Dragon-I brings spice to State Street

State Street, extending from Library Mall to the Capitol building, is a well-known nexus of fine food, atmosphere and relaxation for University of Wisconsin students.

The latest addition to the street’s growing collection of worldwide cuisine comes in the form of Dragon-I, an Asian fusion restaurant specializing in Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese cuisine as well as a dash of Korean spice.

Owned by Raymond Sze, a local restaurateur who also operates Nam’s Noodle on Regent Street, the new eatery also houses an event space for up to 80 people, as well as a full karaoke lounge.

Dragon-I’s emphasis is on a broad fusion of Asian cuisine, unlike Nam’s Noodle, which Sze noted was too small for his plans. 

“Everything [at Nam’s] is stable, and I think I needed a change in my life,” Sze said. “That’s why I think I gave myself a second opportunity. State Street was one of my dreams, to open a restaurant here.”

The location in the heart of State Street has many advantages, Sze said. 

“I’ve been running a karaoke business at Nam’s for over 10 years, and many students don’t have a car so it’s not easy for them to go,” he said. “That’s why I’ve opened a karaoke and a restaurant here, so they can come more easily [than before].”

Sze is also planning to invest more time and effort into the food. He has already hired a new chef with 35 years of experience in a variety of Asian cuisine. 

“The taste will be much more authentic,” Sze said.

Gerald Chen, the restaurant manager and a close friend of Sze’s, explained that Dragon-I sets itself apart from other establishments on State Street. 

“It’s a very old building with a very modern environment,” he said, directing attention to the bar that lines one side of the first-floor dining room. “We have an onyx bar with built-in lights coming out of the stones. … It’s something that Madison doesn’t have, and I think it’s very cool.”

Sze said cooking has always been his passion. 

“Personally, I really like eating,” he said. “When I was young, I would always cook for my family. We weren’t that rich, so I had to take care of my brothers.”

“When they liked [my cooking], I would feel satisfied,” Sze said.

That passion continued when he moved to the United States in 1995, studying English in San Francisco. It was during this first year that he found a calling for a certain kind of food: Vietnamese cuisine, and especially pho, a rich noodle soup made from beef broth and rice noodles, served with a variety of herbs and condiments. 

“When I was in San Francisco, I ate lots of Vietnamese food, especially pho,” Sze said. “I fell in love with the pho noodle.”

After his graduation from UW in 2000, he set to work making his goal a reality. 

“It was one of my dreams to open a restaurant to sell Vietnamese noodles,” Sze said.

With Dragon-I, Sze had the perfect chance to attain his dream. 

“I know many Vietnamese restaurants who use a paste to make pho broth, because they want to save money,” he said. “But for us, we use a lot of ingredients, including beef bones, and cook the broth for over 10 hours every single day.”

Sze said nothing less than perfect pho is accepted at Dragon-I. 

“If we haven’t boiled it properly, we don’t even sell it,” he said. “We simply tell the customers that we’re sold out. We have to guarantee that the soup has been boiled for 10 hours. That’s why our customers like our pho noodles.”

Since its opening several weeks ago, Dragon-I has received generally positive reviews from locals, with a positive three and a half-star rating on Yelp despite some complaints about the slow service. Sze is aware of these problems. 

“In the beginning, we didn’t have enough people working in the kitchen so I didn’t have the time to manage the outside,” he said, confirming that the service at Dragon-I left a little to be desired. However, he emphasized he believes things will be getting better soon. 

“Now, I’ve gotten a new chef, so I will have more time to concentrate on service,” Sze said.

Sze said he is excited for Dragon-I’s potential. 

“Nam’s growth is limited, because it’s so small,” he said. “But Dragon-I’s size, location and the customers around this area gives it big potential. I’m very confident that there’s big room for this restaurant to grow.”

Dragon-I is located at 422 State St. It can be reached at (608) 287-1551.