It took three hours to eat our way through “Inka,” the 12-course menu at Chicha. Despite the fact that the set menus come in at just RMB200 for seven courses and RMB280 for twelve, these are not tasting portions, but a relentless onslaught of big plates. Fortunately, Chicha does Peruvian with a few Chinese characteristics without going overboard.

Our meal began as many of our food fantasies do, with lots of raw fish–three starters worth, in fact. The chunky seabass ceviche with julienned ginger, crispy fried dough and sesame oil had a great balance with its lime and cilantro. There were also two tiles of tiradito (a raw fish dishserved carpaccio style). One plate had thin-sliced octopus and soft scallops and another had a thin-sliced red snapper in a tasty chili-fish liquor on another.

Up next were bites of causa, with mashed yellow potatoes for the base and neat spoonfuls of spicy crab salad on top. Fried wontons with mushroom and cheese came next and were decent, and we loved the tamarind sweet-sour dipping sauce. The tiny pork chicarron and lamb chuan’r were quickly gobbled up.

Then the portions got huge, starting with the seafood stew, which had a tender filet of cod over tough calamari and shrimp. It was followed by a classic Chifa offering, lomo saltado (beef flavored with onions, soy sauce and vinegar), that was served extra salty, and a lamb risotto that was unmemorable with chewy lamb and one-note spiciness.

We were relieved to finally see our desserts, a unabashedly sweet chai pannacotta and a plate with bite-sized tarts and a baby flan.

All in all, Chicha is a great value, and the menu (which is always sold in sets) will be updated regularly. Their deceptively alcoholic Chicha sour (RMB65), is a special bonus, with swirls of powdered gold. But when it comes to meat, they would do well to exchange some quantity for quality.

Our rating: 3.5/5

DETAILS

What:Chicha

Where: Bldg. 33, Lane 47, Sinan Mansions, Fuxing Lu思南公馆47弄复兴西路33号楼

Tel: 6418-0760

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