Bringing together the taste of Asia

Pan Asian, a fine dining restaurant in Nepal that started in 2019 brings under one roof different cuisines from different parts of Asia. From dim sums to sushi, they serve it all, with a lot of varieties and a whole lot of healthier twists. They also serve wonderful desserts

Ashika Shrestha, Managing Director of Pan Asian explains, “We named our restaurant ‘Pan Asian’ so that it is easy for everyone to remember and understand what type of food we serve here. We do not just deliver food that represents each country of Asia but give it our own twist. Before we add new items in our menu, we do a lot of experiments whether it is with concoction or food.”

The Executive-chef, Milan Waiba adds, “We do not make authentic food. We take a certain cuisine and add a little twist to it.”

On entering Pan Asian you enter a different world with a small artificial water fountain. Inside, they have different seating arrangements, with a very peaceful ambience and an open bar on the way.

I tried three different dishes there and a special dessert.

 The starter was very popular sushi, dynamite roll, made of avocado, batter-fried prawn, seaweed paper and sticky rice along with umami sauce. Biting into the sushi with an American twist, the crunch of the fried prawn balances the texture of sticky rice and the sweetness of avocado. 

Next to arrive was a variety of dim sums served with their in-house sauces- chili bean, chili flake, and chili jam. I tried their prawn butter garlic, and prawn dim sums. They were awesome.

They use wheat starch and potato starch to make the outer covers which make it lighter to eat.

Waiba explains, “We use potato and wheat starch because of its taste and it adds a different texture to the dim sums. It is also healthier than other flours.”

They also serve ‘Stone Pot’ inspired by the Korean bibimbap but rather than only serving the kimchee version, they have three other varieties where you can decide to either have them with noodles or rice. 

I tried the three pepper sauce and the reason they called it that is because they use sauces from China, Korea and Japan.

If you like spicy food, then this is the dish for you.

I then tried their dessert. Pan Asian serves desserts that are very different and also vegan friendly. Mochi, one of their popular desserts, is inspired by Japanese rice cakes but they add their own twist to it. While the outer layer is Mochi, inside they add ice cream with different flavors. You have a choice of mango, coconut and jaggery, as well as matcha flavored mochi.

Waiba explains, “It takes three days for us to make mochi because we make our own ice cream. The first day we make ice cream and let it rest, the second day we make the mochi, and on the third day we make a mold of mochi with ice cream in it.”

While the ice cream inside is very smooth, the mochi is sticky in texture and chewy. But that's how a mochi should be.

A delightful hub for fusion Asian with a healthy twist, Pan Asian is a destination that beckons connoisseurs in search of a fusion of flavours some familiar and some with a twist.