Chifa — Restaurant in Montreal

We really wanted to like this establishment but unfortunately, our experience at CHIFA ended up being very sour. First negative encounter started the moment we entered the restaurant when we requested to be seated at a table. The waiter told us that we could only sit on bar stools by the window because we were two and that only groups of 3 are able have a table especially because we hadn’t made any “reservations”. It’s okay if that is their policy, but the tone that was used was quite rude. We sat down and eventually ordered our items…it took quite a while to receive our first plate. Then our second plate arrived….and then….our third plate which was dumplings. As I was slicing the dumpling with my knife, I found a piece of paper right in the middle of the stuffing. It looked like one of this pieces of paper you’d expect to find in a fortune cookie, but it obviously didn’t belong there. We alerted the waiter and he took away the plate and replaced it with a new one almost 30 minutes later. Nobody came to apologize, no drinks or shots were offered on the house…nada. At the end of the meal, the waiter brought us the bill and CHARGED us for the dumplings!! I kindly told the waiter that we should not have been charged for them and he replied that because they had been replaced, he could not discount the dumplings. I decided that we would not be giving any tip as the level of customer service was aberrant. While I was away from the table to get my jacket, I overheard the waiter arguing with my partner saying that the amount we had left was not correct and that “HIS TIP” was missing. I went back to the table and explained to the waiter that it was unacceptable to charge us for this item and that the level of service had not met our expectations. He replied that there was no reason for him to discount it from our bill because he had brought us a new serving. I realized that it was impossible to reason with him but as we headed towards the exit, the waiter thought it would be a good idea to tell us to “GET OUT”!!! I could NOT believe my ears….I turned around and told him how dare he told us to “get out” after we spent our money at CHIFA. I reminded him that tipping was not mandatory especially for bad customer service and that the situation was poorly dealt with. Was there no manager on the floor that could have come to apologize? Finding a piece of paper from the dumpling factory right in the middle of the stuffing is disgusting and to be told to “GET OUT” because I didn’t leave any tip? Shameful and VERY disappointing as this restaurant was a recommendation...

Walked by this vibing Peruvian fusion resto and thought I should give it a taste. I started off with the : -Chicha morada cocktail: Purple corn syrup, lime juice, soda. Punchy tartness that’s pretty to look at. A touch of soda so it’s not overwhelmingly fizzy. A good upgrade on a fizzy lemonade -Sui Mai : doused in a soy chili sauce with green onions this salty pleasure did not disappoint. I halved the sui mai to sop up the delicious salty sauce and buried those flavorful wonders in my mouth. Full of shrimp and pork- they were flavorful even without that salty soy goodness. -Fritti calamari: oh man. I don’t even know what to say. So light yet crunchy and moist. Cooked to perfection. Didn’t even need the sesame tahini garlic tasting sauce- although that sauce. I would have slathered that all over a shawarma….. if I was eating a shawarma. I ended up eating both items individually as they were sooo good. Also good together but I felt that eating the calamari separately from the sauce I could really enjoy the individual flavors and savour all it had to offer. But as hubby says to me all the time “you gotta eat it when it’s hot”. It looses a bit of its crunchy texture as it cools down. Wonton soup: was an order put through because I was feeling a bit under the weather. Pretty bland to be frank, even when I added the remnants of my sui mai soy sauce. The two wontons were a bit too big with the the filling minimal compared to the noodle wrapping. Would not order this one again. Overall I’d come back to try some of the...

This is a pretty good fusion restaurant with some standout dishes.

For appetizers, we ordered the combo anticuchos, daily cones, and ceviche. The combo anticuchos were excellent—$28 for four skewers, and each type of meat was grilled to perfection with great flavor balance. The grilled mushrooms had a slightly sweet taste, which was an interesting touch.

The daily cones, however, were underwhelming. The cones weren’t particularly crispy, and we tried all three flavors, but none of them stood out. The octopus one had a strange taste.

The ceviche was absolutely amazing—super fresh, with tender fish and a bright, citrusy kick that made it incredibly refreshing. Definitely a must-order for next time!

For the main course, we had the Duckitos. It’s not a traditional Peking duck, but it came with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce, ginger strips, and pickled radish, all of which complemented the dish beautifully. The only downside was that a few pieces of duck weren’t properly deboned, which could be a safety issue.

For dessert, we followed our server’s recommendation and got the corn cake. I’m pretty sure it was made fresh to order because we waited at least 10 minutes—but it was worth it. The cake was soft, fragrant, and steaming hot, perfectly paired with ice cream. No one could say no to that.

As for drinks, the Marauchita was the better choice—fruitier and more refreshing overall.

A solid spot with some real highlights. Would definitely come back for the ceviche...