JADE Dragon Palace — Restaurant in Dumaguete

Visited: February 2023

Had a late dinner on a Saturday (around 8pm) and the place wasn't full. Great door entrance, but sadly it opens into a somewhat plain and disappointing dining interior that's not very big, though it has a separate outdoor seating area. Parking is available outside the hotel and I think there's also in-building underground parking. Hallway leading to the restaurant also needs more signages, because it's not clear where to turn (left or right) when coming out of the elevator.

Some tables are rectangle or square, some round with lazy susans; the tables with lazy susans have a capacity of about 7-8 people, and not the typical Chinese restaurant sized ones that usually seat 10. They could make improvements on their tableware set-up as it doesn't look very inviting.

Food was okay (we only ordered a few dishes) but wouldn't call it authentically Chinese based on the limited dishes I tried. I did like that they had dish-sizing choices (small, medium and large) for small groups who may want to taste a little bit of a variety of dishes. Their small dishes are said to be good for 2-3 people, but I think 2 is more realistic.

Menu had a lot of variety of dishes covering different kinds of meat and vegetables, though you need to check as some weren't available. They had dishes ranging from the typical Cantonese dishes, to Sichuan and Shanghai cuisine. Menu comes with a Chinese translation for the names of the dishes.

Service was not bad but could use improvements. Firstly, servers are not used to the typical way of serving dishes at Chinese restaurants. Could be that they're still a little new and awkward at it, but you'll notice it when they try to place dishes on the table.

Also, they served soup and I saw shrimp inside (supposedly not part of the soup as I'm allergic) and when I asked the staff if it had shrimp, she was adamant it had none. When she left, I double-checked to see if I was mistaken, but correctly saw shrimp (2 pcs) inside. Ordered Yang Chow Fried Rice and was told by the server that they could remove the shrimp (otherwise I wouldn't have ordered this dish), but still found a piece or two inside. As I'm allergic to shellfish and often go to Chinese restaurants, it's become second nature to always check if dishes have shrimp (even if servers supposedly say there is none). In this situation maybe servers weren't careful or not very familiar with the dishes, but kitchen staff and servers should have been more careful when serving the dishes especially since I mentioned that I was allergic.

Overall, the restaurant is still fairly new so there's still much room for improvement in terms of food, service, and ambiance. Just manage your expectations of the place as it's not on-par with the Chinese...

Authentic Chinese (Cantonese/Hong Kong style) food, well near enough for Dumaguete. It reminded me of dishes from Hong Kong and China Towns from around the World. I guess it is rather expensive in comparison to other local restaurants and well beyond everyday affordability for such dining, but if you are craving authentic tasting Chinese dishes ... then this is the place to go. I did have to take off one star for the food, because the duck was a little dry, and the cuisson of the stewed pork with mauy choy was not right... it should be boiled, skin fried until blistered, then steamed for several hours, until the meat is super soft.... clearly from one piece of chewy rind, and the smooth textured skin of the other pieces, they hadn't cooked it as one would expect. However, this is the only criticism I can give as all the other dishes were excellent. I was particularly impressed by the fried rice, with little pops of salmon eggs.

Staff were all very attentive. Atmosphere... a bit like a "yum cha" restaurant in Hong Kong, but it did have a wall filled with Japanese pottery / bowls / earthenware, which was confusing. Otherwise, the dining area was quite cool... so much so that the food got a bit cold.

Definitely worth going if you wish to treat yourself to high quality Chinese (Cantonese) cuisine. For me, I would definitely return, but high prices mean it is...

Food was excellent. Took the family to our first ever lunch out with everyone and we weren't disappointed. From soup, main courses and desserts, they all 'entertained' our taste buds. The dimsum may need some work but it was still good.

Weekday lunch crowds do not seem to descend on this establishment, probably because it was a tad more expensive than the usual rates - but servings were generous. Considering there was just one other occupied table, the service was commendable. So, if the lunch crowd is not your cup of tea, this would be your go-to place. The place is fairly new, as of writing, less than a year old, thus, everything was neat and there were no signs of any wear and tear. I hope they could keep the place to such standards in years to come.

The restaurant is inside the hotel. On entering, the hotel front desk is to the right, the stairs is just adjacent to the desk, there is also an elevator on the left side of the foyer. The restaurant is situated on the second floor. Third floor and beyond are where the...