They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, and if that’s the case, PF Chang’s founder Philip Chiang must be feeling very highly commended indeed.
There can hardly be a dish that’s more frequently emulated than PF Chang’s world-famous Dynamite Shrimp, and UAE diners certainly can’t get enough of the batter-fried, spicy crustacean – which has been a best-seller in the region since it arrived here.
The global chain has more than 300 restaurants, setting up shop everywhere from London to Mexico, India to Ireland. And this year PF Chang’s celebrates a decade in the Middle East, with the first Dubai outlet opening at Mirdif City Centre. This was followed by one in Mall of the Emirates and more, before the latest in the string opened in La Mer last year. Now with 33 branches in the Middle East, including 14 in Dubai and two in Abu Dhabi, PF Chang’s is a household name among fans of Chinese food.
“We’ve even featured in movies and TV shows, such as Friends and The Big Bang Theory – PF Chang’s has really become a part of popular culture and it’s fascinating,” Chiang admits in his laid-back US-style.
Chiang grew up in Tokyo before moving to California, where his mother Cecilia became an acclaimed chef. In the early 1960s she opened The Mandarin, one of first restaurants in America to cook up Chinese food from regions aside from Canton. Her son followed in her footsteps and opened an offshoot called The Mandarette in West Hollywood. After catching the eye of restaurateur Paul Fleming (the PF in the name, and the man behind Ruth’s Chris Steak House), the first PF Chang’s was set up in Arizona in 1993.
And many dishes on today’s menu are from original one from 1993.
“We adapt things for different regions more in terms of ingredients than style – though there’s such a diverse industry now that items are lot easier to obtain now [in the UAE] than when we first arrived,” he says.
“Some recipes came from my mother’s restaurant,” he adds. “Then tweaked them to my personal taste and transferred them to the menu at PF Chang’s.
“I like everything simple. I don’t like cluttered food – no busy, complicated dishes. I like to use a few ingredients and do as little as possible with them to let them star.”
Globally the most popular dishes are chicken lettuce wraps, Mongolian beef and Chang’s chicken – the latter of which is Chiang’s personal favourite.
But nowhere in the world is Dynamite Shrimp as popular as right here.
“Somehow in the Middle East it just went nuts,” he laughs, shaking his head.
“Neither my mother or I had this on our menu. I went on a trip to Hong Kong and went to a restaurant with British influences – dishes used mayo, which isn’t seen in Chinese cooking. So we tried it and one of our chefs threw in some spices and created the dressing, not knowing it would be such a hit.
He admits now he’s retired and moved back to Japan, he no longer has much involvement in the recipes, preferring to spend most of his time working on his art – his initial love. But he keeps an eye on everything that’s going on, and adds that’s he’s always suprised by the chains ongoing popularity.
“I mean why is the chicken lettuce wrap our number one dish globally? Why does the Middle East love shrimp? We never planned it that way but that’s what it is,” he says.
“Of course you have to offer something tasty that you can’t easily replicate at home,” he says. “There are lots of restaurants that have their own versions, but ours is the original. And that goes for all things – it’s just never the same as the first one whether it’s food, music or fashion.”
And with ten years under its belt here, there’s all the more reason to visit now as PF Chang’s recently introduced a new menu, which not only includes more dishes, but an interactive element by which you can see the dishes’ specs when you scan a QR code.
“It keeps us stay relevant,” he adds.
There are 13 new dishes including Korean street corn, new sushi rolls and crunch salad with prawns. He puts the ongoing popularity down to the current trend for healthier, gluten-free and vegan food, too.
“Chinese food covers a lot of ground,” he adds. “More people are interested in vegetarian dishes now, and so we’re growing the menu, especially with the recent expansion into India and Pakistan.”
But shrimp aside, how would Chiang describe the global empire in three words?
“You gotta eat,” he laughs. “No, how about ‘a delicious experience”.
We’ll agree with that.
Various locations across the UAE, including The Galleria Al Maryah Island, Yas Mall and Abu Dhabi Mall, www.pfchangs.com.
