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| - Not feeling like cooking, and hankering for some Americanized-Chinese food, I searched yelp for anything Chinese related. I came across the Pearl of the Orient, and since it was only a few blocks away, placed an order online for szechuan chicken. The online ordering process is actually fantastic and the website itself is very well made. I had no issues navigating around or trouble with any of the wording. You see the whole menu in front of you and you just click on the meal and quantity that you want. It asks how spicy/hot you want your meal and what kind of rice you prefer, white or brown. I didn't experiment much, but I imagine there are more choices than that. The checkout is simple. Input your card, address, and leave a phone number. It gives you the estimate for the time, and tells you they will hold the order for an hour after it is ready.
The place itself is impeccable. Although I only went in the lobby area, I could see that the restaurant was very well kept. It could have been that it was during a weekday, but I have a feeling that the owner keeps a tight reign on the cleanliness and organization of the establishment. The man at the front desk asked my name and gave me the to-go order.
It's a decent amount of food, but I felt a little put off by paying $11.50+ for it. The szechuan chicken left something to be desired. It tasted okay. I chose "hot" for the "spicy range" (Mild to Hot to Extra Hot), but I didn't really taste any sort of pepper to make the meal spicy. There was one dried red chili. The szechuan was also a bit too soupy. Maybe I'm doing it wrong, but I had to drain the dish a bit because there was so much liquid in the bottom. The brown rice was cooked perfectly, and the fortune cookie is always appreciated.
I will probably be going back. I don't like judging a place based on takeout.
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