Dragon Pearl is a Chinese buffet restaurant famous for their "Dragon's Pearl", a large fried sesame dessert delicacy. The pearls are only one of the many delicious items you'll find at this very interestingly themed Chinese buffet. Upon entering you will immediately notice a heavy, dark wood motif. Apparently the wood was salvaged from ships which were sunk some time ago. The atmosphere is very nice and a welcome change from other higher end buffets. On the buffet you have a great selection of sushi (including sashimi at dinner), cold and hot appetizers, a custom soup/noodle bar, various Chinese dishes (including BBQ pork and Peking duck), a large seafood station, assorted desserts (cakes, iced cream, fruit), and of course the Dragon Pearl.
Pros:
Dragon Pearl offers a lot more authentic Chinese style dishes compared to other buffets outside of the predominantly Chinese areas of the city. The food is well presented and clearly labeled in English and Chinese. There are many choices to choose so there is no reason anyone would not be able to find something to satisfy them. The hot food selection was very impressive and that was especially nice for someone like myself who enjoys more authentic style dishes like Peking duck, mixed Chinese mushrooms, and grilled octopus. One big plus is that the buffet offers many kid-friendly options (chicken balls, pizza, and fries) which would make it a very popular place for families of all ages. I personally found the sushi selection to be superb for a Chinese buffet mainly because they included fancier rolls and raw fish items (plus sashimi for dinner on the weekends). All of the other buffets I've visited only had basic California rolls and no sashimi.
Cons:
Although the restaurant claims to serve lobster on the weekend dinner buffet, you are only given one half portion of lobster (half a tail and 1 claw) per person. When you are seated the hostess gives each person one voucher which must be surrendered when you receive your lobster. I can understand why they limit each person to a set amount after seeing people only eating lobster at another popular buffet. I personally feel that at $24 a person for dinner only being allowed half a lobster is not fair. My second complaint is that none of the hot food choices offered anything hot and spicy. Perhaps they should work on including one or two dishes which use chili to satisfy those who like a bit of heat on their plate.
What is the Dragon Pearl?
The Dragon Pearl dessert is made by shallow frying a small ball of sesame dough in a large wok. The ball continues to get larger and thinner the longer it is fried. After about 5 minutes it is about a foot in width. Once cooked, it is cut open and into small pieces to be served with maple syrup or jam. Having never seen or had this unique dessert it was very interesting to see how it is made. Be sure to try some.