Spread Some Awesome

Budget : ~Php400 per dish, ~Php250 per beverage

 

Duration : ~1-2 hours

 

Bummers : due to its popularity, you might have to wait to get seated

 

Nomnom Rating : 5/5

 

I haven’t been to Alabang Town Center and I am not familiar with Alabang but when I heard that the world-renowned Chinese fusion restaurant is opening its first store in Alabang Town Center, I didn’t think twice of checking it out. I Googled the driving directions, took my car, brought some friends, and headed to P. F. Chang’s. Along the way, my front tire got busted and we had to change it. Good thing I have a spare tire in the trunk. Even with that setback, we still managed to go to P. F. Chang’s. (I just have to get my car serviced though.)

 

P. F. Chang’s is known for being modern, new, and excellent in creating and serving dishes that are continuously evolving to reflect the changing Chinese culinary scene. The combination of tradition and innovation is what makes P. F. Chang’s worthy of its reputation.

 

Like most authentic Chinese restaurants that have guards on their front doors and have several adornments that reflect their Chinese culture, which I’ve seen mostly in Binondo, P. F. Chang’s is filled with replicas of terra-cotta warriors and majestic 11-foot horse guards the entrance of their restaurant. The replicas of the terra-cotta warriors symbolize the ones unearthed from the tomb of Qin Shi Huangdi, China’s first emperor.

 

 

 

I believe terra-cotta warriors where lined in front of P. F. Chang’s a few days after the opening. Unfortunately, there weren’t any terra-cotta warriors anymore outside when we visited. Maybe because it was raining too.

 

Inside P. F. Chang’s, the restaurant showcased a contemporary appearance with the design of the ceiling, the ornaments hanging up, and the large painted wall mural depicting Chinese culture. These elements combined pretty well with the traditional decors spread out inside the restaurant. This didn’t make us feel alienated but it gave us the feeling of ease with this relaxing ambiance.

 

 

 

 

 

When we entered, P. F. Chang’s, a receptionist assigned us to a table and a waiter. We were seated on a booth and our ever helpful waiter named Freddie, answered our every request. From start to finish, P. F. Chang’s gave us a dining experience that words cannot express – I am truly impressed. Freddie was very nice, polite, and extremely knowledgeable about the ins and outs of P. F. Chang’s. So far, P. F. Chang’s gave me one of the best dinner services I have ever experienced.

 

To begin with, Freddie introduced us a special sauce he named after himself – the Freddie sauce. It was pot sticker sauce mixed with hot mustard (which tasted like wasabi but yellow in color) and chili paste. Freddie sauce was a perfect dip to the appetizers that we ordered.

 

 

I was curious if the sauce differ depending on the waiter. Freddie said the main components are the same, they only differ on the amount of hot mustard and chili paste used, and of course, the name of the sauce. We can also create our own sauces and add other condiments that are in bottles like white vinegar, soy sauce, and chili sauce.

 

For starters, we tried the P. F. Chang’s popular appetizers. We had the Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wrap (Php285) and Dynamite Shrimps (Php295).

 

Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wrap is P. F. Chang’s signature dish. It consists of wok-seared minced chicken, mushroom, green onion, and water chestnut. It is served over crispy rice sticks. Lettuce is also provided and you can create your own wrap using the chicken as filling. The sauce is a perfect add-on to this dish.

 

 

 

 

Dynamite Shrimps are shrimps cooked with a zing. It’s definitely hot and it oozes with flavor when you bite on it. It’s served on top of lettuce using a cocktail glass.

 

 

 

For the main dish, we had Chang’s Spicy Chicken (Php320), Double Pan-Fried Noodles (Php265), Chang’s Spare Ribs (Php650), and Sichuan-Style Asparagus (Php290).

 

Chang’s Spicy Chicken is a signature chicken dish of P. F. Chang’s. It is chicken breast that is diced and stir-fried with sweet and spicy sauce.

 

 

Double Pan-Fried Noodles is crisp egg noodles with mushroom, bokchoy, carrots, celery, and onions. You can order this with added protein like pork, chicken, or beef for an additional cost.

 

 

Chang’s Spare Ribs is another signature dish of P. F. Chang’s. It is tasty prime ribs cooked with sweet sauce and drizzled with white and black sesame seeds. It is served with a side of coleslaw. To enjoy Chang’s Spare Ribs, you should eat it with your bare hands. Talk about messy goodness.

 

 

Sichuan-Style Asparagus is under P. F, Chang’s Vegetarian Menu. Yeah, they have a vegetarian menu – one of the few restaurants that have such. By the way, P. F. Chang’s also have a gluten-free menu for people who prefer such. Moreover, P. F. Chang’s is about enjoy food and they are very particular in serving dishes to people with allergies. They usually ask about this prior to ordering. Going back, Sichuan-Style Asparagus is wok-fried asparagus mixed with Sichuan preserves, onion, chili paste, and garlic.

 

 

We didn’t buy rice anymore because they served complimentary rice.

 

To refresh us, we tried a few beverages mostly from P. F. Chang’s Cocktail Choices.

 

This is the Asian Pear Mojito (Php235). It is mojito with a dash of mint and a taste of Asian Pear.

 

 

This is the P. F. Chang’s Green Tea (Php250). Yeah, that’s a cocktail with green tea – a unique time where green tea meant booze. It’s P. F. Chang’s own rendition of the Long Island Iced Tea.

 

 

This is the Key Lime Pie Martini (Php380). This is my drink and it is dessert in a cocktail glass. Mmmmm!

 

 

We also tried the Gen Mai Cha Hot Tea (Php95). This is a great drink to soothe our fully satisfied stomach. The awesome thing about the Gen Mai Cha Hot Tea, it can be shared and the refill is free.

 

 

P. F. Chang’s is also known for serving fresh, simple, and MSG-free dishes. Compared with my experiences from other Chinese restaurants, I didn’t feel bloated or dizzy after dining at this restaurant. I have learned that all their ingredients are delivered daily to ensure the freshness of the food that they serve.

 

Before ending our visit at P. F. Chang’s, we tried their signature dessert – The Great Wall of Chocolate (Php395). This is a six-layer chocolate cake topped with chocolate chips. It is served with slices of fresh strawberry and raspberry sauce. The sweetness and bitterness of chocolate is a perfect match to the sourness of the raspberry sauce.

 

 

Oh, by the way, here are the awesome people who enjoyed and been satisfied by P. F. Chang’s – me, Basti, Lester, and Isabel.

 

 

 

Spread some awesome..ness..

Tags: chicken, Chinese food, chocolate cake, noodles, pork, seafood