I tried Panda Express' New Firecracker Crevetter. It's almost as good as orange chicken

Almost.


To face. Everyone is going toPanda Express For a reason and only one reason only: this orange chicken.

Of course, you could find "best" orange chicken to alocal restaurant Or a seal noted from Zagat, but frankly, even these beloved places can not hold a candle in the Panda dish. The signature offer of the chain is tangy, sweet, excavated crisp - and, above all, consistent. Our planet houses more than 2,200 Panda Express locations. Walk in any of them and you cross a gateway to claim the same golden treasure.

Well, believe it or not, there is nowanother Reason to visit Panda Express. From yesterday, the chain sells firecracket shrimps.

Earlier this week, I had the chance to try business. To be clear, it does not really reach panda transcendenceorange chicken. (Nothing can.) But the shrimp of firecracker is a worthy addition of the menu - all bold and zest and packaged with a complex flavor.

The sauce - an aromatic blend of black beans, pepper peppers, garlic and soy sauce, is it sufficient for a draw. But it's the mix of vegetables that really make this dish stand out. The shrimps are thrifted into a wok with the sauce and a real spring harvest of vegetables: sharp green beans, dice peppers, whole dried chilis and crescent-shaped onion chilis.

Yeah, yes, I know what you ask me:Is this kind of thing spicy? After all, in his traditional incarnation, fireproof shrimps pack a lot of heat. And the version of Panda has indeed a double dose of pepper peppers. But for all the anticipation, the dish is surprisingly, disappointing. I did not catch a checked scovil rating, but it is prudent to say that the level of heat is somewhere on the scale between tabasco dilated and freshly cracked pepper.

RELATED:Panda Express' Sichuan hot chicken is a spice lover delight

Now, to be clear, a lack of heat does not mean an absence of flavor. On the contrary, the shrimp of firecracker is a well-balanced culinary concoction. It's just not so spicy. In fact, it's even a little sweet.

It's also relatively nutritious. Each of the 4,5 ounce portions, or what you will get with a "à la carte" command in only 110 calories and is loaded with 11 grams of protein. For the comparison, it is the same calorie protein ratio you would find in a power bar.

There is only a warning. At the taste test I attended, the fireplace shrimp was made on site by Jimmy Wang, Panda's culinary innovation head and a team of heads of stars. Each command was prepared with ostensibly fresh ingredients, a day and whipped in such a spacious and well equipped kitchen, even Martha Stewart would feel like. Does the "real" shrimp of firecracker - the dish you get if you ordered one of the thousands of traditional places - taste the same? It's hard to say. For my money, I would say it's worth trying.

Or you can play things safe and control the orange chicken. And for more insight in the restaurant offers, here isThe best and the worst Panda Express menu items.


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