He was seconds away from burning all his precious recipes and throwing away his experience for a new path, but was stopped by one friend who said “Don’t you bloody do it! One day, this will work”. His dream to bring the highest quality of Chinese food to the Christchurch community ended all too soon.Īt the age of 22, Cliff very nearly gave it all up. New Zealanders at that time tended to ‘stick to what they knew’, so the food was largely undiscovered. He completed his Chef’s training, specialising in Chinese Delicatessen, which included duck, chicken and honey roast pork dishes.Ĭliff opened his first restaurant in 1980, and as he says "It was a disaster." His food was new, it was fine dining but it was not well accepted because it was so different, and in those days in New Zealand there were only about 300 Chinese people in the country and Cliff says “We practically knew each other”. When Cliff was old enough to travel on his own, he returned to Hong Kong to study traditional Chinese cooking methods, including specialised dishes. In their adjustment to the local culture Cliff and his family soon discovered that they were missing their ‘taste of home’ as the Chinese food on offer in New Zealand at that time, was nowhere near the standard of traditional Chinese cooking methods, and it was something they sorely missed.Īdapting the Kiwi mentality of ‘do it yourself’ the family chose to prepare their own meals, and this led to Cliff gaining quite an interest in the difference of preparation and cooking methods from the food he had grown up with in Hong Kong, to what was on offer in New Zealand - igniting a passion that would last a lifetime.
Cliff has a long history with a love of Chinese food cooked and presented just right, but it has been many years in the making…Ĭliff moved to New Zealand from Hong Kong with his family in 1974, when he was about 14 years old.
It has been a long journey from humble beginnings to the Dragon Express Restaurant that now serves the people Christchurch, those who are passing through, and those who want a taste of Hong Kong, as it should be. Décor –the ancient artwork that graces our restaurant wallsĪt Dragon Express we strongly believe that Chinese dining should be an experience to be enjoyed, and each carefully prepared dish to be discovered and savoured for its uniqueness.THE HISTORY OF THIS CHRISTCHURCH BASED CHINESE RESTAURANT.Plate, Cup, Chopsticks – the tools of dining and their intended usage.
#DRAGON EXPRESS CHINESE HOW TO#
Come to Dragon Express today to enjoy the experience of carefully prepared, beautifully served, Chinese food.Ĭliff would like to welcome everyone to try this traditional Chinese dining experience, while assuring you that there is no need to be wary of how to eat or to behave, simply come to Dragon Express Restaurant and immerse yourself in the experience.įor your peace of mind we have included information on Chinese Dining,Īnd you are welcome to follow these links for more information on: He is such a character and always manages to make us laugh and to make his customers feel welcome and at ease with his sense of humour and passion for food.
I would recommend you come to Dragon Express just to meet the chef and owner, Cliff. Dragon Express is a Chinese, dine-in, fully licensed restaurant where Chefs prepare food of the highest quality, to Hong Kong standards of finest dining.
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