Location, location, location!
Although Chinese food may be hard to find outside of Chinatown, a few notable examples do exist, and Pearl Harbourfront Restaurant is one of them. Don’t be fooled by its location in the Queen’s Quay Terminal (a harbourside shopping centre), Pearl’s entrance from the mall concourse is somewhat misleading. At 6,000 square feet, the interior of blonde woods and cream-hued walls provides a simple yet sophisticated space to sup upon dim sum and wonton soup. The best feature of Pearl is its near-panoramic view of Lake Ontario, a cascade of floor to ceiling windows that frame the various comings and goings of seafaring traffic.

A long list
As is the Chinese food way, the menu at Pearl is quite extensive. Starters, such as stuffed crab claw, curry squid, fried mushrooms in honey, and the super spicy Szechuan hot and sour soup, are among the hors d'oeuvres offerings. A slew of meat dishes, like boneless sweet and sour pork, lemon chicken, and grouper with chilli and black bean sauce are proffered, while plenty of vegetable, noodle, and rice based dishes are on board. A long list of specialties make Pearl distinct among other Chinese restaurants, with choices of rainbow beef in a crispy potato “Phoenix” nest, Vietnamese-style beef served sizzling on a hot plate, sautéed lamb in their homemade hot and sweet sauce, and prawns in a fresh orange marinade.

Good for groups
For larger groups, Pearl presents four package options that provide a lengthy ten-course meal. In a Roman fashion, one option the party can enjoy includes a Beijing-style combination platter, crispy beef rolls, sautéed scallops with mushrooms, “double happy” shark fin soup, braised lobster, country-style crispy chicken, veggies with dried scallops, steamed fish, fried rice, and the dessert du jour.