Sunday, 14 February 2010
Dragon Pearl, Frome
Dragon Pearl is a Chinese restaurant in Frome, located in a sort of attic at the top (well it would be) of Georgian buildings overlooking the steeply curving High Street of Frome Town Centre. We didn't know of this place's existence until a friend mentioned it. You could walk up and down the High Street all your life and not realise it was there, unless you happened to crane your neck at the right moment, and then you would see people in the sky sitting at tables enjoying high class chinese food while looking down on you as though you were a type of worm or centipede or other crawling thing. Frome is not known for its abundance of eating places, so this was very exciting. We entered by the little door in a side street and climbed several flights of stairs (there is a lift), which, after the steep climb up the High Street can be a bit much if you are as unfit as me, which I hope you are not, so could only gasp to the waitress at the top that we required a table for four. It was Valentine's Day but there was no way we could shake off our kids, so we all went for a romantic dinner for four. Beneath the sloping attic ceilings, the Dragon Pearl felt fresh and bright, very unlike the usual tacky high street Chinese place. We had a Valentine's special, which began with a complimentary glass of fizzy stuff with a heart-shaped strawberry in it, then dim sum type starters - heart shaped sesame toasts, honey-glazed ribs, spring rolls, seaweed in an edible dish, fishcake thing, all very nicely done. Then a main course of sliced beef in Cantonese sauce, with sort of caramelised onions, the sauce very sweet, but delicious, then a chicken ginger and sweet corn stir fry thing, but the main interesting thing was cucumbers stuffed with minced prawn and chicken in an oyster sauce - very delicate and unusual dish, making good use of the much underused cucumber as a main ingredient. Then some chunky tiramisu/gateau/creme caramel type deserts - suspect the creme caramel came from Somerfield (soon to close!!), but otherwise this was a really nicely done meal, with some thought and care taken, not just a lot of stir-fried stuff in a gooey sauce. They've been in Frome for about three years, so the Waitress said, seeming a little surprised that we hadn't been before. Hope they stay for many more years, because we need to try everything on the menu.
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