P.F. Chang's: Migs' Birthday Treat

April 13, 2013. Saturday.

I wanted to treat my family out for my birthday. And I wanted it to be somewhere a little upscale, and somewhere most of us have never eaten at. So last Saturday we ate out at P.F Chang's in BHS, which is the 2nd branch in the Philippines of this Asian- themed American restaurant chain. It is located in the W Global Center on the same street where Nike Park BHS is. It is next to California Pizza Kitchen and IHOP.

Replica terracotta horses greet you at the entrance of P.F Chang's. Inside, miniature replica terracotta warriors are scattered throughout. The place has a Chinese restaurant feel mixed with Western influence. Wood is used a lot in the place, and I like it. I've always felt wood gives some sort of relaxed and homey ambiance. It's a little cramped and dimly lit for my liking, though.

Days before Saturday, I spent time online reading about reviews on P.F. Chang's and its menu. I then made a shortlist of menu items that I wanted to order. Since there were 12 of us for dinner, I was torn on whether to order a lot of dishes to sample more food (but a single order of one dish might not be enough to pass around), or to order fewer dishes but to have double of everything. In the end, the latter won.

We ordered two of each of the following:

Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps. 285php.

This is their signature appetizer. The wok seared minced chicken already tastes great with the cool and crisp lettuce cups, but it is even better with their sauce of honey mustard, soy sauce and chili.

Dynamite Shrimp. 295php.

This was spicier than I expected, but it was still really good. In true Pinoy fashion, even though this was an appetizer I ate them with my rice.

Chang's Spicy Chicken. 320php.

The chicken in this was really tender, but not that flavorful on its own. But the sweet and spicy (yes, sweet and spicy despite it being called Spicy Chicken) sauce is this dish's saving grace.

Pepper Steak. 680php.

The US Angus Beef was tender and flavorful, but this might be a little bit too peppery for some. It also had some sweetness to it with the yellow onions in it.

Shrimp with Candied Walnuts. 795php.

I was excited for this dish since the first time I read about it! And all the pictures online, only added to the excitement. But to my dismay, it didn't live up to my expectation about it. It was good. The creamy sauce really went well with the shrimp, walnuts, and honeydew. But for its price, I can say that we probably could have ordered something better.

Chang's Fried Rice. 200php.

Mango Cream Cheese Wontons. 150php. Mixed Berries Cheesecake. 265php.

I didn't get to taste this but it looked good! I'll make sure to order this one again. Mango, cream cheese wrapped together then deep fried? Sure looks like a good combination to me. We've had lots of better cheesecakes in our life, but this one wasn't really that bad. It was a little too tart-y for our taste though.

Despite being a little expensive, we think it was worth it. The food was great and the ambiance was certainly different from most normal restaurants in Manila. Kim and I will be sure to go back here, as we both love Chinese food. We'll make sure to try different dishes in the future.

P.F. Chang's China Bistro
W Global Center
The Fort, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
(02)  664-5956 
https://www.facebook.com/pfchangsph 

http://www.pfchangs.com.ph/