Panda Fest is one of the largest outdoor Asian festivals that offers a glimpse into Asian culture through live performances, food stalls and merchandise vendors. Over the past weekend, Panda Fest opened its doors to the Atlanta community for the first time at Atlantic Station for a three-day event full of fun and excitement! Over 100 + Asian food vendors sold a variety of dishes from savory noodles and pillowy bao buns to delectable desserts from mango sticky rice to bingsu. In honor of all of the tasty meals and drinks that I tried, here’s a condensed taste test DiG review!
First up, I needed something savory to kick off my food adventure so I got Blazin’ Veggie Stir Fry Noodles. The noodles themselves were glossy from the sauce and cooked perfectly. The veggies included carrot, zucchini and pepper and were seasoned well. After adding some sriracha for a little spice to the noodles, I quickly devoured the whole box.
Next up, I pivoted to dessert and headed to the vendor Food Terminal for Malaysian mango sticky rice. Mango sticky rice is one of my favorite desserts and after having a few different versions, this one was the cutest by far! The tray had paper with adorable pandas on it and a panda-shaped marshmallow as a garnish. As for the mango sticky rice, it was sweet and full of delicious coconut flavor from the rice.
Sticking to the dessert path, I headed straight to Chan Bai Mei which was one of the few vendors selling traditional tanghulu. If you haven’t seen this iconic Chinese treat, it uses fresh fruit on a bamboo skewer that’s coated in a sugar syrup. The outside hardens to form a hard sugar layer that breaks as you bite into the fruit. It was a fun dessert to try and I really liked the difference in texture of the sugar and fruit.
Headed back to the savory route, I knew I wanted to get some fresh fresh rice cakes so I stopped by Yummy Place to try some! I decided to try the Tteokkochi which consists of stacked rice cakes on a skewer with a sweet and spicy sauce on top. The rice cakes had the perfect chewy texture and the spicy sweet sauce gave the entire dish a ton of flavor.
As I finished up my culinary journey, one vendor called Love It! Gluten Free caught my eye in particular with a display case full of taiyaki. This Japanese fish-shaped dessert uses waffle-like dough that’s baked into a fish shape and stuffed with red bean paste or custard inside. The vendor is an Asian American bakery that’s also 100% gluten-free! This is a great option for those with gluten allergies to be able to enjoy Asian-style baking. The taiyaki tasted just as good as the ones I’ve had before. The dough was perfectly crisp on the outside with its golden hue but soft on the inside and the red bean paste was sweet and delicious.
Other notable dishes that I tried at Panda Fest include mango sago, a panda-shaped bao bun, shrimp tempura and a green grape lychee tea. My favorite dishes from the day were the Tteokkochi and taiyaki although I enjoyed everything that I got to try. Panda Fest is a celebration of Asian culture and for those who want to experience different cultures through their cuisine, this festival gives you that opportunity! So, the next time Panda Fest makes its way to Atlanta, make sure you check it out and get ready for a flavor adventure like none other.
