Noble Dragon Chinese Restaurant

Earlier that day...

"So what are we having for lunch?"
"I don't know, anything but Chinese, I'm kind of sick of it"

Half an hour later, walking around aimlessly in Chinatown and completing forgetting about the earlier statement ..."Come on, let's eat here at the Noble Dragon". "Hmm, I don't know, I've got a feeling about this place" I said, trying to hint that we should eat somewhere else, but looking around helplessly at the surroundings - numerous asian restaurants as far as the eye could see.

Looking at the place, it seemed a little less popular than the other restaurants in Dixon Street. Despite that, we were beginning to feel overwhelmed by the feeling of hunger and were willing to overlook that little fact, which we would later realise was a sign we had missed.

The pretty teenage girl (probably an unpaid daughter) greeted us at the door and ushered us in, and managed to find us a table. Surprisingly, despite the lack of activity downstairs, it was a small, intimate space that had a majority of caucasian crowds, with the odd sprinkling of asians. Why weren't there many asians I thought to myself. Deciding on the menu for two, we settled in, thinking, hey, it can't be that bad, it's not like the place was empty. Which was always a good sign, so you'd think.

Little did we realise that was also a sign, the lack of asians. We had only just ordered when we were told to move seats. Feeling a little peeved, and letting it show, we switched tables. I had a nice barred window view of the street below. Lovely. We sat around waiting, making small talk with each other. Time seemed to slow, and we caught fragments of other patrons' conversations:

"This place was in its prime in the 1960s... its standards have slipped somewhat..."
"How long have we been waiting? Feels like 10 minutes? More like half an hour"
"Why don't you make an impassioned plea, as a mother, as it seems I'm not having any effect on them"

They brought our entrees and mains sporadically to the table. By this stage, we were past caring what was presented, the food itself left a lot to be desired. The girl that greeted us was rushed off her feet, trying to cater to waiting patrons. Looking around, I noticed a lot of people were growing impatient, either waiting to be seated, to order or even just for their food to arrive.

We eventually gave up after having to ask for the dessert, and realising that they obviously weren't used to the sudden surge in patronage, despite it being the prime of Chinese New Year. Frustrated, we left, and I just had to state at the counter, that this place grates, prompting a woman in front to turn around, probably in agreement. Either that or she misheard me as saying that this place is great and had to turn around in disbelief.

If I gained anything from the experience, it was to trust my instincts next time.