Dragon Restaurant [龍都酒樓]

Visit: March 21, 2012
Address: 台北市中山北路1段105巷18-1號
Number: (02)2563-9293

I'm not completely sure how many times I've brought up this restaurant to my grandparents, but apparently it made quite a huge impression on my visiting cousin. When I finally got us reservations at the Dragon Restaurant, my cousin laughed and told me that after listening to me nag for 5 months, I was finally going get to try it the duck.

Dragon Restaurant

Dragon Restaurant

The seating area of the first two floors right when they opened for the night...

Menu


Complimentary Appetizers (小菜)

Appetizers: Preserved eggs, tofu strips, pickled cucumber.

 My favorite out of the three was the preserved eggs.

Cantonese Roast Duck (廣式片皮鴨) $1200 NT

Cantonese Roast Duck

Cantonese Roast Duck

 I was getting super hungry by then....

Sauce and chili wrapped green onions

Sliced Cantonese Roast Duck

Cantonese Roast Duck in the process of being wrapped

 My favorite part of the roasted duck is always, the skin and the sauce, and Dragon Restaurant did not disappoint. Most of the fat was gone from the skin, which made the skin so much crunchier. I also liked how the green onions were wrapped by a piece of chili. It didn't do much for the taste, but it was definitely aesthetically pleasing. And of course, the duck meat itself was awesome and juicy.

Cantonese Duck Congee  (薑絲皮蛋鴨骨粥) 300 NT

Cantonese Duck Congee

During my research (yes I take food very seriously), almost all the blogs I looked at recommended the Cantonese Duck Congee; however, I was thoroughly disappointed. Maybe they were having an off day, or maybe I'm just not that into congee, but the congee tasted rather normal.

Roast Suckling Pig (化皮乳豬件) $560 NT

Roast Suckling Pig

 I think Dragon Restaurant has a special way of processing their meats, because once again, the roast pig was tender and not oily at all. I was really pleased with this dish.

Fried Delicious Prawn (濟頭鼓味皇中蝦) $380 NT

Fried Delicious Prawn

  I kind of forgot what this dish was called, so I'm blindly guessing from the menu. The prawns were fried and had a garlicky taste to it. The seasoning was nice, and I loved how I could just eat the prawns without peeling the shells off.

 Saute Kale (清炒芥蘭) $260 NT 

Saute Kale

Fried BBQ Pork Pie (蜜汁叉燒酥) $70 NT

Fried BBQ Pork Pie

The pork pie was so crispy and the bbq pork inside so yummy.

 Sesame Mochi Ball (流沙芝麻球) $70 NT

Sesame Mochi Ball

 I actually have no idea what this is called in English, but calling it sesame mochi ball does not do it justice because once you bit it open...

Insides of the Sesame Mochi Ball

Yes, it's warm sesame sauce, not paste, inside. The mochi was really chewy and unlike what I had first assumed, the sesame wasn't too sweet either. The only thing I had with it was that it wasn't warm enough when it was served.


Sweet Almond Jello (凍杏仁豆腐) $70 NT 

Sweet Almond Jello

Its mandarin name is quite deceiving with the "tofu"; however it really was just jello.


Three Layered Jello $70 NT

Three Layered Jello

The bottom layer I think was red bean, the middle coconut, but I couldn't quite figure out what kind of jello the top was. This was a nice refreshing serving of dessert.


Complimentary Mung Bean and Job's Tears Soup (綠豆薏仁湯)

Mung Bean and Job's Tears Soup

The mung bean soup was well flavored, but most important, the job's tears well cooked. They were cooked to the point of chewy without being too hard or soggy.

After months of suspense, Dragon Restaurant did live up to my expectations. The roast duck and roast pig were just simply delicious! I definitely recommend Dragon Restaurant! Make sure to make reservations a few weeks in advance though, because although it has three floors of seating area, it's always so fully booked even on weekdays. I can't keep track of the number of times I failed to get reservations even though I called a week in advance.