A good steak is a difficult thing to find in Xi’an, especially since some of the older and more reliable places have long since succumbed to the woes of the Xi’an restaurant scene. So when talk of a place that served steak, alongside a selection of other Western dishes, that was both consistently cooked to order and good-quality, I had to check it out.
Vinochef is located in the Zhongda International mall on South Street, close to the inside of the South Gate of the city wall. Zhongda was the original high-end mall of Xi’an and has in recent years been home to a number of interesting and unique restaurant concepts and stores. Vinochef is located on the 1st floor, which is one up from the ground floor, in the northwest corner of the building. Though it can be a bit of a journey to navigate through the inside of the mall, it is well worth the adventure.
The restaurant is a cozy place, with an open kitchen so that you can see your food being prepared, as well as a variety of tables that can fit parties of nearly any size. There are no private rooms available, but the space still feels intimate enough to maintain a sense of privacy. The overall impression is one of a friendly neighborhood restaurant or friend’s home.
The menu contains a number of unique dishes, as well as some Western restaurant classics, from soups and salads to pizzas, burgers, and – of course – steaks. With so many choices on the menu, we decided to go for one of the set meals, which contained a sampling of different courses as well as an M5 ribeye steak.
The first course to come out was a tuna Caesar salad, along with our choice of beverages – a pair of cold teas to counter the hot weather outside. The salad was ample enough for two people to share, with flakes of tuna, oven-dried tomatoes, eggs, and generous shavings of parmesan and fresh cracked black pepper. There was more than enough dressing for the entire salad, which is sometimes an issue in restaurant salads, so that was much appreciated.
Next was a pair of soups, a black truffle mushroom soup and an Italian vegetable soup, each served with two slices of their house-made cranberry bread. Both soups were quite good, with the mushroom soup having a good balance of earthiness and creaminess, and the minestrone was deep and flavorful, with a nice crunch to the vegetables.
After that, we had the Sichuan-flavored “crepe” which is more similar to an ultra-thin crust pizza. It was topped with a layer of cheese and spicy Sichuan cured sausage and a generous shake of chile flakes. This dish was a nice balance between the saltiness of the cheese and the spiciness of the sausage and chiles. Definitely something we would come back for.
Finally, we were served our main dish of an M5 wagyu ribeye, which they allow you to choose out of their meat cooler at the front of the restaurant. We ordered it medium-rare and it was just about perfectly cooked through. The steak was buttery and delicious, practically melting on the fork. Seasoning was kept to a minimum, which I appreciated, and there were sea salt and pepper grinders on the table to adjust as we desired. The 400g steak was more than enough for the two of us together, especially with the intense richness of the wagyu. The steak was served with a side of seasoned potato wedges, which were very good as well, and a homemade black pepper sauce to go with both, though I did not find it necessary, as the steak was good on its own. The only thing that was not so good were the vegetables, which were not fully cooked through, but we weren’t there for the vegetables, so it didn’t matter.
Despite the fact that both of us were quite stuffed at this point, the final course of dessert arrived at the table. Thankfully it was not an overly large portion, as we would have been unlikely to have been able to finish a large piece of cheesecake. The Basque-style cheese cake was very creamy and delicious and a nice cap to the end of the meal.
Overall, Vinochef is a good restaurant to have a meal at and worth stopping into. The menu is extensive enough to cater to a large group of people, but not overwhelming. The items on the menu seem to be made with care and the restaurant already is quite popular with families and couples. The average price per person will vary depending on what you looking to eat. Set meals available through 大众点评 start from 32RMb for a simple hamburger set all the way to 497RMB for the Wagyu set meal for two people, with many options in between. Because this is a small business, the owners recommend calling ahead to reserve a table and let them know what you’d like so that they can do their best to serve you. If you’re in the mood for a satisfying and well-prepared Western meal, then this is the place to check out.