‘PFChangs’ in Al Khobar was a long time coming and they finally opened up to the public along with the @thecheesecakefactoryme @ksanandos and a host of other restaurants in the new Ajdan Walk in Khobar corniche. It also happened to be the day that I finally met up with fellow food blogger @foodingmyselfaround for dinner.

We decided to meet up by 7pm hoping to avoid the rush and this turned out to be the right time since people were only starting to come in. There was already quite a queue outside ‘Cheesecake Factory’ so we went ahead to ‘PFChangs’. We didn’t have to wait long and we were shown to our tables on the first floor. The place is aesthetically designed and the seating comfortable and we were given a table close to the window. ‘Ramesh’ was our server for the day and he gave us a demonstration on how their perfect sauce mix is prepared. He recommended a few items on the menu and his knowledge of the dishes were impressive. We ordered the ‘Spicy Chengdu Beef’ (SR. 95), ‘Sesame Chicken’ (SR. 74)’, Pad Thai Combo’ (SR. 74) & ‘Shrimp Dumplings’ (SR. 42).

The food didn’t take too long to show up and I was absolutely starved after a very special early lunch.

The ‘Spicy Chengdu Beef’ had to be my favourite of the lot. Though it does mention being richly spiced, I expected a lot more heat with hints of Sichuan peppercorn but nevertheless tasted delicious. I loved the pan seared onions and cumin combo with the beef and it is an absolute delight when paired with the plain rice that comes with the order. 

The ‘Sesame Chicken’ that Ramesh recommended balanced the meal exceptionally well with the beef packing the spices and the chicken cutting out the excesses. Also served with a tiny bowl of rice, both the beef and chicken was well worth the money. 

The ‘Pad Thai’ on the other hand was a bit of a disappointment largely due to the tomato based sauce they had used. It overpowered the other flavours in the dish and the only plus was the addition of the fish sauce. I could barely taste the peanuts thanks to the overpowering sauce and I did bring this to the attention of the floor manager. They were kind enough to note my reservations down. 

Great overall experience and I look forward to trying the other the new restaurants in Ajdan Walk. 

Google Review: https://goo.gl/maps/5gTbvXXULVbNMPmX9

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/5X2fLpR7euPS3NaRA