BRISBANE | Casa Chow is, I believe, the first restaurant in Australia that’s completely dedicated to Chifa cuisine. Chifa is a Peruvian-Chinese fusion cuisine that began to develop in the late 1800s in Lima, when Peru experienced a large wave of Chinese migration – labourers who helped build modern Peru.
I first experienced Chifa dishes when I visited Peru in 2018. From refined takes at Isolina Taberna Peruana in Lima and Chicha In Cusco, to the casual family hole in the wall spots, I fell in love with the it. To this day lomo saltado Is one of my favourite things to eat.
Co-owner Jared Thibault’s wife Fiorella (who sadly passed away in April) was Peruvian, and he fell in love with her family’s dishes, and the many Chifa spots he visited on trips to Peru. The other owner, Vince Lombino, meanwhile, worked in Miami’s contemporary Latin restaurant, Chispa. Those influences are apparent as soon as you step in the door. The live DJ, neon lights, and pastel colour scheme all shout “Miami Vice”.
Back to the food, and there’s a lot to like on the menu. Dishes are inspired, and in many cases identical, to Fiorella and her mum Edith’s, home recipes. Lomo saltado, a beer and vegetable stir fry on chips, is great, as is the fried rice, ceviche, And dumplings. In fact, it’s all very tasty.
To drink, it’s cocktails inspired by the food, a selection of pisco sours, beer by local brewers Aether Brewing, and delicious wines.
Casa Chow
4B/148 Logan Road
Woolloongabba
Queensland 4102
Australia
Telephone: 1300 185 730
E-mail: n/a
Website
Open
Wed – Thu: 5:00pm to 10:30pm
Fri: 5:00pm to 12:00am
Sat: 12:00pm to 12:00am
Sun: 12:00pm to 9:00pm