Restaurant Review: Lucky Dragon

Restaurant:
Address: 2305 Darby Rd., Havertown, PA 19083
Rating: (3.5 out of 5 stars): ★★★ 1/2  
Style: Old-fashioned Chinese restaurant
Food: Classic American Chinese dishes and Japanese dishes and sushi
Atmosphere: Comfortable and casual
Parking: Medium lot
Service: Friendly and accommodating
Price Range: Moderate
Unique Features: Lunch and all you can eat sushi specials.

When I went to China I was beyond excited to eat there and while it was indeed delicious, it was completely different from the take-out Chinese I had grown up eating. American Chinese food is a hybrid cuisine that resembles neither the cuisine of China nor America.

It tends to be sweeter, saucier and saltier than what you would find in East Asia. People tend to categorize Chinese take-out as greasy and fatty but I don’t think it’s any greasier than what you would find at McDonald’s, if anything it probably has less fat and more vegetables.

is a Chinese Japanese restaurant in the tradition of the old school Chinese restaurants that appear in classics like A Christmas Story and television sitcoms set in NYC.

The menu is extensive and offers something for everyone. Our trio went in for a long overdue lunch and while we debated the all you can eat sushi option we decided to simply order a la carte (the selection of sushi rolls is limited for the AYCE offer).

We ordered the shrimp avocado salad, General Tso’s chicken with white rice, shrimp tempura bento box, salmon teriyaki bento box and assorted sushi rolls.

The shrimp avocado salad was loaded with strips of shrimp, slices of avocado and fresh vegetables. The carrot ginger dressing was extra ginger-y giving it a sharp kick. While it was tasty it was a bit aggressive. The shrimp was sweet but slightly overcooked, the avocadoes rich and buttery and the greens crisp. It was a highly enjoyable salad.

The bento boxes came with miso soup to start and my sister-in-law kept on commenting on how “much stuff” was in it. By stuff she meant cubes of tofu and ribbons of seaweed. The broth itself had more mild miso flavor but it was brimming with the aforementioned.

The General Tso’s was one of the better versions I’ve tried in the area. The sauce was rich and not overly syrupy. The white breast meat was juicy and the fried exterior was crunchy. The white rice was steamed well and nutty in flavor.

The shrimp tempura bento box was a mini feast consisting of a small salad, California rolls, steamed dumplings, white rice and fried shrimp and vegetables. The salad was simply a smaller, more plain version of the avocado shrimp salad.

The California rolls were wrapped with skill and had nice chunks of avocado and bits of not overly fishy crab stick. The steamed dumplings weren’t that great and kind of bland. The tempura shrimp and vegetables were crunchy and fried a nice golden color. The dipping sauce on the side provided a nice savory contrast to the items.

The salmon teriyaki bento box was identical except for the salmon replacing the tempura. The filet was nicely glazed with a sweet and savory teriyaki sauce but the fish itself was a tad overcooked. The vegetable medley that came on the side was well cooked and flavorful.

The sushi rolls were delicious and not for the faint of heart. The volcano roll featured a wide array of flavors of textures as there was salmon, spicy mayo and cream cheese in the roll among other things. The shrimp tempura roll with spicy tuna on top was not remotely Japanese but nevertheless but quite tasty. The remaining roll was similar but had plain tuna on top and was just as delectable.

The service was friendly and quite accommodating. The dining room was surprisingly filled for a late afternoon. There was a wide mix of families, young couples and ladies who lunch. Our food came out in a quick and efficient manner and dirty plates were cleared immediately. I would definitely head back if I were in the area again.