(Last updated: January 2, 2024)
Two reviews for the price of one here! What follows first are details of a delectable dim sum lunch enjoyed recently in October 2023. Scroll down further for a taste of history circa 2013, when I visited Campo De Dragon for the very first time.
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Dim sum lunches on weekends at Campo De Dragon are invariably flooded with Macanese families enjoying some of their most celebrated local dishes. Served and meant to be enjoyed with tea, dim sum can be a difficult cat to pin down, simply because it comes in some many flavours and forms. Campo De Dragon, without a doubt, does it as well as anyone in town, with special praise reserved for their Thai Eggplant ($28), Cauliflower Shrimp Spring Rolls ($32), Shrimp Dumplings ($38), and Grilled Dace Ball with Seasonal Vegetables ($50).
The Fish Balls, in particular, are simply outstanding and could not have been prepared any better.
The Shanghai Soup Dumplings ($32) were a tad disappointing since I’ve had better elsewhere, but were still a solid 4 out of 5 stars nonetheless. An interesting taste experience, they’re filled with a hot soup that eventually subsides into a panoply of pure shrimp pleasure.
The only two selections that were guilty of misadventure were the Sticky Fish Dumplings ($28) and Pig’s Guts Noodles ($38).
I’d stay far away from each of these bad boys, both of which suffered from gross texture tantrums, in particular some sickly sticky sog that sunk both dishes.
A much better option is to try Pig’s Gut’s Noodles at Hoi Un Sio Sek, which cost a third of the price and are a million times better.
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Campo De Dragon is located in a fairly heavy tourist area, around the corner from the Lisboa and in close proximity to budget hotels like the Beverly Plaza, Fortuna, President and Metropark.
For whatever reason it’s never really caught on with travellers though, which is both strange and a shame, since it’s one of the best Chinese restaurants in town.
I went there at lunch with my good friend Wang Jian and we pretty much stuck to dim sum, ordering 7 different kinds, as well as a big beautiful dish of fresh sashimi ($88).
All of the dim sum was spectacular, in particular the Shanghai Soup Pork Dumplings (灌汤小龙包 $23), Thai Eggplant (泰式酿茄子 $23), and Shrimp Wraps (黑木耳鲜虾肠 $30).
The Shrimp Dumplings (聚龙虾饺皇 $30), Abalone Fish Ball (鲍鱼粒咸水角 $21), and Shrimp Rolls (木鱼丝虾春卷 $26) were also of highest quality as well.
The only thing we didn’t care for was the Red Taro Cake (红米香芋糕 $18) which was way too dry and hard.
Even though we went there on the October 1st national holiday and the place was pretty busy, service didn’t suffer and everything was handled quickly and efficiently.
The price was right too, only $305, which is great value in Macau for two people dining anywhere, anytime.
I much prefer Chinese restaurants on the street to those located in big hotel casinos and places like Campo De Dragon are the reason why. If it’s good enough for the locals, it’s good enough for me, and I will definitely return in the future.
