Dragon-i has recently opened an outlet in Queensbay Mall. I’ve seen this outlet in The Curve and it was jam-packed. And since Penangites are prone to the “new toilet syndrome”, I wasn’t surprised to see a long line forming outside the outlet last weekend when I was out shopping. They even had 3 rows of seats in front of the shop to accomodate the waiting crowd. Well, of course, I didn’t go in then. I simply took the brochure and business card, just in case I wanted to make a reservation for a lunch appointment a few days later.
So last Thursday, my 3 girlfriends and I decided to check the place out. A couple of days before, I had read a review that claimed the service was impeccable. Expecting to be served like queens, we arrived shortly after noon and were glad to note that we didn’t have to wait long to be seated. Unfortunately, I was sorely disappointed with the service. Not only were we made to wait aeons for our orders to be taken, our plain water took ages to arrive as well. Service was sadly provided with nary a smile. Although the restaurant was full with people having lunch, but that is hardly an excuse for the poor attention and service rendered. I regret now that I had forgotten to leave a comment on their comment card but I guess this post will have to do just as well.
But thank goodness the food saved the day! We ordered the drunken chicken, which was a tastefully prepared cold dish. It was a fantastic appetizer which left me wanting more, and that’s always good when it comes to food.
Then of course we ordered their famous la mien (pulled mee), in both the soup and dry variety. For the soup variety, we had the spicy la mien, which was exquisitely prepared with minced meat and a hint of ground peanuts in a slightly spicy sauce. It was the one with the biggest picture in the menu, so we figured it ought to be the specialty of the restaurant. I can’t remember the price, but I think it was RM18 per bowl. We also ordered the seafood la mien which was recommended by the waitress, but that left much to be desired unfortunately. I thought it tasted just like any regular mee goreng, which would have only cost a fraction of the price. So go with the soup la mien if you want that bang for your buck.
We also ordered the famous siew long pao, which came in a serving of 4 pieces. Although it tasted excellent, I felt like I was being robbed in broad daylight in terms of garnishing. See… this is what Dragon-i has advertised their siew long pao looks like in the brochure:
and this is what we got, plonked down on our table:
Doesn’t it pale in comparison? No carrots and vegetables to make the pao look more delectable. Tsk.
Our final dish is something known as “The Pao that the Dog dowan to eat”, which is a direct translation of the name of the dish in Mandarin. Don’t ask me why it is named as such though. In English, it is stated in the menu as Tianjin Steamed Meat Bun. It comes in a serving of 2 steamed buns, containing a meaty filling. Nothing to shout about really, but delicious all the same.
Our lunch came amounted to about RM66, not too bad, I would say for a hearty lunch. Oh yeah, there’s a discount of 10% off the total food bill if you pay with your SBB (now CIMB) credit card. And credit should be given to the waitress because she informed us of this. See? I do give credit where credit is due.
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Our Journey of Love
Nice place, i-Dragon, the branch at Centre Point in PJ too. Always enjoyed myself in there the few times I was there, and the Spicy La Mein looked gorgeous! Never tried that, I think. I also couldn’t remember if our Siew Loong Paus looked as miserable, but they were really good! The juice as you nibble on it!
The Giddy Tiger says: Yeah, I really love the juicy part too!
oooo, I’m missing those siewloongpaus from Dragon-i! I think that would be one dish I’d go for when I’m back. and the la mien too… mmmmmm! their noodles are my favourite.
The Giddy Tiger says: Would you consider opening an franchise in Australia? *wink*
hey do u know that each dragon-i has their specialiaities, that u cant find in other dragon i hehe…go ask them what’s theirs
The Giddy Tiger says: I didn’t know that – will ask them what it is next time I go.
Do you know that for as long as Dragon-i has opened their outlets in the Curve and 1Utama (I think there’s one there!), I haven’t even stepped inside? *grin* But that spicy la mein looks pretty good…
The Giddy Tiger says: Next thing you know, you’d be visiting the Penang one instead!
i went to QueensBay on Thursday nite for dinner at Friday…. i saw lots of people at I Dragon… freak me out…
and at the same time lots of people wanting baskin robbin
The Giddy Tiger says: You were in Penang? Or are you staying in Penang?
I like the boiled soups in Dragon-i! Very nice for a light and nutritious dinner!
The Giddy Tiger says: I’ll make it a point to try that the next visit!
I’ve eaten at the one in Cititel, Midvalley megamall. Not too bad the food, tho I keep ending up eating the same old things everytime i.e the siew long bao which isn’t that great to be honest. I want to try the other foods next time. I saw someone eating a pork cutlet rice that looked scrumptious!
The Giddy Tiger says: Hmmm ok…one more thing on my list of to-try items! 🙂
wah…so nice ya the pau, giddy tiger, u make me very hungry ah….
The Giddy Tiger says: They’re as good as they look 😀 ..and yes it was my intent to make you drool. Hehehe.
Oi!!! Why I read this before lunch! So hungry can die!!!! hahaha But I promise to only drool.
How much wine does a chicken drink before it gets drunk. That is a question I never can get the answer for. Why? Cuz the drunken chickes always get chopped up before I get the answer. 😛
The Giddy Tiger says: Oh is that why it is called a drunken chicken? Cos it’s drunk? ROTFLMAO… 😀
I saw a few in KL but always forgot to go as we will end up eating something else before we remember to go to this new hip place… 😛 Maybe I should go to QBM soon… 😛
The Giddy Tiger says: Yeah, and maybe, just maybe, I might bump into you there!
food ok la but i think just overpriced lor..wonder how long they can tahan in penang lei! hahahaha…
The Giddy Tiger says: Penang folks are still taken in by the new toilet syndrome. I do agree it is overpriced, but I guess people are paying for the name and the decor.
I ate at one, I believe in 1U…and I find their food nothing to shout for. The service was quite bad too..I think their waiters/waitresses were not given enough training.
The Giddy Tiger says: Exactly my point! I felt the waiters/waitresses were trained how to be snobbish.
Arghh… I only like the poach kai lan… it’s nice. In KL this place is always full too…. new toilets ler…
The Giddy Tiger says: Ooohh…is the poached kai lan overpriced too? But will keep that in mind the next time I visit.
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