From above, you can see the canals disappearing in the dark along the skyscrapers, the planes gently gliding past the sight, and the works under construction in Thu Thiem. And when night falls, the neon lights of the city light up, as if lighting up the mood of people.
Although the restaurant is open all day, perhaps the best time to visit Oriental Pearl is on Thursday to Sunday evenings, when the cityscape comes alive and the dinner buffet is served. You'll have the opportunity to discover an impressive array of seafood, meat, and prepared dishes from Western, Asian, and Vietnamese cuisines. The dishes in the restaurant are not decorated much, because as Chef Le Trung emphasized, "the food is the focus, the ingredients are the color"
Indeed, an attractive colorful seafood counter consisting of shrimp, crab, lobster, oysters, tuna sashimi, octopus, and salmon stretches from the center of the room to the window side. Chef Le Trung has been with Oriental Pearl since the restaurant opened 4 years ago. But recently, when Marriott International Group acquired this place, the restaurant's food catalog has been significantly upgraded, especially the selected seaweed types.
Oriental Pearl Restaurant has also shifted to serving more international dishes. For example, spaghetti with sea urchin sauce (sea urchin): spaghetti is cooked with sea urchin sauce and mixed in a giant cheese cube and served with a juicy piece of lobster. The restaurant should have temporarily stopped serving this dish because of the menu rotation schedule, but diners were so popular that the dish was brought back. Just trying a rich noodle is enough to understand why customers love this dish so much.
However, Oriental Pearl's most famous dish has not only been on the menu since the restaurant's opening, but it also originated decades ago. Born in Hanoi and raised in Australia, the first bowl of pho that Le Trung was rewarded with was actually cooked by his mother. In each place where he lives, including Singapore, Macau, Phu Quoc, and Hanoi, he has adjusted his recipe and cooking techniques for pho. His signature Landmark pho is made with nearly 400 grams of wagyu beef and Australian beef ribs — each bowl of pho has the equivalent of a steak. In addition, the pho cake was personally selected by him after visiting 20-30 manufacturers.
Pho Landmark is special not only because it is made from expensive meat ingredients and or high-quality pho cakes. Le Trung and his colleagues are also especially careful in the preparation process. To make the broth, beef bones are boiled for 3 hours and then stewed for another 2 days. The oxtail skin after stewing will be retained for the next pot of water for a richer flavor.
Anyone in Saigon must have looked up at the Landmark 81 building a few times and imagined the view on it. If you have the opportunity to experience it, you will find it more impressive than you ever thought. You will also be satisfied to feel the balance between the diverse and luxurious cuisine at The Oriental Pearl restaurant and the view of the city from above.
Address: 66th Floor, Vinpearl Landmark 81, 720A Dien Bien Phu, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City,
https://www.orientalpearlsaigon.com/vi/
Source: Saigonneer
Photo: Oriental Pearl