Randomness Guide to London - Differences between Version 40 and Version 20 of Dragon Castle, SE17 1JL

Version 40 Version 20
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Chinese restaurant on Walworth Road near [[Elephant and Castle Station]] (they have another branch, [[Dragon Inn, SE1 5TY|Dragon Inn]], on the [[Locale Old Kent Road|Old Kent Road]]).
The Dragon Castle is a Chinese restaurant on Walworth Road near [[Elephant and Castle Station]]. The huge traditional studded door sets it apart from the rest of the buildings in the area; entry, however, is actually accomplished via the slightly less imposing glass doors set on either side of it.
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The huge traditional studded door sets it apart from the rest of the buildings in the area; entry, however, is actually accomplished via the slightly less imposing glass doors set on either side of it. The (fairly large) main seating area is mostly filled with small tables, but larger parties can be accommodated on the raised section at the back of the room.
The (fairly large) main seating area is mostly filled with small tables, but larger parties can be accommodated on the raised section at the back of the room, and they seem to reconfigure the tables fairly often. There may be other rooms upstairs.
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They serve dim sum until 5pm. [http://www.chowhound.com/topics/524874 According to Ian Fenn on Chowhound], the original dim sum chef left at the end of May 2008 and was replaced by someone else. The dim sum menu also changed slightly; see <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/sets/72157618573050068/detail/ Kake's photos of the dim sum menu as of May 2009]</small>.
[[Kake]] and [[doop]] visited for dinner on a Monday night in August 2007. The menu has an impressive range, from the usual Chinese restaurant staples right up to chilli frog's legs and shark's fin soup. Pork dumplings were very well done and tasted extremely fresh. The scallop sashimi starter included an ingenious little leaf of coriander which exactly complemented the taste of the scallop.
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[[Kake]], [[Bob]], and [[Nick]] have been here for dim sum several times, in various combinations. Most of our visits occurred prior to the change of chef/menu, and some of the dishes we enjoyed then are no longer on the menu (the curried whelks, for example). Others remain on the menu; venison teriyaki, which on our late 2007 visit was lovely and tender, and the deep-fried frogs legs, which on the same visit had lovely crisp, ungreasy batter, and a very tender interior. See <small>[http://flickr.com/photos/rjw1/sets/72157603194691251/ Bob's November 2007 photos of the dim sum]</small>.
The sea-spiced aubergine main course was tasty (somewhat on the greasy side according to doop, but just fine and only to be expected for this dish according to Kake); the home-made-style tofu was very good and served with perfectly stir-fried vegetables. The poached eel, however, was composed of little mouthfuls of erotic bliss: it's really hard to exaggerate just how amazingly good it was.
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[[elvum]] and friends visited for a dim sum lunch in July 2008, a couple of months after the change of chef, and found the food to be still excellent. Chicken, turnip and peanut dumplings were delightful, and the steamed buns with roast pork as close to perfection as [[elvum]] has ever come across. The final bill was &pound;11 per head.
They also serve dim sum until 5pm; [[Kake]], [[Bob]], and [[Nick]] have been here for dim sum a few times, in various combinations. Dishes we've particularly liked include the curried whelks (&pound;1.90; don't order these if you dislike chewy food though), the venison teriyaki (lovely and tender), and the cheung fun with scallops and fresh coriander (&pound;3). The deep-fried frogs legs on the specials menu are worth a try too; lovely crisp, ungreasy batter, and very tender interior. But really, it's all good. Tea to accompany your dim sum is unlimited, and costs &pound;1 per person. We've paid between &pound;8 and &pound;12 per head (including tea) for a decent-sized dim sum lunch on our various visits. <small>[http://flickr.com/photos/rjw1/sets/72157603194691251/ Bob's photos of the dim sum] / [http://flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/sets/72157603435065923/detail/ Kake's photos of the dim sum menu]</small>
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[[Kake]]'s most recent dim sum visit was in May 2009, and was a little disappointing. Neither Shanghai-style pork buns (&pound;2.10) nor Shanghai-style crabmeat dumplings (&pound;2.80) contained any soup (despite being listed on the menu with the Chinese characters for "xiao long bao", or soup dumplings), and the topknots on the wrappers were rather thick. Grilled cheung fun with XO sauce (&pound;3.20) were unnecessarily greasy. Scallop cheung fun (&pound;3.30) were better, though they would have been better still if they'd included the fresh coriander they used to have when we first started coming here. Har gao (&pound;2.60) and grilled turnip cakes (&pound;2.10) were fine.
The service is friendly, and very attentive indeed, without getting in one's way.
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On the brighter side, the grilled pork dumplings (2.10) were flavourful and juicy, and the roast pork pastries (&pound;2.10) were well-filled and had decent pastry. Perhaps the highlight for [[Kake]] was the prawn and Chinese chive steamed dumplings (&pound;2.30); good wrappers that were thin yet resilient, and a well-flavoured and well-balanced filling. Our final bill for the three of us, including service, was &pound;13/head for a total of 13 dishes plus tea all round.
(Note: there are a number of reviews on the internet which say you'll be given a boring menu first off, and you need to ask for the special Chinese menu. As of August 2007, this information was out of date.)
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We've also been for dinner, but only once; [[Kake]] and [[doop]] visited on a Monday night in August 2007. The menu had an impressive range, from the usual Chinese restaurant staples right up to chilli frog's legs and shark's fin soup. We started with pork dumplings, which were very well done and tasted extremely fresh, and scallop sashimi, which included an ingenious little leaf of coriander that exactly complemented the taste of the scallop. Moving on to main courses, the sea-spiced aubergine main course was tasty (somewhat on the greasy side according to doop, but just fine and only to be expected for this dish according to Kake), and the home-made-style tofu was very good and served with perfectly stir-fried vegetables. The poached eel, however, was composed of little mouthfuls of erotic bliss: it's really hard to exaggerate just how amazingly good it was. The service was friendly, and very attentive indeed, without getting in the way.
[http://www.chowhound.com/topics/524874 According to Ian Fenn on Chowhound], there was a change of head chef at the end of May 2008. [[elvum]] and friends visited for a Dim Sum lunch in July 2008 and found the food to be still excellent, but lacking some of the aforementioned options: no sign of curried whelks, frogs legs or venison - or at least, we couldn't see them on the menu. Chicken, turnip and peanut dumplings were delightful, however, and the steamed buns with roast pork as close to perfection as [[elvum]] has ever come across. &pound;11 per head.
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[[Kake]]'s verdict: My latest dim sum visit (May 2009) was slightly disappointing in relation to glories past, but on the basis of food, service, and ambience, this is still an excellent option for the area. I'd like to try the evening food again some time.
At their last food hygiene inspection in February 2008 they were awarded [http://www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk/business-detail.php?business_id=156699&inspection_type=FH# one star out of five].
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* [http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/experts/jayrayner/story/0,,1805452,00.html Jay Rayner's review]
* [http://campion.thisislondon.co.uk/2007/06/dragon_castle_s.html Charles Campion review]
* [http://
lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/experts/jayrayner/story/0,,1805452,00.html Jay Rayner review]
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* [http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/580168 Another Chowhound thread]
* [http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/884566 Yet another Chowhound thread]
* [http://genuiness.wordpress.com/2008/10/12/dragon-castle-review/ gen.u.ine.ness review]
* [http://genuiness.wordpress.com/2009/04/04/dragon-castle-2nd-visit-review/ Another gen.u.ine.ness review]
* [http://www.randomwire.com/2008/02/03/dim-sum-musings/ Randomwire review]
* [http://www.qype.co.uk/place/69823 Qype comments]
* [http://www.tehbus.com/2009/02/eat-chinese-dragon-castle-elephant-and.html Tehbus' review]
* [http://cheesenbiscuits.blogspot.com/2009/11/dragon-castle-elephant-and-castle.html Cheese And Biscuits review]
* [http://rwapplewannabe.wordpress.com/2009/11/08/dragon-castle-elephant-castle/ An American In London review]
* [http://www.foodbymark.com/2009/11/25/dragon-castle-elephant-castle-london/ Food By Mark review]
* [http://buzzarfood.wordpress.com/2010/07/23/all-hail-the-dragon-castle/ Food Fight review]
* [http://www.rocketandsquash.com/dragon-castle/ Rocket &amp; Squash review]
* [http://theskinnybib.com/2011/02/08/the-london-dim-sum-binge-continues/ The Skinny Bib review]
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<div class="getting_here"><b>Getting here:</b> The area has become less confusing since the subways under the southern roundabout closed. If you're coming on the tube, it's best to leave using the Northern Line exit, orientate yourself using the maps on the bus stops, and then stay above ground. Alternatively, a No. 12 bus will take you from central London to a stop opposite.</div>
<div class="getting_here">[[Kake]], [[Nick]] and party had great trouble getting here; they spent quite a lot of time wandering around lost in the subways underneath Elephant and Castle roundabout. Be prepared. If you're coming on the tube, it's best to leave using the Northern Line exit, orientate yourself using the maps on the bus stops, and then stay above ground near the roads until you need to enter the underpass under the "southern roundabout". Alternatively, a No. 12 bus will take you from central London to a stop opposite.</div>
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<div class="last_verified">Last visited by [[Kake]] and friends, 20 May 2009. Opening hours taken from a business card on an August 2007 visit.</div>
<div class="last_verified">Last visited by [[elvum]] and others for a dim sum lunch on 5 July 2008. Opening hours taken from a business card on an August 2007 visit.</div>
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category='Chinese Food,Dim Sum,Featured Article,Restaurants'
category='Chinese Food,Dim Sum,Featured Article,RGL Recommended,Restaurants'
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formatted_website_text='dragoncastle.eu'
host='81.187.166.218'
formatted_website_text='http://dragoncastle.eu/ '
host='213.165.225.132'

The Dragon Castle is a Chinese restaurant on Walworth Road near Elephant and Castle Station. The huge traditional studded door sets it apart from the rest of the buildings in the area; entry, however, is actually accomplished via the slightly less imposing glass doors set on either side of it.

The (fairly large) main seating area is mostly filled with small tables, but larger parties can be accommodated on the raised section at the back of the room, and they seem to reconfigure the tables fairly often. There may be other rooms upstairs.

Kake and doop visited for dinner on a Monday night in August 2007. The menu has an impressive range, from the usual Chinese restaurant staples right up to chilli frog's legs and shark's fin soup. Pork dumplings were very well done and tasted extremely fresh. The scallop sashimi starter included an ingenious little leaf of coriander which exactly complemented the taste of the scallop.

The sea-spiced aubergine main course was tasty (somewhat on the greasy side according to doop, but just fine and only to be expected for this dish according to Kake); the home-made-style tofu was very good and served with perfectly stir-fried vegetables. The poached eel, however, was composed of little mouthfuls of erotic bliss: it's really hard to exaggerate just how amazingly good it was.

They also serve dim sum until 5pm; Kake, Bob, and Nick have been here for dim sum a few times, in various combinations. Dishes we've particularly liked include the curried whelks (£1.90; don't order these if you dislike chewy food though), the venison teriyaki (lovely and tender), and the cheung fun with scallops and fresh coriander (£3). The deep-fried frogs legs on the specials menu are worth a try too; lovely crisp, ungreasy batter, and very tender interior. But really, it's all good. Tea to accompany your dim sum is unlimited, and costs £1 per person. We've paid between £8 and £12 per head (including tea) for a decent-sized dim sum lunch on our various visits. Bob's photos of the dim sum / Kake's photos of the dim sum menu

The service is friendly, and very attentive indeed, without getting in one's way.

(Note: there are a number of reviews on the internet which say you'll be given a boring menu first off, and you need to ask for the special Chinese menu. As of August 2007, this information was out of date.)

According to Ian Fenn on Chowhound, there was a change of head chef at the end of May 2008. elvum and friends visited for a Dim Sum lunch in July 2008 and found the food to be still excellent, but lacking some of the aforementioned options: no sign of curried whelks, frogs legs or venison - or at least, we couldn't see them on the menu. Chicken, turnip and peanut dumplings were delightful, however, and the steamed buns with roast pork as close to perfection as elvum has ever come across. £11 per head.

At their last food hygiene inspection in February 2008 they were awarded one star out of five.

See also:

Kake, Nick and party had great trouble getting here; they spent quite a lot of time wandering around lost in the subways underneath Elephant and Castle roundabout. Be prepared. If you're coming on the tube, it's best to leave using the Northern Line exit, orientate yourself using the maps on the bus stops, and then stay above ground near the roads until you need to enter the underpass under the "southern roundabout". Alternatively, a No. 12 bus will take you from central London to a stop opposite.
Last visited by elvum and others for a dim sum lunch on 5 July 2008. Opening hours taken from a business card on an August 2007 visit.

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