Peruvian Delights in Central

Reivew of CHICHA– 26 Peel Street, Central, Hong Kong

When I first saw the palm trees going up on Peel St, my heart skipped a beat hoping that Latin fare would be replacing the old Chez Patrick space. Thankfully, I wasn’t too far off the mark and Chicha presented itself with commendable Peruvian flare.

There are a number of things that I like about Chicha from the decor to the open kitchen but what I enjoyed most was the warm environment and sincere representation of Peruvian classics. I can’t say every dish sampled was outstanding but most were solid. Moreover, the portions here were properly made for sharing and I left feeling satisfied and not entirely gorged financially (which is how I normally feel when I eat to fullness).

I went to Chicha with my food partners in crime, Jay and Diane, on a Saturday evening and the service was impeccable. We had a dedicated waiter all evening who was helpful and seemed genuinely happy, an uncommon find in HK which is generally sodden with dour servers. We started with the sea bass ceviche which was good but not great. It had the appropriate ingredients like the giant corn and leche de tigre but was lackluster flavor-wise. The calamari was one of my favorite starters which was battered lightly, seasoned well and tender. Chicha also serves their calmari/squid in tentacle form rather than the standard o-shaped rings.


Some other notable dishes include: pan con chicarron, which is like a mini burger with fried pork, fish or chicken filling and from their main dishes; the lomo saltado, a tenderloin stir fry served with a massive fried rice ball encased in potato which is broken ceremoniously table-side; and the cannot-miss fried sweet potato donuts. These were absolutely amazing. I would come here just for these damn donuts alone.

Unfortunately, their tacos, which we thought were going to be good as they were flying out of the kitchen, were a huge disappointment. The fillings were flavorless and for me personally, I’m not a fan of semi-stale hard taco shells.
Their drinks were also not impressive either. This was a bit of a concern considering that they have a sister bar, The Roger Room, just across the street. We noticed that some of those seated at the high tables in the window of The Roger Room were able to order food from Chicha so next time it’s full, maybe ask to be seated there instead.



The $$$ Damage: with all the food mentioned above, an order of corn (nothing special to report on the corn), and five cocktails, the grand total was $560 per person. Not terrible for the location and definitely good considering you had to practically roll me out of the restaurant because I was that full!