Dragon Pearl is located at 865 York Mills Road, just west of Don Mills in Toronto's North York region. It is very close to Spoon and Fork's North York location that we have reviewed, and in fact is in the same complex. Dragon Pearl has a very unique, exotic interior and furniture; particularly so are the Dragon Boat tables. It is very large as well with hundreds of seats. AYCD pop is available for $2.79. I went for a weekday lunch.
Hot and sour soup was good but not excellent, about usual good AYCE quality. Lemongrass grilled chicken was excellent, moist and with bright spicing. Grilled sausage was good and tasted authentically Chinese. Sweet potato pastry was also authentic and good. Pan fried rice cake was a bit bland. Pan fried egg was, well, a fried egg... can't go wrong there. Sweet corn with chicken soup was excellent with good broth and blending of flavors.
Dragon Pearl has a complete sushi maki section. I was impressed that it had both reusable chopsticks (the first time I have seen this at a serve-yourself buffet) and also low-sodium soy sauce. Philadelphia roll was made with interesting red rice and was quite good. California roll was good but had no roe on it. Salmon avocado roll was okay but the salmon was getting gamey; salmon roll's salmon was fresher. Stir fry mushrooms had a nice subtle flavor and buttery sauce.
Chicken dumplings were very good, among the better that I have had; the nearby rose vinegar helped. Glutinous chicken rice in leaves is also a traditional Chinese dish found nowhere else (but don't eat the leaves!) Shiu mei pork dumplings were quite good. Chicken wonton soup was excellent, with a bright broth, a bit reminiscent of Lipton's but probably accidentally; I would have had seconds if I had room. Grilled salmon was good with the teriyaki sauce nearby. Golden chicken wings were moist and not dried out even though they were the last ones in the tray, a good sign. Black pepper beef was awesome, probably the best dish so far and worth the meal. Golden battered shrimp was not too oily and good.
A few items were "meh": Sweet and sour pineapple pork was about equivalent to take-out. Chow mein was alright, about standard as far as AYCEs go. "Fried scallops" were just scallop-flavored tofu. Sesame chicken is in a sweet sauce and was in a bit overdone; this also reminded me of take-out fare.
On the down side, mixed vegetables with tofu were not hot enough and the sauce was congealing and thus distasteful; would have been much better warmer. Szechuan noodles were a bit lifeless and strangely flavored, it didn't work for me.For dessert, rainbow jelly was a delicious blend of flavours. Mango jelly was excellent, but coconut needed more flavor. Tiramisu is in pie form and was very good. Green tea mousse is also in pie form and unique and delicious, one of the better desserts I have had. Sugar-free cappuccino, strawberry, chocolate, vanilla and green tea ice creams were all fresh and good. Mishy did not accompany me on this visit but had been here before and said it was "kind of boring".
Unfortunately I tend to somewhat agree. There is no Peking duck, roast beef or lobster on the lunch menu, which is standard buffet fare with a couple of standout items, and is rather expensive. I do know that it is far more authentically Chinese than the Mandarin, but there were fewer "mehs" at the Mandarin, more standouts, and about the same cost (I think Mandarin may even be less cost for lunch.) I could not help but think of Cynthia's Paradise, where the décor overpowered the food, and the long-gone Star Walk in Scarborough which was similarly spacious and ended up first reducing to a fraction of the size and then closing altogether. Still, in reviewing this most items were good (especially the desserts!) and I did have an enjoyable lunch. If possible, visit on Tuesdays when it is less expensive and better value.Rating: 6.5-7/10
