Dinner at P F Chang’s - Petrina Christine

Hazel mentioned P F Chang’s and after having a look online I was happy to visit the popular restaurant. I booked a table and we went along a couple of weeks later. The restaurant is located on Newport Street and is a short walk from Leicester Square station. When we arrived, there was a queue coming out of the door. We gave our name to the front of house staff and was escorted to our table. The restaurant was buzzing and it was definitely the place to be.

We started off by ordering some cocktails. Hazel went for the Umeshu Cobbler (Umeshu, Maraschino, Lemon and Black Cardamom) and I chose the Five Spice Highball (Five-Spice Bourbon – House-made Apple Shrub). I was going to order a Mojito but thought I would try something new. The cocktail was ok. I prefer a fruity cocktail whereas I could just taste the bourbon.

There were so many eye-catching dishes to choose from on the menu. We decided to pick 2 different starters and share. We opted for The Original Dynamite Shrimp which was crispy tempura-battered shrimp and spicy Sriracha aioli. The second starter we chose was Chilli Jam Wings which was chicken wings with a sweet chilli jam and toasted sesame seeds. The shrimp dish was very popular as it seemed to be on most peoples tables. It was amazing! The crispy tempura paired with the spicy aioli was delicious and full of flavour. I didn’t want the dish to end. I will definitely be ordering it again when I go back. I wasn’t overly impressed with the chicken wings. I thought they were going to be crispy but they had no crunch to them. The chilli jam had a nice kick to it.

For the main dishes, I ordered the Red Chilli Buttery Shrimp which was made up of buttery shrimp, egg noodles, red onions, red jalapenos, spring onions, black beans and a chilli-infused sauce. It didn’t look like anything special but it tasted incredible. The shrimp was cooked to perfection and the jalapenos provided a great kick. Hazel selected Chang’s Chicken which was chicken with spring onions and sweet garlic chilli sauce alongside a side of fried rice. The dishes looked small but were very deceiving as I was stuffed by the end of the meal.