Chinese food on a cold night is hard to beat if you are looking to get that warm feeling back. So on a recent wintery evening I headed to Goldener Drache to get my Mapo Tofu fix. The restaurant has been around forever and is supposedly the oldest Chinese restaurant in Vienna. I honestly would not know if that is true, but I have lived in this area for more than two decades and Goldener Drache has always been there. I had also never made it inside before, which certainly says something, although I am not entirely sure what.
dining room @Goldener Drache
The place was surprisingly busy for the Christmas holidays. Normally people in this area tend to leave the city and go skiing, but apparently that habit has changed. A couple of tourists had also found their way inside. Why one would eat Chinese food while on vacation in Vienna is beyond me, but perhaps they had trouble finding an open restaurant.
The menu sounded promising and, on paper at least, fairly authentic. I can vouch for that after three trips to China. Still, I decided to order Mapo Tofu, as I was looking forward to the numbing qualities of Sichuan pepper. It is also a dish I know well, having eaten it countless times, and one I trust my judgement on.
At Goldener Drache, however, I would not have needed any dish at all to pass judgement. The rice alone told me everything I needed to know about the kitchen. There was clearly far too much water in the rice cooker, resulting in a gloopy, overcooked mess. It was easily the worst rice I have ever been served in a Chinese restaurant. How that can go wrong remains a mystery to me.
The Mapo Tofu then fit neatly into this disappointing picture. A dish that lives and dies by Sichuan pepper seemed to have had only marginal contact with it. There was a faint hint somewhere in the background, but nothing even remotely numbing. Instead, the dish leaned heavily towards a vague, European-style Asian flavour. The mix of meat and tofu was fine, and it was hot, at least something. It resembled a kind of stew, but it was Mapo Tofu in name only.
Mapo Tofu @Goldener Drache
My friends ordered Shu Cai Jiao, vegetable dumplings, as a starter to share. The complete absence of an accompanying dipping sauce was appalling. Once they were generously doused in the soy sauce provided on every table, they became just about palatable.
Shu Cai Jiao @Goldener Drache
“Buddha’s Delight” did not delight my friend either. With the help of the same soy sauce it turned into another warm dish on a cold evening: a generous mix of vegetables on top of glass noodles, entirely without seasoning. What’s not to like?
Buddha’s delight @Goldener Drache
There was also Hei Jiao Niu Rou on our table, stir-fried sirloin with vegetables and black pepper sauce. It looked like a generic Chinese dish straight out of the 1980s, swimming in a dark sauce. When I read “stir-fried sirloin”, I imagine something else, and so did the person who ordered it. He did not even finish his meal, as it simply was not very good.
sirloin with vegetables and black pepper sauce @Goldener Drache
Overall, Goldener Drache offers friendly and attentive service, and the ambience is quite beautiful without being overbearing. Unfortunately, the food is no longer my kind of thing. This is Chinese cuisine tailored to the European palate, with little regard for authenticity. It lacked seasoning, character, and any real sense of purpose.
Vienna has plenty of Chinese restaurants I enjoy far more, so I will most likely ignore Goldener Drache for the next couple of decades once again. Yours, Pollybert
Goldener Drache
1090 Wien, Porzellangasse 33
Tel: +43 1 3173318
Email: lokal@goldener-drachen.at
Tue-Fri: 11:30-14:00, 17:30-21:30, Sat: 17:30-21:30, Sun: 11:30-14:00, 17:30-21:30
https://www.goldenerdrachen.com/
