CHi: Chinese – the third ‘diamond’ in the UpTown collection

A fresh take on fine Chinese cuisine

CHi is a new gastronomic venture from UpTown (Limassol). We’ve already written about their first two: Chesters and ZEN. CHi has been in the making for over two years: a year of that was spent on the meticulous task of compiling the menu, which features over 100 dishes. CHi offers not only a wide selection of meat dishes, but also an impressive range of fish and seafood. In addition, there are unique dishes inspired by the diet of Eastern monks – vegetarian dishes – and we set out to sample one of them, as this is the perfect time to do so: Lent.

We walk past the majestic Chesters and the understatedly elegant ZEN, deeper into the courtyard, and find the unassuming entrance to CHi. The moment you step over the threshold bearing the restaurant’s signature emblem, you find yourself in a unique atmosphere of calm, refined luxury: marble, fine wooden furniture, a huge aquarium, candles, fresh flowers and plenty of light. We take a seat at a traditional round table. The waiter is polite and of few words. The menu is placed on the table – your main guide through this gastronomic kingdom.

Unfortunately, the CHi menu hasn’t yet been posted on the restaurant’s website, so I’ll mention a few dishes that caught my eye but which we didn’t get to try on this occasion.

Let’s start with the starters.

Snow Mountain Mushrooms and Kai-Lan (€11.40). The mushrooms are braised for 8 hours in a special homemade marinade of ginger, spring onions and Parma ham. The dish is served with a white truffle sauce.

Among the soups, the chef’s signature dish – shark fin and crab meat soup (Shark Fin Soup & Crabmeat, €18.00) – really stands out.

We, however, ordered the prawn balls (Prawn Balls, €9.80). Six balls of minced king prawns, coated in flaked almonds and fried until golden brown, are threaded onto wooden skewers, one per skewer. A moderately spicy lemon sauce with sesame seeds is served on the side. The balls are quite firm, with an amazing prawn aroma.

Next, for a starter, we were served ‘Chew Yim’ squid (Chew Yim Calamari, €11.50). The secret to this dish lies in a combination of seven spices, including chilli, orange zest, ginger and Japanese pepper. The pieces of squid, seasoned with spices and coated in flour, are fried until crispy and served with sweet-and-sour pickled vegetables, spring onions, garlic and chilli. The spicy squid goes perfectly with the pickled vegetables. The dish is moderately spicy and ideal as a starter.

Yes, I haven’t said a word about the wine yet. Today we opted for a Cypriot classic – Vlasidis Xinisteri (€20.90): a light white wine with a subtle fruity flavour.

And finally, the dish we came to CHi for today arrives at the table – ‘Wok-Fried Mock Duck’ (€16.30). The waiter brought a piping-hot earthenware pot on a wooden stand, slightly charred by the heat, and a separate, steaming dish in a large bowl. Under our curious and hungry gazes, the contents of the bowl are transferred into the pot with an appetising sizzle, after which the pot is carefully covered with a lid. Bon Appétit!

We lift the lid – the aroma is magical! This is a completely vegetarian dish. ‘Imitation duck’ is made from high-protein wheat gluten. Buddhist monks, who abstained from eating meat, invented this dish centuries ago. For this reason, it is sometimes called ‘monks’ duck’. The pieces of ‘pseudo-duck’ are complemented by black wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, aubergines, young bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and Dou Ban sauce. It’s incredible, but the dish really does taste very much like duck. No, I’m not saying the resemblance is absolute, but the dish is superb in its own right: the pieces of ‘meat’ are very tender, melting in the mouth, and the skilfully selected spices give the impression of a substantial meat dish. And, of course, the sauce – not at all spicy, but aromatic and just a touch sweet. Until the pot was empty, not a single word was spoken among our group – everyone was so captivated by this unusual new gastronomic experience.

To round off the meal, we chose black cod as our main course. I remembered this fish from one of my visits to ZEN. Yes, of course, fish – along with meat – is excluded from the diet during Lent, but… It’s our duty to talk about food 🙂 ‘Profession de foi’, as director Yakin used to say (from the film *Ivan Vasilievich Changes His Profession*).

‘Honey-glazed black cod’ (€27.80). Two baked pieces of cod – dark and glistening with sweet glaze – are served with wok-fried asparagus. On the side (in a small bowl) is mayonnaise, rich with fruity aromas. The fish is superb. The succulent flesh falls apart into layers at the slightest touch of the chopsticks. The sweet, spice-infused glaze has penetrated the fish flesh by a few millimetres, which is clearly visible on the cross-section and in the jet-black skin.

The meal was rounded off with a traditional portion of lemon sorbet: a light citrus treat that adds a subtle note to the aftertaste of this Eastern feast. At CHi, just like at ZEN, there’s a lunch menu, and holders of the lunch card get a 20 per cent discount on food and drinks on weekdays before 5 pm. In my opinion, that’s a very nice bonus. Bon appétit! We’ll be visiting CHi again very soon to explore its meat-centred menu!