Unlike most cities, in Ibiza we have never been able to enjoy high quality Chinese cuisine. Until now. With the idea of making up for this lack and always trying to bring new things to the island, the O Beach group with Tony Truman and Duane Lineker at the helm opened Chi Kee Wun this summer, an innovative restaurant under the stars that offers an exquisite gastronomic proposal with which to approach the different regional varieties of Chinese cuisine.
Chi Kee Wun comes from a Chinese expression that means something like “everything is fine”, a name that could not be more appropriate, since, from the moment you set foot in the restaurant, you enjoy a constant feeling of well-being. As soon as you cross the entrance, an exquisite oriental garden with subdued lighting and charmingly hospitable service welcome diners, whose senses are immediately attuned to this haute cuisine proposal featuring dim sums, woks, rice dishes and noodles. As Jorge Grandinetti, director of Chi Kee Wun, explains, the idea was to create a pleasant and familiar space, with soft music that allows conversation and a truly Chinese cuisine, “as if you were eating in Shanghai or Hong Kong”, designed to be shared around the tables, almost all of which have a rotating plate in the centre.
All exterior, Chi Kee Wun has an excellent location in a very busy and lively area of San Antonio and for the convenience of customers has a spacious parking lot for 40 cars. So, although their main public are British and Dutch people staying in the area, they have already become a real culinary sensation that is talked about all over the island and are visited by customers from all over Ibiza.
Among the star dishes on the menu, delicacies such as a prawn and sesame toast with kimchi mayonnaise that you will not have eaten anywhere else, the spectacular homemade dim sum prepared by a Taiwanese cook, prawn and lime, pork and kimchi or wagyu, spring rolls, Chi Kee Wun rice, sweet and sour prawns, crispy lemon chicken, sautéed beef with oyster sauce and two real must-tries: crispy Peking duck, a signature dish, and tender pork ribs prepared with 72 hours of slow cooking that literally melt in your mouth. There are also some local Mediterranean nods, such as Asian-style sea bass, caramelised diced steak eye and an Ibiza wine on the menu. As much as possible, they always try to work with local suppliers and use zero kilometre fruits and vegetables.
To accompany these exotic flavours, at Chi Kee Wun they have created a very Asian signature cocktail bar with a spectacular presentation that has worked so well that during dinners they sell more cocktails than wines or champagne. They also offer shisha or hookah to complete the experience.
As they explain to us, there is still a part of the place, about 25%, that is not finished, because last winter’s supply crisis delayed the works and they had to postpone the opening a bit. However, in their first season they have already become tremendously popular in Ibiza and serve about 200 covers per night.
For next year they will present three smaller and more private gardens designed to celebrate events such as birthdays and a roof so that the rainy season does not prevent them from continuing to enjoy their delicious dishes and mixed drinks. Among the ideas they are considering is the use of candles or the creation of huge oriental-style umbrellas. They will be mobile structures to allow the continuation of the experience of dining under the open sky. Other novelties that have been announced include expanding the menu a little with fusion cuisine options such as Thai or Japanese, although without ever losing the identity of their original proposal. They will also begin to add new musical and artistic elements, although, as Jorge points out, “without detracting from the cuisine, which must always be the centre”.
For the moment though you can delight in the authentic flavours of China until November this year.
