I’ve never had anything quite like Adobo Dragon, the Asian-Latino style cuisine located inside the DeSoto Central Market on Central Avenue and Roosevelt Street.
When I arrived at the market I did so with two very hungry friends. I had been to the market before, but had yet to try the Adobo Dragon restaurant. We entered the market through the patio and immediately my eyes turned to the many televisions showing the NBA playoff game. After catching a few minutes of the game I proceeded through the bar and patio area and into the where Adobo Dragon is located in the back of the market.
I took a glance at the menu and quickly came to the decision to order the Bao buns that come in orders of two. With the option to mix and match buns I decided to go with one Fish Bao and one Pork Bao. One of my friends went in a similar direction and got one Chicken Bao and one Beef Bao. We each got a side of rice. My other friend went in a separate direction and got a Chicken Bento Box. We decided that we had to split either the Fish or Seafood Ceviche, we flipped a coin and went with the seafood. After ordering, we headed out to the market’s lounge area to watch the game while we waited for our food.
Within ten minutes our food was delivered to us in still steaming-hot. The portions seemed to be good size, but there was only one way to know for sure if this food would satisfy my appetite.
The first thing I did was eat my Pork Bao, which was a mix of carnets, pipian curry and blue cheese. The carnets were delicious and full of flavor and the curry and bleu cheese gave a nice sweet-spicy balance. The bun was lightly steamed and had a sweet taste with every bite. Next, I dove into the Fish Bao, which comes with salmon, guava-chili jam and wasabi. The Fish Bao was delicious, the salmon was fresh and full of flavor, and the wasabi and guava-chili jam gave a nice kick.
My hungry friend, who also ordered the Bao buns, was pleasantly surprised by how fresh the ingredients were. She complimented the flavor of both the chicken and the beef. The Chicken Bao came with grilled chick, mango salsa and chimichurri. The Beef Bao came with bulgogi, sesame and slaw. All of the ingredients were fresh and full of flavor.The buns brought a unique texture to the table and she called the salsa “some of the best she had ever had.”
The friend who ordered the Chicken Bento box also was satisfied with his meal. His Chicken Bento came with grilled chicken, caramelized onions and chimichurri with sides of rice, salad and fruit. He raved about how much flavor the chicken had and how fresh everything was. The fruit was fresh and sweet and the grilled chicken had a “flavor punch.”
Finally, the Seafood Ceviche, which comes with shrimp, calamari, ginger and chipotle with a side of chips. The Seafood Ceviche was very flavorful and had a lemon after-taste to bring the flavors to another level. The chips were fresh and crispy and, needless to say, gone in a hurry.
While the portion sizes for the Bao buns and Bento box were great, the Ceviche was much more scarce. If you have more than two people you will definitely want to go with the full Ceviche instead of a half order. We ordered the full and wished we had two of them.
With our individual meals, two sides or rice and one full Ceviche our bill came out just under 45 dollars. Not bad for three customers who left Adobo Dragon full and satisfied with the tasty and unique meal we had just enjoyed. On my next visit I want to try the Fish Ceviche, which comes with seasonal fish, pineapple and lime. I also would like to try the house salad that comes with romaine, kale, edamame, friend quinoa and a house vinaigrette.
Location: 915 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004
Star rating (0-5): ★★★★ ½
Contact the reporter at gregfreitas@yahoo.com.
