A Gemstone on the East Coast

A Gemstone on the East Coast

Interview by Jun Wang  Written by Elise Krentzel

Location:  2720 Summer St. Stamford, CT 06905-4303

Cuisine:  Americanized Chinese cuisine, Authentic Chinese cuisine, Japanese cuisine  

• Offers: Dine-in, Take-out, Delivery & Catering


• Signature Dish:  Barbequed Shrimp, Sichuan Spicy Beef & Chicken with Three Nuts


• Year of establishment: 2000


• Phone: 203-973-0072


• Fax: 203-325-4764

Stamford, CT is a town that is known for its crisp winters, lush springs, hot summers and voluminous colors in fall. It is one of those New England towns that reek wealth and hushed celebrity. It is a bastion of understated WASP culture. The famed conservative William F. Buckley and his wife Pat lived there, just to name drop.

In this social sphere Jimmy Huang opened Pearl East in 2000. His choice of location near downtown in a bustling office area directly across the street from Sheraton Hotel couldn't have been more fortuitous. Reported by the Advocate Greenwich Times, his restaurant has been one of the outstanding eateries in the area. Positive online comments are pervasive from one time (out of town) customers to the regular diners and can be traced on www.tripadvisor.com

and www.expedia.com.

Pan-Asian Treats

Pearl East slightly modifies authentic Chinese cuisine to create a pan-Asian tour de force, which caters to the local palette. Drawing influences from a number of culinary disciplines such as Japanese, Hong Kong and other reaches in Asia, each entrée is distinctive. There are over 300 savory and sweet items to salivate over. Customers feel as if they've entered a Wal-Mart superstore when reading the lengthy options.  Luckily for them, the menu is compartmentalized by category allowing for easy navigation.

Chinese food fans will not wont for an authentic tastes-like-home meal either. The menu is classified into two versions: Chinese and English. Most of the real Chinese dishes found here are hard or impossible to find in other establishments in the area. They originate from the provinces of Canton, Sichuan and Fujian. Steamed Fish, Bean Paste Fish Sichuan Style and Drunken Chicken, mellowed in wine are a few examples.

Apart from the most popular offerings, General Tso’s Chicken, Chicken with Broccoli and Sweet & Sour Chicken, the best sellers are BBQ Shrimp (served with ginger, scallions, broccoli and cabbage) and Sichuan Spicy Beef. The latter is made with huajiao or Chinese red peppers which numb the tongue unlike the Americanized version which normally would be made with mild red peppers that have no punch whatsoever. The entrée Chicken with Three Nuts is another crowd pleaser. It is a delectable combination of crispy chicken chunks served on an arresting bed of snow peas, red bell pepper and water chestnut, which is fully immersed in special chef’s sauce. With the three nuts: honey walnuts, peanuts and cashew nuts on top, the dish is pleasing to both eyes and palates.

Natural fruits and vegetables are used in sauce making. As for salad dressing, juice extracted from apple, pear, orange and lemon are used and mixed together with ketchup and sesame oil as main components.  

A large selection of sushi rolls are added to the already extensive menu. From soft shell crabs, lobster, tuna to salmon – these are ordered most frequently. In addition, the ever popular Japanese Udon noodles and Teriyaki are available. Each week, the restaurant launches a few new dishes, the so-called specialty dishes. 

Jimmy caters to those diet conscious customers with a low calorie menu. As expected, steaming is the name of the game here in keeping with a salt, sugar and a cornstarch free “healthy” meal. Health conscious customers often request olive oil in place of vegetable oil (with surcharge) because it contains good cholesterol.

Look and Feel

When you enter Pearl East what strikes you is the larger-than-life fluorescent illuminated image of Karst mountains from Guangxi. Is it a drawing or painting on the wall? One isn't quite sure. It's almost surreal in its likeness to a real waterfall. One expects the lake to overflow right onto the tables in the restaurant. Happily that's just an illusion yet one that brings a little smile. The tables are done up in light pink tablecloths that fuse with the sea green leather backed chairs. An all wood sushi bar is off to one side of the dining room while tall twisted bamboo plants; the ones used for good fortune, grace the counter.

How It's Managed

The owner is constantly reminding staff to be more detail-oriented. Anything that occurs, either good or bad will impinge upon the image of the restaurant; whether an improvement or damage. The staff are required to greet customers with sincere smiles, guide them to their seats, take the orders and refill the water or tea on the table. The wait staff is required to memorize the items on the menu as well as the ingredients and cooking method of each dish. In that way  they can make appropriate recommendations and useful suggestions based on a customers’ dining preferences.

This training comes in handy especially for those customers who want to try the more traditional Chinese dishes. The staff should tell them in details, concerning the food contents and how to deal with it. In addition, they are required to report customers’ feedback to the management.

Every Saturday regular staff meetings are held to analyze any issues concerning customer service. All problems are discussed and dealt with in a manner that leaves no stones unturned.

Jimmy recounts a story. “A customer had a fish bone stuck in his throat. The manager made no excuses and immediately sent him to the hospital. The owner and managers paid a visit to his home after he was sent home. That same customer has been deeply touched.”

With such attentive and patient service, I know why this humble restaurant is so popular among the customers.    

Another point is worth a mention. “There are about 16 employees working in this 3,200 square foot restaurant. Unlike other owners who laid off employees to reduce labor costs, Jimmy considers the staff his most valuable treasure. “We are like brothers and sisters, and many   have worked here for more than five years. We rely on them,” said Jimmy.

How It Came to Be

Nine years ago Jimmy took over Hunan Wok, at the current location of Pearl East. He remodeled the interior over an eight month period, changed the menu and name. He had been working at Hunan Wok for two years prior to the take-over, not exactly a long time for such an ambitious endeavor. In the beginning he was faced with many problems such as customer complaints, lack of turnover, poor staff retention and an economic climate not exactly booming. His practical solution to do print advertising while soliciting new customers through flyers won customers over. Eventually word got out and a steady customer base was built.