New Dragon Chinese Restaurant: Enter the [New] Dragon!

New Dragon Chinese Restaurant Review

New Dragon first caught our attention when their ad came in the newspaper, boasting a complete lunch meal at an unimaginable price. Chinese food [though mostly Indianized!] being one of our favourite things to eat out, we just had to pay a visit to see for ourselves. 

We ordered three of the said lunch menus, which entitled us to a soup, a side dish, ‘Chinese Chapatti’, a main dish and lemon juice each. 

To clarify how this works and help you order, we have summarized the choices below:

• A soup
• One set of Chinese Chapati
• Choice between Egg noodle or Egg fried rice
• Choice between Chili Potato or Chili Cauliflower
• Choice between Chicken Manchurian or Chicken Hong Kong
• A glass of Lime Juice

Yep, you are entitled to all of the above. We discuss the options we chose below, mostly based on their recommendation:

Manchow Soup

First up was the Chicken Manchow Soup, which came with crispy noodle on top. 

The soup itself was delicious, with a decent quantity of vegetables and chicken to speak of. The crispy noodle brought an additional dimension to the texture.

Crispy Chili Potato

Then for starters, we went with Crispy Chili Potato. This saw fingers of potato not unlike fries[AME!]/chips[BRE!] coated with a light batter and fried super crisp, then tossed with some spring onion, bits of garlic, a few bits of green chili.

Probably something the Chinese would frown upon but it certainly tastes interesting! The crunchiness of the coating and softness inside the potato complement each other. Think of it as taking Fries/Chips and tossing them in a little ketchup mixed with the aforementioned condiments and you can kind of figure out what this dish is about, though it tastes better than I just described!

Chinese Chapati

Next up, they brought the Chinese Chapatti, which was something like a thick tortilla that was lightly fried. It was slightly chewy and was fine to eat with the dishes that follow; it isn’t meant to be eaten on its own. 

People accustomed to eating Indian foods like chapattis will feel right at home here!

Hong Kong Chicken

Next, we had Hong Kong Chicken, which saw pieces of crispy fried chicken tossed with green capsicum [pepper], onion and a few green chilies here and there. 

It was not spicy however and the dish worked fine. This was a good accompaniment for the Chinese Chapatti.

Egg Noodle

Next up, we decided to mix things up and order a different thing, one of which was the noodle. 

This had green capsicum [pepper], some spring onion, bits of carrot and a small piece of red chili, though it was not spicy.

Egg Fried Rice

We also got a portion of fried rice for one of the lunch menus, which came with perfectly cooked rice where each grain was separate from the other. 

It had beans, some spring onion, bits of carrot and a small piece of red chili, though again it was not spicy. This had a nice flavour and a good aroma.

To finish things off, they provide a rather big glass of refreshing lime juice. This was perfectly salted and would have been really good to whet one’s appetite, maybe they could serve it at the start of the meal instead.

The portions of each part of the meal are really adequate to actually enjoy rather than just getting a taste. It provides just the right quantity to prevent oneself from getting bored. It all adds up to a full experience: this is a meal that will satisfy the hungriest and has plenty of variety to keep you engaged. In this day and age, it is hard to come across a place that offers such good food, in a clean setting, at such a low price. If you have never experienced Indo-Chinese food and wish to try it, this menu is the best ticket; it encompasses everything that defines Indo-Chinese cuisine [except maybe dimsum, which you will have to order separately]. This is definitely one of the most value-for-money meals in town, especially for Chinese and even in general. Highly recommended to at least give it a try: if you like it, you just found yourself a new place to go to when you don’t feel like cooking, want to have variety, or want to spend as little as possible on Chinese food but walk away with a full stomach. We know we will return soon.

Type of Cuisine: Chinese [Indo-Chinese]
Location

 

Opposite Naval Quarters, First Floor, Elamkulam, Kadavanthra. 

Parking: A few cars in front, should be sufficient but easily gets full on very busy days, area nearby has other commercial areas so it will become difficult. We only had trouble once.

Ambience: Typical dark and red, not too bad though. If you need light, get a seat closer to the windows at the end of the room. If you prefer a darker setting, there are tables with wooden paneling. 

Service: Good

What we liked/Recommended for:

• Lunch menu is incredible value for money, even a reasonable amount of choice is provided for each dish. 
• Food is also tasty and well made. 

Potential Shortcomings: 
A bit too similar to Golden Dragon in terms of variety; but not necessarily a bad thing.

Taxes: Included in price, no fat tax applicable
Phone Number: +91 9656470007, +91 9746855222
Timings: 11:00 - 16:00, 19:00 - 23:00

On Zomato:
      

Have you Entered [The!] New Dragon? Tell us about your experience in the commments below!

Golden Dragon: Enter the ‘Golden Dragon’!

Golden Dragon Review

Once again, forgive us for the Bruce Lee movie pun. We just couldn't help it! Golden Dragon is one of the few Chinese restaurants in Kochi that have been around for quite a while, with one of the oldest branches being at Ravipuram, MG Road. Of late, they have been expanding to newer locations, namely Kakkanad, Palarivattom and at Edapally almost next to LuLu mall. This review focusses on the one located at Palarivattom near Axis Bank at Apsara Arcade where they have some reasonable parking space compared to the one near Lulu Mall at Edapally. 
The decor is what one would typically associate with 'Chinese': dragons & dim interiors with red paint etc. Probably doubles up as an attempt at being eco-friendly! If you need brighter surroundings, we may suggest going someplace else, namely Inchino which is more contemporarily designed [Edit: Inchino has been closed]. The restaurant is of average size and claims to cater to birthdays, business meetings, kitty parties etc. The service is good with attentive staff and efficiently handled orders. 
They have a good variety of food on offer and though it is Indo-Chinese rather than pure Chinese, most dishes taste very good and should appeal to Indian taste buds. Worth mentioning is that they do serve different types of meat including pork, squid, lamb, beef etc., something few Chinese restaurants in Kochi can claim to offer. Even the vegetarian dishes make use of unique ingredients like bamboo shoots etc.

As for the food, they have a good variety of dim sums like wontons, spring rolls etc. They also have different starters and side dishes ranging from squid tempura in the seafood department to chicken, pork, duck, lamb and of course vegetarian dishes.

Spring Rolls:

The spring rolls were surprisingly big in diameter, it was a single long spring roll served cut into 9 pieces. They came with the usual chicken pieces, carrots, cabbage and also bits of scrambled egg too. They were accompanied by a red chilli sauce which was not as spicy as it looked and gave the right touch to the dish. Being deep fried, the inside is extremely hot so we advise you to resist the temptation of popping one in your mouth immediately after they serve it; you will most certainly get a nasty burn and will not be able to enjoy the rest of the order!

Dragon Chopsuey:

They recommended this dish saying it would be slightly spicier, unlike American Chopsuey which uses just a sweet sauce & Chinese Chopsuey which is said to be bland. The portions were generous & easily enough for two moderate eaters. The noodles were crisp fried, tossed in a deep red coloured sauce and mixed with omelette bits and vegetables like capsicum, carrots, red chilli and even cashew bits etc. They bring it to the table and mix it for you too. The contrast of textures between the soft vegetables and the crisp noodles is the main selling point of this dish. The overall taste was good too but we felt that they used way too much red food colour in the sauce. We told them about the same.

Chap Cha:

If you want a slightly bland dish, this could be an option. This dish had very soft noodles cut into short strands and egg bits, carrot, cabbage, capsicum, chilli bits and so on. It had a very mild flavour with a hint of ginger. Serving size was moderate: good enough for two people or maybe one, very hungry person. You may want to pass this one for something with more flavour or quantity or have it before the more spicy dishes you plan to order.

Singapore Mei Foon:

This dish was different from the usual Chinese noodles in that it uses a soft, super fine thread-like noodle. Noodles in particular were akin to our local delicacy called the idiyappam! The dish is prepared with chicken and vegetables like capsicum. It was quite flavourful & light.

Dragon Chicken:

An Indo-Chinese favourite for many people, the chicken is coated in a batter and fried. It is then tossed in a sweet sauce with condiments like spring onion, garlic etc. It is a rather tasty dish to have, being tangy and sweet at the same time. Those who want something on the spicy side will need to look at the other items on the menu.

Golden Dragon Special Chicken:

This is a semi gravy dish with battered strips of chicken, cabbage, red yellow and green capsicum, spring onion, cashew etc. The gelatinous gravy had an unusual tanginess to it, which we attribute to the use of red capsicum. It had pieces of red and green chilli as well though it was not overpoweringly spicy.

Chinese Chapatti:

Are you wondering what this could possibly be? What it would taste like? What does it go with? Well we did too, so we did the obvious and ordered one to see for ourselves. We were greeted by a slightly thick, maida (refined wheat flour) based roti or paratha (flatbread). The conclusion is: if you don’t like noodles but like the taste of the gravy or dishes they have on offer and want something to have it with, this is one additional option for you. The other option is to order the rice dishes. This dish would make you feel at home if you are fond of eating roti and curry. A quick look up surprisingly revealed that in parts of Northern China, there is indeed a type of flatbread called ‘Laobing’ [Not Chinese Chapatti!!!]. While the basic ingredients do match, the Laobing is [supposed to be] much thicker.

The prices of these dishes are reasonable, with noodles priced less than Rs 200/- and fried rice also in the same range. For the quantity and unique taste, it offers good value.

Type of Cuisine: - Chinese [Indo-Chinese]

Location

Near Axis Bank, Palarivattom.

Parking: A few cars in front, should be adequate.

Ambience: Typical 'Chinese' style: rather dark with red lighting!

Service: Good.

What we liked/Recommended for:

• Tasty Indo-Chinese fare. 
• Good variety of dishes and meats. 
• Decent pricing. 

Potential Shortcomings: 

Dim lighting may not be everyone's cup of tea. No authentic Chinese dishes at all but not much of a problem. 
Taxes: Included in price, no fat tax applicable.
Phone number: +91 484 403 3559
Timings: Morning: 11:00-16:00, Evening: 19:00-23:00

Restaurant Website: 

On Zomato: 
      

Did you ‘Enter the Golden Dragon’? What did you order? Tell us what you think about the food in the comments below!

Spread your Wangs to Inchino! [EDIT: Now Closed]

EDIT
We recently found out that Inchino has closed down for business and is to be replaced by a multi cuisine restaurant. The likely cause for this move is undoubtedly due to the construction of the Metro going on right in front of the building, making it hard get there. The review is still kept here for those who wish to read on about it anyway.

Inchino/Wangs Review

Ever since Wang’s opened its doors above Spencer’s MG Road, we have been savouring the taste of their food. When Spencer’s shut down, Wang’s packed their bags too but only to shift to the Indian Express/KFC Tower* near Kaloor Bus Stand, close enough that they now deliver even to our house which is almost 6km away.

*(no, not Kentucky Fried Chicken, it’s actually the Kochi Financial Corporation Tower, not joking! Imagine saying Wang’s has shifted to KFC!!!XD).

Now they have decided to make a new name for themselves: Inchino. While there is such a word, meaning to bow and show respect, it comes from Italian! They probably had something else in mind, like ‘In China’. You won’t win any prizes for guessing that this isn’t an absolutely authentic Chinese joint. It is one of the Indo-Chinese varieties, but leans much closer to the Chinese side, thankfully. Unlike other Chinese restaurants which have the usual dim red Chinese lanterns and painted dragons, Inchino employs a more contemporary look to its interiors, with warm lighting and subtle paintings. There is ample seating room too.

Sesame fried Chicken

Thin strips of chicken are tossed with spices, soy sauce, vegetables like onion and sesame seeds. It is a great melody with the tang of the spices and the bite of sesame seeds. The interesting part is that it comes with crispy fried spinach too, which is really fun to eat. This is one of the dishes we order almost every time we visit. This is how it looks like:

Spring Rolls

They have very good chicken spring rolls. It is served very hot, so you must wait for a while or else the little remaining oil can burn you pretty badly. It has happened to us so many times! There are two long spring rolls cut into three pieces. It is served with a nice, sweet and tangy orange color sauce too.

Wangs noodle

It is still known as ‘Wangs Noodle’ despite the change in the restaurant name. This has a nice flavor, with the soft noodles and a good amount of chicken and vegetables. Quantity was good the last time we ordered.

Pan Fried Chicken noodles

This is a pretty good dish thanks to the various textures at play here. The noodles are slightly crisp at the bottom, which contrasts with the soft noodle on top and all this is covered in thick gravy with adequate pieces of chicken. It is slightly spicy but is just enough for the flavor. The portions were good.

Fried Ice Cream

This is a dessert that has ice cream coated in batter and fried quickly, so you get a golden slightly crunchy outer layer and the cold ice cream filling. Best popped whole in the mouth. The one served here had coconut as part of the coating, so we did not like it. We are reasonably sure the Chinese do not normally buy coconuts and add them to their desserts. You may just like it, though.

More items coming up soon! We haven’t been there recently enough to describe some dishes we had ordered, so we will be updating those as and when we try them. So be sure to check back later for new reviews! 

Type of Cuisine: Chinese [Indo-Chinese]
Parking: Few cars in front and lots more in the parking lot behind the building, never been a problem.

Ambience: Always good, adequate space between tables so not a problem even when slightly busy.

Service: Good

Taxes: Included in price

Have you been [to!] 'Inchino'? What did you order? Tell us what you think about the food in the comments below!