This week, Spoon Hawaii was invited to attend a tasting event at P.F. Chang’s at the Royal Hawaiian Center in Waikiki to preview dishes from the upcoming new menu, “Philip’s Stories From Asia,” crafted by Executive Chef Blaise Pyun. The event introduced an indulgent four-course tasting inspired by the Asian fusion that P.F. Chang’s is renown for along with new beverages, kids’ bentos, and desserts that will also be featured in the new menu. It was an exceptional event that left us impressed and excited for the launch of these delicious dishes and drinks.
Drinks
The tasting started off with endless bottles of wine and one of the craft drinks featured on the new menu—the white sangria. The white sangria is made with white wine, peach vodka, guava and lilikoi puree, and muddled with fresh strawberries and raspberries. This drink was one of my favorite features of the new menu—it was a harmonious combination of a spritz of tart and sweet from the muddled fruits and the combination of guava, passionfruit, and strawberry, accompanied by the slight hint of peach, with the texture of fresh raspberries and white wine. This drink is sure to please all sweet tooths, tropical fruit lovers, and sangria lovers.
The next new drink to come out was the mango bellini, which consisted of three simple yet delectable ingredients—peach vodka, mango puree, and champagne. The mango bellini was inarguably one of the best drinks I have ever tasted. The pureed mango gave the drink a subtle creaminess alongside the champagne, which added the perfect amount of carbonation and complemented the notes of peach in the vodka. This is also a must-order for cocktail lovers.
Entrees
The first dish of the menu tasting was the Salt and Pepper Prawns with Garlic Noodles, which consisted of salt and pepper tossed prawns, black beans, and chili pods on top of garlic noodles. We know what your brain is doing as you stare drooling at this exquisite noodle pull foodporn. The black bean sauce, kick from the whole chili pods and crisp peppery prawns tasted delectable with the fragrant garlic noodles—like an elevated Asian fusion pasta dish. This was a definite crowd pleaser.
The dish that followed was the innovative Asian Churri Steak and Prawns: thinly sliced 12 ounce New York Strip steak topped with the restaurant’s take on Asian Chimichurri sauce and crisp prawns. The pre-sliced steak and individual prawns allow diners to enjoy a chopstick-friendly surf and turf dish, staying true to the family-style eating that is central in Asian cultures. Pre-slicing the steak was a nice touch and ensured that the dish was easy to share amongst chopstick-users. Each slice was the perfect portion of steak and the Asian style chimichurri sauce enhanced the flavors of the steak and prawns. This dish is equally as enjoyable as it is shareable.
The Whole Fried Fish was the next new menu item to arrive—a whole flash-fried Thai snapper, dusted with potato flour, served over a bed of oyster mushrooms and green onions, topped with a savory dark sauce. It was a refreshing change to see P.F. Chang’s serve a whole fish dish—head and all (pssst: the eyes and the cheek are the best part)! All of us Chinese attendees were ecstatic to see this tribute to authentic Chinese food. Sharing this fish whole with everyone was a nostalgic experience to eating whole fish as a child raised in a Chinese household, and the crispy potato flour breading twist served as a tasty surprise.
Wait, there’s something for the keiki too! In fact, kids get two choices on these elegantly delicious kids’ bento boxes. Each bento comes with thick and fluffy steak-cut fries and ketchup, a side of lightly dressed lettuce, fresh blueberries and strawberries, and a choice of either chicken or shrimp tempura on rice. Any child is sure to have fun with these finger foods.
The last new menu dish served, the Mongolian Bulgogi Burger, featured a contemporary sous vide beef patty with strips of Mongolian beef (this one’s for you, meat lovers), Korean mayo and pepper jack cheese nestled between a brioche bun. With its juicy patty blanketed by zesty melted pepper jack, the sweet and savory allure of tender bulgogi beef, spicy creaminess of the Korean mayo, and chewy fluffiness of the brioche bun, it’s no secret why this burger was an immediate crowd pleaser. This burger was even better paired with a locally brewed Honolulu Beer Works ale, which the restaurant also offers.
Dessert
Of course, Chef Pyun and team didn’t forget the picture-worthy dessert. After the decadent four/five course meal and unlimited drinks, a selection of mini desserts was brought out. These desserts, previously only available at select mainland locations, will soon be savored by O’ahu locals. The individual-portioned chocolate mousse and miso butterscotch pudding—as weird as it sounds, miso provides the perfect tartness to the rich butterscotch flavor—allow diners to indulge in their lusciously creamy and rich dessert fantasies without as much of the guilt.
Although the tasting only showcased a few dishes from the new menu that may or not be modified before debuting later this month, everyone at the tasting was overall satisfied, happy, and full (and only slightly tipsy) from the impeccable food and drinks served. Special thanks to P.F. Chang’s and the Royal Hawaiian for hosting this wonderful event. The “Philip’s Stories From Asia” menu expansion will be in effect the third week December at P.F. Chang’s at the Royal Hawaiian Center. Ditch the stress of cooking a holiday dinner and bring your loved ones to come feast at P.F. Chang’s.