Just as Kitsilano's Chi is releasing a cookbook, the Vietnamese vegan restaurant is shutting down.
Created by MasterChef Vietnam runner-up Chi Le, Chi opened in 2016 at 1935 West 4th Ave.; in 2020, it transitioned to a plant-based menu, which it has stuck with over the last few years.
However, it's closing permanently later this week.
"Our final service will be August 14th," writes Le in an Instagram post. "Nine years ago, Chi began as a small dream in Kitsilano, a place to share the food of my childhood and the flavours of my heritage."
In the post, Le thanks the community for supporting the restaurant.
"You have been our reason," writes Le. "Through long days, quiet nights, and the most beautiful moments of connection. Chi has never just been a restaurant… it has been a home, and you have been its heart."
Le participated in the 2014 MasterChef Vietnam show, finishing second. After returning to Canada, she opened up Chi as a contemporary Vietnamese restaurant.
While the restaurant is closing, a book by the same name is being launched.
"Chi features 75 vibrant, plant-based recipes drawn from the dishes we've served at Chi over the years, some you’ll instantly recognize as your go-to favourites, others you might remember from past seasonal menus. Each recipe is rooted in Vietnamese home cooking, reimagined through the lens of local vegetables and the rhythms of the West Coast," reads the book's page on Chi's site.
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