FOOD & DR INK
CHI
Bao fans of Cambridge, listen up! Chi is now open for business in the upstairs food court at The Grafton, making it the first bricks-and-mortar bao restaurant in the city. In addition to lusciously filled steamed buns, there are also banh mi rolls, amazing chicken wings, noodle and rice bowls, salads, bubble waffles and bubble tea. Owner Aidan Tjinakiet is no stranger to the hospitality industry, his father having run Chinese restaurants for many years, including one (The Ambassador) that sat just outside The Grafton. “When I was a kid I used to basically live in this shopping centre” smiles Aidan. “Fifteen or 20 years ago, I remember how popular it used to be. You could barely get into the Burger King it was so busy. They’ve spent a lot of money on the centre itself. It’s looking good and we thought, ‘Yeah, we could be a part of that.’ We can offer something different, and hopefully help bring people in. I think it works well – having us and Amélie Flam-Kuche and Duck Truck coming in. These independents, it’s a point of difference, and hopefully they will make it a destination. Now there’s a few of us here, it’s really starting to pick up.” Food-wise, you can expect a unique, modern, pan-Asian offering that incorporates Chinese, Japanese and Thai influences. “It’s not traditional,” explains Aidan. “It’s kind of modern Asian flavours and we make all of the marinades here ourselves. Our house speciality is the beef bao, and the chicken wings are really popular, too.” The restaurant is on the cusp of opening a second branch in a shopping centre in Watford, which begs the question, can we expect to see a Chi on every high street in the next few years? “Not every high street, no” laughs Aidan. “We want to keep it relatively local. We might expand to a maximum of six or seven restaurants, but we want to keep it personal.” IMAGES Slow-roasted beef rib bao with spicy mayo, pickles, spring onions and jalapeños, and chicken wings tossed in sriracha, honey and soy glaze. Just some of the delicious pan-Asian offerings you can expect to find at Chi, located in the food court of The Grafton Asian fusion – everything has our twist on it. It’s not your same old
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