chifa: duck week

chifa duck
The moment I got the newsletter from Garces Restaurant Group regarding Duck Week at Chifa, Chef Jose Garces’s Peruvian/Cantonese restaurant, I knew I had to go. Duck is one of my favorite meats and what better opportunity for me to indulge! I’ve been here once before for Restaurant Week and had a great experience, so this one was sure to be something special.

manchego/yucca puffs w/ sriracha/guava butter

solterito salad – edamame, long beans, tomatoes, queso fresco, toasted garlic dressingmarinated olives – yuzu-marinated peruvian olives, pickled white onionsduck ceviche – duck confit, cherry puree, foie gras torchon, brioche croutons

mussels – white rum, coconut broth, thai basil, lemongrass, jalapenoduck buns – roasted duck, hoisin glaze, pickled diakon & carrot, togarashi mayoduck chicharron – crispy duck, green curry lentils, pickled ginger and napa cabbage, cracklins

yu choy – ginger-soy glazed snap peas, chinese water spinach, enoki mushrooms, fennelduck chaufa – wok fried rice, duck confit, soy glazed duck breastchifa duck – served with hoisin, scallions & sichuan peppercorn crepes

foie gras ice cream – pistachio cookie, caramel apple paint, cracklins, pink peppercornsThose puffs that were brought out at the start were AMAZING. Absolutely delicious on their own and the spicy and sweet sriracha/guava butter set them over the edge!

I don’t love or hate mussels. I eat them, but I probably would never order them at a restaurant if it were to be my entree. Nothing quite reels me in about them. The broth of Chifa’s mussels though…oh boy. I’m pretty sure I took my spoon to it and finished it all. That could very well be the cause of my stomach ache the next day or so..that or the mass amount of food consumed.

The pork chicharron dish was great. It had a very homestyle, comfort food feel to it and was extremely flavorful. The ginger packed a punch!

I really enjoyed Chifa’s take on peking duck. It was served along with the traditional ingredients, hoisin, scallions, and a pancake/crepe to wrap it all up in. Chifa puts their own spin on it with the addition of sichuan pepper crepes. What a great idea that was! The crepes had a touch of sweet with a hint of sichuan peppercorn, which was great, since a lot of sichuan peppercorn can be extremely overwhelming. All together, it made for one delicious peking duck dish.

Everything was fantastic and if there’s to be another Duck Week in 2011, count me in for sure!

Huge thanks for hockey teammate/friend Samer for tagging along, glad you enjoyed the meal!

Chifa has a Weyerbacher beer dinner coming up on October 28, get to it!

Chifa
707 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
215.925.5555

Tagged: asian, duck, jose garces, peking duck, tasting