Enter the Dragon State Kitchen

In Hong Kong’s storied and cutthroat Cantonese BBQ game, one chock-full of glossy, sweet, crackling, roast chunks of meat candy – a term that has also been used to describe the all-male interactive adult revue the ‘Thunder From Down Under’ – there aren’t many who gastronomically shimmy, shake, and gyrate in unison better than the good folk of Dragon State Kitchen.

Having posted up work-wise in Sheung Wan for several years, primarily just ‘Keyboard Cat’ typing away to seem busy and tryin’ to get rich while dyin’ tryin’ the 50 Cent way, Dragon State Kitchen quickly became a staple of my post-work char siu pursuits. My charsuits. 

What’s not to love about fatty candied savory slices of vibrant red pork over a king-size bed of rice and an ice-cold lemon tea to wash it all down, all for HK$60? 

Toss in a wide range of siu mei (Cantonese meats typically roasted on spits over an open fire), service so efficient and brusque that it would make a Waltham Dunkin’ Donuts cashier’s head spin, and a carved-out position less than a 3-minute walk from the Sheung Wan MTR, and it’s obvious why Dragon State Kitchen is continuously a name thrown out there with the legends and likes of Earvin Johnson Jr., Larry Bird, and early 20th-century Purdue University basketball coach Ward Louis “Piggy” Lambert.

Because it makes magic with dem birds and piggies. 

Honestly, I’m surprised by now that I haven’t made a Bruce Lee reference. So, without further ado. It’s time to Enter the Dragon…State Kitchen. 

The Dragon’s Lair Deets

Website, Address, & Details: No Website.

• Location: 38 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan
• Price: $ – HK$50 to HK$70 for a typical one meat with rice portion or the latter for a double meat combo (ex. Suckling pig) with rice is unbeatable in today’s landscape. 

(Nearly) fixed on the corner of Bonham Strand and Hillier Street in one of my favorite neighborhoods in all of Hong Kong (Sheung Wan), so close to the MTR that you can taste it (hmmm…maybe that’s the other way around), Dragon State Kitchen’s prestige and ubiquity on ‘Siu Mei Top 10 Lists’ makes it feel as if it has been around far longer than it actually has.

In the brick-and-mortar siu mei game, it’s still a suckling piglet. But in the hearts, minds, and cleaver-wielding proficiency of its staff, it’s an aged, venerated hog. Terrific, radiant, and humble. While I’m not entirely sure of its official date of opening, OpenRice reviews and photos first started clocking in around 2015. 

What I can confidently say is no matter what the date of the opening of Dragon State Kitchen was, this wasn’t their first rodeo. They were born with it. It wasn’t the Maybelline. 

If you’re unsure of how to get to Dragon State Kitchen, come out of any exit of the Sheung Wan MTR and follow your nose to wherever the sweet, slightly smoky scent is nostril-y cooing you. It won’t be long before you stumble on a sizable line of both locals and expats alike patiently waiting for their takeaway orders in front of an illuminated shop front with red Chinese and English lettering and smoked meats dangling from the ceiling. 

Don’t be alarmed, there are plenty of seats inside. 

Even if you do need to queue for a table, it’s Hong Kong. Things move fast and you’ll be seated in no time. And you know what? Just for complaining about there potentially being a line, go take a lap right now. A good life rule is that no char siu comes without some sacrifice. 

You also just spent 35 minutes in that line outside of Bakehouse waiting on a sourdough egg tart and are now in 40+ Korean Instagram reels and selfies, so I think you can manage a 4-minute wait to enter the dragon. 

The interior decor is simple, plain white countertops, wooden stools, Ikea-esque booths, menus posted to the wall and fixed in table dividing, laminated placards, and industrial A.C. units raining down on you from the ceiling. 

What? You Want a Best Friend or Cantonese BBQ? Pick One

Open the Google or OpenRice reviews and tell me what you see. I’ll tell you what I see. A lot of negative reviews by people who have never felt the wrath of a disgruntled New England seafood shack server mid-lunch rush after asking for a refill for your empty Coca-Cola in that one style of paper cup with a distinct turquoise and purple swirl. r/oddlyspecific. 

They already know. They clocked it the second they saw your cup get empty. They’re just prioritizing roughly 30 other things they’re doing simultaneously and will be with you shortly. 

And yeah, maybe they aren’t too thrilled to make small talk with you because they know you’ll tip less than 10% on a $115 bill that included more Dark ‘N’ Stormies’ than a parent driving a minivan should consume on a Thursday afternoon.  

Mr. Balboa said it best, “The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows.” 

Pale Ale Travel Note: I’ve pulled a complete 180° on Cantonese food since returning from my recent three-month stint in Poland and The Old Continent (Europe). That’s not to say that I wasn’t a fan before. In fact, I’m a huge fan. I just had never truly taken a step back and realized how big a role Asian cuisine plays in my diet, especially considering my last several stints out of Hong Kong (prior to Poland) were still in Asia (Osaka, Saigon, Bangkok). 

Before stepping foot in Dragon State Kitchen, ask yourself, “Do I want a best friend or do I want some of the best Cantonese BBQ I’ve ever eaten in my life?”

If you’re expecting friendly service, you are the weakest link, goodbye. I’m 99% sure the ever-so-smug and cantankerous Anne Robinson from The Weakest Link got called out for bullying people, which, after re-reading what I just wrote, maybe I’m doing that to you. 

The point is…you may get bumped, you may be ignored or moved to a different table, and you may even be shouted at or the victim of a dreaded eye-roll after you ask a seemingly innocuous question about the menu. But you will also receive no-nonsense efficiency that will have a mammoth, savory, and sweet plate of char siu and roast goose in front of you within minutes.

Simply put, there are no gratuitous, effusive pleasantries or platitudinous exchanges here. It’s strictly quid pro quo. They got the meats (move over Arby’s), and you got the skrilla. 

It’s time to saddle up, Ponyboy, and make a deal. 

And you know what? I’ll take that any day of the week over someone who undresses me with a contrived, Stepford wife-esque smile and takes 45 minutes just to refill my lemonade. 

Pale Ale Travel Note: I’m skeptical of restaurants and cafes where the waitstaff is overly friendly as it has ultimately resulted in some of the poorest service I’ve ever received. Maybe that’s the New Englander in me but I think it’s a decent litmus test for how efficient staff are. 

Siu Mei for Siu You, Siu Me, & Siu We

The name of the game here is Siu Mei. Nothing more. Nothing less. 

‘Siu mei’ (燒味) is a general Cantonese term for meats that are roasted on skewers (spits) over an open fire while basting in a flavorful sauce. Ultimately, this imbues a deep BBQ flavor and smokiness that is further accentuated by typically a sweet coat or glaze – hence why I often refer to it as ‘meat candy’. 

However, unlike candy which is often one dimensional, there’s flavor and textural depth to this style of cooking. It’s savory and sweet. Its color is glossy yet subdued. It’s fatty yet has a clean finish. It’s fibrous, chewy, and crispy but also tender at the same time. 

Thank goodness for the texture as when you think about it, you don’t want to just be sucking down slippery pieces of meat fat. 

Pale Ale Travel Tip: If you’re worried about needing any level of Cantonese to eat here, don’t. Dragon State has hybrid Chinese-English menus and waiters probably know what you want before you even order/point at it on the menu. 

My Go-To at Dragon State Kitchen: Char Siu & Roasted Duck

What I unequivocally love about siu mei restaurants in Hong Kong is that it’s just par for the course to be able to mix and match whatever meats you want with your rice (or noodles). Dragon State Kitchen is no different.

I mean, technically you can opt for a single roast meat selection with rice (or noodles) but why do that when you have BBQ pork, roasted duck, roast suckling pig, sausage, intestine, pig trotters, and chicken at your fingertips?

Roast goose is always extra and not usually included in the general BBQ combo meal. It will run you about double the price of what a standard two-meat combo platter would run you. 

Honestly, it’s worth ordering (the roasted goose) if it’s your first time in Hong Kong. But for regulars who want something that isn’t so much work, then it’s more common to order something like a char siu-suckling pig combo. 

Pale Ale Travel Tip: Dragon State Kitchen is just one of dozens of siu mei legends in Hong Kong. Other favorites of mine include The China Club, Kam’s Roast Goose, and 華勝燒鵝 (near HKU). Gun to my head, I have to give it up to Kam’s for their fatty char siu, which is the pure definition of “meat candy.” I don’t even care that it has potentially put me in an early grave. Also, I love throwing some strikes at the accompanying bowling alley to burn off my cals. 

On my most recent trip to Dragon State Kitchen, I went with ‘Old Faithful’ and pulled up a char siu-roasted duck double combo with rice for HK$60. 

After taking my first bite into the sweet and smoky glazed char siu, I knew I wasn’t in Kansas anymore. 

The outer layer (aka the ‘bark’), caramelized with a deep red thanks to slight charring, yielded a required chewiness we all need, to know that we’re actually eating meat. However, the perfectly cleaved “fat cap” and its slipperiness offset any potential for an overly fibrous bite. 

Salty, sweet, savory, juicy, and tender. 

As I mentioned in a previous article breaking down the char siu at The China Club in Hong Kong, this is what American Chinese spare ribs yearn to be. 

While I absolutely love the honey, soy sauce, and spice glaze that’s ubiquitously (and liberally) used to coat both Cantonese char siu and American-Chinese spare ribs, the latter unfortunately, almost always, forgoes balancing it with the smokiness it deserves.

What I especially love about Dragon State Kitchen is that there’s no need to request a ‘fattier cut’ of char siu (unless you really want to cross your t’s), which you may have to do at other siu mei restaurants, due to the potential of receiving somewhat dried out slivers of pork. 

You’re probably wondering why I don’t usually order the goose at siu mei restaurants. Well…I’ll be honest with you. I prefer the less gamey, slightly sweeter flavor profile of duck. Sometimes with roasted goose, there is a bit of an aftertaste due to just how rich it is, which lingers and dilutes the taste of my main love – char siu. 

I generally find roasted duck to be more balanced due to its less absorptive properties, meaning that the marinade doesn’t fully permeate and overpower the dish. While yes, roasted goose is more succulent (“Gentlemen, this is democracy manifest! What is the charge? Eating a meal? A succulent Chinese meal?”), I’ve found in my siu mei chronicles that the thinner skin of the duck crisps up more according to my liking. 

But you know what? That’s just my preference. Try both and let me know in the comments. 

And look at that crispy glazed hoisin skin right there. Are you looking? No. Look again. For sub-$8 (USD), I’m not sure there are many BBQ restaurants out there that do it better at such an affordable price. 

At the end of the day, both duck and goose pose choking hazards that require some toothed dexterity thanks to having their bones intact (doing so does retain moisture though so don’t knock it!). 

This also means that you should pair it with a second easier-to-eat meat as well. Think of the roasted goose and/or duck as a treat rather than the main siu mei enchilada. 

Personally, the combination of a fatty, smokey, sweet hunk of pork and a slightly gamey, crispy, chewier serving of duck provides a much-needed balance to this Big Body’s unbalanced life (and diet). 

And for that, I’m thankful. And hungry again. 

Pale Ale Travel Tip: Keep in mind at Cantonese restaurants that it is common to have the receipt placed on your table and to pay, all you need to do is go to the front cashier and hand it to them. If you think a waiter is going to come around with a little change purse and ask you how the meal was/settle up the bill at your table, then you’ll be waiting until the cows come home. Get in, get out. 

You Know I’d Walk a Thousand Miles if I Could Just Eat Char Siu…Tonight

Cue the B minor hook from ‘A Thousand Miles’ by Vanessa Carlton while the magical piano that somehow drove me around the city slowly returns to the garage and I coyly look at the camera. 

I don’t know about you. But I’ve already made that joke about ‘feeling 22’ so I’m just going to wrap things up and concisely state that Dragon State Kitchen is a Cantonese BBQ institution that I do not doubt will be here for years to come…if they avoid that second route some Cantonese gastronomic institutions take that involves laundering a lot of money and not paying staff. 

However, should they avoid that pitfall, I have no doubt that this is a siu mei spot that will continue to put that exclamation point at the end of being revered as a top Cantonese BBQ restaurant in Hong Kong.

If you have any questions about my favorite restaurants, bars, or cafes in Hong Kong, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at info@palealetravel.com. 

Eat well everyone,

Big Body