CHE

​We've been waiting for the arrival of CHE to our 'hood with much anticipation and realise its opening was behind schedule but such things happen.

Anyway we made it on Saturday for lunch and I think it had only been open for a day or so. 

Seating inside is pretty cosy with one large communal table, a couple of smaller tables round the edge and a couple of high tables for two on the other side of the room. There is also outdoor seating which might be a better option if you don't want to leave smelling of smoke.

The menu is mainly chicken; brined and marinaded for 48 hours in spices and dark beer, smoked and chargrilled on site. The smoker is an impressive shelved cupboard behind the counter and yes, it smokes enthusiastically so it's not just the chicken that gets a good smoking but anyone and anything within 10 feet!

There's also 4 tyopes of empanadas, fries and condiments, some tasty sounding salads and ice cream. Although the machine looked like it was out of action and someone was tinkering with it when we were there so no ice cream for us.

Steve placed our order at the counter and sat and waited. The food wasn't particularly quick and our empanadas didn't materialise so I'm guessing there's still some teething to be teased out. It was pretty obvious, Chef was training one of the guys behind the counter and we saw some fries get thrown out for not being prepared correctly.

So the chicken arrives first because our empanadas got lost. It looks dark and juicy and it is delicious. It has a kick of spice to it so it's probably not one for the kiddies; and although the place seems family friendly I'm not sure how many kids would actually enjoy this chicken as it's quite adult in flavour...maybe an idea is to have a toned down, non spiced version for the little ones?

The fries (unpictured) are super crispy and also delicious. I love the herby, garlicky chimichurri. We also have the chicken salt but I find it's not necessary with all the other flavours going on already.

The empanadas are good - my fave is the chicken. They're filled nicely and the pastry is a great texture. But the chicken is better. And at $26 for the whole chook it's pretty good value. If I'm to be super picky, I like the look of the earthernware / terra cotta dishes but the feeling of using the knife against it is like nails on blackboard and it cuts right through me. All the more excuse to dig in with the hands right?

I'm definitely a fan of this new neighbour; that chicken is yummy. Hopefully with a bit more time to bed things down the food will come out quicker, empanadas won't go missing and ice cream will be available. In the meantime, I'm happy enough with that chicken to forgive the rest!