A span of 14 years seems like a long time for any restaurant to retain its menu, especially when you consider that most new restaurants revamp their menus once every six to 12 months.

However, Royal Copenhagen Tea Lounge had a winning formula by pairing decent, if not spectacular, food with an intimate ambience and lovely chinaware. One went there to sip tea, to relax, to have a tête-à-tête with friends. It helped that the food was generally well-prepared and presented oh-so-prettily.

With its new menu, the eatery is finally focusing on the backbone of every self-respecting eating establishment: the food.

Herring, or to be more specific, pickled herring, is an acquired taste. The Herring Sampler ($18.90) presents this fish staple in three different ways - traditional, spice-pickled and curry. I quite liked the traditionally-pickled herring, which conjured up images of the sea and fishing boats, but my dining companion did not particularly fancy the fishy taste, even though there was no strong odour whatsoever.

If salmon is more your thing, try the Copenhagen Salmon Platter ($18.90) which has two different types of salmon - cured and smoked. The smoked salmon was rolled around pickled fennel drizzled with slightly sweet dill-mustard sauce. The house-cured salmon, presented in the shape of a flower, was light on the palate thanks to the crème fraiche and smooth potatoes.

A new dish on the menu which is a must-try is the Crispy Oven Roast Chicken ($15.90, left), a signature dish of new chef Norman bin Abdullah. The chicken was very flavourful and juicy, and the tender meat was further enhanced by the variety of herbs used to marinate it. The baby potatoes were also a delightful complement as they soak up the juices and flavours of the chicken and spices. The skin of the chicken is slightly crispy - but please do not expect the same level of crispness one would get from a deep-fried chicken.

Another impressive dish was RC's Sunny-Side Hamburger Steak ($16.90), which was essentially a deconstructed hamburger topped with a well-prepared sunny-side-up egg. The beef was finely ground and flavourful, while the beetroot added a sweet taste which melded the various flavours of egg and steak together. This yummy dish must be devoured when it is still piping hot, and may be a good choice for those looking for a satisfying meal.

Regulars would be pleased to know that Royal Copenhagen Tea Lounge has retained old favourites. These items tend to be lighter than the new additions to the menu, and address hungry stomachs without bloating them up.

If you want something very light, you can't go wrong with the Royal Birth open-faced sandwich ($10.90), which has delicately diced eggs on a piece of toast, topped off with caviar. The taste is light and refreshing, while the caviar adds a hint of flavour. A more filling option would be the Shooting Star ($16.90), which is also an open-faced sandwich. This one is topped with dory fillet prepared in two ways - fried and steamed. What I enjoyed most about it is the remoulade and paprika sauce, which tastes like tartar sauce, but is less sharp and has more flavour.

Dessert was a Honey Date Pudding ($7.90) which was served steaming hot. It was surprisingly light in texture, but was rich in taste. The butterscotch sauce complemented the pudding's sweet honey flavour, which was rather addictive. This is one of the items from the old menu that was retained, and it is easy to see why.

The Warm Baked Chocolate Explosion ($12.90) should appeal to chocoholics who think that a chocolate cake should have more chocolate than cake.

Royal Copenhagen Tea Lounge's new menu does have items worth trying, and is a good excuse for those who have never stepped foot into the eatery to experience one of Orchard Road's few dining oases.

Royal Copenhagen Tea Lounge
Takashimaya Level 2
391 Orchard Road
(S) 238872
Tel: 6735 6833
Operating Hours: Mondays to Sundays: 10.00 am to 9.00pm.