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Friday 20 February 2015

Chi Kitchen and Bar - 4/5


After Taran Adarsh gave PK 4 stars, I thought it was a must watch. So I headed to Select City, but since I could only garner tickets for the evening show, I thought of clubbing the movie with an awesome romantic Lunch with my husband. This time I was not the mood of trying any of the old places I had already been to in the vicinity so wanted to try something new. So I realized that the same complex had a Chi Kitchen & bar as well, and I had deprived myself of a visit to this awesome Asian place. 

Apparently Chi has different meanings in Chinese, Japanese & Korean. In Mandarin, it means air, spirit or energy of life. In feng shui, as in Chinese medicine, CHI is the term for the universal energy, or the energy that permeates everything around us. In Japanese Chi (sometimes ji) or tsuchi, meaning "Earth", represents the hard, solid objects of the earth. Well, on a public platform its not of much relevance what it means in Korean. :)

Chi Kitchen combines the energies of the yin and the yang Chakra. In Chinese philosophy, the concept of yin-yang, which is often called "yin and yang", is used to describe how seemingly opposite or contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world; and, how they give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another. Yin and yang are actually complementary, not opposing, forces, interacting to form a whole greater than either separate part; in effect, a dynamic system. 

Promoters of Chi Kitchen and Bar claim that after travelling the nook and corner of all south-east asian countries they have honed and combined the talents of many specialist chefs to give a unique combination of real "Pan asian" food as eaten daily by the inhabitant locals of pan asian countries. 

Also they believe in serving good food as it ultimately leads to good energy and positive thinking, hence the name Chi. Well I agree too that their culinary artists prepare the most scrumptious delicacies out of the freshest produce and seasoning's, in a manner, similar, to the way it’s cooked and eaten daily by the people living in the ‘Pan Asian’ countries. The chefs at Chi Kitchen & Bar strive to churn out delicacies that are high on authenticity, flavour and freshness. The place is quite chilled out, laid back and relaxed, in a Buddha bar style atmosphere and music and lighting that just accentuates the ambience. Each dish is prepared by attention to detail, in its authentic way and they ensure to serve them with real passion. The food is definitely authentic and most definitely not Indian Chinese. 

Chi Kitchen & Bar is a joint serving great Pan asian cuisine including meals in a bowl and in a completely down to earth unselfconscious, unpretentious atmosphere. Decor is quite upmarket, contemporary and chic and is great for an informal evening or afternoon out with friends or family. If you enjoy South East Asian food, this place has one of the widest menus and probably the best south east asian food in the city. The place is such a treat and one is actually amazed to see such a perfectly professionally run restaurant that offers its patrons affordable prices, great tasting food and quality service. It offers a truly-international and interactive dining experience and a concept that is novel. One can even play a cross word puzzle while you order. 

They also serve a variety of refreshing world class international beverages which are of finest quality. The staff is very professional, courteous & aims at making your meal an experience. Described as a far east cuisines restaurant, its menu surprisingly and quite pleasantly covers quite a wide bouquet of dishes from countries like China, Japan, Vietnam, Burma and Thailand. The menu provides an amazing number of choices and it’s a treat for everyone as each one will find something or the other on the menu that they like. It gets even better because the menu describes in detail the ingredients and cooking style of each dish so it is easy to order even for people who are not familiar with the cuisine and dishes. The restaurant is quite well laid out with ample space for large groups and cozy corners for couples too.
I have always loved their dim sums and the Chicken hunan Claypot that I had at their Safdarjung outlet and they left me breathless, lost for words and gasping for more (yes guys, I am only referring to the food, please don’t get any ideas). 

Pluses and minus’s

Pluses - Plush ambience and an array of dishes from south east Asian countries make it a great destination. One can even play crossword while your order arrives. Great taste, great service coupled with great array of exotic teas and wines and spirits on the menu

Minus’s - Limited choice of desserts is a downer.

This is what we had:- 

1. Strawberry fizz - was average, have had better

2. Virgin Mojito – Nice, perfectly balanced mint and lemon

3. Crispy Butter Garlic Prawn – Juicy, succulent, Great garlicy flavour, spot on.

4. Calamari with crispy basil – This is another delectable dish on the menu & this was the dish of the day for me, being a Calamari fan and phonetic I fell in love with this dish, the flavour was even enhanced by chilli mayonnaise served as a dip with it. Chef, great innovation

5. Crispy chilli bean Mushrooms – The best vegetarian Mushroom starter I have ever had, You have made mushrooms so what should I say.....Mushroomy, great flavour, great mild spices, loved it

6. Celery & Chicken Dimsums – Really Nice, but the food critic that I am felt that it could have had little more herbs to enhance the flavour furthermore.

7. Chicken hunan Claypot – My All time favourite at Chi. Love the generous chicken helping, a fantastically flavoured dish, with no overpowering flavours of any single ingredient

8. Hong kong Fish with Rice Conjee – This great Vietnamese experiment of the day really paid off. This dish is a rice porridge `served with 7 different attractive condiments including peanuts, lime, crispy fried garlic, soy sauce, chilli vinegar, sate and chilli paste. Such a beautiful blend of different flavours, Our server did tell us that this dish is something most Indian guests do not order, but I thought what the heck and it was fantastic, the fried garlic, lemon and peanuts added such beautiful flavour to the conjee. Loved it

9. Lychee with ice cream – Always love the flavour of lychee on vanilla ice-cream

10. Darsaan – Honey glazed flat noodles tasted simply awesome with a scoop of vanilla, just divine

11. Jasmine tea – The cup of jasmine tea was a refreshing and fragrant farewell to the gala meal

Must try: 

 Calamari with crispy basil, Crispy chilli bean Mushrooms, Chicken hunan Claypot & top your meal with the exotic jasmine tea (simply a divine experience). 

I highly recommend that people who like to eat Asian food without the guilt of adding extra calories should definitely consider this place. Overall it was a splendid Lunch and we really enjoyed the hospitality of the staff and I am glad I visited. After I left, I had an urge of returning back. This should be on your list of must go-to restaurants if you’re keen on trying Asian food.
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