Pots and Pans! Panhandler inc. Food Review: Petals of a Peony

This is the first in what I hope will become a long standing series on reviews from me an amateur critic and professional food eater. Today I discuss Petals of a Peony located in Memphis, TN

Dec 31, 2024

Panhandler inc took Petals of A Peony in Memphis, Tennessee

Here is the review:

Petals of a Peony is a beautiful name for a restaurant. But what’s in a name? Well, luckily, the food and atmosphere are equally delightful.

I decided to visit the newly opened location in Overton Square on Sunday evening. I have heard strong reviews and have been dying to go because it captures your attention with its bright and vibrant storefront.

In addition to the seductive views, online reviews boast about the product inside. Some saying “Wow Wow Wow! If you’re looking for some of the best food you’ve ever tasted this is the place! Absolutely wonderful!” and “Very fresh, very authentic! This food fulfilled our soul!”

Google has the restaurant rated 4.9 stars out of 5. So needless to say my expectations were high going in.

Could Petals of a Peony live up to the hype?

Clear attention to detail has been paid to ensure that even the utensils are coherently aligned with the restaurant to create a uniqueness not often associated with your typical Chinese restaurant

Stepping inside…

We were greeted quickly and kindly as we entered and ushered to our table with a swiftness that underscored an upbeat tempo that was the theme of the evening. Plates and chopsticks were waiting for us at the table when we arrived and could be found at any of the vacant tables, though the restaurant was nearly two-thirds filled. Chatter filled the dining areas, but it was not overly loud. Don’t you hate it when you leave a restaurant and your ears are ringing like you just left a concert? Me too, but that was not the case here.

The dining areas were a little above what I would call “comfortably warm” which is perhaps a symptom when many of your entrees are served on sizzling hot plates. I adjusted quickly and enjoyed the ice water that had been served to us as we sat.

Drinks

Petals of Peony features a healthy list of cocktails, beers, and wines. There is also a bar at the back of the dining area that could seat ten but there was only one person there tonight. I decided I would have an herbal tea to enjoy with my meal, they have a selection of hot and iced teas you can choose from, but unfortunately, they were out of the herbal tonight so I stuck with water. This would be really my only true disappointment of the evening.

Whoops we started eating this before we got the picture!

Appetizer: Garlic Flavored Cucumber Salad

We split the cucumber salad to start ourselves off. This dish features sliced cucumber spears tossed in what the menu calls a “garlic and chinese seasoning”. They are keeping their cards close to their chest on this one and with good reason, it was intoxicating.

There were three distinct stages as you bit into this dish. First, you were met with a wave of garlic. At first, I was worried they had overdone it. It can be easy to do a heavy garlic dish haphazardly (I had a gnocchi and mushroom dish at a now defunct Memphis restaurant that was an offender of this garlic crime), but this dish takes you right up to the edge of a garlic overdose but stops and transforms before being too much. Phase two, is a delicate spice that stops the garlic in its track. It is not spicy, rather just a tingle that radiates gently and dissiptes the garlic. Finally, the watery fresh cucumber washes over everything and leaves you refreshed and craving another spear.

We loved this dish. Simple, powerful, and if not leaving you a little garlicky, leaves you very satisfied.

The Entrees:

For our entrees we enjoyed two dishes. It is also worth noting that perhaps the best way to explore this menu would be family style, sharing a few dishes with friends (hence the serving spoon). This is not how we approached today’s meal, but will next time.

The Pineapple Sweet and Sour Chicken:

This was a wonderful comfort. The fried chicken was on the smaller side, but the batter was enjoyably crunchy and the chicken was flavorful. The sweet and sour sauce they are tossed in was delicious. It was served with cooked peppers and pineapples both of which were fresh and balanced well with the chicken and sauce. I would have loved to have a few more peppers and pineapple to help diversify the plate but outside of that I have no notes.

I loved this dish. It is a reflection of the restaurant itself, dignified simplicity with deliberate quality at the forefront. Served with a side of white rice that was cooked perfectly. And I mean perfectly.

I think what elevated this further was the fact that, unlike other sweet and sour chickens I have had from lesser Chinese restaurants, despite being fried and tossed in a hearty sweet and sour sauce I never felt sluggish or over-salted. My only regret was that I did not have leftovers.

Shredded Potato with Pepper:

This was such a unique and interesting dish. The potatoes were crispy and flavorful and very noodle-like. This was also served with peppers. This dish packed a lot of flavor with chunks of fresh garlic and ginger throughout. What I appreciate is the dedication and intentionality to julienne slice the peppers. This differentiated the peppers in this dish from the ones in the sweet and sour chicken, even though it probably would have saved the kitchen time to just use slice them all the same and toss them on the plate. This is a sign of a well-oiled and dedicated kitchen.

This was the definition of freshness. If I had eaten this for my meal I imagine I could have participated in a full workout afterwards and been just fine. This would be a great meal for anyone taking on a vegetarian diet or just looking to try something they may have never even thought to.

For a dish as simple and straightforward as this, one thing matters above all. Freshness. As someone who grew up on a farm eating only fresh produce for much of my life, I know fresh. I get the impression that the quality of ingredients served at Petals of a Peony are cared for meticulously. That is hard to find these days.

All entrees are served with a side of white rice

Take Aways:

I was blown away by Petals of Peony. I really enjoyed my meal and my service. The atmosphere was welcoming and the space was very clean and cared for. The art on the walls was tasteful and engaging too. I felt like the entire sensory experience was highly cared for.

I feel like this is the kind of place that has some staying power if they stick with their methods. I love the location in the highly walkable Overton Square, though they do have a location in Cordova as well. I think this restaurant has the opportunity to be one of my favorite Memphis food spots. I rank it highly for its atmosphere, staff, quality, and affordability (two entrees and an appetizer came in under $50 dollars).

I love it, I have very few notes and almost none regarding the quality and flavor of the food which is above all the most important thing. I largely agree with the Google reviewers. I give Petals of a Peony…