Jose Garces’ latest effort is more than Peruvian and Cantonese fusion. Chifa offers an intimate and relaxed setting delivering comfort food of the highest quality. Collin Flatt took the trip, ate the food, and shares the story after the jump.
When Senor Garces first mentioned the concept of what is now Chifa, I couldn’t visualize how it would all come together. Knowing the talents of the Phoodie Person Of The Year, though, put me at ease believing it would be yet another homerun. After dining at Chifa, Jose’s latest has the potential to compete with Amada as the Garces Restaurant Group’s flagship restaurant when the dust finally settles. And that’s a TALL order.
Amada and Tinto are beautiful spaces that looked great, but never pushed the conceptuality or painted it on the wall. Distrito, on the other hand, was too pink, too bright, too big, and just plain too. Jun Aizaki, GRG’s restaurant designer, really nailed it this time, turning a previously ugly-ass 707 into the warmest and most inviting space in the Garces empire. Dark wood, dim lighting, and semi-private rooms separated with heavy-beaded doors creates an intimacy between people, food, and each other. Visual representations of Machu Picchu adorn the curved walls inside the private booths, while cabinet doors and vases line the bar area next to a row of two-tops. In the back room is a ceviche bar where The Man Himself slices and dices raw fish and kobe beef, with a communal table leading up the center of the room with 3 lazy susans for family style sharing.
The plushness of the rolls that began our dinner was startling to say the least. The mango butter that came along for the ride was spread generously on the starch and whatever was left was dug out with my finger quite unceremoniously. Any sliver of penache I had earned wearing my favorite shirt and jacket was quickly thrown out the window with that display, but who cared at that point? Taste trumps all.
Since the closing of Pasion a few years back, I missed a ceviche-heavy menu. Sure, my latest favorite version was at Distrito, but with Chifa, Garces has pushed ceviche back into the spotlight. The two versions I sampled came seated upon a frozen glass coaster created by Hudson Beach Glass specifically for ceviche presentation.
The first rawboy arrived in a little shot glass. He was the Oyster Ceviche made from ‘leche de tigre’ conch and topped with a foamy pisco espuma that brought a sweet bite to the uberfresh oyster. Arriving with a spoon, after my finger-in-the-butter display I figured I would just dump the whole thing down my gullet. That ended up being the absolute best option, and suggest you try the same.
The other ceviche was the Shimaji with rocoto peppers and pickled mangos. Served spread upon the same frozen glass piece, he definitely needed the chopstick treatment. Yet again, I dove in finger-first, using the Striped Jack to soak up the wonderfully fresh elements on the plate. The pickled mango and white soy were a wonderful pairing playing sweet and brine, salt and rust against each other.
The next selection, the Empanada, was from the Bocata section on the menu, a deep golden crust surrounding a sweet cumin-based lamb mixture with warm potato salad. The plating was so beautiful, a chinese character written out in huacatay cream sat next to the perfect little puff of deliciousness. The filling was just the right temperature, even though the crust was thick and needed lots of time to cook through. Dive right in, amigos, it won’t burn.
On a sidenote, I must mention how well Jose deals with heat. Spicy heat. He has perfected the amount of burn to become a layer of complexity and never overpowering in any of his dishes. It was apparent somewhat at Distrito, but most of his plates have some semblance of slight heat at Chifa, and even the most delicate palate will love and embrace Jose’s fire.
Jose’s history of Amazing Pork Belly Dishes is well documented, and I have found my favorite within the walls of Chifa. His Pork Belly Buns were served on fluffy bread made to order with thick and savory belly drizzled with togarashi mayo, hoisin sauce, and pickled daikon. The extreme softness of the bun with the crispy heft of the pork belly is a perfect texture match, and the mayo added a layer of complexity to the traditional hoisin sauce.
The flash-fried Salt-Baked Shrimp were as honest as shrimp can be. Head, tail, salt, quickly fried, and baked through. That’s it. Eat the eyes if you like, no one will stare. One must warn that the fish head is definitely an experience for the adventurous and not everyone. Saddled with house made sriracha, which is a spicy Thai sauce, I didn’t need much to make the dish more perfect than it arrived.
My favorite dish of the night was the Rack Of Lamb, a barbecued piece of perfection. I have not had lamb this tender before in my life. Served on top of ginger quinoa, a South American traditional grain, and a sidecar of pickled cucumber. This dish alone made my trip to Chifa worth the price of admission.
The Chupe fish chowder again contained a whole gulf shrimp, head, legs and all, swimming in a succulent broth with mussels, scallops and purple potatoes. The sweetness of the base was never too much, while the mote added texture to the chowder as a whole.
Vegetables usually get a passing glance on a menu, but never real consideration. Chifa’s veggie offerings are all very unique and very well done. The simplest Stir Fry vegetables are all al dente in the best possible way. Each element of the dish is cooked to order and at the last minute tossed together in a little kettle kissed with garlic sauce and sesame.
The dish with the most entrtainment value is defintely the Aji Mushrooms. Served in a baked shell that your server will poke a hole through and pour the sweet Aji cream that simmers within the shell as you finish your prior courses is really precious. Tofu mingles with the mushrooms inside their golden home.
While Jose’s empire expands beyond the reaches of Philadelphia towards Chicago and into Sin City, a few folks worry about what will happen here at home. The opening of Chifa should assuage some fears and cement the idea that Garces is here to stay. The inviting nature of the space and the high-end comfort foods that are served are nothing short of amazing. Reservations are still relatively easy to come by, and for those who wait awhile for the kinks to be worked out at a new joint, there really aren’t any to speak of. So get in on this now, and begin your intimate relationship with our favorite restaurateur.
Chifa, 707 Chestnut St. (215) 925-5555
Perfect timing! The Mrs. and I are going to Chifa on Sunday. Thx for the useful review.
Really? Have to say I think the drinks especially (but food too) was overpriced given the quality of most of it and atmosphere. I don’t want to pay over $10 a drink when I’m sitting next to people wearing old t-shirts and jeans, I thought it was a want-to-be Stephen Starr but fell short. Maybe my expectations were really high though? Wasn’t that I had an awful time – just wouldn’t go back.