P.F. Chang's goes out of the (Chinese takeout) box

A quesadilla in a Chinese restaurant? With crispy Korean-style chicken wings to go with it, along with a tall cold glass of mojito or a sweet margarita with a tangy key lime pie twist? 

 

No one expects to eat these with wonton soup and kung pao chicken. But in the ever-evolving restaurant business, the unthinkable has happened. At least in P.F. Chang’s, a Chinese bistro chain with roots in Arizona and that has popped up all across America, key cities around the globe, and this year, in Alabang Town Center where its first and only Southeast Asian branch now stands.

 

P.F. Chang’s, despite the Chinese-sounding name, is far from your typical greasy chopstick. Just like its two owners, Paul Fleming and Philip Chiang, the resto’s cuisine is Chinese but suited to the tastes and appetites of Am-Chams, and based on personal experience, to the liking of Fil-Ams who treat their guests from home at P.F. Chang’s restos without fail. It’s also probably the only Chinese restaurant that has that slick and efficient American-style of food service.

 

The last time I dined at a P.F. Chang’s in the States was last year in their branch in Atlantic City. It was nighttime and the bar was swinging, the music loud, and the chatter of the guests, even louder. A wine bar in a family-friendly Chinese resto—who would have thought such a wild concept could fly?

 

When it opened here last January, those who have eaten at a P.F. Chang’s elsewhere naturally wanted to share their experience with family and friends. Folks from far and wide (as in Greenhills, QC, Makati and Manila) braved the SLEX traffic for a taste of P.F. Chang’s. So-called VIPs didn’t mind the two-hour wait for a table. As Global Restaurant Concepts’ senior operations director, Jam Olaes, shared with us, the jam-packed crowds loved the Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Kung Pao Chicken, and surprisingly, their fried rice.

 

Now that the metro’s hungry denizens have replicated their “stateside” P.F. Chang’s experience in Alabang, the restaurant is upping the ante. The Philippines’ P.F. Chang’s has dropped the Chinese Bistro tag and is going all-out in offering Asian-inspired dishes.

 

A fusion of Asian flavors

 

P.F. Chang’s lures diners with its modern take on popular and traditional dishes from the Southeast Asian region—Korea, Japan, Singapore, and the Philippines. To get the party started beginning October 15, these Flavors of Asia dishes and cocktails come at almost half the price during Happy Hour, Mondays thru Fridays, from 4 p.m. onward.

 

If you’re craving for quesadilla, the Sichuan Chicken Flatbread, which has grilled chicken with melted cheeses, approximates the flavors you’re looking for. But instead of in a tortilla, it’s wrapped in a scallion dough pancake on which you put some of their green bean spicy sauce. Served with a side slaw salad flavored with wasabi, the dish is different but it actually works. 

 

P.F. Chang’s is also in on the Korean craze. Its crispy Dragon Wings are made Korean-style but with your choice of sauce: fiery Korean chili or the tamer and kid-friendly Mongolian sweet sauce. I preferred the flaming hot wings which was just a tad spicy. At happy hour, you can down a few of these wings with ice-cold beer faster than you can say “oppan Gangnam-style.”

 

Another interesting dish was the Orange Peel Beef. I expected something like Panda Express’ orange chicken but this was made with tender prime US Angus beef, neither orangey nor sticky at all. It’s both spicy and sour as the beef is tossed in mild chili and fresh orange peel. 

 

Other Asian-inspired appetizers are the Seared Ahi Tuna served with a spicy mustard vinaigrette and fresh mixed greens, Singapore Street Noodles with a hint of curry and is wonderfully gluten-free, and the Northern-Style Spare ribs from Peking which you must chew from the bone but not without first sprinkling five-spice salt on it. 

 

For seafood lovers, you can pop thin slices of crispy Salt and Pepper Calamari into your mouth between sips of Asian Pear Mojito or Organic Agave Margarita.  

 

As for a Filipino-inspired dish, P.F. Chang’s has Mango Cream Cheese Wontons. It has bits of mango and dollops of cream cheese, encased in wonton wrappers and deep-fried to a golden crisp. It’s served with a chocolate dipping sauce which someone at our table suggested might be better if it were thick tsokalate eh instead. P.F. Chang’s didn’t go that far but it would have been worth a try. 

 

A toast to better health

 

P.F. Chang’s menu reads like an entire cookbook. But what sets it apart from other Chinese restos is its gluten-free offerings. After tennis star Novak Djokovic got his game when he changed to a gluten-free diet, there’s been a growing awareness on celiac disease and the effects of gluten to the body. 

 

Aside from an extensive gluten-free selection, P.F. Chang’s also does not use MSG in their dishes—a boon to those who want their meals with less sodium. 

 

Worth the trip

So with such an enormous menu selection, swinging happy hour promos, and the “stateside” feeling of being in a P.F. Chang’s worth the gas, high SLEX toll fees and the effort of driving all the way to Alabang? For those who want a new twist to familiar Chinese food, the trip might be worth it.

 

Still, those not from the ‘burbs are in for good news. Olaes shares that P.F. Chang’s will open its second branch at the Fort sometime in December. Until then, keep your appetites and chopsticks ready. –KG, GMA News

 

P.F. Chang’s is at The Street, Alabang Town Center. It is open every day from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight. Tel (02) 869-7837.