Dragon-i @ QB Mall, Penang

The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month of the Chinese calendar (usually around mid- or late-September in the ordinary calendar), a date that parallels the Autumn and Spring Equinoxes of the solar calendar. The traditional food of this festival is the moon cake.

On the very last day of this Mid-Autumn Festival, our whole family was invited by Dr. Alex and his wife for dinner at Dragon-i in Queensbay Mall. This restaurant is famous for their many varieties of Shanghainese noodle soups, dishes and appetizers. The restaurant has been notoriously known to be packed especially for dinner, but fortunately a reservation has already been made.

We were ushered into the beautifully crafted restaurant, which was overlooking the main atrium of Queensbay Mall. Comfortably seated on the almond shaped table, we were soon given menus for the evening. The supervisor recommended we had the banquet set meal, which was specially designed for the festival!

The banquet set meal came in two sizes; the feast for ten or its penultimate half. Since it was only five of us, it was fitting for us to have the latter that cost RM248++. The set meal had eleven different dishes, varying from outrageous combinations to classic dishes.

As like in almost all cuisine, the Appetizer Dishes were the first to be served. Cold cuts of white chicken marinated with a strong Chinese wine. Instant retribution! This was followed up with Jelly Fish with sesame oil... it is very nice and QQ.

The other appetizer is the Shanghainese Smoked Salmon with a slightly sweet sauce. Unfortunately, I find the fillet slightly hard and dry, lacking the tender fish texture.

The last appetizer is the Steamed Meat Dumpling (小龙包) served steaming hot on a bed of Chinese cabbage. The hot juicy dumplings are best eaten dip in black vinegar with strips of ginger.

We were happily catching up with Dr Alex and his wife, while waiting for the Main Course to arrive. The appetizers successfully set our stomachs growling, and after a spot of photos, the first of the main course made its entry.

It started off with the five of us treated to an individual jar of Double Boiled Lean Pork Soup with Conch Meat. This is indeed a clear and flavourful soup, no extra condiments were added. With the usage of lean meat, the soup was also clear of any oil nor fats, which went down very well with us.

One of the speciality dishes at Dragon-i is the Shanghainese Braised Pork Belly - the large piece of pork belly is braised in soy sauce, which gives the meat a brownish colour. The texture of the meat is soft and tender. It is served with warm butterfly shaped 'mantou'.

Sauteed Prawns in Sichuan Sauce, slightly sweet and sour. Indeed an excellent dish to go with the next dish of Yong Chou Fried Rice.

Honey Glazed Smoked Duck Breast is a dish with combination of a three different ingredients. The juicy smoked duck, deep fried bean curd sheet and braised sweet lotus seed wrapped up in a flat piece of pancake. Recommended to try out this dish.

Braised Mushroom with Mixed Vegetable served on a bed of Siew Pak Choy.

The meal is completed with the serving of dessert. We had an individual bowl of Bird's Nest with Waterchestnut and Sea Coconut. This fairly sweet dessert is served cold.

A very fulfilling and hearty meal by our dear friend, Dr Alex Lim and his wife in this stylish and comfortable restaurant.