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FIRST BITE: Chifa
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FIRST BITE: Chifa
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On Thursday night I had my first taste of Chifa. Before you demand pictographic evidence, I went as a guest of a friend and didn't take photos to spare him the stigma of being "the guy who brought the blogger."
Jose Garces' latest baby is opening to the public on Tue., Feb. 10. The space is long and narrow, warmly lit and dressed in burnished gold and red tones, with roomy, shimmering aqua booths divided by intricately cut, dark wooden screens. The narrow runway family table dominates the center of the dining room, punctuated with by the ceviche bar. Our server helped guide us through the broad menu: ceviche, rice, noodles, dim sum, carne and specialties of the house.
Highlights:
- House-made sriracha sauce, served with the signature Chifa Chicken, an air-chilled organic bird from Giannone in Canada. Impossibly crisp, glassine skin over tender meat. This will be a must-have.
- The bread. A bowl of airy globes laced with manchego, pillowy and warm, sided with guava butter. Our table could have survived on this bread alone.
- The lobster noodles with parmesan cream and lima beans that finished with a spicy kick. Gorgeous, wide white Hong Kong-style noodles carried the velvety sauce and ensconced gently cooked lobster nuggets.
- Chu-toro tuna ceviche simply dressed with pickled jalapenos and coconut milk, simple, clean and marbled in pink and white fat.
- Flexible chocolate: a smooth chocolate custard with a bangin' body, topped with Cocoa Krispie-like crunchy shells, with milk chocolate ice cream and mango ice. A rainbow of textures.
- A Lima Bean Fizz cocktail struck the right balance between tart and sweet, with no icky vegetal qualities.
Though Garces said they were still working out the kinks and finishing up some interior work, Chifa — on its very first night – already displays the traits of the chef's other successful restaurants: conscientious service, a beautiful room, and creative, well-executed dishes meant for sharing.
Chifa, 707 Chestnut St., 215-925-5555, chifarestaurant.com
Um, I'm jealous. That chicken sounds... wow. That's about all I can right now.
...about all I can -say- right now. Thoughts of Chifa chicken were distracting me!
[...] First Bite: Chifa [Meal Ticket] Chifa [Official Site] geopress_addEvent(window,"load", function() { geopress_makemap(69931,"Chifa",39.949689,-75.152662,"google",Mapstraction.ROAD, { pan: true, zoom: 'small', overview: false, scale: false, map_type: false },15) }); [...] The name 'CHIFA' evokes memories of Chinese/Latino eateries I frequented while living in Manta, Ecuador. Can't wait to try the tuna ceviche!
Went to Chifa last night with really high expectations, this might have been my mistake. Being peruvian and with no other Peruvian restaurant in Philadelphia we have been anxiously waiting for Chifa to open. In summary I have to say it did not meet my expectations. The food was not bad, but is not the real thing at all. Peruvian food is one the best cuisines in the world, and the fusion between Peruvian and Asian (in particular Chinese cuisine) food is the perfect marriage; unfortunately Jose Garces has not capture the essence of the flavors. The best part of dinner was the bread. Portions were tiny; any Peruvian reading this, would know that we eat big portions, and a ceviche with 3 tiny peaces of corvina, served in a bowl is simply a joke! Jose should know that serving a Lomo Saltado with NO rice is capital SIN! And do not even ask me about the Pisco Sour, worst thing I have ever had in my life, no taste of Pisco or Lime what so ever! I think there is room for improvement, hopefully chef Garces will do it. But for now, do not expect to call Chifa the Peruvian Restaurant in town, because is still far from it.
That wasn't a coco krispie on the flexible chocolate. It was a pork rind. Seriously. Don't let your exuberance get in the way of accuracy!
Hi Carolin I said "cocoa-krispie like crunchy shells". Thanks for reminding me that it is a chicharrón. Interesting to find a non-vegetarian dessert. The subtle pig must have been why I like it so much.
I have been looking forward to the opening and actually getting there. The comment made by PeruvianFoodLover is dissapointing, if what he/she says is true, PLEASE don't call it Peruvian, just CHIFA will do it. I will go there some day and try by myself, but after those reviews, I'm not in a hurry. ... and yes, I'm another Peruvian who dearly misses the varied and great taste of Peruvian food. You can call me a chauvinist, but if you are not a Peruvian and you have tried Peruvian food before, you will know what I mean.
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