Saying Goodbye to Chifa
707 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
I
heard some really terrible news one day a while back, and I was really upset by it.
One of my favorite restaurants since getting into the food scene here in Philly
was closing, and at the time I didn’t think I was going to be able to enjoy a
meal there one last time before the doors shut. Chifa, one of the most unique
dining establishments I had ever been to, was closing its doors. I was caught
completely off guard by it, especially since the news broke on a Monday and the
restaurant was closing for good on Friday. It was being reconceptualized into a
Cuban diner. Unfortunately, I never found out the reason why. I asked around,
but no one seemed to have a good answer. Luckily it worked out that I was able
to get to the city on a Thursday night and surprise my fiancé with an impromptu
visit to say good bye to one of our favorite places.
We were hoping to get a glimpse of the
man himself in the kitchen, Iron Chef Garces that is, but we didn’t get to see
him. Apparently he had been in earlier, but we missed him. The restaurant was
packed as you would assume it would be with the news that it was closing
spreading like wildfire. Once we were seated, we decided to order a bunch of
things we had not tried before, and a few of our favorites that we had
previously. They were out of some things, as you would assume a restaurant
trying to get rid of their inventory would be, so we had to switch up a few
dishes which was disappointing, but we wound up choosing the pork belly ramen,
the Peruvian ceviche, Braised Beef Short Rib and Taro
Puff, Char Siu Pork and Cabbage Rice Dumpling, and the spicy Cantonese
eggplant.
The
meal started off fantastically as usual with the delicious pan de bono with the
spicy guava butter. It is seriously one of the best complimentary items I have
had at a restaurant. The food comes out as its ready at Chifa, so the pork
belly ramen and the Peruvian ceviche were the first items out. As always the
Peruvian ceviche was delicioso. Creamy coconut milk, the fresh fish and the
acidity from the citrus juices combine to make a masterful dish. The pork belly
ramen was right up my alley. The pork belly had been seared off nicely, and
it remained an element of texture in the delicious porky broth. The ramen noodles
were tender and the clear flavorful broth showed me how a poor man's dish like
ramen can be transformed at the hand of a master.
The
two dumplings came out next. My fiancé and I were split about what one was better,
but we both agreed that they were each great in their own right. I was pretty
partial to the short rib and taro puff. There was something about the texture
and fluffiness of the taro puff that just made me feign for more. The outside
was deliciously crispy and the sweet chile concoction underneath of it was
sweet in a way that balanced out the saltiness of the short rib filling. The pork
and cabbage rice dumpling was very tasty as well. I loved the sweet glaze on it
that was very reminiscent of hoisin sauce. It complimented the filling very
nicely.
We
were served the spicy Cantonese eggplant with the dumplings as well and I
really enjoyed that. It was so spicy and flavorful. It very much reminded me of
the Szechuan dishes I enjoyed in China. It was very nice accompaniment to the
dumplings.
For
dessert, we were pretty disappointed that they were also out of the item that
we wanted to order. However, we were very understanding that they were trying
to close up shop, so we picked another dessert that looked quite delicious. It
was a rich chocolate cake with chocolate crispies in the middle and topped with
a deliciously creamy coffee ice cream. The coffee flavor was very prominent in
the ice cream.
It
was a nice visit for a final farewell to one of our favorite places in the
city. We had a great meal each and every time we went. I wish it wasn’t gone,
but I am excited to see what Jose Garces can do in the realm of Cuban cuisine.
After all, he did work at Alma de Cuba as the executive chef for a while. So cheers to a great run Chifa, you will most definitely be missed!
Cheers!
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