One of
the first things you notice when you walk through the doors of Madame
Chang restaurant is the sumptious Chinese-inspired decor, comfortably
lit, beautifully decorated and, praise heaven, not a television set
in sight. Finally a restaurant in Panamá City where you can
dine without a boob tube arresting attempts at table conversation.
And there was plenty of conversation going on....the place was packed
the Monday night we visited, usually the slowest night of the week.
A testament to the food served there, perhaps? Let’s see.
We started
with a large "Po Po Platter" ($16.00) that served all four
of my party: crisp won tons, pungent slices of pork, nicely spiced
Siu Mae, slices of fried fish, and freshly made spring rolls were
among the well prepared and delicious items. Even better was "Mandarin
shrimp rolls" ($7.50), scrumptious shrimp rolled with bacon and
other ingredients inside a tender crust. They miraculously disappeared
after the first bite. Truly a delicious appetizer!
To sample
the soups, we ordered two…the "Hot & Sour", and
from the optional Thai menu, "Tom Kha Kai". The Hot &
Sour suffered from a very heavy hand with the vinegar, which was a
disappointment as this is one of my favorites. But the Thai soup that
followed readily removed that disappointment. The chef had captured
the light, yet pungent essence of Thai cuisine perfectly, with hints
of flavor and aromas infused in the broth, all punctuated with the
sharp, fresh bite of lemon grass. If we ate nothing else that night,
the "Tom Kha Kai" was worth the visit. But, of course, we
did eat more. Read on.
"Glazed
Duck" ($12.50) was moistly tender and the skin crisp, just as
it should be, although the portion was somewhat small for the price.
From the Thai menu, we ordered the always popular "Pad Thai".
This version was good, but suffered from the lack of a staple ingredient
and key flavor…ground peanuts. But still tasty. The "Beef
With Oyster Sauce" ($8.50) featured succulent slices of beef
in an oyster sauce so mild it allowed the flavor of the beef to dominate.
Next was "Singapore Noodles" ($7.75 for a half serving,
$12.50 for a full). Although this dish (and the menu) declares that
curry be a key ingredient, it was sadly missing. When questioned about
its absence, we were told "Panamanians don’t like spicy
food." Ok…perhaps. But judging by the rapid disappearance
of the very hot, and truly delicious homemade hot sauce served at
Madame Chang, the locals at my table loved hot…as do I. A suggestion:
either change the menu description or, better still, give the diner
the option to include the curry or not. Problem solved.
Our final
dish was "Fish Balls & Vegetables" ($7.50), a delicious
item consisting of ground fish formed into meatball-sized dumplings
and steamed, then served with perfectly al dente vegetables. The flavor
of the fish was delicate, light and wonderfully seasoned, the true
flavor of the vegetables sharp and rich. Delicious!
Madame
Chang is a very good restaurant and has been around for quite a long
time. But there are little areas of improvement that could make it
an excellent restaurant. The "Tom Kha Kai" proved that.
