{Sydney eats} Chi and Co., Canley Heights

Inside Chi and Co

Inside Chi and Co

It was really hard to visit Canley Heights without eating at the amazing Thai-Lao Holy Basil, but this time we had Chi and Co. firmly in our sights.

Tucked just around the corner from Canley Heights’ bustling main street, Chi and Co. (formerly known as Chi Chi) would not be out of place in the inner-city. It features a pan-Asian menu spanning everything from Vietnamese classics to Thai treats and hawker-style Malaysian fare. It’s a mish mash of cuisines, but somehow, it all works.

Chi and Co. inhabits an expansive space with a converted warehouse look, mostly black and white with touches of yellow. A huge mural spans one entire wall. It’s seriously gorgeous and the food is outstanding, from the more-ish son-in-law eggs topped with spicy XO sauce (said to be their signature dish), to the expertly smoky char kway teow. Our favourite dish was the fried crispy skin salmon and green papaya salad – an amazing jumble of texture and flavour, all zesty, herby, crunchy goodness.

Scallops with nam jim

Scallops with nam jim, son-in-law eggs with XO sauce, crispy skin salmon & green papaya salad

One of my favourite things about the menu is the selection of small starters at under $5 a pop, like the spanner crab on betel leaf and the grilled scallop with nam jim – bite-sized morsels bursting with flavour. I love being able to sample as many things as possible when I eat out, and Chi and Co. is the perfect place for those who like a pick and mix approach. I keep telling people about this place (first reaction – ‘Where?!’) and have plans to return with food loving friends and family, who I know will have a ‘can’t believe this place is here’ reaction, like we did! Even if Canley Heights is far from your usual haunts, it’s definitely worth the trip. And it’s an easier place to find a park than neighbouring Cabramatta (just!).

Chi and Co., Shop 3/264 Canley Vale Road (entrance via Derby Street), tel: 02 9727 2068, www.chiandco.com.auΒ 

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