Tasting Menu c/o Chifa

Mr. Ass and I have been corresponding for a while about having a meal together. He doesn't live in Philly so it does take a little planning. Though, often enough, he'll call about fifteen minutes before he wants to eat, which doesn't jibe too well with my general desire for planning. It's funny, because I do like surprises on occasion. But, for the most part, I like to know where I'm going and who is going to be there and what we're going to do beforehand. Is that true? I am capable of spontanaeity. This is not the post for a look-see into my obsessive need to know what's going to happen. No. The point is that I sent Mr. Ass a list of restaurants I wanted to try, and he replied that Chifa seemed like a place he'd like to try as well. Jose Garces is quite the restauranteur (did I just make up that word, or spell it wrong?) in Philly, and I tried a little of what he has to offer during our company's big special dinner last winter, so the concept of Peruvian Cantonese fusion was fine with me; dude knows how to cook, let him mix it up. So, last Tuesday, I met up with Mr. Ass and A.C. We started with complementary yucca bread and guava jelly. The bread wasn't bread-y as much as magicky. They were sort of dense, and yet fluffy. More gelatiny on the inside. Oh man. They were really, really satisfying, and served with a great guava jelly as well.

(Also before we go any further: understand that I did my best with taking photographs, and then photoshopping. The place is way low lit, and then has all this red on the walls that reflects on everything.)
We all went with the $45 tasting menu (I pushed it with enthusiasm, I admit). The green salad was great: leafy greens, sweet chile vinaigrette, and crunchy sesame. Simple, not overwhelming in the sesame.
Next up were two ceviches. One was shrimp, and one was something else. I've looked at the menu, and I'm not 100% convinced that any of the ceviche descriptions go with our exact dishes. They were both served with corn nuts (is that right?) and a few chips. One was a-mazing. Truly, just wonderful. While the other (with shrimp and tomato) didn't make my mouth happy at all. It may be that I don't like shrimp that have been 'cooked' ceviche-style, but I don't think so because A.C and Mr. Ass also didn't seem overly taken with the dish.
This is actually a close up of the ceviche I didn't dig. Oh well. The one I did dig was some sort of fish...hm, again, the descriptions don't shed any light on this. I just figured it out. The ceviche I liked was tuna.
Next up were giant shrimp panko fried. I ate everything but the eyeballs, as my father taught me to do. When Mr. Ass bit a little higher than it seemed he was used to, there was definitely some vibrant insides to see. I worried for Mr. Ass, but not for myself. Fried things are always good.
Mmm, mussels with coconut, lemongrass, rocoto, and thai basil. I liked this so much that when my share of mussels was safely in my belly, I used my discarded shells to scoop and slurp up more of the broth-y goodness.

Then pork belly buns! Sweet and savory. Four bites and they were done, gone and happily devoured. Plenty tasty.

And then there were the scallops with glorified fried rice. I didn't care all that much about the rice, but the scallops were done so well. Oh. So well. I realize that though I have cooked scallops on occasion, I have never cooked them well and proper. Perhaps that will be my next big cooking adventure.
Then there was the lamb rack with ginger quinoa, spicy bbq sauce and pickled something er other. I didn't notice any spice, but A.C. really enjoyed the quinoa. And the lamb was cooked nicely.
Chinese green beans with almonds etc were the side dish for the lamb.
So, on the whole, this was quite the nice meal. Everything was cooked well. Most all dishes had a great balance of flavors and textures. But, the individual dishes didn't seem to really fuse two different cuisines and flavors as much as the menu's descriptions would have suggested. The service, however, was not to be trifled with. I will go back. I will go back and try their pho and empanadas and maybe a dessert. I surely will. But this isn't my new favorite place.