FINALLY! P.F. Chang’s, the world-renowned restaurant that serves modern Asian-inspired cuisine and combines it with American style service, has now opened its second Philippine branch at the W Global Center in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, so diners no longer have to go all the way to Alabang Town Center to enjoy its brand of food.
P.F. Chang’s is actually an American restaurant chain that serves Chinese and other Asian cuisines. It originates from Scottsdale, Arizona, has over 200 stores worldwide, and was brought to the Philippines by Global Restaurant Concepts Inc. (GRCI), which also operates California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) in the country. The dynamic company is made up of young and aggressive entrepreneurs headed by Archie Rodriguez as president and chief executive officer.
When the first P.F. Chang’s restaurant opened in Alabang Town Center, it created waves in the food industry and everyone wanted a taste of what people were talking about. The only problem was that, well, you had to go all the way to Alabang to do so. Now, with its second branch in Bonifacio Global City, it is closer to home particularly for those who live and/or work in Makati all the way to Quezon City. P.F. Chang’s is on the ground floor (well, it has a second floor) of W Global Center, a new building owned and built by Global Restaurant Concepts Inc. and will soon be the headquarters of its operations. W Global Center stands right next to the posh Bonifacio High Street, so it’s just a few steps away from diners who frequent Bonifacio High Street.
P.F. Chang’s at Bonifacio Global City had a media lunch yesterday, and my husband Raff and I joined a full house of media people as well as bloggers who had a taste of the restaurant chain’s specialty dishes: Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Seared Ahi Tuna, Dynamite Shrimps, Pork Dumplings, Crab Wontons, Sichuan-style Asparagus, Lo Mein, Chang’s Spare Ribs, Shrimps with Candied Walnuts, Mongolian Beef, Chang’s Spicy Chicken, Banana Spring Rolls and Great Wall of Chocolate.
Sharing a table with Manila Bulletin’s Rudy Liwanag and GRCI’s marketing manager Ellen Bernales, we feasted on some of the specialties, and we were one in picking Shrimps with Candied Walnuts as our top favorite. It’s a light and subtle dish of crispy shrimps lightly coated in honeyed Japanese mayo and served with honeydew melon balls and candied walnuts. The combination of flavors come together so harmoniously that it’s impossible for it not to become your favorite. At our table, it was the hands-down favorite.
Also not to be missed is Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps. It’s ground chicken served with fried bihon noodles. You eat it by taking a whole piece of iceberg lettuce leaf, scooping a generous amount of ground chicken and crispy bihon onto the lettuce cup, and biting into it like a fresh Chinese spring roll. I like it because I’m a big lumpia monster.
Dynamite Shrimps is another must-try. It’s spicy shrimps served cocktail style on a bed of lettuce in a martini glass.
Dessert is also huge at P.F. Chang’s. It’s something to look forward to, especially since the dessert selections are good. For one, there’s Banana Spring Rolls. It’s like the local delicacy, turon, that’s fried to a golden crisp, sliced in half, and plated around a huge scoop of coconut ice cream like a palace with towers around it. The coconut ice cream is made specially for P.F. Chang’s, and what makes the banana fritters unique is that it’s got cinnamon inside them. Also impressive is the Great Wall of Chocolate, a huge slice of six-layered chocolate cake served on a sea of strawberry sauce. It’s such a huge slice that it’s like the Great Wall of China.
Carrying the full menu that P.F. Chang’s offers in all of its branches worldwide, P.F. Chang’s at Bonifacio Global City also offers its award-winning beverage line, including smoothies, coffees and teas, beers, and Austral-Asian and European wines. Diners can likewise order any of its signature cocktail mixes, which have become crowd favorites all over the world.
To drum up more interest in its new branch, P.F. Chang’s launches it’s the Warrior Deal promo for the Chinese New Year celebration. On February 10, which is Chinese New Year, diners get a 20% rebate for every P1,000 dine-in purchase, represented by two P100 Warrior Deal cards. While this promo is just a one-day offer, diners who avail of it can make use of the Warrior Deal cards and avail of their rebate on their next visit to the restaurant.
(P.F. Chang’s is located at W Global Center, 9th Ave. cor. 30th St., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, with tel. no. 664-5956.)
