LOCATIONIn Chapel Street, between High and Malvern Streets.
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIAChapel Street has more than enough eating places, you may have thought. But Pan Asian does things differently, and makes an extremely welcome addition to the street. The building, just like the cuisine, blends the traditional and the modern in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Its old decorative features – the pillars and ornate ceiling – maintain a classic decorum, while a grand chandelier made of everyday table items, oriental dividing screens and a mural featuring the four deities of Pan Asian cuisine ( India, China, Japan and Thailand) add modern flare. There’s also a great bar area with a good list of cocktails, making it an ideal place for drinks and some interesting food.
The menu is divided into small and large dishes, with a few sides, and some desserts. Among the small dishes, the salmon fishcakes with green pea curry sauce, and the gyoza filled with walnut, blue cheese and leek, served with an orange and cardamom dressing rated particularly highly. Of the large dishes, the deep-fried whole fish is a great one to share – its sauce has a lovely hot-sourness of chilli and tamarind, and it comes with an Asian herb salad. The spice-crusted lamb fillet is also excellent and comes with tomato chutney and a French lentil dahl. For dessert, the palm sugar pannacotta tickles the tastebuds with a flavour punchier than the usual vanilla. The wine list is fairly priced, and has a nice range by the glass as well. If you’d like to share the experience with a few of your nearest and dearest, the upstairs area is a terrific space for functions.
Rita Erlich, May 2009