P.F. CHANG'S CHINA BISTRO

P.F. CHANG'S CHINA BISTRO

LOCATION:

Shops at Don Mills

10 O'Neill Rd

Toronto, ON M3C0H1

www.pfchangs.ca

RATINGS:

Service:  2 . 5

Ambiance: 3

Food: 2. 5

Price:$$$

The famous fan favourite of the States has finally made its way up north. The first location opened up at the shops at Don Mills in July. The menu, portion sizes and quality of the food is exactly the same here as it is down south, the only thing that has changed is the price. The Canadian dishes cost on average are about $4 more in Canada than their American counterparts. 

I went with a large group which was great because we got to order quite a few menu items to share.

The CRISPY GREEN BEANS came first. Not something I would typically order because I don't really love heavily batter foods. Most of us just picked at the dish as we waited for the others to arrive, and most of us agreed we would not order them again. not exciting enough to justify all those calories. 

When the TUNA TATAKI CRISPS arrived we were all excited. Who doesn't love a thick slice of seared sushi-grade Ahi tuna? The tuna was placed on a crispy wonton, and topped with fresh diced Ahi tuna, crisp cucumber and scallions all of which were tossed in a citrus-sesame soy sauce. We all thought the flavours were bold and fresh.

The NORTHERN STYLE SPARE RIBS were actually delivered to our table by accident. However, at P.F. Chang's, when they make a mistake their policy is to give you the dish on the house to sample for next time. The ribs were tender, wok-braised and served with a five-spice salt. None of us really loved the them because they were dry and lacked flavor, but we enjoyed the fact that they were free.

We remembered the CRAB WANTONS  as being one of our favourite dishes when on vacation in Florida, so we gave them a try here too. The crispy wontons were filled with a creamy mixture of crab meat, bell peppers and green onions, and served with a spicy plum sauce. The filling had a lot of bell peppers, green onions and cream cheese, but was a little light on the crab.

Most of the food so far had just been mediocre so when the SLAT AND PEPPER PRAWNS came we were hoping for more. They did not disappoint. The crispy prawns were stir-fried in a salt and pepper mix of chili peppers, black beans, ginger and green onions, and were served with a spicy mustard sauce. The large prawns were well seasoned, and juicy; the light touch of batter added an nice crunch to each bite.

Next came the ORANGE PEEL BEEF which was tossed with a mild chili sauce and fresh orange peels. The beef was full of flavour, although it was battered prior to being tossed with the chili sauce, which caused the beef to become soggy. Too bad really, because the flavours were nice.

Lastly, we had the MONGOLIAN BEEF. Tender flank steak wok-cooked and then quickly tossed with scallions and garlic. We all loved this dish the beef was so tender it melted in your mouth. It was a nice way to end off the  otherwise mediocre meal at P.F. Chang's.

Would we go back? At some point in time probably, but not any time soon

STANDOUT DISH OF THE NIGHT:

Salt and Pepper Prawns