A garden isn’t usually the principle criteria you look for when choosing somewhere to eat.
The type and content of the menu, parking availability and reputation of a restaurant might usually be higher up such a list.
But the garden at one Brussels restaurant, something an institution in its own right, is, without doubt, very much a real and genuine reason for paying it a visit.
Cite Du Dragon is located appropriately with the wonderful La Foret de Soignes on its doorstep.
But the quite marvellous forest behind it belies what you can expect when you step through the front door at this terrific Chinese eatery.
The garden it boasts really IS something to behold.
In fact, to call it merely a “garden” is a gross understatement and does not reflect the time, effort, energy and dedication that has gone into its creation and evolution over the years.
First, be ready for the size of it: it is actually (much) larger than the restaurant itself, covering an area of some 3,000 square metres no less.
The first thing you should do, before even taking your seat and looking at the menu, is to have a little walk around the place. Only doing that will you fully appreciate it.
And do not forget to have a smartphone or camera at hand to capture the beauty and majesty of it all because, here, you will find everything from ornamental statues (of elephant, tigers and other creatures) cascading waterfalls and tropical and exotic fish (including Koi) to an assortment of glorious plants, plants, trees and flowers.
Some of the fish (fish are a Chinese symbol of good luck ) have been specially imported from the Far East.
This quite amazing Asian-style garden is at the rear of the resto and, upon viewing it, you can well see what Liem, the owner, means when she says it is the thing she will “miss the most” when she – finally – calls it a day. The garden also boasts maple trees from Japan which, with their red colours in the upcoming autumn, are particularly beautiful to behold.
The current hot spell means grabbing a table on the large terrace, which overlooks the garden, is often at a premium.
It’s all also clearly visible from inside the resto from its quite huge glass windows (another feature here).
As Liem points out, this is all the work of both herself and her hard-working team who,between them, maintain the garden. The front part facing the busy road is also quite a sight.
Not to be outdone, the cavernous interior, seating over 100, is quite an experience with its yet more water features, oriental antiques and painted murals – with all this within a lovely 1923 villa.
Of course, it is the foot itself that is, still, the main issue for diners and, here, you will not be disappointed either…. a very tempting menu consists of some really top-notch Chinese cuisine.
There is a great mix, from chicken and pork to beef and duck but the thing that many people visit Cite Du Dragon for is the fantastic buffet, available 7/7, that contains the best that Chinese cuisine has to offer.
It is incredibly well priced (another likely reason for its popularity) and there really is something for every pallet and taste.
The lunch menu, priced just €19pp, is also excellent with a choice of starters and mains. There’s even a “quick lunch” menu, priced even less at €15pp, plus the ever popular “eat as much as you like” buffet, priced just €27 pp.
The mains card on the main menu is wonderful with a big choice of soups and cold/hot starters such as the Panier de Dim Sum, Raviolis Au Canard and Croustillant de Scampi.
A la carte meat dishes for mains include eminces de boeuf aux choux au poivre de Sichuan (hot but not too hot and a very authentic Chinese dish) along with the aforementioned duck dishes. Unlike a lot of places which buy in the duck frozen ready made, here the duck is all prepared, fresh, on site.
There is also a very good wine and drinks list, including a very good Chinese beer.
Liem herself has a fascinating story to tell. She first arrived in Belgium way back in 1969 and attended university here. At first she worked with her sister at their resto on Liege (her sister still runs that one) but, in 1991, Liem opened Cite du Dragon and hasn’t looked back since.
She is a pensioner now but puts people half her age to shame with her tenacity, industry and sheer enthusiasm for her work.
There are hundreds of Chinese restaurants in Brussels – some good and some very good – but this place, surely, beats them all.
It is not difficult to see why, despite a pandemic and economic crises that have claimed so many victims in the resto trade, it is as popular today as it was back in 1991 when it first opened.
Its continued popularity is also very much down to the owner and her dedicated and hard working team who make a visit here so special, including the very helpful Edghe, from Türkiye.
Before the resto opened 35 years ago and transformed to the “exotic” place it is today the building used to be a meeting place for religious students.
It is not an exaggeration to say that it now offers some quite heavenly food (and THAT garden).
Cite Du Dragon
Address: Chaussée de Waterloo 1024,Brussels
Telephone: 02 375 8080
