PAN CHAI PAN-ASIAN RESTAURANT, HARRODS

I was recently invited along to a Pan Asian restaurant called Pan Chai, on the ground floor of Harrods. I don't tend to really adventure into Asian food too much but I decided to branch out and give it a try as it was the perfect opportunity to do so. I also haven't been to Harrods since I was a young child so I definitely got lost walking around the 5 different floors as it's absolutely huge! 

I took my mum as my +1 and we eventually found Pan Chai in the food court with other restaurants and was pleasantly surprised to see how different it looked to what I was expecting. It was like a traditional Japanese restaurant. There was one row of bench like seats which followed all the way around the counter area. 

In front of us was a glass panel in which they kept lobsters and fresh fish. It was nice to see that the fish you would be eating was fresh and not frozen.

We were seated to the left side of the bench and had chopsticks and a small jug of soya sauce each for our dishes; with a dish to pour the soya into. Straight away, we was offered drinks and so got a glass of wine and some bottled still water whilst we caught up about how our week was going with work and general life. 

It was explained to us by the manager Kimmy and the male host that we could choose anything we like from the menu. Pan Chai is a Japanese restaurant so a lot of their dishes focus around sushi and fish. Neither of us had ever tried sushi before but I'm always about trying new foods when the opportunity arises. 

We was recommended the tuna and salmon sushi which arrived beautifully presented. It was like art! Made to look like two flowers on a plate; we were in awe of the creativity the chefs had used so I was really sad to dig in and ruin their masterpiece! 

It was going to be a 50/50 situation as I'm not a huge fish lover and this fish was raw. I attempted to try a bit of the tuna (it's the only fish I like but only canned) and I didn't like the texture or the taste. It was a really over powering fish taste (well, duh!) but my taste buds just couldn't hack it. 

However, my mum LOVED it and wolfed down the whole plate of sushi! Being a sushi novice however, she did forget to dip her wasabi into the soya sauce so sat there red faced and puffy eyed for the rest of the night...

Next, our main meals arrived. My mum went for lobster rolls which was a gamble because we have both only had lobster once. These rolls were wrapped in vine like leaves with avocado and sushi rice and were SO yummy! The lobster itself was in the middle in chunks (and is cooked fresh the same day) and was crispy and so tasty. I was really surprised that I liked them!  Again, presentation was perfect as you can see! 

Finally, my meal arrived and looked so scrumptious sitting on my plate. I went for the Chicken Medallion which is chicken in a spicy BBQ sauce with sticky rice and salad; aswell as a few spicy cherry tomatoes and sweet potato fries. 

We both tried it at the same time and it's without a doubt... the spiciest thing I've ever eaten. The man did warn me but I do love spicy food. It was really tasty though and the rice and having three drinks (wine, water and a Diet Coke) meant that it was easy to disguise the spicy taste in my mouth. 

The sauce on the chicken was spicy but it complimented the chicken really well. It's something I would definitely recommend ordering if you ever go to Pan Chai if you love spicy food. 

All in all, we had a fantastic service at Pan Chai. The food was outstanding with a beautiful presentation to accompany. We felt very welcome and extremely looked after from start to finish. I definitely recommend visiting here if you have a fleeting visit to Knightsbridge, love Japanese food AND you happen to be hungry! 

Disclaimer: A meal for 2 was provided in return for an honest review on my blog. All words, opinions and photographs are my own.