Philippe Chow’s Cuisine Adds Fusion Asian Flavors
Phillippe Chow, one of the popular chefs in New York City, worked for Michael Chow for 25 years before he started his own restaurants. His newest restaurant in Beverly Hills is set in a contemporary atmosphere, with a convention area that can accommodate large parties.
It is interesting to note that Chinese cuisine has a variety of dishes that range from Glazed ribs, to soup specialties such as Corn and Crab meat Soup and Hot and Sour soup, to a selection of Noodles and Dumplings, prepared by Chef Wei Ming Cheng. There are the ever-popular Satays created by Chef Chow himself. The chicken satay and the lettuce wraps in chicken are delightful.
On this occasion, my guest Tom Hallick, an actor known for “Gangster Squad,” “The Young and Restless,” and such films as “My Favorite Martian” and “Waking Up Horton,” asked me to bring him to a Chinese restaurant in Beverly Hills. I chose Philippe Chow, and asked Tom to bring his wife, Yin Jiang. Yin is from Shanghai, and is well acquainted with world cuisine. She is a concert violinist who travels with Andrea Bocelli, as well as “The New West Symphony.”
After speaking with Edgar Castello and Oscar Alvarado, two of the managers at Philippe Chow, we decided to let the chef take us on a culinary journey to China. Iyana Holley, our waitress, incidentally is also an actress who is well versed on the menu.
Beginning with the Satays, we ordered the lettuce wrap, with a special order of broccoli, fried brown rice and chopped chicken, also ordering Satay Chicken skewers with Mr. Chow’s famous peanut sauce. We then ordered steamed Sea bass, which is prepared with a light soy sauce, scallions and ginger and one side of garlic and one side of black bean sauce. This dish is delicious and very light.
As an added treat, Chef Wei Ming Cheng prepared a wonderful Shrimp dish.
The finale however, was the Peking Duck, which came to us from New Zealand. The platter served had the exact cuts of Duck the way it’s served in China with homemade Plum sauce and Scallion pancakes served with cucumbers and scallions. This was accompanied with string beans, prepared in a light olive oil base.
When ordering Duck, it is good to know that there are various kinds of duck available.
Peking Duck should be served crispy with skin on each slice. The 7 pound duck we enjoyed was very tasty. Philippe Chow definitely has a fusion based menu, from which the duck prepared by Chef Steven Feng was a bigger duck, imported from New Zealand. We compliment the chef on his fusion style cooking.
Our journey ended with two types of deserts, which were served in a coconut shell. Coconut Sorbet and Mango Sorbet was just the right picker upper.
Philippe Chow is located on 8620 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills. Reservations are suggested by calling (310) 289-3500.
Celebrity Scene News awards 4 stars for the ambiance, the fusion style presentation of the cuisine and the service.
