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| - So my Asian-persuasion boyfriend and I are on a quest to find decent Chinese food on the West side. I dragged him away from his favorite, Hunan of Solon, this summer because I just couldn't stand living on the East side anymore! So now that I am the Wicked Witch of the West (pun intended) I vowed to find him a place that would do his beloved Mongolian Beef dish justice. Up until this week I was failing miserably. Then one night on the way home from work I suggested we stop at the Pearl of the Orient. I hadn't been there in ages, but I remember my parents always saying good things about the food there. The restaurant is very small, I would guess no more than 15 tables in the joint, but decorated nicely. We were there late on a Tuesday night so the place was pretty empty, but I'm not sure I would risk going on a weekend night and having to wait a while for a table to open up. We started off with an order of the braised potstickers and soup. The potstickers themselves were good, but the sauce served with them was very tart and vinegary. I thought it was a little overwhelming and didn't compliment the dish very well. The wonton soup was just OK. Not the best I have ever had and it was only luke warm when served to me. I was a little nervous going into the main course. I was so sure that the Mongolian Beef would once again not meet the expectations of the BF. It was served and he noticed the bean sprouts and carrots right away. "Not traditional", he said and I just rolled my eyes and groaned. Here we go again. He took a bite, chewed thoughtfully and said "but still the best I've had on the West side". WOO HOO!!!! +1 for me!!!! I ordered the Honey Walnut Chicken and was happy with the large pieces of quality chicken breast, however the sauce was a little too thick and sweet for my liking. But I didn't care because I think we found our new West side "regular" Chinese joint!
A few things to mention:
-On Monday nights they have a special of buy one chicken dish, get one for $1. What a steal!
-They offer you the choice of white or brown rice - nice to have options
-The soy sauce they serve is not your normal Kikomans. It has a thicker consistency and is WAY stronger. Seriously people, a drop of this stuff goes a long way.
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