I finally got around to visiting the new kid on the block in Canley Heights. Although to be frank, there have been a couple new shops that have also opened recently (La Grilla, Le Caravelle) and to be opened (ahem, Noggi!). It’s quite amazing to see just how much Canley Heights has transformed over the years since the Holy Basil days.
Chi Chi is a fusion restaurant of south east asian cuisines Vietnamese, Thai and Malaysian. It’s definitely not your average restaurant in the area, but something that does look like it belongs to the streets of Surry Hills or even Melbourne.
The Boy and I decide to go for an early dinner during the week and have no issues getting seated as we are the first ones there. I felt a little too eager.
A beer and a cloudy apple mocktail is on order to refresh ourselves on a nice summer’s day.
No idea what this is? These white pillar things became hand towelettes once warm water was poured over it. The Boy and I were completely amazed! Definitely a fun and quirky idea.
Front: Spanner Crab Betel Leaf $4.80 each
Back: Smoked Trout Betel Leaf $3.90 each
We couldn’t decide which betel leaf to order so we got one of each. The spanner crab was served with pomelo, caramelised coconut, galangal and peanuts. It was a very tasty parcel that left me wanting more (note that I had only a tiny bite). The smoked trout was served with galangal, roasted chili and fried shallots. Whilst simple, it really packed a punch with the flavour. The smokiness of the trout really came through and it was delightful.
Son in Law Eggs $5.50
My son in law eggs cherry has now been popped! The half eggs have a thin and crispy batter with and is filled with house xo sauce. I was very impressed with how the textures and flavours worked together. My fork was seeking for more!
Question for readers: are the yolks in son in law eggs meant to be cooked through or slightly runny?
Don’s Stuffed Chicken Wings $9.80
The sound of this dish was very interesting that the Boy couldn’t go past it. The bones in the chicken wing have been removed (except for the tip) and was stuffed with what seemed to me to be similar to a spring roll filling. It had the same resemblance in textures and flavours with the mince, carrots, taro, fungi and glass noodles. They were served with a side of home made sweet chilli sauce.
ChiChi’s Braised Pork Belly with Green Papaya Salad and Fried Shallots $18.20
To me this salad was thai inspired but with a vietnamese style dressing. I was pleasantly suprised to see lots of pork belly pieces throughout this salad. Although on the menu it says braised, it must’ve been fried after because it was rather cripsy on the outside and chewy. We loved the fact that some of the herb leaves were left in full as it helped grasp onto the well balanced dressing.
Beef Me Up $23.80
Braised short ribs with chilli and tamarind are served with pickled vegetables. The tamarind flavour really shone through, but may have been too much to be eaten on its own. I would suggest eating it with a side of rice. It’s sticky, it’s tasty and makes you lick your lips after every bite. Some pieces of beef were a little dry, especially the smaller bits but the flavour is what keeps you going back for more.
Overall we both quite enjoyed our dinner. We thought the dishes were well sought out and the flavours really excelled. Although the portions were rather small and pricey for the area, it’s nice to know you can get a taste of Surry Hills back in the west.
Would we come back? We sure would, perhaps with a larger group next time and/or as a special treat if we didn’t want to travel the distance. We can definitely see great potential in Chi Chi.
Chi Chi
Shop 3, 264 Canley Vale Rd (entrance on Derby St)
Canley Heights,NSW 2166
Tel: +612 9727 2068
Place & food looks good! They have those towelettes in Arisun too and I almost ate em on my first visit lol
HAHAHAHAHA. I thought it was a complimentary starter to be honest. I’ve never seen it before!
Dear Tina,
The food looks very presentable and it’s certainly encouraging to see more innovative menus like these out west.
Absolutely! I just wonder if it will be around to stay or if its just a fad/phase
HAHA omg do they really have a double rainbow sign??
They do and I have no idea what it means lol
I always get nervous when many cuisines are featured on one menu, nut here it seems to work really well. All your dishes look and sounds delicious!
I was a little confused as to which road they wanted to take because fusion usually involves 2 cuisines, and any more than that usually is a recipe for disaster. It wasn’t too bad here.
this place sounds delicous~ pork belly and double rainbow? im sold!
It’s definitely a fun restaurant to have out west :)
I can just see Suze will love this place! LOL double rainbows, what does it mean?! The stuffed chicken looks good though.
I have no idea. Lol I thought it was a nice sign but it didn’t fit in? Unless I’m not interpreting it correctly.
teehee i love the decor, especially the pandas and the double rainbow sign – too awesome!
It really is eye catching with its decor and it adds to the experience
Ribs!!! Who doesn’t love sticky braised ribs?
I know right? Sticky and ribs won me over.
All the food looks fresh, colourful and full of flavour and it’s all plated so well. I love the look of the chicken wings and I’d love to try the pork belly dish. Great that you had a really good night xx
Very impressed that a dinner like this was served out west.
Looks very chin Chin like :) glad you found a lovely local!
And I can’t wait to go to chin chin! Woo hooooo
Great find! And I was just thinking that the food looked good although it wasn’t really inexpensive :)
It sure is. Glad something like this has hit the canley heights scene
Looks super cool, way cooler than Canley Vale / Canley Heights has been known for! Love the decor, the food looks pretty good too!
Absolutely! If you haven’t been for a while its definitely changed a whole lot in terms of the dining scene!
I love the panda decor in this place. Sooo cute! I’d love to try those stuffed chicken wings too – they look deeelicious :)
Isn’t it just? Love the decorated walls. It definitely is visually appealing and makes the experience all the more fun
Everything here looks amazing! Would love to try the Beef Me up!!! never heard of Canley Heights were abouts is it? :)
Canley heights is a neighbouring suburb to Cabramatta. It’s like a mini Cabramatta or Cabramatta part 2 lol
Awww left a comment but it disappeared LOL doens’t matter :) this looks amazing especially the Beef Me Up! Where abouts is Canley Heights?
The dishes look great, especially the stuffed chicken wings!
Presentation is fancy isn’t it!
ohmagad such a cutie panda bear! food looks quite good too, very interesting stuffed chicken wings
I definitely didn’t expect to see that when i ordered it. It was much more neatly presented than I thought :)
Nice review! Have passed this restaurant a couple of times but have yet to try it. The spanner crab parcel looks mouth watering delicious! And so does the pork belly salad!! I am not too sure about the son in law eggs to be honest but I think its meant to be cooked through? Lovely pictures although I must say – the servings dont look particularly generous given the price. Anyway, looking forward to checking out this place soon!
For the area, the prices are on the expensive side. But I guess chi chi is trying to bring that casual fine dining to the canley scene hence the prices
Oh I love getting the little towelettes… in Japan every restaurant gives them to you… so refreshing. What a gorgeous looking restaurant. Every dish had me wanting to sample a bite!! I loved the Betel leaf dishes and the son in law eggs looked particularly good too.
It was very interesting to say the least. But thought it was a great idea especially if we had dishes that required for us to use our hands. So thoughtful :)
The son-in-law eggs look so good – did they cook them hard boiled (I’m so hoping they did)? Looks like a great place, out west too!
It was cooked through. I suppose if you need them to be you can make a request? :)
AH MA GAD the panadas are so cute!!
I’m pretty sure the yolks are meant to be a little runny!
Ooooh thanks for letting me know shellie :))
What an interesting restaurant! Chi Chi Bang Bang… LOL! The son in law eggs & stuffed chicken looks sooooooo good!
I know. The names definitely have got people interested haha
I have a friend that rates the cuisine of Canley Heights better then Cabramatta so I really need to visit soon and have a delicious snoop around; I think this post is testament that I shoud! Also, SON IN LAW EGGS!!!! PAPAYA SALAD!!! I want all of the things.
I think there’s more variety in canley heights and I suppose they aren’t holes in the walls. Vietnamese people aren’t big fans of change so everything is quite old fashioned in Cabramatta.