Chi Extraordinary Kitchen – 328 Photos & 258 Reviews …
Posted: January 27, 2018 at 2:46 am
260
Came in on a Friday night for dinner with some friends. The food was really tasty we ordered the crispy egg rolls, shrimp with coconut ( I forgot the name), Tom Kha, - and Mango Salad to share. For my entree I ordered the spicy basil fried rice with mock duck, hubby ordered the spicy noodles. I tried the red curry, and pad kra pow as well. Everything and I mean everything was delicious. Everything had a great spice level and so flavorful. The service was great, everyone who helped us was super sweet. I highly recommend stopping here to grab a bite!
+ Great ambiance, cute and cozy. Pretty small place but there is also an outdoor seating area.+ Yummy Thai food. I had the mock duck larb - pretty good. Also tried the shrimp pad thai and the Red Sea (mixed seafood). Everything was good.+ Ample portion sizes.+ Friendly and efficient service.- Menu is a bit small. I'm used to seeing a bigger selection at Thai restaurants.
"Chi Extraordinary Kitchen": I like the name of this restaurant. At first, it could seem like bloated boasting to refer to one's kitchen as "extraordinary", but I take the designation at face value, and as a matter of pride. I also know that Asian restaurants often take liberties with their names [eg. "Number One Chinese Restaurant", etc.].Anyway, I arrived at Chi on Friday at 4:30 p.m., right when the dining room opened. I parked across the street and observed the blinds being raised, so I knew it was time to leave my car and walk to the front door. A woman was in the process of unlocking the door from the inside as I arrived. I would have expected perhaps that she would have propped open the door for me as she unlocked it directly in front of me. However, she just backed away from the door. When I stepped through the door into the reception, her welcome was not "extraordinarily" friendly, "like the named Kitchen", but it appears she was simply occupied with other opening duties, such as turning on the music, etc., for later, Sandy [that was her name] was all smiles and giggles in the Thai tradition.Sandy motioned with her hand towards the dining room and said "sit anywhere". I took a nice banquette by the widow. The room is high-ceilinged, airy and comfortable, with interesting lighting fixtures dangling overhead. A pretty miniature succulent is placed on each table. The tables are regrettably laid with paper napkins, seemingly incongruous with the simple elegance to which the restaurant appears to aspire. The wine list consists of six bottles of white wine and three bottles of red wine. I asked Sandy to please bring a bottle of the Alias Chardonnay. When I caught sight of her happily bringing me a glass of white wine, I inquired before she reached the table "What's that?", to which she responded "Your Alias Chardonnay". I again stated I had ordered a BOTTLE of Alias Chardonnay, and she immediately returned to the kitchen to retrieve a bottle as previously requested. The wine glasses were nice and large, which is always a plus. After the initial pour by Sandy, there were no further pours by any staff member. Why not?From the menu, which features photographs of many of the available dishes, I selected the "Pad Cha Salmon", which was described on the menu as Wild Salmon sauted in spicy Thai Pad Cha Sauce with green beans, lemongrass, peppercorn and fresh basil. I advised Sandy I liked spicy food, so when she asked me "How spicy?", I responded with a firm number "8". Sandy further cautioned me "I want you to know we do THAI spicy here", to which I replied that was perfectly understood and lucky "8" it would remain.When the Salmon was presented to the table, it was quite pretty to look at, although the jagged edge slices of carrots seemed ordinary. I asked Sandy for some lemon wedges to squeeze on the salmon, and she brought me limes. In response to my follow up inquiry as to lemons, she admitted "this is all we have". Of interest, as I looked at the dish, and readied my fork to "dive in", I noticed a six-inch long strand of shiny black hair languidly laced and intertwined among the salmon and vegetables. The longest hair on my head is one inch at the most, so I knew the interloper had not fallen from my head. I know there are those here on Yelp who go berserk when this issue occurs. However, I simply lifted the offending strand off of the salmon and laid it on a side plate. Although the presence of the hair certainly did not please me, I am not germ phobic. DNA is DNA after all, and it is shared germs and all when one kisses someone, so isn't it really all the same, despite this not being consensual? I did not mention the "wayward hair" issue to Sandy, since I certainly did not want to wait for another salmon to be prepared and I actually forgot all about it anyway before I left the restaurant. Dessert was a refreshing coconut ice cream, enjoyed with the last of the wine.
FIRST IMPRESSIONSClean, modern, and surprisingly quiet, Chi Extraordinary Kitchen was very inviting from the start. Granted, it appears I am their first customer of the day to dine in-house, the service has been cordially attentive.THE EATSJasmine Blossom tea -- Im a sucker for Jasmine green tea. It's one of my favorites because it's so calming. (Jasmine is the fragrance of home for me; I've always had night-blooming jasmine at every home I've made.)Somtom (green papaya salad) -- This is a dish I've been itching to try but have not made a priority to do so. Finally opted to order Chi's vegetarian versionGreen curry -- This curry is (rightly or wrongly) my litmus test of how I like a Thai restaurant. As a former vegetarian, it makes me happy to see their curry base is vegan (omitting the traditional shrimp paste). But I won't lie and say I don't wish they had a THE VERDICTChi Extraordinary Kitchen is a nice modern and approachable take on California Thai cuisine. If you're in the area and have a taste for Thai, this is a fantastic spot to satisfy that craving.
This place is gold! My girlfriend an I ended up coming here instead of cafe 21 because there was a wait. And all of the food is high quality and delicious!!! We did not expect it, hidden gemWe got the coconut shrimp, red curry, spicy shrimp noodles. We also got the chi lychee martini!! It was five star all day...
Decent Thai Food. The noodles and curry we ordered were perfectly okay. We did have issues with our take-out order, but they were all solved quickly!
It was a miserably hot day yesterday and my 2 girlfriends and I were looking for somewhere in North Park/Normal Heights for lunch. One recommended a couple places, but the other didn't have A/C so it was unanimous that we go to Chi. What a beautiful restaurant, casual yet upscale.The Miang Kham came highly recommended and two of us ordered it. It's a mix of grilled shrimp, toasted coconut, lime zest, ginger, and shallots on lettuce leaves ... with a delicious tamarind sauce. YUMMY!One had the Fresh Spring Rolls for her lunch and my other friend and I shared an order in addition to the Miang Kham. The Spring Rolls were tasty and the accompanying spicy sauce was quite good, too.Service was great and so was the food. I'm kind of torn between 4 and 5 stars...nothing to keep from giving 5 stars but I usually wait for a second visit. However, it was such a nice experience I'm going with 5 stars. Great job, Chi!
Good food, but not the best! I guess having spent so much time in Linda vista area- I really look for super authentic food. We came in about 12 PM at lunch and got seated immediately. Service was great and we were given water, menus right away. Super clean restaurant as well. My co worker and I both got the chicken kapow dish, which was great but again- wasn't the most authentic version of Thai. I asked for spice level 6 which I think they matched, so that was a refreshing change. Probably wouldn't come regularly unless I'm in the area.
Came here for lunch one day and had the whole place to ourselves. Service was quick and prompt -- as it should be when you are the only ones there. The lack of other customers had me concerned that we had chosen poorly, but we decided to proceed.I was hungry and promptly ordered the mango salad special with shrimp. There had to have been a whole mango. It was like a mango explosion. The shrimp were large and tasty as well. The citrus dressing made it all complete with just the right amount of tang. Overall, nicely done.I also decided to have the pad thai with shrimp. The noodles were fresh and good. The flavor was great. It was not too greasy as some pad thai can be. It was one of the better pad thai I have had. Would order again no doubt.The ambiance seems upscale and the decor is great. I think this place is quite good and warrants another visit for sure.
Quaint restaurant, lovely interior. Warm, friendly, attentive service from start to finish. Tried the tofu spring rolls, the crab/shrimp spring rolls, spicy noodles with crispy fish, papaya salad, green curry and mango and sticky rice. Everything was delicious. Generous portions. Spice level was perfect. Will definitely be back!
The food is great (and they even had organic beer for those you'd care to know about THAT :-)And then.........One day, We saw a young bird fall behind their beautiful outdoor planter box. The little guy (or gal) landed on the window frame where s/he got stuck as there was no space between the planter and the wall preventing access to the ground. We couldn't reach the bird from above as the box is so high and the distance to the window so narrow.We started to worry until we got unexpected help from the restaurant. (The restaurant was closed at that time!) This help was crucial to move the heavy planter and get the tiny bird out of its confinement.Thank you all at Chi's not only for running an excellent restaurant but also for your kindness and humanity!We love you guys!!
We went here out of a yelp review It's been there a year plusI zoom by often missing this MenuSign just upFirst off Excellent Flavors!!Beautiful presentation Food was "The Best" There should be a line at the door!Coconut Shrimp Catfish with red curry crispy fried basil Chicken with green Curry, potato, carrot I'm a retired Executive Chef I do know about great food, Please come and fall in love with this slick spot and there amazing flavors!C.R. Brown
A friend took me to dinner tonight at Chi restaurant, which was my first, rather skeptical, experience with Thai food. Whoever designed the decor in that restaurant nailed it. I loved the decor, the colors and the elegant simplicity. But even better was the food. It was incredible and the waitstaff was professional and very friendly. Our water took the time to explain the menu and accommodate my order. The owner Patti really hit the bullseye on this venture. I plan to take my aunt there when she visits me next month.
The food is nicely presented and the dishes are tasty. It wasn't too crowded when we went, and the service was fast and friendly.
Sawadii-khap!Thai food seems to be a bit less trendy these days, but so glad this place came to the north end of North Park. Solid offering of tasty "aloy-ma-ma" (extra delicious) dishes. We tried the tofu lettuce wrap apps, green curry with mixed seafood and massaman curry with roasted chicken. Goodbeer and wine to accompany our dishes. I ordered spice level 6 with the green curry but should have pushed it a bit higher.Super great staff, including hulking body builder Thai guy and two gorgeous young ladies. Prices a bit on the high side but not outrageous, especially for dinner (we did not go there for cheap business day lunch special).Will return. There's plenty more to try. Khrap-Kuhn-Khap!!!
The name does say it all for this quaint healthy Asian eatery. Locally sources vegetables combined with solid recipes explain why people were in and out all night getting take out orders. Seating is sparce but the food is worth the wait. For an appetizer I had the fried spring rolls; they were light and crisp with a perfect sweet sauce. My entree was shrimp and crab curry noodles and coconut shrimp. These were the biggest coconut shrimp I have ever had and the noodles were very satisfying. I am definitely come back to try more of the menu. Prices are very reasonable and the service was quick and friendly. Parking was the hardest part, but side streets solved that problem with ease.
I just finished having lunch at Chi and I am in love with it. The decor creates a relaxing yet trendy atmosphere. My friend and I both had the spicy basil noodles and they were amazing. This was exactly what I was envisioning for my yummy Thai lunch. Our meals came with a soup and delicious yellow curry samosas. Our server was very attentive and took special care of my friend's 2-year old. Chi was enjoyed by all three of us.
I've been here twice for dinner and both time, the quality of the ingredients were fresh. Also, I feel they don't use as much MSG as other thai places. I liked the curry and spicy basil fried rice, Pad Thai was ok but not the best. Overall, It's a nice place and service.
The quality of the ingredients was great but they use way too much Sugar. Our Tom kah would had been very good if not for the amount of Sugar and too much lime. I like a lot of lime but this was out of proportionI thought infact they might have tried to correct with lime the too much Sugar they used or vice versaI had drunken noodles After and again they would have been really good if not for the Sugar. Same with my husband s dish ( he had garlic broccoli and again same issue)A lot of beers to choose fromI had a coconut creme drink that tasted like nothingWish they revised the Sugar content of their recipesPlumeria still is my favorite thai in SD
This is my go-to place for great Thai food. A small place with good food. I always order the Tom Yum, Ginger fish (ask for steamed) and Mock Duck Garlic Pepper. The Tom Yum has a lemony flavor and a bite of pepper. I like it with vegetables only. We once ordered the Ginger fish and didn't specify steamed. The fish was fried and made the dish oily. My favorite is the Mock Duck Garlic Pepper. The mock duck is crispy, not rubbery and served with steamed broccoli.The service is homey, can be a bit slow if they are busy.
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Chi Extraordinary Kitchen - 328 Photos & 258 Reviews ...
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