Dragon-i at The Curve, PJ

I passed the 'i' a couple of times in 1 Utama and I am usually not impressed with Chinese food no matter how posh when situated in a shopping mall. Stand alone Chinese restaurants or those in good hotels are better. Reasons: No tight sitting and usually the kitchen is not compromised.

We went out for a late breakfast/brunch and decided to eat the The Curve. It is depressing to be around the mall at 10ish as it is still half-asleep. We took whatever that was available and settle down at 10:30. Only 2 tables were taken but by 11ish most of the tables were occupied. The 'i' impressed me with an open kitchen, table wares, ambiance, cleanliness, neat and also alfresco dining - translated means 'space'. So be prepared to pay a premium.

So we did our ordering. Surprising 'siew mai' is not available. So was 'har kaw'. And no Chinese tea in pots. They have only house tea and come in clear glasses! Blah.

I am quite particular or peculiar esp. in this type of restaurant as I like variety and would like to eat my steamed food first, followed by pan/deep-fried items and finally spicy stuff. Due to narrow options for our starters and busy checking out their La Mian and desserts, we got 4 items that were made from the same minced pork. It was a faux pas. They have an extensive varieties of La Mian and desserts. The La Mian done Szechuan style looks fiery red and I thought would be a nice filler/finale at the end.

Nice sauce plates with handle to lay down the chopsticks.

Siu Loong Pau their supposedly signature dish came out excellent in all aspects. The shape was inflated and the fluid inside was hot and flavourful. But the fillings failed in the taste department. Guess what, the fillings made from pork seems not fresh and I got a hint of stale porkish smell. RM9.00.Beijing Dumplings. Made from almost the same pork fillings (but no porkish smell) as the Siu Loong Pau, you can imagine my disappointment. However, it came out piping hot including the fillings. This was a recurring time and again. Excellent kitchen SOP. RM8.00.Tianjin Meat Bun. Again the fillings were similar with that of the Siu Loong Pau. A major frustration. The waitress should have advised. The dough was sticky and slightly chewy and not the best that I have eaten though it came piping hot again. RM6.00.Deep Fried Bean Curd Rolls. An excellent call as our B/F was veering towards disaster due to poor menu selection. Taste good with fresh shrimps and piping hot again. RM9.00.Hot Chili Meat Dumplings. A catastrophe. The food was good but our ordering was pathetic. Fillings were of the Siu Loong Pau type again. And to make matter worse, by now the piping hot fillings has seared my upper palate which is not an entirely bad thing. RM12.00.Finally we rounded it up with some HK Kailan as we were so filled with pork. It was a chance for me to teach my son how to eat vegetables that come in one piece without the fork and knife. Eat from the bottom of the stem and work the vege into the mouth. Most go for the leaves first and get the area around their mouth wet with sauces. This simple way was taught to me by Mekong residents who have lots of raw veges in their diet. RM18.00.Red Bean Pancake was our dessert. For RM10 it is over-priced even with a premium. There was no La Mian for me as I was full. Perhaps another time. Maybe in another Dragon-Eye. The service staff was not up to mark. 2 of them exercised the gift of ignoring customers. RM10.00.

Those who have gone there but in different locations: 1 Utama (3-meals); Queensbay, Penang (vkeong) and Mid-Valley (Bangsar-Babe).