Cleanliness: 4 / 5
Service: 4 / 5
Taste: 4 / 5
Presentation: 3 / 5
Price: $$
Overall: 4 / 5
Once upon a time, there was a little pub in the middle of Toronto called The Crown & Dragon. It became the weekly hangout of myself and a few of my friends. The English styled pub, catered mostly to regulars, served interesting "un-pub-like" food, like Korean kalbi ribs and Tom Yum Soup. Its location was central to all of us, and we'd meet there to unwind on Fridays. The food was tasty and the service was always very friendly. Unfortunately, with all of our busy lives, our weekly visits slowly became monthly visits; and monthly visits became seasonal visits.
One day, after not being there for a while, they were sporting an entirely new menu. One with 27 flavours of chicken wings. Each one, more delicious than the previous. And for a little while, I frequented my little pub a little more so that I could try ALL 27 flavours. Quite soon after I did, The Crown & Dragon made a little announcement. This little pub that I'd been introducing many of my friends to, won the Toronto Wing Off (2009). Not only did they win, they beat out heavyweights like, Duffs, and Jack Astor's. And to make the victory sweeter? They won in EVERY category.
Best Traditional Buffalo Wing (Mild) : Key West BBQ
Best Traditional Buffalo Wing (Hot) : Dragon's Breath
Best International Flavour : Bollywood
Most Creative Taste : Roadside Lemonade
News of their win spread like wildfire. And soon, the little pub that could, was packed. And the owner, decided that it was time to open a new location. And earlier this year, he finally found a location for his all new restaurant, The Dragon Bistro.
So after going down to The Crown & Dragon all these years, I was looking forward to trying the new location. Would it be the same English style pub? Would the wings be as good? Would the waitresses be as cute-I-mean-friendly? Well, let's take a look.
The new location is much larger, with a much more modern feel. It's much more spacious, and of course, with big screen TVs readily available. The menu looks much like the original one, with a few add-ons to fit the "bistro" part of the new moniker. But I wasn't there to try their new stuff. I wanted my wings. We had 2 pounds of wings. 1 pound was "Cold Sweats", and the other, "Key West BBQ".
According to their menu, the description of the two types of wings we chose were:
Cold Sweats: It's Chili Chicken! Chinese / Indian by roots. Blending Spicy & Sweet
Key West BBQ: Sweet & smokey with real lime juice and sultry hickory.
What can I say about these wings. Big, fat, juicy wings, cooked just right. You will notice the the slightest kick with the Cold Sweats. Like the description says, it's a little bit spicy with a little bit of sweet. With the Key West BBQ, I do like how they don't overdo it with the sauce. There's really, just enough of it, to give it a rich, smokey flavour with a touch of sweetness to it. Very, very well done.
But if you're going to go to The Dragon Bistro, this is something you MUST try. Their yam fries. They do their yam fries differently than I've tried in any other place. Fried perfectly, these large, fat cuts of golden yam is crispy on the outside, and tender within.
Now, The Dragon Bistro has a new sauce for the yam fries, of which I'm not a big fan of. If you're going to go, I recommend you ask for the 'original sauce'.
It really doesn't look like much. It's the same sweet chili peppers as the Cold Sweats, in a soy sauce. But somehow, it marries perfectly with the yam fries. Absolutely delicious.
A final note... The waitstaff is still very friendly, and the entire experience, very enjoyable. That being said, as nice as the modern look and feel is to the place, somehow to me, it lacks the magic of the Crown. Although, I do admit, that it probably has to do with the memories and the familiarity of the place.
The Dragon Bistro
139 Main St.
Unionville, ON
Canada
~Cheers.
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