THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Golden Dragon Restaurant

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Golden Dragon Restaurant Restaurant Review:

The Golden Dragon is probably unlike any other Chinese restaurant you’ve experienced. The food rivals high-end Hong Kong, but the setting, on the Hilton Lagoon, is unparalleled. Sit among the red and gold columns, maybe even at an outside terrace table, order tea from the tea lady with her roving cart and then embark on the food. Even dishes that sound ordinary, the lemon chicken, for instance, are extraordinarily light, fresh and flavorful here. If you have the appetite, order the complete Lotus dinner, which works its way from fresh scallop soup through kung pao chicken, duck fried rice and stir-fried shrimp with snow peas to two dishes that you need to try: the remarkable Szechuan tenderloin of beef with hoisin sauce and fresh tomatoes, and the rich lobster in curry sauce with Hawaiian-style haupia (a firm coconut pudding). If you are ordering à la carte, try to call 24 hours ahead for either the beggar’s chicken (wrapped in lotus leaves, encased in clay, baked slowly and opened at the table) or the Peking duck, roasted over a date-wood fire and served with plum sauce, cucumber, shallots and Mandarin pancakes. Since the Golden Dragon shares the wine cellar and pastry kitchen with the Hilton, this is one of the few Chinese restaurants with a first-rate wine list and an interesting dessert menu (our choice would be the banana fritter with coconut ice cream and vanilla sauce). Chef Steve Chiang has built on the success of the Golden Dragon’s original long-time chef, Dai Hoy Chiang. In an act of respect, he keeps several of his Dai Hoy Chiang’s dishes on the menu, giving full credit to his mentor.