Perla Puerto Rico La Concha Hotel Review

Perla Puerto Rico is located in the city of San Juan in  La Concha Hotel. Translated to English, the restaurant Pearl is located in The Conch Hotel. Neat eh?  Perla is a dimly lit luxury seafood restaurant that looks like if you’re inside of an oyster. The architecture inside of Perla Puerto Rico really sets a positive atmosphere.

We started off diner at Perla Puerto Rico with Fried Oysters which come with a cilantro puree, curried crispy onions, and a tomato chutney. I’m admittedly still learning to eat raw oysters, but these fried oysters were nothing like their uncooked counterparts. The fried oysters are crispy and fresh paired well with the sweet tomato chutney. The apricots used in the chutney add a natural fruity sweetness that pairs well with the fried oyster. This is definitely an easy eat and safe option to start off the night with.

The Prawns lie on a risotto cake which lays on a bed of coconut curry sauce. There were many layers to this dish from the juicy prawns, to the creamy textured risotto cake, and that curry sauce! The curry sauce was spectacular. Perla’s version of the coconut curry sauce is not spicy but rather sweet. The curry screams Caribbean! There are coconut flakes in the risotto cakes which reinforce the coconut curry flavors. If you’re not used to sweet curry and much more prefer a spicy flavor profile with curry, you’ve been warned!

For our main course we had a Pan Roasted Sea Bass with Maine Lobster and Truffle Risotto melded with a Lobster Beurre Blanc. Pinot Noir was paired with the Seabass instead of the traditional white wine pairing with seafood because of the lobster risotto. The risotto is hearty and rich. The seabass is a soft, white flaky fish and was prepared flawlessly with a crusty exterior. The inclusion of a lobster claw reinforced the subtle lobster flavors in the lobster beurre blanc sauce. I enjoyed the Pinot Noir recommendation by the Chef and appreciated the unexpected combination.

For Dessert we had the Coconut Cream Cheese Custard with that came dressed with Granola, Berries, and Braised Pineapple. The berries deliver an element of freshness, tartness and sweetness while the granola delivers excellent texture to an otherwise texture less dessert. This is not your typical sweet dessert, it is a rather light way to end your meal.