Chi Kitchen and Bar , Jungpura

" Chi " is the fundamental life force which flows through one and everything, which is represented by the restaurant's Good Food + Good Energy tag-line. The chain of restaurants in Delhi, bring together widely popular Pan-Asian dishes which can be seen by their elaborate spread. Their specialist chefs, who are said to have traveled the nook and corner of every South East Asian country, strive to deliver in terms of authenticity, flavor and freshness of their delicacies.

My experience with Chi Kitchen and Bar, Jungpura was a delectable one as we tried out one dish after another, only to be more and more impressed. We were greeted by Mr. Thakur at the entrance who along with the restaurant manager Awadh Vajpayee showed us to our table. The first thing that you will notice about the restaurant is that the decor is very simple. There are hand-woven lanterns above every table which are especially associated with the brand. On the side, there is a bar with a huge display of bottles of the choicest of wines and spirits.

As an accompaniment to the rich and delicious food, Chi Kitchen and Bar has a section called 'Ultimate Cocktails' which are extra potent and are said to be thrice as strong as compared to their normal cocktail counterpart. They have three exquisite flavours - Ultimate Long Island Iced Tea, Ultimate Mojito and Ultimate Bloody Mary. We ordered the Ultimate Long Island Iced Tea, which was a rich blend of vodka, gin, tequila, triple-sec and rum along with a splash of cola; a perfect start to our evening.

The Thai Clear soup - Tom Yum Broth has been my favourite ever since I first tasted it in Bangkok. While the Chi version of it is definitely more Indianised, they used lemongrass and kafir lime in abundance which gives the same aroma as the one which had enchanted me years back. However, a warning to the foodies on diet, this soup is traditionally very oily so might be a bit higher on the calories than the other ones.

Tom Yum Broth

Like every Pan-Asian restaurant, Chi also boasts of making the best dumplings in the town. We were served an assorted array of dumplings - Chicken Har Gao, Chicken Cilantro and Chicken Coriander, with special condiments - Red Chilli Sauce, Vinegared Onion Coriander, Mayo Green Chilli Paste, Ginger Deep, Onion Deep and Vinegared Red Cilli with Tomato. I found that the Ginger Deep and Vinegared Red Chilli went best with the Chicken Har Gao Dumpling, which are pleated shaped Cantonese dumplings. They were made of rice flour which is a healthier alternative to the wheat flour that is used in most of the restaurants.

Prawn Cilantro, Chicken Cilantro, Chicken Har Gao Dumplings

While their range and tasty dumplings were noteworthy, the Crispy Calamari in Basil Chili Sauce was a definite show-stealer. Their limited use of corn starch for marination gives a wholesome taste of the calamari meat which is a delight for meat lovers. It has a hot and tangy taste, to be enjoyed with beer.

Calamari with Crispy Basil Chilli

The Khaou Suey is another speciality of theirs which comes straight from Burma. It was served in a bowl with fried onions and roasted almonds and basically consisted of noodles and curried chicken in coconut milk.

Khaousay and Yaki Udon

We finished the meal with a cup of Chinese Jasmine Pearls. This is a Chinese tea which is typically had after a heavy meal. It also helps in digestion and the divine aroma of Jasmine Pearls gives you the satisfaction of a sumptuous meal.

Lychee with Ice Cream

Darsaan

Chinese Jasmine Pearls

Meal for Two - Rs. 2500/- (with drinks)

Address : 2nd Floor, Eros Cinema Complex
Jungpura Extension
New Delhi
Tel No: 011-30146033 ext:191
Website:  http://www.chikitchenandbar.com