PF Chang’s in Palo Alto

900 Stanford Shopping Center
Palo Alto, CA 94304

Not surprising, there we were again. BF just came back from his Japan trip so we decided to meet up at “Our” place. 🙂

It’s a beautiful day and BF got us a window table – the sunshine was so warm I almost forgot it was still Winter. One thing new that we found the menu was updated – slightly anxious wondering if our favorite Chicken Noodle Soup was still in the menu.

Here are the items we ordered:

Buddha's Feast

BUDDHA’S FEAST

Veggies with five-spice tofu served steamed or stir-fried
Ratings: 3.5 out of 5

This is one of the item we ALWAYS order. We like it steamed, extra carrots/tofu/snap peas. The tofu is flavorful although the rest comes with their natural flavor – which is very light. I always enjoy the veggies with their freshest. One veggie dish that BF DOES eat… so I cherish it very much. LOL.

CHANG’S CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Chang's Chicken Noodle Soup

Our spicy version is what you wish your mother would have made
Ratings: 4.5 out of 5

I am glad to report that the soup is still on the menu! And it’s as great as I remembered! Please refer to previous post for more detailed information. Definitely this is the kind of soup that satisfies your stomach in one of the cold winter days. It has well rounded spice that gives you enough heat, interests, and flavors. Really, Yum!

GARLIC NOODLES

Garlic + Noodles = Simply divine
Ratings: 4 out of 5

Simply divine, I can not agree more! Well well.. I am a starch sucker – particularly noodles. So believe it or not, I do think it’s challenging to keep in shape – I grew up with buns/noodles/dumplings, Chinese food of course – they are my breakfast, lunch, snack.. or simply, food. This dish resembles the traditional “Cold Noodles” in Taiwan although the sauce is more desirable in my humble opinions. It definitely has a lot of garlic – my love. It’s savory but also has the sweetness to it to balance it out. I know some friends who do not eat any savory dishes with sweetness in.. Well, take your pick, I am satisfied with mine! The only one less star from the ranking is due to the “manufactured” noodles themselves. It’s OK but not great. It’s not saggy but I’d prefer my noodles usually more on the chewy side, just personal taste. It’s a big portion and tastes still good when heated up from left-overs.

Garlic Noodles

The Main Courses

Mahi-Mahi

MAHI-MAHI

Ratings: 3.5 out of 5

This is one of their new dishes. I always like Mahi-Mahi so I wanted to give it a try. It was not disappointing. The white meat of Mahi-Mahi came from the grill, it was well cooked but not mushy. With the tenderness being preserved in the meat the fish was very juicy and well seasoned. I loved the roasted lemon grass strips on the top – for the ascethetic appeal also the enhanced fragrance. It came with cooked rice on the bottom and no side veggies. I think I’d prefer some veggies with similar season and aroma on the side – I should ask next time.

WILD ALASKAN SALMON STEAMED WITH GINGER

Our salmon comes straight from the cold waters of our 49th state

Ginger Salmon

Ratings: __ (waiting for Tig’s input!)

BF’s dish. I think I usually would have a bite or two. I love salmon but I believe my fav is raw! 🙂 Will ask BF to fill in for this one. It looked nice in the presentation though.

Yeah.. I finally remembered to bring the camera for taking the dish pictures – except while eating the soup and wanting to take pictures of the other dishes …. I dropped my camera into my soup. Luckily I don’t think the soup really got inside the camera but the handle strip was soaked… Of course I came home with a chicken-soup smell camera. What can I say? Love the soup so much.

The PF Chang’s in Palo Alto is always our favorite. We’ll be reviewing the one in Fremont really soon. Overall, this one has never let us down!