Oriental Pearl is one of the most beautiful restaurants in Chennai. Large and spacious, it impresses not with any extravagant show of opulence but with the simple, yet extremely skillful craftsmanship that has gone into the making of its appointments and the soft, muted shades of colour throughout the room. The gabled ceiling is of bamboo and cane beams, the chairs of an almost utilitarian yet elegant design in black wood and the floor of dark wooden tiles. An ancient Chinese motif appears on chairs, cabinets and chinaware, and even the Chinese version of vaastu is observed, as evidenced by the Œ money-bag Buddha at the door, the frog with a coin in its mouth, and the large aquarium containing one black and eight Lavikin goldfish. 

The cuisines of the Orient are Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese, Malaysian, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean and Singaporean. The last is largely an amalgam of the others, but Singapore Noodles is one of the island's most popular contributions to Oriental fare. Due to the proximity of these regions most of the ingredients and spices are common to all, although the treatment and degree of usage varies greatly - from near-bland Japanese food to chilly-hot and flavourful Thai and Vietnamese food. The most common ingredient is soya bean, fermented, combined with condiments and made into various pastes that are known by their colours; black, yellow, red and the Japanese white; and are used to season soups and stir-fry dishes. Sesame oil, with its distinctive nutty flavour, and kaffir lime are used in soups and other dishes. Diners should be especially wary of the Vietnamese bird chilly which can be uncomfortably hot. The food is prepared with painstaking attention in order to retain the authentic flavour of each cuisine, and unless one is an ardent chilly-lover, the food is quite enjoyable. But the chilly-lover always has recourse to the bowl of sliced chillies in vinegar on each table. 

Regular patrons of the Oriental Pearl rarely spend more than a few minutes perusing the menu, for it has been compiled mostly of the best-received dishes of each of the many food festivals that have been held here. Every dish has in fact been included on popular demand. However, if the diner is at a loss to order, the personable Chef Arvind will point out the restaurant's best: Seafood Soup, Prawn Tempura, Vietnamese Smoked Egg Plant, the spicy Szechwan Devil's Chicken, Thai Chicken Sate, Drunken Jumbo Prawns and Malaysian Fried Rice. This writer would like to recommend Ying and Yang Prawns (prawns served with hot garlic sauce and spinach) and Lamb with Broccoli in oyster sauce, for the Chefs seem to excel at preparing lamb. 

Dining here, as at the other restaurants at Hotel GRT, is eminently affordable: soups are priced at Rs.55-100, seafood at Rs.130-375, chicken at Rs.130-160, lamb at Rs.130, steak and pork for Rs.130, vegetable dishes at Rs.75-85, rice and noodles at Rs.75-95. 

Address:
Oriental Pearl 
Hotel GRT Grand Days, 
120, Sir Thyagaraya Road, 
Pondy Bazaar, T. Nagar, 
Chennai-600 017.
Phone: 822-0500, 823-6789. 

It is open from 12.30 p.m. till 3 p.m. and from 7.30 p.m. till midnight. 

Arun Masilamoni

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