Global menu leaves the head spinning
By 
Dragon Grill: Food is where the serious points are scored
Dragon Grill
1-2 Frogmore Street, Bristol, BS1 5NA
0800 567 7668; www.dragongrill.co.uk
By Suzi Dixon
In the heady days of 2004-2006, new restaurants seemed to open in Bristol every week. But the credit crunch put paid to that era of excess and grand openings.
So I was excited when an invite to the launch of Dragon Grill in Frogmore Street landed on my doormat.
At the site of the old New World, this restaurant is the brainchild of Jacky Chan who developed his ideas while travelling the world.
Promising a ‘fusion of world cuisine’, Dragon Grill seeks to satisfy all appetites with a menu featuring Thai and Chinese cuisine, alongside African-style poussin, steaks, Russian Borsch, Italian grilled lamb and a rack of ribs that would satisfy the heartiest American tourist. With such a choice on offer, I couldn’t resist taking the plunge and inviting three friends along to try it out.
While bags of choice is invariably a good thing, this head-spinning global mix does make the menu a little confusing and leaves the impression of a restaurant lacking a focussed direction.
Indeed, the diners and drinkers on the Saturday I visited were a really mixed bag. A hen night in pink cowboy hats; an Asian family with at least three generations at the table; a few double dates and one lone female. Identifying Dragon Grill’s core market is almost impossible — you could imagine the likes of Gordon Ramsay taking the owners to task over this.
The décor is funky and fun — taking the lead from an American diner, with leather-clad booths, high bar stools and Cadillac colours, with a funky disco ball and karaoke stage for the seriously inebriated to enjoy after dinner.
Still, onto the food, and this is where the serious points were scored.
Our table of four took an age to order, partly down to the extensive menu, partly down to too much gossiping. We opted for two platters of mixed starters to share — priced at £5.50 per person, there were generous portions of vegetable spring rolls, succulent chicken skewers, chicken wings, spiced cucumber and spare ribs. With three different dipping sauces all parties declared the dishes delicious. The spring rolls had just the right element of crunch, while all the meat was super-fresh and delicately flavoured.
We asked for a lengthy gap before our mains to relax and regroup, and just as well — the portion sizes are very generous. I opted for golden spare ribs, which were served with a healthy salad and a bowl of chips on the side. I found the meat a little dry but they were much improved dipped in the sauces.
The boys had very carnivorous offerings — African-style poussin and a sirloin steak. The Dragon Grill steaks have been receiving rave reviews and this was no exception. Sourced from a Somerset farm, my friend said his steak was flavoursome and tender, served on a wooden board to seal in the moisture. The poussin was also well received. This is an exclusive chef’s special, marinated in coconut oil for a taste of the Caribbean. Again, a huge portion proved too much for my friend’s appetite.
The drinks menu was also well received by the men, offering 14 different types of beer. They both opted for Budvar, while my friend and I shared a bottle of white zinfandel, one of only four wines available.
Rounding up the mains, my female friend opted for a portion of rice, as she sensibly predicted the starters would fill her up. However, this simple side dish arrived a good few minutes after our food with no explanation as to why, which meant our meals went a little cold out of politeness. A blight on an otherwise impressive service.
We ended the meal with espressos and Jaegerbombs and decided to leave the on-site karaoke to the hen night.
Suzi and her friends paid £98.30 for two mixed starters platters, three mains with side orders, two coffees, four Budvar beers, a bottle of wine, four Jaegerbombs and a lemonade, incorporating the 30 per cent discount offered at the launch party. To save 20 per cent off your meal, download the voucher at www.dragongrill.co.uk
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