Blog Post #2: Restaurant Review

Digging the Treasure at the Oriental Pearl Seafood

Behind the dragon-decorated curtain, the congratulatory ambience filled the main room of the restaurant. The host introduces the bride and bridegroom to step up on the stage to receive the congratulatory wishes from the invited guests. Meanwhile, the waiter meticulously delivers a plate of fried lobster to the table next to my table. A baby boy is sitting on his father’s lap, perplexed by the red lobster sitting on the dinning table. The celebration of a couple’s marriage and a baby’s one year birthday took place at the same time as my friend and I visited the Oriental Pearl Seafood restaurant.

The wind chilled me as I walked from the MARTA station to the restaurant and the falling leaves reminded me of autumn’s impeding approach. My sullen stomach urged me to the restaurant and the prospect of a warm meal. Rushing through the desolate street, which connected the subway to the restaurant; my friend and I were hesitant to enter the restaurant. The owner walked out the front entrance past the wedding couple’s portrait and she used the most welcomed smile that assured us that there was a table available for us.

We were seated immediately at the left end corner table. The amiable owner explained the poor seating with an apologetic tone but at the same time she didn’t forget to wish us a happy moon festival. The owner’s hospitality completely eliminated my previous doubts. In Chinese tradition, the moon festival represents the only night of full moon in a year and the full moon symbolizes the unity of a family as well. The entire restaurant was filled with a festive atmosphere. The restaurant’s decorations and furniture not only provided a sense of elegance, but also reminded me of the history and culture of China.

The waiter offered us chrysanthemum tea to warm up our stomachs. The tuxedos on the waiter, in addition to his tentative gestures reminded me of living in a mansion with a thoughtful butler. However, the waiter did not speak mandarin well. The difficulty to communicate with the waiter didn’t help my appetite. We ordered the Peking duck to test its authenticity since I just visited Beijing a month ago and my friend is from Beijing.  The Peking duck is known for its crispy skin and thin meat. The authentic way of eating it is the waiter slices the skin and meat in front of you. The meat is eaten with a pancake, spring onions, cucumber slices, and sweet but salty sauce. Another unique aspect of eating Peking duck is the fat behind the skin. The fat should be just enough to moisturize the dry skin. The pancake came along with the duck and is thick dough. I have to say that the duck was amazing. The fat in the skin fulfilled every bite you take. However, the cucumber slices absorb the excess fat. Every bite you take is well balanced with the texture of skin, freshness of vegetables, and the tenderness of the meat. The thick pancake disappointed me the most. With each bite, my mouth had to fight chewing the meat through hunk of dough. But the authenticity of the duck definitely earned my respect for the chef.

The Oriental Pearl Seafood restaurant is known for its seafood. The seafood dish we ordered was brought to the table next after the duck and it was another masterpiece by the chef. The pot was filled with squid, shrimp, bokchoy, tofu, scallop, as well as crabmeat. The challenge when preparing this dish is to avoid mixing the original flavors of the different seafood.  The chef’s emphasize on the freshness of seafood impressed me. . The original flavor of the seafood was enhanced by the special cocktail sauce prepared by the chef along with the salty flavor of the soy sauce. The bokchoy was disappointing because the condensed sauce covered the wilted leaves. It was difficult to  smell the  vegetable.

While my mind was still immersed in the seafood aroma created by the chef; the stereos behind the curtain started to work. I had to move one seat closer to my friend in order to chat. The dinner at the Oriental Pearl Seafood surely pleased my stomach. The fat of the duck around the corner of my mouth lingered on my mouth.  The delicious food prepared by the chef is enough to compensate the noise behind the curtain. I will definitely come back again to sample the dim sum.

The blue sky and warm sunshine are the typical summer day in Atlanta. I  pay another visit to the Oriental Pearl Seafood  for  dim sum. The amicable owner recognized my face once again. She warmly welcomed me and seated my friend and I at the middle table of the restaurant. Dim sum is a Cantonese cuisine, which involves a wide variety of small dishes served alongside Chinese tea. The dishes come in small portions and might include meat, seafood and vegetables, as well as desserts and fruit. My favorite dish is the shrimp dumplings. The clear skin allows you to see through to the reddish shrimp inside. Every bite of the dumpling yields a sense of happiness, especially as the steam moisturizes the skin. The shrimp is cooked to a temperature that allows it to have a tender texture. Chewing the shrimp feels like an elastic ball running around the mouth. The moisture on the skin is just enough to compensate the dryness of the shrimp. The small pork ribs are stemmed with soy sauce, seasonings, and garlic. Every bite is enriched with flavorful steamed water, and chewy texture of tendons. Another dim sum I enjoyed the most is the beef tripe. Many Americans are disgusted that Chinese people eat chicken feet, intestines, etc however; I noticed there are numerous American diners at the dim sum that day. The seat I intended to sit in was behind some American diners. If the waitress is not able to explain the food to the Americans, the manager will appear promptly to offer a satisfactory answer to the diners. The restaurant is well organized during rush hour under the control of the owner. Each waiter is assigned a unique task. I enjoyed every meal I ate at Oriental Pearl Seafood. The genuine hospitality of the owner and the group of well-trained crew enhanced the entire dinning experience at the restaurant.

The expense at the Oriental Pearl Seafood is affordable by majority consumers. The most expensive dish was the Peking duck that involves extra labor. However, the flavor and quality of the duck are well worth the price. On average, each person would spend around 10 dollars to have a decent dim sum meal. In addition, the Oriental Pearl Seafood offers combination of various dishes based on the number of dinners. The combo meal is always cheaper than ordering the dishes separately.

Foreign cuisines in America are normally being Americanized to pander to the local customers. Westerners’ knowledge of Chinese cuisine is limited to the domain of fried rice, and orange chicken. The Oriental Pearl Seafood restaurant redefines the essentials of Chinese food in a foreign country. I cannot wait to see the future culinary dishes whipped up by the chef at the Oriental Pearl restaurant.

Oriental Pearl Seafood 

★★★★☆