Friday, June 27, 2014

My Old Friend...



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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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
I am a food lover living in Philadelphia.

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