Seared Ahi Tuna, Part II

(with Flash)

(No Flash)

PF Chang’s
900 Stanford Shopping Center
Palo Alto, CA 94304
Phone: (650) 330-1782

Wow, I can not believe it’s been almost a month since we did the last review. It’s NOT that we did not eat. It’s just that… well, other things had been in the way.

We decided to pay PF Chang a visit – where we went all the time EXCEPT this last month or so. Compared to our memory the presentation definitely seems being changed. Though.. let’s focus on the current plate since we have rather vague memory how it used to be. 😛

At the first glance the plating is quite similar to Sweet Basil Thai in the previous review. They have both porcelain white plates against the dark wood furniture. It does present a clean, modern and contemporary ambiance to the meal, which I consider very nice.

I have to admit, the presentation of PF Chang having the tuna neatly sliced and the fresh red meat sides placed against the vibrant green marinated salad really pleases the eye. I could see the effort the chef put into the preparation – tossing the salad balancing the leaves and the dressing; lightly brushing the sauce and grilling the surface of the tuna; slicing the meat with precision and tenderness; plating the salad, cucumber and sliced tuna with the sense of art; drizzling with the rich yummy sauce…. then BAM! (oops, this is Emeril Lagasse)! YA..

Quality-wise the tuna in PF Chang is really high grade. You can tell just by looking at the color. The chewy texture of the red meat wraps around your teeth while the freshness of the fish juice touches every taste buds of your tongue. The grilled surface with smoky BBQ flavor has sparse sesame seeds that gives little texture variation surprises here and there. The sauce is on the salty side (compared to the sauce at Sweet Basil Thai that’s on the sweet side) and that definitely brings the flavor to another level with the miso sauce in it (I highly believe so). The richness of the miso paste, faint mustard, soy sauce and/or wasabi sauce orchestrated together has created a more traditional Japanese taste palate for this dish. I like that each piece is equally cut so I get the full tasteful experience from the start to the end.

Do I mention that the salad is also marinated? The taste journey continues through the same type of sauce on the tuna that’s also found in the salad besides the dressing. The crunchiness of the mixed greens refreshes each bite. The cucumber has some light sweetness to it which is nicely done that adds to the tasteful palate of the whole dish.

Yum! And, one final point – there was no “blood water” left on the plate after the fish was finished (compared to the one in Sweet Basil Thai) which again indicated the freshness and professional preparation of the tuna!

（The Remains)