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Two of Chifa's buns, Photo courtesy Chifa

Like just about everyone in this city, I’m a big fan of newly crowned Iron Chef Jose Garces. But, unfortunately, my budget doesn’t leave room for eating at his restaurants very frequently. I’ve got the perfect solution to that, though: happy hour at Chifa!

Chifa is Garces’ classy Peruvian/Cantonese fusion restaurant, and between 5 and 7 on weekdays they offer up a fabulous combination of buns and beers.

There are four different kinds of “buns,” which are tasty little morsels of meat sandwiched between different kinds of delectable breads. Each bun is paired with a specific beer, but you’re free to mix and match to your heart’s content. $10 will get you one beer and one bun, $15 for 2 beers and buns, $20 for 3, and $25 for all 4 combos. Determined to try them all, I sidled up to the swanky bar and ordered the lot of them. If you don’t have a huge appetite, four of the little buns are plenty for a lovely dinner.

The idea for “Buns and Beer” first came from the regular menu’s ever-popular pork belly buns, which is no surprise – they’re melt-in-your-mouth delicious, with flavors heavily influenced by Cantonese cuisine. The pork belly bun is paired with Kenzinger Lager, which never fails to please.

The second bun is grilled chicken with panca emulsion and bacon. The meat is good, but my favorite part of this bun was the “pan de bono” bread. The cheesy bun is made with yucca flour and backed with queso fresco! The chicken bun is paired with Flying Fish’s Bayshore Oyster Stout. The delicious beer is brewed with real oyster shells, but all you’ll taste is the smooth and chocolaty flavor.

The third bun is the braised duck (my favorite of them all), which is shredded and served on a decadent brioche bun slathered in that spicy guava butter I mentioned. It’s super juicy, with quite the tasty kick, and nicely paired with Elysian’s Immortal IPA, which is surprisingly light and drinkable.

If you’re in the mood for seafood, opt for the final bun – spicy shrimp with a slice of avocado. Victory’s Golden Monkey (the only bottled beer of the bunch) packs quite the alcoholic punch as its accompaniment.

At just $25 for all this goodness, I’ll be back for my Garces fix soon enough!

Chifa
707 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 925-5555
www.chifarestaurant.com