enjoying their meal, satisfied with the service, and comfortable in the dining room. And there’s proof in the array of positive online reviews. One reviewer says, “This place is awesome! I highly recommend it! It was my first time trying this [restaurant] and it met my expectations. Great food, good service, and very clean.” 

East Meets West
The traditional Cantonese restaurant is 7,800 square feet. The upscale, dine-in restaurant is located in a developing area, just a few miles from the town’s City Hall. Kenny was particularly pleased that two Carrollton mayors who participated in the official opening day ceremony of Hong Kong Royal Restaurant. “They cut the ribbon to give my restaurant a brand new beginning,” Kenny said. While the town is small, Kenny predicts it to be quite bustling and prosperous in the coming years.

As for the interior décor, Kenny wanted to give his restaurant a grand yet simple décor. Having worked in a few upscale restaurants in Hong Kong, Kenny blended some ideas from his past experience with his own new ideas and the result is beautiful. Everything comes together harmoniously from the wall décor to the tablecloths and lighting. And while the interior décor features elements of both western and traditional Chinese design, the concept remains bright, clean, and classy.

Cantonese Night Tea and More
Hong Kong Royal Restaurant’s menu focuses on traditional Cantonese—especially Dim Sum and seafood—and Americanized Chinese cuisine. While Dim Sum is common in many American Chinese restaurants, Hong Kong Royal has gone and step further by offering “Cantonese Night Tea,” during which patrons can also enjoy Dim Sum in the evening, not just during the day.

However, the Cantonese Night Tea is not the only thing worth talking about on the menu. A large variety of exquisitely prepared foods with colorful textures and aromatic flavors are also available. Kenny prefers to serve dishes that are lighter in flavor, but the kitchen will gladly fix any dish to a customer’s liking. And all of the meals offered are healthy. “I don’t want the food to look oily or taste greasy,” explains Kenny. “Customers will never feel the oil here.” Only high quality ingredients, vegetable oil, and soy bean oil are used and all of the sauces are homemade using chicken and pork stock.   

When Kenny made up his mind to open Hong Kong Royal in Carrollton, he did not figure on having such many loyal non-Asian customers who love traditional Chinese cuisine and choose his restaurant as the preferred Chinese eatery.

When simple and elegance home-style cooking is more acceptable among most of the families gatherings, Hong Kong Royal also caters for banquets and parties, providing rare and famous delicacies. The spacious dinning hall can seated up to 400 diners at a time.

Kenny recommends the Seafood Dumplings with XO Sauce, which is a dish of dumplings stuffed with shredded crabmeat, shrimp, scallops, and asparagus. Finally, the dumplings are seasoned with the XO sauce and topped with crab roe.

The most popular dishes are the Pork Dumplings, Shrimp Dumplings, Shrimp Dumplings with Spinach, Fried Shrimp Balls, Steamed BBQ Pork Buns, Pan Fried Leek Buns, Lobster with Ginger and Green Onions, Crispy Whole Fish with Soy Sauce, Peking Duck, Sizzling Beef with Black Pepper Sauce, Dry Fried Kidney Beans, General Tso’s Chicken, and Sesame Chicken.

“I have a close relationship with the market owner next door,” boasts Kenny. “Customers’ needs are always met.” The freshness of ingredients is always 100% guaranteed.

Bending Over Backward
Kenny prefers to hire chefs who are willing to learn. He knows what his customers want, and his chefs have learned to provide exactly what they are looking for. His kitchen and wait staff have all been well trained and work very efficiently together. The staff can always be found sincerely smiling and never argue with customers. Their goal is to be sure the customers leave happy.

Hong Kong Royal Restaurant has been enriched over a decade by different cooking ideas and cultures, blending the best culinary art of East and West. Kenny is happy to receive customized orders, as long as the ingredients are available in the market. In addition to the nice service, customers from all over the country feel like home when dining at Hong Kong Royal Restaurant.

“I believe in good food, excellent service, tidiness, and a nice demeanor,” explains Kenny. These elements of service are the keys to running a successful restaurant. And Kenny’s success in this area is one of the reasons why Hong Kong Royal Restaurant was given the “Top Local Favorites” award by Chinese Restaurant News in the 6th annual Top100 Chinese Restaurants ceremony held in Las Vegas in January 2010. And this is not surprising considering the amount of hard work Kenny and his staff have put into the restaurant. “I am very confident about the food served at my restaurant. I would say 99% of the customers feel they are treated well. I feel lucky to have so many loyal customers supporting me,” says Kenny.

“We shall never remember the benefit we have offer, nor forget the favor we receive,” Kei believes. He always sponsors schools’ activities and gives donation to social charities. Thus, his restaurant was awarded the local “the House of Charity”.

All About Kenny Kei...
Kenny first arrived in the United States in 1983 and lived in Seattle. Over the years he worked in a number of restaurants throughout the country. The name “Hong Kong Royal” was set up fifteen years ago when Kei opened his first restaurant. During the next years, Kei was uncourageous enough to try managing different kinds of restaurants. Although the whole country is suffering from the backwards economy, with years of adequate cooking and managing experiences he grained, Kenny was confident to open Hong Kong Royal Restaurant in Carrollton, Texas in 2007.

“Concentrate when you are preparing dishes. And know whether or not you are interested in cooking,” advises Kenny. He urges restaurant owners and chefs to be diligent and have a good attitude toward life and especially the restaurant industry. “No matter what you are doing, plunge into your career with enthusiasm and care deeply about the work. The only way to have confidence in your own strength is to arm yourself with experience and an open mind to do things better,” he says.

In the future Kenny places to open another restaurant featuring a western bar, sushi bar, Cantonese Dim Sum, Chinese, and Japanese cuisines. Although, for the immediate future, Kenny plans to keep his energy focuses on Hong Kong Royal Restaurant.