Chifa, chef Jose Garces’ latest Philly restaurant, celebrates the one-of-a-kind comingling of Peruvian and Cantonese cooking styles that originated in the South American nation. The spot officially opens for dinner tomorrow, Feb. 10, but we got a little tour of the space (707 Chestnut St., 215-925-5555, chifarestaurant.com) earlier today. Consider this the photographic companion to the droolworthy but pictureless menu preview Felicia D. posted this weekend.

Spread out over two floors, the 150-seat Chifa (chee-fah) was crafted by Jun Aizaki of Creme Design Collective, who’s also responsible for Garces’ Tinto, Amada and Distrito. Chifa culture is the result of Latin and Asian elements getting friendly thanks to an influx of Chinese immigrants to Peru in the 19th century. This fusion is subtly reflected in Aizaki’s design choices upstairs — silky floral fabrics, beaded curtains and opium den-like hanging lamps make friends with tropical-hued tiling and panoramic murals of Macchu Picchu that warm up two shrouded booths in the back dining room. A long gold-resin communal table with high-back chairs features lazy susans whose patterns are a nod to the immense wall of blue and white porcelain vases when you first enter. The bottom floor of the space serves as a slightly sexier lounge
area, with a second bar and a snug, low-to-the-ground banquette
accompanied by dainty blood-red tables. There’s a communal table
down here, as well.

“That’s where I’m going to spend most of my time,” Garces told me,
gesturing toward the apothecary cabinet-style ceviche bar (Set 2, Pic 3) at the north
end of the main floor. While people often associate ceviche with the Caribbean nations, Peruvians are widely considered the originators of
citrus-kissed raw seafood dishes. They’ll be doing 10 varieties at any
given time, sourcing the fresh stuff from places like Australia, Japan and Chile. Teased varieties include oyster with leche de tigre, avocado calamari and pisco; tuna with rocoto emulsion, soy, sweet potato, red onion and cilantro; and an Ecuadorian preparation with orange, tomato and avocado. (See Felicia’s writeup for more on the main menu, helmed by chef de cuisine Chad Williams.)

Garces, who spent 10 days in Peru for research (and vacation!) purposes, said that this concept has been long in the making — he scrawled down the original Chifa menu about 7 years ago, but the right space and the right investors didn’t fall into place until recently. We love it when a plan comes together.

UPDATE: Check out the menu on MenuPages (naturally!).

PREVIOUSLY:

- Jose Garces to open Chifa at 707 Chestnut

- Feeding Frenzy [25dec08]

- Sneak peek of Jose Garces’ upcoming Chifa

- FIRST BITE: Chifa

An inside look at Jose Garces’ Chifa

This entry was posted on Monday, February 9th, 2009 at 1:08 pm and is filed under Openings, Photos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.