During a five-hour layover in Lima, I had my first encounter with a chifa — the term for the ubiquitous Chinese restaurants of Peru. While it may seem like a strange concept, Peru boasts some of the best Chinese food outside of China, due to a huge influx of Chinese immigrants and a wide variety of fresh seafood from the country’s coast. Jose Garces — Philadelphia’s rising star chef and owner of Amada, Tinto and Distrito — recently brought the concept of Peruvian-Chinese fusion to the City of Brotherly Love.
Stepping into the dimly lit space marked by delicate blue porcelain vases, oriental lanterns, dramatic red walls and black lacquer ornamentation, it's clear that Chifa is a glorified version of its namesake. Misty photographs of Machu Picchu adorn the restaurant’s main booths, evoking an ethereal image of Peru.
Located not far from Chinatown at 7th and Chestnut, Chifa offers a wide selection of Peruvian and Asian-inspired dishes. As in Garces’ other restaurants, most items on the menu are tapas-style small plates. In the center of the dining room, a long communal table dotted with lazy susans suggests that the menu is meant for sharing. The décor at Chifa may be much more lavish than any chifa in the Southern hemisphere, but it is clear that each dish was created with careful observation of Peruvian and Peruvian-Chinese cuisine. While the menu is split between Asian-inspired categories — dim sum, noodles and rice — and Peruvian specialties — ceviche, ensaladas, bocatas and carne — each plate combines elements from the two vastly different culinary traditions.
As we perused the drink menu, our meal began with deliciously chewy rolls made from yuca flour and manchego cheese, served alongside sweet and tangy guava butter. To drink, I ordered the classic Peruvian specialty, a pisco sour ($6). Topped with egg white foam and drizzled with bitters, this sugary drink remains true to its origins. Another traditional cocktail option — served by the glass ($8) or pitcher ($32) — is the chicha morada, a spiced punch brewed in house from imported Peruvian purple corn flavored with cloves, cinnamon and pineapple.
If you are interested in sampling a wide-range of dishes from the various sections of the menu, ask for the chef’s tasting menu ($65). One of the restaurant’s centerpieces is a grand silver ceviche bar, where patrons can watch the chef invent varying preparations of this Peruvian specialty, characterized by fish cooked in the acidity of lime juice. Fittingly, our tasting menu began with a selection of two ceviches. Thinly sliced shimaji ($14), served with white soy, shredded pickled mango and sesame was delicious, and the tiny shot glass of oyster ceviche ($12) served with “leche de tigre” and pisco foam was also a hit. Our dim sum dish, crispy pork belly with hoisin glaze and pickled daikon between pillows of soft buns ($8), was a perfect rendition of this hot new culinary trend. The empanada of cumin-braised lamb was wonderfully seasoned, alluding to Garces’ mastery of pan-Latin cuisine, yet it did not suggest any “Chinese” style as the menu suggested.
On the whole, the Peruvian and other Latin American inspired dishes on the menu were beautifully inventive and delicious. However, the Asian items were less masterful. Both the stir-fry Chinese broccoli ($8) and the chaufa — fried rice with soy glazed scallops, edamame, mango and chorizo ($9) — were extremely salty and garlicky. But despite the occasional over-seasoning, most flavor combinations were subtly original. The spicy barbeque rack of lamb ($26) was unbelievably tender and uniquely paired with ginger quinoa, a traditional Peruvian grain. A house specialty of sea salt baked bronzino ($55) was filleted tableside and elevated with hints of ginger oil and scallion.
For dessert, the flexible chocolate — custard served with crispy quinoa chicharrones, mango ice and milk chocolate ice cream — provided an unconventional contrast of textures. As a parting gift, Chifa offers tiny vanilla Rice Krispie-like squares, imprinted with decorative dragons. Far from Peru, this chifa provides Philadelphia with a completely original fusion concept.
Chifa Restaurant 707 Chestnut Street (215) 925-5555 Don’t Miss: BBQ rack of lamb Skip: The overdressed “simple green” salad Bottom Line: An inventive and glamorous take on the traditional Peruvian chinese restaurant
