Golden Dragon restaurant review *sponsored post*
You may have heard of Bang Bang Oriental food hall opening in Colindale, North London this summer. Based on the same site that used to host Asian supermarkets & a food hall, it has the draw of the existing Asian food lovers. (I’ve even visited there before to get trickier ingredients for authentic meals). The main draw is the vast food court with many different Asian food stalls all around. However Golden Dragon, on the ground floor, is where you go for table service or a celebration dinner.
The outside of the Bang Bang Oriental food hall complex
When I was there we saw plenty of families, couples and a few dates! Read on to find out more about this new restaurant:
Golden Dragon restaurant at Bang Bang Oriental food hall
The restaurant is on the ground floor with the main food hall situated above it on the first floor.
The impressive entrance way to Golden Dragon restaurant
After you walk through the impressive doorway you are greeted in the lobby before being guided past the screen, into the restaurant proper.
The decor
The restaurant is a large space with lots of round tables of different sizes. This means that they can accommodate groups of all sizes – from couples to families and larger – in a very sociable way.
The main restaurant area
On the back wall of the restaurant there is a large bar decorated with statues of Shou, Lou and Fo – Symobolising happiness, health and fortune.
Shou, Lou, Fo from left to right
I loved that they even had a monogrammed carpet – with the double B’s from Bang Bang woven into it!
Great mono-gram carpet!
Private rooms
If you have a special occasion to celebrate then Golden Dragon even has some beautiful private rooms that you can book:
The elegant private dining room
Both rooms have their own sound systems and can be combined for large groups.
There is a large round table with a lazy Susan in the middle in each room – and as you can see the rooms have unique decoration with beautiful details like the ceilings.
I can never resist the temptation of turning these!
Such a pretty table – perfect for a special occasion
The food
Now on to the most important thing – the food! My friend Sandra, aka Juniper Chick, maintains that the best way to assess a Chinese restaurant is to order a few key dishes.
Beers whilst we peruse the menu
So we ordered the Siew Yoke – crispy pork belly, Aromatic duck (both crispy aromatic duck and Peking duck are specialities here) and the pork ribs.
The pork
The totally sublime Siew Yoke
Are you ready for your close up?!
The Siew Yoke was excellent- very tasty and with an amazing crunchy skin from the seared fat. This was perfectly done with a lovely thin layer of crispness that you could bite through without concern for your teeth . (Many a family member has broken teeth on roast pork crackling!)
This got the Juniper Chick seal of approval!
Look at those gorgeous ribs!
The pork ribs are another house special – these were literally melt in the mouth, with the meat falling off the bone. You’ll want to try these for sure!
Duck time
It’s not a proper Chinese meal without some crispy duck!
Sandra and I also got the crispy fried squid with garlic and chilli. This delivered exactly what you'd expect, just don't eat the raw chilli if you don't want the heat!!
Doesn't this look great?!
The star of the show!
Then we decided to try the more unusual dish - Singaporean style satay crab vermicelli:
How glorious!
The delicious dish is a wonderful combination of a whole crab (and it's a large one!) with lots of spices and the glass or vermicelli noodles.
The flavours are pure Singapore - chilli, ginger and satay with curry spicing. Very flavourful - it packs a punch and something that you need to get involved with. I.e. You need to extract the crab meat - so don't be squeamish! The whole thing is served in a traditional clay pot.
Getting to grips with my food!
The waitress recommended having this dish as a starter to share for 3/4 people - so we were a bit overwhelmed with the size between two, but we totally accepted the challenge!
I think this dish is great value too - I challenge you to pick it and try something different to your regular selections!
And if you have any room after that, why not try something sweet?
Mango pudding!
Dim Sum
Golden Dragon do Dim Sum at lunch times and I'd love to go back to try it. Going with a big group for Sunday brunch/lunch would be ideal, if like me, you love trying a bit of everything!
The verdict
I had a great meal, with some really lovely dishes. Golden Dragon is not your bog standard Chinese, but something more special and this is reflected in the quality of the food and the pricing. If you want a cheap quick eat, then the food hall is your best bet, but for a nice dinner with family or friends then Golden Dragon is the place to go. I'm definitely going to be heading back for sure, and I know that Sandra will be coming with me too!
Golden Dragon at Bang Bang Oriental:
399 EDGWARE ROAD,
COLINDALE,
LONDON, NW9 0FH
INFO@BANGBANGORIENTAL.COM
Full disclosure, I was a guest of Golden Dragon for dinner, however all opinions are my own (I really love the crab that much!)
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