My Trip to China Pearl in Marrero
Alright, so the other day, I found myself over in Marrero around lunchtime. Was getting pretty hungry and had a craving for some Chinese food. I remembered hearing about a place called China Pearl, figured I’d give it a shot. Wasn’t expecting anything fancy, just some decent grub.
Finding the place was simple enough, right there on the main drag. Pulled into the parking lot, wasn’t too crowded which was nice. Walked inside. The place looked like your typical neighborhood Chinese restaurant, you know? Booths along the wall, some tables in the middle, maybe a little dated but clean enough. Didn’t smell weird or anything, so that was a good start.
Got seated right away. A lady came over, dropped off a menu and poured some water. Looked over the menu – pretty standard stuff. They had all the usual suspects: General Tso’s, Sweet and Sour Pork, Lo Mein, Fried Rice, the whole nine yards. I wasn’t feeling adventurous, so I decided to stick with what I know.
What I Ordered
Here’s what I ended up getting:
- Wonton Soup: Started with that. It came out quick, steaming hot. Broth was okay, maybe a little salty. Wontons were decent, not too doughy.
- Beef with Broccoli: My main dish. Asked for it with white rice.
- An Egg Roll: Because why not?
The waitress took my order, didn’t say much, just wrote it down and zipped off. Fine by me, I wasn’t there to make friends.
The egg roll came out first, along with the soup. The egg roll was actually pretty good. Nice and crispy, not greasy like some places. Filling was tasty too. Finished that off while sipping the soup.
Then the main course arrived, the Beef with Broccoli. Looked alright. Plenty of beef, plenty of broccoli, covered in that brown sauce. Took a bite. The beef was tender enough, not chewy which is a plus. Broccoli still had a little crunch to it, wasn’t mushy. The sauce was… well, it was brown sauce. Tasted like most other places. Nothing special, but definitely not bad. The white rice was just standard white rice, did its job soaking up the sauce.
Ate about half of it, started getting full. The portion size was pretty generous, I’ll give them that. The waitress swung by once to refill my water, didn’t really check if everything was okay, but hey, the water was full.
Wrapping It Up
Finished up what I could. Didn’t bother with a box, just wasn’t feeling taking it home. Flagged down the waitress for the check. Came out pretty quick. The price was reasonable, about what you’d expect for lunch at a place like this. Paid up front at the counter.
So, yeah. That was my experience at China Pearl in Marrero. Overall, it was perfectly average. Not terrible, not amazing. Just a standard American Chinese food experience. If you’re in the area and hungry for Chinese, it’ll do the job. Fills the hole. Would I drive across town for it? Probably not. But for a quick, predictable lunch, it worked out fine. Sometimes, that’s all you need.
