Re-enter the Dragon

This view is clean and elegant; the room is white from the top that turns golden and then golden with black and white patterns as the eye descends. The main noticeable change is the addition of a new live station where you can see dim sum and ducks being prepared in front of your greedy eyes. The dragon’s two private dining rooms are retained; however,one has tables that can be separated,thus cleverly accommodating smaller tables when there aren’t big groups. We particularly liked the tables for two lined up near the windows — if you don’t need to hide your romance from nosy aunties,Golden Dragon is now an option for you. The nameplate near the door is one of two disappointments as it doesn’t match the tastefulness of the rest of the hotel. The other disappointment is more vital — the chairs; although they are a lovely subtle gold and very comfortable to sit on,the angle on the back-rest makes it hard to reach the table,which happens to be much higher. This,we were assured by Vishal Koul,Restaurant Manager,is being looked into and replacement chairs are expected soon.

Golden Dragon’s menu is,to the delight of regulars,more interesting and certainly pays more attention to presentation and showmanship. Koul says that “Chef Hemant Oberoi and a few other chefs travelled extensively all over China to scout for new dishes; they used to eat out at around six restaurants a day to try new delicacies.” From the expanded dim sum menu,we loved the Shimeji (an eastern mushroom) and Cheddar dumpling that balances creamy and crunchy,the succulent lobster money pouch topped with beluga caviar and the chicken pot sticker that has a paper-thin layer of batter on top which is cutely pierced through before serving. The barbecued pork buns were light and didn’t taste dough-ey even when left cold (Take that,Royal China!). The Song of the Dragon,a much touted dish that has pieces of fried chicken/crab/potato in a bed of chillies,is over-hyped; it has a gorgeous aroma of chillies,but the flavour is tediously singular. The star of the meal for us was the cod on a bed of stone-wok cooked glutinous rice that was mildly sweet but subtle enough to allow the captivating flavour of the cod to shine through.

Overall,the food at Golden Dragon ranges from being fairly good to sublime; we didn’t try a single deal-breaking dish. We don’t doubt the restaurant’s ability to be consistent as it has been over the last few decades,but the slightly inflated prices (an average meal is 20-30 per cent higher) means that it is best if you go with daddy. We’re just glad the Dragon is back,and she’s hotter than before.

Golden Dragon,Taj Mahal Palace & Towers,

Apollo Bunder. Meal for two: Rs 4,500. Tel: 022 6665 3366