ChiHo Bistro 滋味堂 — Restaurant in Seattle

I highly recommend giving ChiHo Bistro a try if you want well cooked Chinese foods sans the excessive oil. This cozy spot is a welcome addition to the downtown and Belltown area because you can get homey food without venturing into International District or resorting to Din Tai Fung or Dough Zone for a dumpling forward meal.

Their menu indexes heavily on Cantonese items with a sprinkle of Shanghainese and Chinese American dishes. In the four times I’ve dined at ChiHo, I found that not all dishes are a home run but here are the few they executed well: SOUP DUMPLINGS: I have had the mala, spring onion chicken, and truffle pork soup dumplings. They are all well made - thin dough, piping hot soup, and flavorful filling. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them. GARLIC FRIED CHICKEN WINGS: The crust on these wings had a great crunch, reminiscent of the texture of Korean fried chicken wings. HONEY WALNUT PRAWNS: Honey walnut prawns is a childhood favorite of mine, and they delivered a great version of this dish. SOY GLAZED BEEF FLANK RICE NOODLES (aka Beef Chow Fun): I often find beef chow fun with the right level of wok hey to be excessively oily in order to prevent the noodles from sticking to the cooking vessel. However, I think ChiHo achieved the infusion of wok hey while still maintaining a balanced dish. STIR FRIED SEASONAL VEGETABLES: I am typically skeptical about a seasonal vegetable dish actually featuring seasonal produce. However, I have ordered this 3 times, each time featuring a different rotation of vegetables cooked to the right level of doneness.

Overall, I hope ChiHo Bistro finds success in Belltown, and I (selfishly) have a Chinese spot to frequent for years to come. My core piece of feedback for the ChiHo team is that they narrow their menu's focus to their specialties instead of providing variety. This will enable them to let their best items, such as their soup dumplings and lighter stirfried dishes (Cantonese items),...

I went on their first day open and have been waiting for them to have a page to review. I had the Traditional Soup Dumplings and Chicken Wings and was blown away and overjoyed about having a delicious, affordable Chinese restaurant of this caliber near me. The dumplings were the best I've had and I could eat 100 happily. The black vinegar is a sacred combo and must be protected at all costs. The wings were uniquely crispy but with juicy, tender meat inside. Frankly it was a bit mind-boggling how it was done with such contrast and balance. The seasonings were so beautiful and while, much like the dumplings, I didn't require the sauce, it was a delightful addition and flavor mixup. The staff is so nice, service was great, and when I shared my elation from the food, they were so happy and gracious. You can tell they REALLY care about their product and work very hard to make it this good. The community really needs to come through for ChiHo because they've come through for us bigtime here. This a 10/10 and among my favorite places I've ever been. ❤️ I've been back a few times since this review and everything and more holds up. The Dan Dan noodles perfectly balance the ma and la, braised meatball is soft and sublime, truffle pork dumplings were killer too. The truffle fried rice wasn't bad, just a little dry and lacking in flavor for my palate. There's something for everyone here. The service is only getting better as they go and have always been the utmost friendly. Shoutout to Anna for her recommendations and...

I came across The ChiHo Restaurant on Instagram through a couple of food bloggers. Despite such great support in promotion the overall experience was awkward and the food gave my guest and I mixed feelings. Heres what was ordered : Half of the Truffle Roasted Duck, Black Truffle Fried rice, Szechuan Chili Oil Wontons, Iced Hong Kong Milk.

We received each plate at different times and ended up eating sides instead of a meal altogether. The Szechuan Chili Oil Wontons were served at 6:41pm, Black Truffle Fried rice at 7:02pm, and The Truffle Roasted Duck at 7:07pm. I would have preferred waiting longer for the order to come out altogether. I noticed other people experiencing the delay and later overhearing the UberEats driver complaining to the waitress about waiting 25 minutes after she informed him it would be longer. The duck and wontons were at room temperature. However they were delicious. The layer of fat between the skin and meat is sweet. (There will be a few bones you have to pick out here and there.) Black Truffle fried rice was also pleasant but underwhelming. For a fried rice dish it was chewy, slightly sticky. This can be a result of using Glutinous rice which produces high content of amylopectin and low amylose. It might just be someone else's preference. Hong Kong Milk needs to be chilled in pitchers beforehand to be ready when guests order the drink "iced". We received a warm drink with melting ice, not great.

Would I recommend The ChiHo restaurant? No. Hope they will improve in the...