So today we’re heading in to the Leicester Square bit of Covent Garden to try some delicious Pan-Asian dishes. They’re from the wok at P.F. Chang’s Asian Table – inspired by co-founder Philip Chang’s dining table – these establishments are extremely famous in America. There are over 300 restaurants globally and this is the very first one to hit London Town. Good news.

It’s a lovely haven to step into after the hectic mass of people exploring London’s streets outside! Gotta love that London vibe! The restaurant has a great buzz, too, with its loft-style decor, open kitchen and friendly waiters. There’s a good selection of starters, soup and noodles, sushi and salad, mains and vegetables and sides to choose from.

The Original Dynamite Shrimp sounded simply too good to resist. Crispy tempura shrimp coated in spicy Sriracha aioli. Sriracha is a hot chilli sauce made from a paste of chilli peppers, vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt. It’s named after the coastal city of Sri Racha in eastern Thailand. Here it’s mixed with mayo for a delightfully spicy aioli that perfectly coats the crunch of the tempura and the juiciness of the prawns. A large portion that is soon demolished – this is a starter I need frequently in my dining life.

The vibrant Sriracha aioli makes the perfect coating for tempura prawns

Feeling on a bit of a seafood roll – well spring roll to be accurate – we opted for the handmade lobster and shrimp spring rolls. Hand rolled and filled with the sweetest lobster claw and knuckle meat, poached shrimp, lemon and chives. A perfect combination of sweet shellfish in a kind of half spring roll batter which made them look and taste beautiful. The rolls were served with a Thai curry aioli which was delicious but possibly a little overpowering for the delicacy of the flavours. The rolls tasted seriously good on their own with no need to dip.

The sweetness of open lobster and shrimp spring rolls

So good I had to show you a close-up

There’s a good range of meaty mains and we went for the Asian take on pepper steak. Flank steak was marinated in black pepper and garlic and served with onions and bell peppers. A rich and silky sauce, tender meat and vegetables with crunch made for a satisfying plate of food.

Tender pepper beef with crunchy veg

We love Singapore noodles and have tried them in many restaurants. Today’s offering certainly wasn’t made to a traditional recipe but was still a delicious offering. Don’t they look fabulous?

The bright beauty of Singapore noodles

To complete our balanced set we went for the an old favourite – can’t beat a bit of Kung Pao chicken. Thinly sliced chicken breast was wok-fried with Sichuan chilli sauce, toasted peanuts and red chilli pods. A familiar and comforting dish that was so well executed.

Gotta love a tasty Kung Pao chicken

And then there’s desert – not something I often indulge in. For some reason my eye was caught by the offer of a deconstructed lemon meringue. And thank goodness it was, this could be one of the loveliest deserts I’ve ever had. The lemon ice-cream was stupendous and then there was the shortbread, lemon curd, burnt meringue and meringue shards bringing a fabulous range of textures. But best of all were the little lemony white chocolate truffles that popped in your mouth with a burst of citrus. Yummy lemon desert that’s one of my favourite dishes of the year so far – never thought I’d ever say that about pudding!

Desert doesn’t get tastier…and it looks pretty amazing too

I love an open kitchen and this was a particularly busy one with plenty of hands making light work of the constant stream of orders. By its nature Asian food is pretty quick to prepare and dishes do come up pretty smartly. I’d advise ordering your starters and eating them before you order your mains – unless you want to be in and out in a flash. The staff are perfectly accommodating about how you order and didn’t blink an eye at any of our requests.

The perfectly organised open kitchen runs like clockwork

P.F. Chang’s prides itself on its pastry lab which produces an amazing array of cakes, tarts and puddings. Obviously I didn’t taste them all but did love the look of the lab tempting you down the stairs.

Come into my pastry parlour…

It’s also big on cocktails (and mocktails). Now that would be a good way to celebrate the end of a working day – an exotic cocktail and some of those spicy Original Dynamite Shrimp. I’ll show you the way!

Today’s price point

The total price for the dishes above was £61.70. Portion sizes are generous and this was more than enough for two hearty meals.

Wine starts from £23 a bottle.

P.F. Chang’s Asian Table is at 10 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7JA, a one-minute walk from Leicester Square tube station.