I am thanking every lucky star in the sky right now. The restaurant I work at isn't open on Sundays, so I didn't have to work a terrible brunch AND I got to do something cool to celebrate Easter!
On Saturday night, a coworker invited me to go get dim sum on Sunday, promising me a very authentic experience. We agreed to meet at a place called the Oriental Pearl in Chamblee, GA. When I got there the next day, the place was packed. Located in a little strip mall that proudly advertised itself as "Chinatown", there was plenty of time for us to check out everything that was there while we waited for our table. The group consisted of myself, the coworker, his girlfriend, and a sous chef from another place. They had all been to the Pearl before, so they took me a couple doors down to a large food court for our first round.
The food court was amazing. Not like the terrible place you're probably thinking of, with Sabarro and Cinnabon and all that nonsense. This place was legit Asian food, barely one menu in English. There was a stall that had a man hand-pulling noodles, flinging and stretching dough in a rhythmic, practiced pattern. The sous chef and I watched in awe, joined by a flock of children to check out the process. Another place specialized in larger roasted items, with whole roasted carcasses displayed behind a plate glass window. In the middle of the mall, outside of the food court; there was a tiny, beautiful courtyard tucked away. The entire place was amazing, like stepping into a strange blend of the Far East.
We got a doughnut and an order of duck to nosh on while we waited. The doughnut really wasn't anything special, just a long stick of plain fried dough, but the duck was incredible. Rich with flavor, juicy, and a beautiful dark amber-brown color, the meat had a sexy, slightly sweet flavor to it. My taste buds were getting jazzed up for our actual dining experience.
After 20 minutes, we went back to check on our table. We were promptly led to our table, which was still being cleaned- the staff was still in their peak lunch hour, so empty tables didn't have the luxury of staying empty even a minute here. As the busser finished wiping off the table, a waitress brought over plates, chopsticks, and a little order card. She took our drink order as we settled in, and disappeared into the back. We began to order.
That was one of the coolest parts about this place- the waitstaff played a very minimal part. All around the dining room, employees in red aprons pushed stainless steel carts around, loaded with food. Some were stacked with steamers full of buns, a couple were flattop grills for hotter entrees, still more were dumplings; EVERYTHING was on a cart and ready immediately. All we had to do is flag down one of the carts and point, the employee would scribble on our order card, and bam- food.
We flagged down just about everyone, only eschewing the veggie and rice carts, agreeing that sides had no purpose in that meal. And I tried EVERYTHING. Dumplings and buns, chicken feet and tripe- I honestly have no clue what half of the stuff was that I put in my face, it was too delicious and I didn't care. We ate and ate and ate, never ordering the same thing twice.
After an hour of what I can only call the best kind of gluttony, we all finally came to a slow, shuddering halt. We had hit 'food drunk'- a feeling of such pleasure that you literally feel a buzz. It's a tricky state to attain, many people overdo it and run to the, "oh god whyyyy" stomach-distending over fed stage. We all parted ways, and I headed home for a food coma.
I wasn't hungry again for 9 hours, a rarity for me. I can't recommend the Oriental Pearl enough. And I sure as hell can't wait to go back, probably with J!
Oriental Pearl
5399 New Peachtree Road
Chamblee, GA
770-986-9866
