Enter The Dragon - Striving for the Pinnacle of Dim Sum Goodness! Dragon Beaux [Thoughts + Pics]

[beefnoguy]

@TheCookie this is what you would be coming for!

Great report as always @Chowseeker1999! Looks like you are having a blast up here, and glad to see it!

Too bad about the chicken…it’s bad enough they called it “roasted” in English when technically it’s fried. I just wrote about the way the chicken should be prepared traditionally in @moonboy403 's Mott32 Las Vegas thread:

Mott 32 - Palazzo

The abalone probably comes from the precooked canned versions that Koi Palace sells at their restaurant, and these are no slouch they can go for $50+ per can but at least are of a decent size to make the tart.

Try the egg white dried scallops rice next time but have them add salted fish in addition (probably will cost you a few dollars extra but do it). You heard it here first!

[moonboy403]

@Chowseeker1999 Next stop in Hong Kong?

[TheCookie]

Nice @Chowseeker1999

@Chowseeker1999

Roast Pork Belly that completely blows away every single Dim Sum place we’ve tried except Monterey Palace

My Monterey Palace meetup keeps falling thru. I’m looking forward to Dragon Beaux!

[Chowseeker1999]

Hi @beefnoguy,

Thanks for the info on preparation. It sounds similar to what our friend from Hong Kong mentioned a few years ago when we were asking about this dish. Have you found any places in SF or LA that prepare it properly?

The Abalone tart was awesome here.

Fried Rice: What?

Wow, you can have them add Salted Fish to the Egg White & Dried Scallop Fried Rice?! Why didn’t @ipsedixit or you mentiont this earlier?! We loved their BOSS Abalone Fried Rice last time and the Gold & Silver Fried Rice, but this sounds like it’ll be another winner as well w/ the great Wok Hei here.

Something for the next trip. Thanks.

[JeetKuneBao]

I see some items I need to try on my next visit…taro bao, roast pork, and adding salty fish to fried rice!

Though I just can’t bring myself to order XLB’s at dim sum based on principle!! My Shanghainese and Cantonese ancestors from above will highly disapprove.

[moonboy403]

@JeetKuneBao

can’t bring myself to order XLB’s at dim sum

There’s also the fact that XLB are always done poorly at dim sum!

[catholiver]

I’ve assumed that also as how could they be on a cart. But with DB, I don’t know. So much good food, so little time

[moonboy403]

DB’s XLB is definitely much better than other dim sum joint’s but it’s still a pass for me.

[catholiver]

There are SO many selections why go ‘off-topic’

[JonDough]

Koi Palace Dublin is definitely a great backup option. Just a note that it can be packed on weekends.

[skramzlife]

Went yesterday for the first time with some friends… I’m not very experienced dim sum eater (mostly just been to Yank Sing SF which Ive thought is trash past few times I’ve gone , but this was vastly superior to anything I’ve ever had… ive even sworn off that I didn’t like dim sum hahah.

Thank you for all the reports in this thread, made ordering easy… fried rice, pork belly, scallop shiu mai, XLBs…we ordered the roast chicken special that someone had earlier in this thread, it was fine but definitely a miss as they reported. Everything else great including the tea. Going to try to go again Tomorrow with my family.

And for the record, our har gow came out perfectly with awesome plump shrimp.

)

[Chowseeker1999]

Hi @skramzlife,

Nice! So glad you enjoyed your first time Dragon Beaux!

Which of the 21 Teas did you try?

I love their Roasted Pork Belly and the Gold & Silver Fried Rice, Egg White Fried Rice w/ Dried Scallop and if you ever see it come back on the menu, the Boss Abalone Fried Rice.

Try one of their Rice Crepe Rolls and Baked BBQ Pork Buns, and for dessert Rainbow Taro Buns next time.

[skramzlife]

We got the golden eyebrow tea it was great! We also got the bbq pork, which was a big hit at our table. The fried rice was really great amazing wok hei.

Hopefully I get to go back tomorrow before i head home to La.

[robert]

How was the okra? Doesn’t look like the same prep as previous photos.

[foodshutterbug]

Finally tried Dragon Beaux during my work trip to SF last week. I’d been there a few years back for a hot pot dinner, which I thought was ok. This time, I mostly got dim sum staples and a few fusion items. My ratings below:

Very good, would get again:
Baked BBQ Pork Bun; Five Guys xlb steamed dumplings; Scallop Siu Mai

Good:
Roast pork with soy beans; Gailan steamed Chinese broccoli w/oyster sauce on side; Chicken knee (fried cartilage); Puer tea.

Fair: Chicken Paw; Glutin Pillow (hom sui gok).

Meh: Har Gow Shrimp dumpling (oversteamed so the wrapper was flabby); Steamed pork bun bao (dough too cakey).

Since I was dining solo and temporarily cutting back on carbs, I couldn’t order the fried rice @ipsedixit @Chowseeker1999 raved about in this thread so I mainly stuck to ordering staples and some modern dimsum @Chowseeker1999 recommended and all those were a hit.

I’m so glad I got those baked bbq buns. Those were stellar — the pork filling had just the right amount of Mei Kuei Lu Chiew (rose wine) and with the Dutch crunch like topping, it made for a perfect savory sweet final course.

I’ll probably go back at some point and take one of my SF relatives, but will probably skip the OG items. I’m a fan of the modern ambience, but still can’t completely erase my memory of their predecessor, 24 hour “Video Cafe” and the service was excellent— mostly young servers who were polite and efficient with none of the FU attitudes I occasionally come across in SoCal.

[Chowseeker1999]

Hi @foodshutterbug,

Thanks for reporting back! Glad you liked the Baked BBQ Pork Buns and the Scallop Siu Mai and Five Guys XLB. The Roast Pork Belly is normally great (nice crispy-crunchy skin). Was this for lunch or dinner? (just curious.)

Bummer about the Har Gow - Yah twice we’ve had it way oversteamed and flabby and another couple times were actually steamed correctly with a nice outer skin. They’re too inconsistent with that particular dish it seems.

If you feel like something lightly sweet to finish off a meal, give their Rainbow Taro Steamed Buns a try (if you like Taro). Delicious!

[foodshutterbug]

Hi @Chowseeker1999 I was there for lunch trying to seek shelter from the rain. They’ve had quite a wet season.

Next time I’ll be sure to try the pork belly and the other modern stuff you recommended, thanks!

[Xochitl]

Thanks to @Chowseeker1999 and this tread, we went to Dragon Beaux two weeks ago when we visited to SF. It was only two of us, and there was a line of folks waiting, but they called 23, which I thought was our number, fairly shortly after arriving. I followed the host in, and told my husband, but husband said we were 26, so I told the host and he shrugged and said to follow him, regardless. So short wait.

We ordered a bottle of sake.

Overall, the service was very good.
We ordered wayyy too much food, but wanted to try so much.

Husband wanted these yam buns. They were good, but I prefer the non sweet items.

Killer pork belly. What do the do to the skin to get it like that??

My fave, fried taro. Delicious!!!

I find that this item, the fried doughnut stuffed with shrimp paste, is very hard to find, but oh so good!!!

Never had this one before, but it was a little sweet, but so perfectly fried, we couldn’t stop eating!

I didn’t try these, had way too much food!

I got what the waiter called non traditional chicken feet. People on yelp really seemed to like, and waiter said broth was good. They were fine, but I wouldn’t get again.

More deliciousness!

Got this for my husband, who loves duck. It was called a duck burrito. He liked, but I didn’t try. He said mild in flavor.

Husband felt it was best dim sum he had ever had. I asked about Chef Tony, in Vancouver, which was his fave up until this point, and he wavered. I thought it was excellent. Loved being able to have sake with meal. I wish Longo Seafood, my LA fave, would serve at least wine. And service here is best I’ve ever had at dim sum.

I look forwarded to returning!

[catholiver]

Those chicken feet were pretty nasty looking.

Curious why you wanted sake with dim sum. Interesting pairing.

We thought DB was outstanding and will hit it every time we’re back in the city. Mmm.

[Xochitl]

Just preference. I am happy with wine, also.