Chifa
707 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA
19106
As part of my mom’s Christmas present last year I told her that I
would take her and her husband out for dinner with my girlfriend one night in
the city. We got her a Garces Restaurant Group gift certificate and I took them
to Chifa for dinner one night. I love Chifa and had been there once before with
my girlfriend and her father. I had never been so satisfied and full after a
meal in my life, and I was hoping for a bit more of the same after this visit.
I told my mom that I would order our food and they could simply
sit back and try everything that I ordered. This was quite the feat because her
husband doesn’t venture out too far normally, even though he does eat a lot. I
decided to order us a bunch of small plates instead of the tasting menus
because it was cheaper and allowed me to order more variety. Below is a list of
all the items we ordered. To save all you readers some time, I wont go into
great detail on all of them and I will just point out the highlights for me.
Ecuadorian ceviche – leche de tigre, sweet potato, mote,
rocoto aioli, and pickled onions
Cheese bread and guava butter
Soft shell crab bao buns – pickled daikon and carrot,
togarashi mayo
Duck Tacos – duck confit, house kimchi, sliced radish
Lobster Bowl – rice noodles, rocoto cream, lobster, bacon,
parmesan, and green peas
Yucca fries – red chile mayo and cilantro chimichurri
BBQ Ribs – Korean bbq sauce, daikon, and sesame seeds
Empanadas – peekytoe crab, red pepper juice, and shaved
cucumber
Vietnamese spring roll – smoked shrimp and peanut hoisin
sauce
Chaufa with Oxtail – massamann curry oxtail, wok fried rice,
Chinese bacon, edamame, and pineapple
Ginger chicken wings – spicy garlic ginger sauce
Lychee Sorbet
Chocolate cake – yards porter, raspberry compote, banana
stout ice cream
The ceviche is definitely one of my favorite things on the
menu. The leche de tigre or tiger’s milk that it is marinated in is incredibly
flavorful and sweet and contrasts perfectly to the citrusy nature of the
marinated fish.
Do not miss the BBQ ribs or the ginger chicken wings. Both
are packed to the max with flavor and are riffs on popular American dishes. You
have never had wings that have this much flavor. Not only are they spicy, but
they have so much bite from the ginger and garlic that its like getting hit
with a slap across your taste buds. The ribs are a standout star on their menu
as well. The sweet Korean BBQ sauce flavors the incredibly tender ribs
perfectly and makes for the perfect bite each and every time.
Chifa is the first review I have written that deserves a four pint rating. It’s hard for me to limit myself in a review like this
because I could go on and on about the food at Chifa. I definitely know after
having been there twice, that it is in the top 5 restaurants I have ever been
to in terms of food quality and taste. You simply don’t get food that good in
most places. Not to mention the style of food that they serve is something
special as well. Definitely get to Chifa as fast as you can because I promise
you will not be disappointed! Cheers!
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