Eat Here: Chi Kitchen, Oxford CircusBy Angelica Malin
It’s very rare than eating in a department store is a good thing. Sure, I was sceptical – wouldn’t you be? For too long, department store restaurants have been associated with dry slices of Victoria Sponge, catch-ups with your nan and bland, overpriced white bap rolls filled with egg mayo. So what happened when I visited Chi Kitchen, a Pan-Asian restaurant inside Debenhams on Oxford Circus, that claims to be nothing like the usual high-street eateries. Read on to find out…
Honestly, when I stepped into Chi Kitchen, I was taken aback by the super swish look and feel of the place. Think slick marble surfaces, snug leather booths for intimate dinners, a trendy sushi bar for watching the magic first-hand and a low-lit ambience that’s far removed from the buzz of a department store. In fact, you really wouldn’t know that you’re moments from the high-street in this little seculded spot. During the day, you can stop for sushi whilst on a shopping spree and, in the evening, the restaurant turns into its own date-night spot. What’s more, MasterChef 2014 winner Ping Coombes is the Executive Chef for Chi Kitchen, so you know there’s real skill and culinary knowledge behind it. Perfect.
The menu takes inspiration from all of South East Asia, from Korea to Thailand, Japan and Malaysia, which can often mean a confusing and over-ambitious plan for my liking, but I was surprised by the skill of the offering at Chi Kitchen. Each dish, taken from a different area of Asia, has real flavour, depth and beautiful presentation, with, what felt like to me, an actual knowledge of the local cuisine. We start with a range of the raw dishes, which are inspired by Japanese cuisine, including tuna tartare, salmon sashimi, salmon tartare and kimchi.
The tuna tataki is delicious; freshly seared tuna with wasabi and orange ponzu, which is sweet, light and melt-in-the-mouth soft in texture. The salmon tartare is my favourite dish of the evening – fresh salmon, which is buttery soft, served atop creamy avocado with a lovely, fresh citrus soy sauce. The tartare has the perfect balance of sweet and sour flavours, with a dash of spicy jalapeños, and the mix of salmon and avocado is a time-tested combination which just works. At £7.95, it’s cheaper than most Japanese dishes in London restaurants, too.
We then move onto sushi; the spicy tuna rolls are lovely, soft, perfectly-cooked rice with a crunchy of sesame seeds and a touch of creamy spicy mayo (but not too much: crucial point), but the salmon rolls are a touch plain, and maybe could do with a little accompaniment. The raw dishes are certainly a highlight, but don’t miss a few of the hot dishes too. One of my favourite elements of the evening is the roti, a flaky Indian bread, served with Malaysian curry sauce – the bread is full of buttery goodness, and I couldn’t help but devour the lot.
The robata grill menu is largely meat-focused, but there’s a few lovely fish and vegetarian dishes – the real highlight being the seabass, which is simply steamed with lemongrass, chilli and garlic, served with lime and seafood sauce. The fish is super fresh, full of flavour, and perfectly cooked – the kind of thing you want to eat again and again. The vegetables are less of a winner – the miso aubergine is a touch too sweet, and the asparagus is on the al dente side – but stick to the fish and you’ll be in for a total treat.
Chi Kitchen Review: The Drinks
There’s a good selection of Asian-inspired cocktails, sake, wine and soft drinks on offer at Chi Kitchen, most of which use fresh fruit and juices. We loved the coconut bubble tea for a quirky dinner time treat, but they’ve also got fresh mango, lychee and orange juice, as well as a cracking sparkling sake. Of course, if you’d like to go full Japanese, order a Jasmine Green Tea to accompany your sushi feast.
Chi Kitchen Review: Our Verdict
All in all, I was really impressed with the offering at Chi Kitchen. The food is fresh, reasonably priced, beautifully presented and, most importantly, full of flavour. If you catch yourself in the West End in need of a good, satisfying meal with lots of globally-inspired dishes, I think it’s about time you had a sushi, sashimi and seabass feast at Chi Kitchen. You can thank me later.
Chi Kitchen is at Ground Floor Debenhams, 334-348 Oxford Street, London W1C 1JG
