Panda Express' Cantonese BBQ Brisket features bite-sized, slow-cooked brisket flame-seared in a new char siu-style sauce. The sauce is made with soy sauce, sugar, onion, garlic, spicy fermented soybean paste, mirin, paprika, and sesame oil for a "rich, umami-packed flavor" featuring "sweet, tangy notes of BBQ" and "aromatic Chinese spices."
It costs $1.95 extra over the chain's regular entrees in my area (Los Angeles). For reference, the chain's regular "premium" entrees (shrimp or steak) cost $1.50 extra.
The brisket was decently thick and bite-sized. It was tender and moist with a mild smokiness. It had a nice bark visually but not so much texturally. For a fast-food chain, it was pretty good. The novelty in the offering is the sauce, though.
The sauce was less a char siu-style glaze and more like a Southern BBQ sauce. Between a char-siu sauce and a Southern BBQ sauce, it leaned more towards the Southern BBQ end. It basically tasted like a traditional BBQ sauce, but with a savory, slightly funky, fermented soybean base rather than a tangy tomato base. It was sweet, savory, and tangy with a bit of kick to it.
The flavor was nice, but it didn't go that well with the rest of my plate (chow mein and veggies). I also tried it with plain steamed rice, and the suggested pairing was just okay for me.
Overall, Panda Express Cantonese BBQ Brisket was pretty good, but I was expecting something more like char siu to the point that I ended up getting char siu the next day. It was more BBQ Brisket than Cantonese BBQ Brisket.
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