Panash, Four Points by Sheraton, Visakhapatnam

Review: Panash, Four Points by Sheraton, Visakhapatnam (Pan-Asian)

10-28-3, Uplands, Waltair Main Road, Visakhapatnam. Ph # +91-891-3051111

Vishakhapatnam does not boast of many eateries and so often people approach small roadside joints, which boast of excellent sea food fare. The restaurant’s at the city’s Five star deluxe class business hotel, Four points by Sheraton, was one of our few option to satiate our gourmet cravings in the city.

My husband’s birthday was one such mood when we decided to hit Four points by Sheraton, to celebrate and ring cheer. Nestled between the chaos of the city life and plush hill range, the hotel’s Thai and Chinese food joint ‘Panash’ is sure a place to watch out.

Décor

Some unique, colourful wall ensemble commemorates the Thai and Chinese theme in the restaurant. Walls addorned with Chinese drawings of men and women, attempting at showcasing the Chinese commmon lifestyle. The drawings and the atypical paper lanterns, also extend warmth to the interiors of the restaurant, which reflect the mood and theme well.

From table décor, displaying colorful Chinese crockery and some unique dish plates for appetizers to the engraved ceiling lamps over head, everything spelled oriental!

The restaurant is quite spacious, with the center space showcasing an eclectic mix of Thai and Chinese food ingredients, with the lengths taking up the elaborate seating arrangements in fours and sixes.

Service

Prompt, well informed and above all friendly is what we got in through our attendant. Although, he wasn’t Chinese or Thai, yet the knowledge he had for Thai and Chinese flavors was phenomenal. Considering our chili phobia, his recommendations turned out to be apt and suitable for our palate.

Food

Although, we were quite early for our dinner, yet we decided to start off. We began slow and ordered soup ‘Steamed chicken Wanton’ soup or something which the menu had as ‘Kaeng Cherd’. The soup was fresh, light and aromatic. With lots of fresh steamed chicken wantons and pakchoy and fresh vegetables, the soup was a perfect start for the not-so-hungry stomachs. The soup had slight notes of lemon, soya and garlic, without overpowering flavors of any of them.

Our next order was the steamed chicken wantons, which came in with typical black bean sauce and red chili sauce. The rice coatings were smooth and soft. The texture of the chicken inside was succulent, juicy and flavorful in every bite! Although, it was kept quite simple, but personally I loved the dish.

Since, Vishakhapatnam has become our best place for fish and sea food, we ordered a fish appetizer, ‘Kowloon Chili fish’. Pan fried boneless fish pieces, marinated in garlic, soya and Chinese spices, served with green onion and green chilies. The dish was quite flavorsome, with lots of lingering taste of smoky red chilies and garlic.

For the main course, we decided to go Thai and ordered the popular ‘Thai basil fried rice’ and ‘Gaeng Kiew Wan Kai’. The latter was a flavorsome Thai chicken in green curry.

While the former was a Thai version of the Chinese schezuan fried rice, except with lots of fresh basil leaves, the latter was an overpowering flavorsome chicken dish.

The green chicken curry had all the important elements of Thai food, including lemon grass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, shitake mushrooms and lots of coconut milk. Delightful, flavorsome and quite aromatic, this dish is great if you can appreciate the flavors of Thai cuisine.

For desserts, we decided to get a ‘Black Forest’ cake to celebrate the birthday mood. It was the most heavenly form of cake ever eaten. Soft, moist and super fresh, the cake was too good to be true!

Verdict

The place boasts of an amazing ambience, not-to-mention the beautiful view of the mountains from one side and the chaotic city life on other. The menu is varied, with traditional and experimental Thai, Malaysian and Chinese food. However, if you love the spiciness then this place is good, or else you might just stick to some traditional regular food fare, which too is quite good.

Along with a 1/2 kg of Black forest cake, a beer, 2 soups, 2 appetizers and 2 main course, the bill totaled to just Rs.2651/- inclusive of taxes, which I would say is quite reasonable for a place like Sheraton.

FoodPunch