Sunday, September 21, 2014

A Taste of Shanghai at Dragon-i

This is probably one of the most blogged places on my food blog; along with a bunch of other places which I just haunt on a regular basis.
You see, I am a comfort eater; whereby I tend to stick to the same type of favorite food that pleases me and the places which makes me feel comfortable to dine and sometimes this could just end up being the regular places I show up at. Of course everyone has that kind of comfort food, comfort places, but to sticking to it on a regular basis, that makes you, a comfort eater.
Not that it's such a bad thing, to be honest, but it sounds like it, when you claim to write and own a food blog *laughs*

Dragon-I is one of the places that I enjoy dining in; the food, the ambiance, the pricing, and well, the service, that is a tricky part sometimes.
This is definitely not an unfamiliar territory to most either anyway, and the fame of the restaurant has definitely extended to many parts; or major cities in the country.
They definitely do not need a formal introduction to their name.

Anyway, back to the food here; with a name like Dragon-i, it would not hard to guess that the restaurant specializes in Oriental cuisine, or to be specific, Chinese cuisine with elements and bits of the delectable styles of dishes from all over China.
Think along the lines of Szechuan, Guangdong, Shanghainese, and you get the whole picture.
Well, the restaurant prides or rather, centers on their specialties in Shanghainese cuisine specifically, and most of the offerings revolve around that theme while maintaining the whole Chinese-centric image.

Szechuan is a pretty popular theme here as well, take for instance:
La Mian with Seafood in Sweet and Sour Szechuan Soup

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Thick handmade noodles combined with thickened broth with that hint of spicy, sweet and sour tastes enhanced by the company of modest inclusion of seafood; shrimps, mushrooms, spring onions, sum up this bowl of goodness, best taken when it's hot from the kitchen and of course, works best with a rainy weather.
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Try the same combination of noodles and seafood, only in clear soup.
Perfect for the fuss-free and simple style diners, like yours truly

Seafood La Mian in Clear Soup

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Fan of Spare ribs?
La Mian with pork ribs in soup

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For a little deep fried taste of the noodles, go for the Braised Noodles with seafood; one of my all-time favorites.

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For something to order on the sides, to enjoy with your noodles or plain old white rice?
I have a couple of picks...

For starters, Smoked Fish is almost always on the list...

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Braised bean curd with seafood in a clay pot

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While I am not a big fan, but it is definitely customary for anyone I go with to Dragon-i that they must simply have this famous Xiao Long Bao; a soup-filled meat dumpling which is simply the delectable favorite on every patron's order list.

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Served with thinly sliced ginger immersed in vinegar, that is the way to have the Xiao Long Bao!
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I am no expert and definitely in no position to tell you how great this is, but I can safely say that almost everyone here has one of these babies on their table.
When they say you what the Romans do when you are in Rome, well, you do the same when you are in Shanghai, or at least the replica of it here, in Dragon-i?

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Steamy Hot Xiao Long Bao clouded in the hot vapor
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That's the way to enjoy your Xiao Long Bao, I was told....
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I could probably be writing about more of my personal favorite dishes here, but well, what's another post for?
It's not like this is my first post on the frequently-blogged about chain restaurant...

So....enjoy these pictures, and of course the replicas of the Terracotta warrior statues standing guard, lining the entrance into the restaurant~

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You may not be heading to China anytime soon, but there's no harm since China is brought here, on a mini scale, at least to give you that glimpse~
Or at least, a taste of Shanghai is here...a teeny weeny bit, and they are staying.... :-)


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