Shrimp with candied walnuts, a crowd favorite at P.F. Chang’s in Alabang’s pre-opening tasting, has tender shrimp tossed in a creamy sauce with candied walnuts and honeydew melon. Photo by Francine M. Marquez for Interaksyon.com.
When one thinks of Chinese food, what comes to mind are egg rolls, dumplings, fried rice, and those white takeout boxes, which is an American invention by the way. This is exactly what Philip Chiang wanted to change about Chinese food, especially the perception of Americans about it as nothing more than bland and limited in its options.
Chiang was born in Shanghai, grew up in Tokyo, and relocated to San Francisco where his mother opened one of the first Chinese restaurants in the US in the early 1960s. It was called The Mandarin, which served Chinese food from different regions and became popular for its sophisticated way of presenting Chinese cuisine.
Like a Zen master, iconic restaurateur Philip Chiang talks about his philosophy of creating dishes only from fresh ingredients during a preview of P.F. Chang’s China Bistro. Photo by Francine M. Marquez for Interaksyon.com.
An artist by training—he graduated with a B.F.A. at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles—he managed The Mandarin for several years before opening a café version of the restaurant called Mandarette in West Hollywood. The café was so popular that it caught the attention of restaurateur Paul Fleming. In 1992, Chiang became a consultant for a restaurant Fleming was going to open and by 1993, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro was born. Today it has more than 200 locations worldwide, including Mexico and Dubai.
Interestingly, the first P.F. Chang’s China Bistro opened its first Asian branch in the country—at the Alabang Town Center’s The Street.
Life-size statues of ancient Chinese warriors guard the entrance of P.F. Chang’s China Bistro. Photo by Francine M. Marquez for Interaksyon.com.
Two years in the making
Archie Rodriguez, president and CEO of Global Restaurant Concepts, the same group that brought California Pizza Kitchen in the Philippines, said that bringing in the popular US chain of restaurants took two years to be finally formalized. Rodriguez would eat in the restaurant whenever he’d be in the States because he liked it. So when he heard about P.F. Chiang’s intention to expand, he didn’t waste time in convincing the people behind it to come to Manila and open a branch here.
From left, P.F. Chang’s director of International Marketing Genaro Perez; Mr. Philip Chiang; Mike Wellborn, P.F. Chang’s president for global brand development; and Archie Rodriguez, president and CEO of Global Restaurant Concepts, Inc.
But why in Alabang when most restaurants would open in a commercial and business hub like Makati City? Rodriguez explained, “Well, the opportunity was there and the Alabang market is also a significant group with a discriminating taste and who would appreciate a good restaurant like P.F. Chang’s China Bistro.
“But we’ll also be opening a second P.F. Chang’s soon at the Fort or a total of eight restaurants.”
And why the Philippines? Genaro Perez, P.F. Chang’s Director of International Marketing, says: “The country has a multi-cultural background rich with Eastern and Western influences and the restaurant industry here is constantly growing. The market will easily appreciate the concept and philosophy of P.F. Chang’s China Bistro.”
Just like the original
This 11-feet image of a horse is one of the trademarks of P.F. Chang’s China Bistro all over the world. Photo by Francine M. Marquez for Interaksyon.com.
At the newly opened restaurant at the Alabang Town Center, images of warriors would make you feel as if you’re in China viewing the terra cotta army of the Qin Dynasty. At the entrance, that majestic sense continues with the sight of two 11-foot horses. Inside, another feature, a hand-painted mural depicting Chinese scenes, complements the modern interiors of the bistro.
Go to any P.F. Chang’s anywhere in the world, and you’ll literally figure out that the warriors, horses, and mural are trademark features of the bistro.
The temperature-controlled wine cabinet has more than 30 varieties of wine. Ask the waitstaff for wine pairing suggestions. Photo by Francine M. Marquez for Interaksyon.com
The restaurant also features a bar and a temperature-controlled wine cabinet that features more than 30 wines from all over the world. But, of course, that’s going ahead of the story. The wine, says Rodriguez, was carefully selected to go with the restaurant’s varied menu.
To prepare for its first branch in Manila, the restaurant’s management event sent in about 30 of its best trainers from the different worldwide branches to coach the local chefs and crew for six weeks. Mr. Chiang himself made sure the food is prepared and served according to the chain’s strict standards. There are no pre-prepared ingredients—the moment one places an order, chefs cook everything fresh and from scratch. There is also particular effort in making sure that “colds dishes are served cold and hot foods are served hot.”
The hand-painted mural painting complements the modern interiors of the bistro. Photo by Francine M. Marquez for Interaksyon.com.
One of the international trainers who was brought in to give the local team about six weeks of intensive coaching. Photo by Francine M. Marquez for Interaksyon.com.
Pan-Asian cuisine
Mr. Chiang said he improved on his mother’s heritage recipes and gave it a cleaner taste and texture. The result, of course, is a list of innovative dishes—even beverages—that appeal to a universal market.
For appetizer, Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps is proof of the freshness that Mr. Chiang has been talking about. He was even quick to point out how they meticulously select each iceberg lettuce leaf to be served as wrap. Next, the crunchiness and heat in the bestselling Dynamic Shrimps is the perfect example of Mr. Chiang’s innovations in the texture and flavors of a familiar dish like shrimp cocktail.
Chang’s Chicken lettuce wraps is a signature appetizer. Cool, crisp lettuce cups—carefully selected before serving—is filled with wok-seared minced chicken, mushrooms, green onions, and water chestnuts with crispy rice sticks. Photo by Francine M. Marquez for Interaksyon.com.
The menu is varied and includes appetizers, chicken, beef, seafood, vegetarian, gluten-free, even a kids’ menu. Prices points are quite competent as servings are meant for sharing for about four persons. For instance, seared sushi-grade ahi tuna is P385; Mongolian Beef, a 12 oz. tender US Angus beef cooked in wok and tossed with scallions and garlic is priced at P695; Sweet and Sour Pork is P365; while Asian Grilled Salmon served with fresh asparagus is P895.
Dynamite shrimp, a bestseller, has crispy shrimp in a tangy sauce and served over lettuce in a martini glass. Photo by Francine M. Marquez for Interaksyon.com.
So tender to the bite is the Chengdu Spiced Lamb, which is richly spiced, marinated lamb, tossed with cumin, mint, tomatoes, and yellow onions. Photo by Francine Marquez for Interaksyon.com.
Just when you thought, Chinese food is all about tradition and enduring recipes, along comes P.F. Chang’s China Bistro offering imaginative dishes that are refreshingly simple in taste yet delightful in its flavors.
