3/24/2024 0 Comments Panda inn aptos menu![]() ![]() 34) was packed with huge chunks of white fish filet, probably rock cod, completely bathed in a garlic-laced, tomato-inflected sauce ($7.70). My entree of spicy fish with garlic sauce and broccoli (better known as No. Which, as we all know by around lunchtime the day after, is a great concept. It's sort of a rule at the Panda that no one leaves without at least one take-home container. So we moved on to two entrees, which arrived swiftly-very swiftly-on generously filled platters. Other batches of potstickers we've had at the Panda were right on target-these were not so fortunate. The bad news was that the bottoms of each potsticker remained closer to raw than to cooked. The good news was that the succulent crescents of rice pasta were filled with a rich, meaty filling bearing traces of mentholesque Szechuan peppercorn. Next, we plowed into a platter of potstickers ($4.90), served with a sauce of soy and rice vinegar, to which we added a few splashes of chile oil. I rank this culinary treasure right up there with crème brûlée and tequila. Scallions and strands of pork emerge here and there. It's got all the right lotus shoots and egg swirling throughout the potent peppery broth. It's packed with long chewy strands of succulent cloud ear mushroom loaded with ancient botanical goodness. Certainly the Panda Inn's particular recipe does everything this great soup should do. All that white pepper must open the pores or something. ![]() ![]() The great thing about hot and sour soup, besides the fact that it is easily one of the world's greatest liquid inventions, is that it works its magic as well on hot days as chilly ones. The Panda offers a thoughtful wines-by-the-glass selection, but the weather dictated Tsing Tao, a Chinese beer that-I don't mind stating the obvious from time to time-is perfection with spicy Szechuan food. ![]() This welcome illusion on a blistering afternoon called for a tall, cold Tsing Tao beer-which Melo and I promptly ordered while we checked out the menu. You've left the ordinary world and its frenzied pace far behind. The soft, dreamy glow from round paper lanterns hung from the ceiling does the rest. Inside, a stroke of genius has turned the interior dining area into cozy little chambers simply by the creative use of hanging bamboo mats. The Panda is already ahead of the game with its charming landscaped pathway. And since she lives nearby in Aptos, this is one of her neighborhood haunts.Īny small-business entrepreneur can bend your ear for a week over the difficulties of turning a generic mall slot into a distinctive space. Since my friend Melody and I had bonded over a meal of Chinese food just about the same year the Panda opened for business, we thought we'd continue the tradition. But the Panda Inn has done so consistently, year after year, as the steady streams of lunch, dinner and in-between-times customers will testify. It's not every dining spot that can make its mark in a shopping center location. Chau Line: Panda Inn chef Leng Chau and manager Wynnsome Chau feed healthy appetites with plates of delicious fried prawns and plum wine and other Northern Chinese delicacies.Īfter more than a decade, the friendly Panda Inn in Aptos shows that it's still playful, spicy and accessible ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |