P.F. Chang’s Asian Table, Great Newport Street

P.F. Chang’s Asian Table – an American restaurant group with a crowd pleasing pan Asian menu of amped up flavours and an inventive list of cocktails – has opened an outlet near Covent Garden. I’m not sure you need to drop what you’re doing to eat there ASAP but neither should you sneer at the concept or immediately write it off.

I just read a super snotty review of P.F. Chang’s Asian Table published online by one of the UK’s more prominent broadsheets. It was snarky for the sake of being snarky with the added bonus of allowing the writer to snarl indirectly at folks who might have a good time at such a place. As unappetising as the reviewer aimed to suggest Chang’s to be, I finished reading the article thinking it was the writer’s attitude that was truly insipid.

I visited the restaurant a couple of weeks ago. Now, I’m not going to rave about it as the greatest thing since shrimp toast. But I must say I enjoyed my meal and that it was as good as (and in some ways better than) a number of more highfalutin eateries in the area.

I was impressed especially with the starters and sides (and would be inclined to order a variety of those rather than mains during any repeat visits). Best was the big flavoured Dynamite Shrimp (crispy tempura battered shrimp with spicy sriracha aioli and spring onions, £13.50). Served (amply) in a martini glass. Chicken Lettuce Wraps (wok-seared chicken, mushrooms, spring onions and water chestnuts with lettuce cups, £9.50) pleased with flavour and proportion as well. A side order of Black Pepper Carrots (£4.25) was a treat. A main course of Mongolian beef (tender flank steak caramelised with dark soy sauce and garlic and served with spring onions, £11.50) was alright (though, I wished I’d stuck with the starters). Wasabi mash (mashed potatoes infused with wasabi, lemongrass, spring onions and cream, £4.25) was a meh filler that remained mostly uneaten at the end of the meal.

As for drinks, a couple of cocktails actually wowed and far exceeded my expectations. Particularly notable were the Rita & Masataka (Japanese whisky, pineau des Charentes, Pedro Ximinez , £12); the Gallantry (sake, aromatised wine, grapefruit bitters, and thyme, £10); and the cask aged Negroni (gin, sweet vermouth, Campari, Luxardo Maraschino, £13). I highly recommend that Rita & Masataka mix!

Service was polite, fast and keen to get my table’s orders right but seemed (a little) to be learning the ropes at the fairly recently launched restaurant. The atmosphere buzzed (but I felt comfy at my table and didn’t have to shout at my dining partner to have a decent conversation).

If you’re heading to P.F. Chang’s for the most exquisite dining experience of your life, you’re missing the point. If you’re headed there purposely to tear it down, you’re way off your mark. But if you’re in the area and on the hunt for a fun place to eat where flavour and efficiency matter more to the occasion than finesse and fuss, it should fit the bill.

P.F. Chang’s Asian Table is located at 10 Great Newport Street, WC2H 7JA. Find out more at pfchangs.co.uk.