The Golden Dragon

We held our wedding banquet for 160 at Golden Dragon (Colindale). We communicated and organised with the manager Vincent who was very experience and accommodating. On the day, we were looked after by the manager Debbie and her team. She was very flexible with our additional last minute requests. The service that was provided by the team was excellent and all our guests commented on how delicious the food was. The chefs provided a separate vegan menu and we were told by our vegan guests that it was some of the best Chinese food they have ever had. Golden dragon had microphones and speakers that we were able to use, as well as screens to display pictures on. They also provided a beautiful tea set for our tea ceremony. There was plenty of space and decorated backdrops for group photos. There was even enough space for a lion dance performance from KSKUK Lion Dance! We have been to Golden dragon a few times for food, but we would highly recommend Golden Dragon for anyone planning to host a Chinese wedding banquet.

We have been to Golden Dragon twice now and on both occasions the food has been excellent! This is one of the best chinese restuarants in North London, with authentic tasting dishes all with very good portion sizes. I really recommend the Char Siu pork as well as the clay pot aubergine. The venue is fairly large but if you have a large group I would recommend booking in advance. Lots of people celebrating their birthdays both times we visited. Look forward to our next visit!

I love Chinese food but have avoided it for many years because I'm not a fan of MSG/AjinoMoto, which is a standard ingredient that can make anything taste amazing. Surprisingly, many people don't even know about it. However, I really wanted to try this place and have been searching for a Chinese restaurant online for years that states they are MSG-free. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find such a place, although I'm sure it must exist. In regard to this particular place, there didn't seem to be any comments in the reviews mentioning the use of MSG, so I thought there was a chance this place doesn't use it. (Clearly, I am the Artificial Additive Avenger). I brought this up because I avoid MSG like the plague, partly due to the linked side effects and the real aftereffects I experience when I unwittingly consume it. Anyway, on to the review: First, I called to inquire if it was necessary to make a reservation. They said that for large parties during the evening on a weekday, they do not take last-minute bookings and advised me to just come. They also mentioned that they did not want to wait for people who might not show up. We arrived at 9 pm, knowing we had only one hour until the 10 pm closing time. We had planned in advance what to order to save time. We were instantly greeted upon arrival and shown to our seats. We ordered a few dishes to try everything, including lemon chicken, beef steak, roast chicken, egg fried rice (unfortunately covered in spring onions), seafood crispy noodle, squid, and some other dishes that I may have forgotten about. Normally, I would break down the scores out of 10 for each dish, but since there are so many, I thought it would be best to summarize by saying that all the dishes were good. None of them tasted like they had MSG, which made me happy (although I may be wrong about this one point). I should have just asked, but I feel quite awkward doing so in Chinese restaurants because they usually look at you like you are dumb, and I can understand why. Anyway, the main point is that everything was good in terms of the food. At one point, I accidentally dropped my apple juice as the straw got caught on my shirt. Embarrassingly, it spilled all over the table, but two members of staff literally rushed to the rescue, which showed me how attentive and on the ball the staff was. The toilets were the only thing I did not enjoy about this place due to the damp toilet smell. I thought this let the place down. The most important factor for me about this place was that I had no aftereffects from eating the food, which suggested to me that they may not use MSG since I always experience aftereffects from it. Maybe they do use it, but if they do, it must be in minimal quantities, although I would prefer zero use of it. Overall, I was happy with my experience. The staff was welcoming and attentive, and the restaurant had a nice, spacious ambience.

From the same group as Royal China in Baker Street… so if you’ve been there, you’ll know what to expect. What was a surprise was the short wait time on a Sunday. Turned up at 1pm and only waited 10 minutes. Try that in Baker Street! Food is on par with Baker Street with similar pricing. Not cheap but not at the fancier end. Three of us ate for £95 all in, and that was pushing the boat out a bit also. Added bonus is the food court upstairs if you’re still hungry and the Asian supermarket next door. Recommended!