Dragon-i @ Gurney Plaza New Wing

Being an ardent supporter of both Dragon-i and Canton-i chains, I must say I am pretty disappointed with the standard of the latest Dragon-i outlet at Gurney Plaza new wing.

For one, the service was very slow when hubby and myself patronized back in October. Our orders came very late and we suspected it was due to the fact that our ordered was not entered into the system.

Next - the Shanghai Meat Dumplings (RM 9) were nothing but sheer disappointment. The moment we landed our chopsticks on the dumpling skin and placed it on the soup spoon, the skin tore and the broth contained within flowed out immediately - Yeah, way before we put them inside our mouths. This happened not just on one dumpling, but on all 4 of them!

But in order to be fair, there are certain delicacies - old and new alike which I enjoyed...

Beijing Dumpling (RM 9)


This is very much like the Shanghai Meat Dumpling, with the difference of:-
1. it's not served in a steamer
2. there are 6 pieces as opposed to 4
3. the dumpling skin is very much thicker

Similarity? There's broth contained within as well - not bad!

This is something new that I tried with hubby - Stewed La Mien with Braised Meat Ball (RM 18)


The meat ball was just too huge for anyone even to finish half :S but the stew was quite nice. I didn't like the ample cabbage within the stew though.

La Mien with Beef Brisket (RM 16)


When I placed order for this 2 days ago, the water asked if I wanted it to be spicy or non-spicy? I asked if I can have something in between? Surprisingly he said yes :)

The La Mien soup base did not disappoint as usual - flavorful. La Mien was soft but springy. Beef brisket was a bit so-so though, as some pieces were very tough while others simply too chewy until I had to use fork and spoon to cut them up.

But there is one dessert which PChoon and I braved ourselves to try -

Glutinous Rice with Durian! (RM 12)


The moment the waiter cut open the dessert - the ever-familiar smell hit us; and we decided to quickly finish this dish before anyone starts to smell it and complain us :P

The outer coconut layer was nice and dry while the inner glutinous and durian filling was simply Marvelous - we confirmed it to be real Durian flesh alright! The fillings just burst in our mouth and we enjoyed every bite of it :D

Satisfying!

Overall I really hope they'd improve on their service as well as the quality of their signature Shanghai Meat Dumpling as it's one of my all-time favourite. Now, Din Tai Fung's version is my favourite undoubtedly.

Dragon-i @ Gurney Plaza new wing

Had a late lunch with honey one lazy Saturday, and we checked out the newly opened Dragon-i at Gurney Plaza new wing


The outlet here occupies a shoplot space and the middle area of the LG floor right in front of it; with its kitchen still retaining open concept but not as 'open' as the one at Queensbay, due to its location within the inner area of the shoplot space.


The interior deco was also not as refined and elaborate as the one at Queensbay as well.


Braised Pork Rib Ramen


Ma Por Tofu Rice


Shanghai Small Dumpling (Xiao Long Bao) .. wooopps, forgot to take pic of this one

Verdict?

* Honey's Ramen was good - very flavorful soup base with tender pieces of braised pork - I almost finished the soup til the last drop!
* My Ma Por Tofu rice tasted nice but the tofu could be cubed into smaller pieces for maximum penetration with the sauce
* Xiao Long Bao's filling wasn't as savory as we expected it to be, though the soup retained within was superb
* Wait time was outrageous. Our order chit took ages to arrive at our table (indicating our order got entered in the system way long after they took it)
* Other tables which came after us were served food while our drinks were not even served yet

I was disappointed with the service and wait time given the fact that I did spot quite a few experienced staff from their Queensbay outlet.