Leicester Square is a funny part of London - there are plenty of nice places in Covent Garden and Soho, but in between is a bit of a touristy no man's land - however, I was pleasantly surprised to discover new restaurant P.F. Chang's Asian Table last week.
It's a casual restaurant with a pan-Asian menu created by ex-Nobu chef Deepak Kotian, featuring Chinese, sushi, noodles and everything between, alongside a decent wine list, barrel-aged cocktails, and a pastry bar. It's a bit of an American institution with restaurants all over the country, which crossed the Atlantic for the first time last summer - the restaurant is pretty large with a bar area at the front and an open kitchen at the back, where we sat watching all the chefs in action. We ordered a bottle of biodynamic Côtes de Provence rosé from Chateau Maris and a bunch of small (yet very filling) plates to share, kicking off with the famous crisp lettuce wraps served with wok-seared chicken, mushrooms, spring onions and water chestnuts. De-lish.
Next, we had thinly-sliced salmon sashimi with crispy daikon sprouts, sliced orange, red radish, red tobiko, Korean spiced salt, and nuoc cham sweet chili sauce, which was a little bit too fruity for my liking. The seared ahi yellowfin tuna came with asparagus, peaches, dill leaves, citrus ponzu and Japanese mayo, which was unusual, although again slightly fruitier than I'd have liked. The pan-seared hand-pleated pork dumplings were delicious and came piping hot, drizzled with soy and chili mash.
From the sushi selection, we ordered the kaleidoscope sushi roll with yellowfin tuna, salmon, crab, mango and avocado, wrapped in rice paper and sprinkled with roe and daikon sprouts, and the black truffle rainbow sushi roll with yellowfin and ahi tuna, hamachi, salmon, cucumber, sprouts, enoki, avocado, truffle paté, kabayake and wasabi aioli. Lots of flavours jostling for attention in both dishes, yet they work. We were so full we had no room for the highly-recommended fresh pastries, but we'll be back soon! The food is inventive, the staff are friendly, and it's a great place to bear in mind if you're central and looking for creative Asian food.
It's a casual restaurant with a pan-Asian menu created by ex-Nobu chef Deepak Kotian, featuring Chinese, sushi, noodles and everything between, alongside a decent wine list, barrel-aged cocktails, and a pastry bar. It's a bit of an American institution with restaurants all over the country, which crossed the Atlantic for the first time last summer - the restaurant is pretty large with a bar area at the front and an open kitchen at the back, where we sat watching all the chefs in action. We ordered a bottle of biodynamic Côtes de Provence rosé from Chateau Maris and a bunch of small (yet very filling) plates to share, kicking off with the famous crisp lettuce wraps served with wok-seared chicken, mushrooms, spring onions and water chestnuts. De-lish.
Next, we had thinly-sliced salmon sashimi with crispy daikon sprouts, sliced orange, red radish, red tobiko, Korean spiced salt, and nuoc cham sweet chili sauce, which was a little bit too fruity for my liking. The seared ahi yellowfin tuna came with asparagus, peaches, dill leaves, citrus ponzu and Japanese mayo, which was unusual, although again slightly fruitier than I'd have liked. The pan-seared hand-pleated pork dumplings were delicious and came piping hot, drizzled with soy and chili mash.
P.F. Chang's Asian Table, 10 Great Newport St, London WC2H 7JA
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