Chi Chi: Thai with a Modern Twist

Chi Chi caught my eye last year when I noticed their contemporary decor hidden in the corner of the busy streets of Canley Heights. I'll admit that Thai was the last cuisine that I had in mind when I encountered the restaurant but after this visit I thought Chi Chi was a great name for this new, modern Thai restaurant. 

For entree, we shared the Son-In-Law Eggs with Homemade XO sauce. The menu didn't offer a description of what these were and I couldn't figure how these eggs could be a filling entree, let alone how they got their name, so we placed trust in my best friend who said these were good. Well thank goodness we did, because these eggs were delicious. The eggs had a light orange crisp outer shell and I think they mixed the yolk with tamarind which gave it a great sweet flavour with the XO sauce. I loved these so much I bought some more take-away to give to my boyfriend. 

Son in Law Eggs $6.90: Our YOLO entree paid off

For our mains we had the Steamed wild Barramundi fillet with chilli, soy bean, ginger, mushrooms and lily buds. This dish was delicious because the fish was cooked perfectly and the flavours were similar to the whole Barramundi dishes you can get at other Asian restaurants. However because it was served as a fillet we didn't need to pick the bones out and it was an easy dish to share.

Steamed Barramundi Fillet $23.90:Traditional and classic flavours reinterpreted

How could you go to a Thai restaurant without trying one of their fresh and textural salads? Chi Chi definitely does not disappoint with their offering of yummy salads like Crispy Skin Salmon and Green Papaya Salad and Fried Wild Barramundi Fillets with Green apple salad. In the end we chose the Braised Pork Belly salad with green papaya salad and fried shallots. This salad was deliciously fresh and had an amazing textural balance with the papaya, fried shallots and  the crispy pork. This would have even made my Anti-"Rabbit Food" friends digging in for more. 

Braised Pork Belly Salad $16.80: Definitely get some of this pork on your fork

 One of the stand out dishes of the night had to be this Crispy Skin Braised Duck with orange & tamarind sauce. Besides the fantastic country style presentation, the mix of the citrus with the sweet and salty sticky tamarind sauce was a perfect complement with the crispy and aromatic duck. There are almost no words to describe how nice this duck was which was obvious because everyone was chowing this down in satisfied silence at our table. There were hints of cinnamon and star anise which grounded this otherwise retro French dish to the Asian cuisine.

Crispy Skin Duck $23.90: Amazing. 

Overall, Chi Chi has a certain quirkiness that I loved with the menu items and decor. The Dessert section in the menu was named "Happy Ending" after all. I would definitely return here to enjoy the great atmosphere, food and service.

Rating: 9/10