Red Dragon House would more adequately be described as a bar than a restaurant. Tucked into a small, beige painted building on the corner of Lodi Street and East Division Street, I finally identified it for the flashing lights in the window and the lit-up board saying “Red Dragon House.”

It has a small food menu with 11 options in total and an extensive drink menu — two canned beers, five drafts and 21 bottles — all in addition to a fully stocked spirits bar.

One thing to note is that Red Dragon House serves the real-sugar Mexican Coca-Cola drink, in glass bottles. It made ordering a Coke by far the best part of the night.

I was drawn to try Red Dragon House because I was interested by its cuisine style. As the first Bhutanese restaurant to open in Syracuse — and the first I had ever been to — I did my research. Bhutanese food comes from central Asia in the mountainous kingdom of Bhutan and is likened to a fusion of Indian and Chinese cuisines.

This was also reflected in the decor of the restaurant, which was simple, clean and sparsely furnished. It featured a stuffed deer mounted above the entrance, neon lights flashing in the windows, a jukebox on the front wall and a single Chinese lantern hanging in the middle of the room. It also had two pool tables in a back room that seemed to be the main attraction of the place. Although all the tables were full in the restaurant, the security TV behind the bar revealed the majority of people actually present in the building were playing pool.

After being seated, we started with a plate of circular fried thin bread, smothered in oil, called “roti” and a pitcher of water. I ordered a full plate of Momo and Sauce and a four-piece Samosa & Soup. The waiter, wearing a red beanie and a black leather jacket, told me these two dishes are the house specialties. Most entrees featured a vegetarian option.

In addition, I ordered full vegetarian plates of Thukpa — spaghetti with soup — and Chow Mein & Tomato Sauce and, of course, the Coca-Cola. All the dishes are offered in different plate sizes and quantities. These very generous servings are all reasonably priced.

The food arrived at different times, but the entire order was promptly brought to the table within seven minutes. The Momo and Sauce arrived first and contained peas and cabbage in a slightly dry rice paper. Next was the Samosa & Soup — the samosa had a crunchy exterior and was filled with a salty soft potato, pea and cabbage interior. It was also a little dry, but tasted much better when dipped in the accompanying soup.

The Chow Mein — my personal favorite — had a really nice, spicy bite to it, which helped lessen the intensity of the salt, and again contained the pea and cabbage vegetable combination.

The only meal I would not recommend was the Thukpa. It was comprised of thick white noodles swimming in the same soup that accompanied the samosa, with a green pea base mixed in. Aside from the saltiness, I didn’t feel it had a taste of its own to stand on.

A large flat-screen TV playing a Bollywood movie was being screened at an angle that all tables could enjoy while eating their meals. While I wouldn’t recommend it as a great place to take a date or even go with a group of friends, it is great comfort food for takeaway to munch on while having a cozy movie night in.

Published on January 26, 2015 at 12:01 am