Ordinarily if someone asked you to come along to have lunch at at a department store I’m sure you wouldn’t be filled with excitement.
Admittedly when I was asked along to a review a restaurant inside Debenhams, Oxford Street my imidiate thoughts were curled up sandwiches in plastic wrappers and serve yourself coffee.
Upon arriving at Chi Kitchen this couldn’t be further from the truth.
With a completely separate entrance at the back of the store as well as an internal entrance that welcomes you straight into a super cool champagne bar that overlooks the sushi preparation area, it wasn’t like anything I had experienced before.
The attentive staff saw us to our table and talked us through the vast menu that is a real voyage through South East Asia; offering dishes from Thailand, China, Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Korea.
My husband who is a real sushi lover opted for the salmon and tuna sashimi and California rolls.
The presentation was absolute perfection! The fish was served on a bed of perfectly handcrafted vegetables with clouds of billowing dry ice.
I opted for prawn dimsum and Thai green curry.
The dimsum were light and airy balls of perfection they just melted in the mouth.
The curry was the perfect blend of creaminess with a spicy kick that wasn’t to over powering.
I don’t normally go for puddings in Asian restaurants as I’m normally a bit disappointed with the small choice and factory supplied choices that are normally on offer.
Chi Kitchen however didn’t fall short in this area and it was at tricky choice between a passion fruit cheesecake and a mango creme brûlée.
The brûlée won and the crispy topping hid a delightfully creamy centre that I didn’t want to end.
Our meal was a complete experience for all the senses and completely smashed my preconceived ideas of superstore dining.
It is certainly somewhere to try whist out and about shopping or somewhere to make more of an evening of which is on our list to do next time!