There are Chinese restaurants and then there is Cité du Dragon

There are Chinese restaurants and then there is Cité du Dragon. If you haven’t yet discovered this place in leafy Uccle, you should because it’s something to behold.

From the expansive front entrance to the huge garden at the rear – and not forgetting the very extensive menu – everything about this place is big and bold. It’s run by a lovely lady who, at an age when most people are thinking of putting their feet up, is still running around overseeing a huge team and a constantly evolving business.

Tu Liem Luc is 67 years old but puts people half her age to shame with her tenacity, industry and sheer enthusiasm for her work. She doesn’t hesitate when asked what she’ll miss most when she eventually calls it a day. “Without doubt,” she says, “it would be the garden.” One glance at the wonderful ornamental garden, complete with waterfall, bridges and koi fish, and you can well see what she means. There really cannot be anything to compare with this at another restaurant in Belgium.It has its own gardener and will soon boast a new set of winter flowers and plants.

Happily, though, the cuisine at this top-notch restaurant is just as impressive as both the interior and exterior.

Like the interior (it seats 200 inside and another 100 in the garden), the menu  is huge and contains all the dishes you’d expect but the favourite – and house speciality – is apparently the Peking duck. Prepared in-house (unlike a lot of Asian restaurants) this can involve a wait of up to 30 minutes (it’s worth it). This signature dish includes an appetiser, starter and the main dish – a whole, melt-in-the-mouth Peking duck served in pancakes in its crispy, caramelised skin, with vegetables and, finally, in a delicious soup.

The basket of dim sum (five different types) is also a “best seller” while the “Imperial” plateau of crispy starters is also recommended.

Another real customer favourite here is the famous Cite Du Dragon buffet, which comes at a real snip – €25pp – and offers a great choice of your favourite Chinese food. The “eat as much as you like” homemade buffet has rapidly become a massive success.

The menu is always being updated and a couple of other recent additions – crispy noodles with chicken, beef and scampi plus rice noodles with scampi – have quickly become firm favourites with its army of loyal customers and are also highly recommended.

This fantastic restaurant is real mainstay of the Brussels restaurant scene and is often packed at weekends when booking is advisable. Considering the splendour of the food and surroundings, it`s also all very affordable. People commuting to Brussels may have passed this restaurant and wondered if the cuisine matches its incredible facade.
The answer is a resounding Yes.

The very friendly owner also has an eye on current trends and, therefore, has started to introduce a few more veggie dishes. There are also lots of different set menus to choose from, including the “Taster Menu”  for two people at €48.

The female owner first arrived in Belgium way back in 1969 and opened this restaurant in 1991 (her younger sister also runs a Chinese restaurant in Liege). It has grown steadily over the years to occupy the very impressive spot it now boasts in this very pleasant suburb of Brussels.

Eating at this place should really be reserved for a special occasion but, in all honesty, when the food, service and surroundings, complete with oriental antiques and painted murals, are so genuinely delightful as they are here, the temptation is not to wait too long before your next visit.

After a sumptuous and very satisfying meal, you can take a stroll in the amazing Asian-style garden. You will then see what the owner means when she says it is the thing she will miss most when she – finally – calls it a day (hopefully, not for a while yet!)

Good to Know:
Address: Chaussée de Waterloo 1024,Brussels
Telephone: 02 375 8080