Pearl of the Orient

Before the holidays hit, we had quite an entertaining meal out at Pearl of the Orient with some of our amazing neighbors. Mr. H and I had purchased a silent auction package at a charity event for a "Sushi and Lobster Dinner for 6 Guests." With very little information on what this actually entailed, we made the reservation and headed there blindly.

It just started off humorously, because even though I stated that we had the certificate and what it included when I made the reservation, they appeared surprised to see us and quickly informed me that lobster was not available that night. They even suggested that I "should have told them when I made the reservation." Ummmm...

The owner and our server could not have been more apologetic, and they quickly tried to make plans to feed us. We began to joke that Whole Foods or Heinen's grocery bags may fly by our private room's doorway at any moment, or that UberEats may soon deliver us our lobster dinner. We were laughing so hard at the scenarios we were making up that tears were forming and my belly hurt from laughing. It was off to a good, but comical, start.

It didn't end there. One of our friends accidentally ordered a cocktail meant for two people. But it arrived in a...flower VASE! The thing was massive, and had about 10 drinks in it. Immediately, we imagined that a table in the main dining room suddenly had no centerpiece. Or the bar or hostess stand was now without flowers. Another round of hard belly laughs. More of a warning should come with that thing! Or at least our server could have confirmed he did indeed want this cocktail meant for two. Nope.

The next round of "entertainment" during this meal was a little scarier. Two of our guests have food allergies, one with a very serious poultry allergy. This can become tricky in restaurants, as chicken stock and broth is often used in dishes and it's not always obvious to a diner. The owner and our server were made very aware of the allergy, but alas, the first course included Miso Soup and their version has chicken broth in it. Our guest with the allergy was served this, even after being reassured that it did not have chicken product in it. Only a couple of slurps in, and our server realized that the owner had given our guest this soup. She whisked it away, and we all started to worry. He assured us that he knows instantly if there is a problem, and the two or three small spoonfuls of soup hadn't caused a problem. Phew! 

Luckily, things smoothed out after course one. We were served some delicious sushi, sashimi, and rolls next.

And then the entrees didn't stop coming, including lobster! Wonder where they got them from...

Dish after dish appeared.

Every kind of protein on the menu was represented.

And we just kept spinning the lazy susan to try everything.

There was so much food, we ate and ate and then still took some home. These pictures don't even show HALF of what showed up at the table. I think they were feeling awful about the start to the meal.

Dessert was served even after that massive course, but we found room.

So, the food was good and our sever and the owner were beyond sweet and attentive, but it was a very rough experience overall that almost ended in a serious allergic reaction. That is concerning that the allergy was overlooked, as many diners have to be very careful. Our experience doesn't leave me racing to go back.

It's a good thing that our crew is very laid back and we found the humor in it all. When things are going THAT WRONG, it becomes quite funny and you just leave with a good story to tell. Those hard belly laughs and food and drink shared with neighbors that we call friends were just what I needed that night.

Pearl of the Orient
19300 Detroit Road
Rocky River, OH 44116
(440) 333-9902