Dragon Pastry is a sibling establishment to Sweet Lu, with each focusing on different aspects of Chinese sweets. While Sweet Lu specializes in cakes, tarts, and more ‘moist’ desserts, Dragon Pastry offers drier pastries and shortbreads.
Despite having passed by their store in Haymarket’s Chinatown on numerous occasions, we were often drawn to other options in Sydney’s CBD. However, during a recent visit to Sandoitchi’s new store in Chatswood Chase, we took advantage of the wait for our order to explore Dragon Pastry’s offerings.
Pineapple Pastry ($2.80).
This particular pastry was shaped like a pineapple, featuring a dense and buttery shortbread exterior encasing a moist and flavorful pineapple filling. However, we felt that adding a bit more texture to the pineapple filling, akin to the style of Taiwanese pineapple cakes, would have enhanced the overall experience.
Black Sesame Pastry ($2.80)
The outer pastry had a savoury lardy taste, with visible black sesame seeds. However, it was the dense center that truly delivered the black sesame flavor, offering a bold, intensely rich nuttiness that was subtly sweet and unmistakably black sesame.
Black Sesame Short Bread ($1.80)
The pastry, measuring about 8 cm in diameter, had a loose crumb texture. On tasting, it was evident that peanuts were a primary ingredient, in both the crunchy peanut halves and the peanut-infused shortbread. Although the black sesame flavour was present, it didn’t immediately stand out in the taste, despite being visible in the pastry.
Qingtuan ($2.50 in 2024, $4.50 in 2026; red bean, left; black sesame, right)
This qingtuan had a delightful texture and flavor akin to mochi. It was easy to eat, with the glutinous rice dough being soft, stretchy, and pleasantly sticky. The mugwort added a subtle, fresh herbal flavor that complemented the mellow sweetness of the red bean filling, while the black sesame was rich and nutty with just the right amount of balancing sweetness and moisture to counter savoury nuttiness. We would definitely come back for more of this.
Lychee Pastry ($3.00).
The pastry had a fine, crumbly shortbread texture with a light buttery flavour, perfectly balanced with the thick and gooey filling. The filling had a distinct, vibrant taste of dried lychees, offering a well-balanced sweetness and subtle floral notes. Overall, this was a very enjoyable treat and worth repurchasing.
Pear Pineapple Pastry ($3.50)
Shaped like a pear, this pastry featured a thin, yellow-hued shortcrust shell that held together a moist fruit filling. A variation on the traditional Taiwanese pineapple pastry, the pineapple contributed tropical sweetness and fibrous texture, while the pear introduced a softer layer of sweetness that, though subtle, was distinct enough to deepen the overall flavour profile.
Peach Pastry ($3.80)
Modelled after a white peach with a pink blush and green leaves, this pastry combined a fine, crumbly shortbread exterior with a filling of peach and candied winter melon. The peach delivered a vibrant, fragrant flavour that dominated the profile, while the winter melon provided sweetness and a chewy, candied texture that added both body and moisture to the filling.
Grape Sweet Fermented Rice Mochi Tofu Pudding ($9.80)
The grapes were fresh and crisp, offering a sweet acidity. The jiuniang stood out with its signature sweet and slightly sour taste, complemented by the subtle apricot notes from the osmanthus syrup, jelly, and flowers. The mochi was chewy and tender, not doughy or too soft. The jelly had a bouncy texture, and the tofu was silky smooth. Overall, the dish was incredibly refreshing, with a delightful balance of textures and flavours. While everything was in good proportion, we would have preferred more jiuniang as we’re big fans of it.
In summary, the pastries at Dragon Pastry exceeded our expectations, and we look forward to returning to sample more from their selection.
Dragon Pastry is located at Lower Ground, Chatswood Chase Sydney, 345 Victoria Ave, Chatswood NSW 2067.