October 31, 2023
Provided image/Cody Aldrich Photography
Chika was modeled after the noodle bar where Rick Deckard eats in the sci-fi classic 'Blade Runner.' The Rittenhouse Square restaurant opens Thursday.
At a new restaurant in Rittenhouse Square, science fiction and noodles collide.
Chika, which opens Thursday at 1526 Sansom St., is a late-night ramen bar that draws inspiration from the 1982 sci-fi flick "Blade Runner." The basement space is modeled after the tiny noodle bar that Rick Deckard (played by Harrison Ford) visits in the film, though the neon pink and blue interiors more readily recall the endlessly memed bisexual lighting of the sequel "Blade Runner 2049."
Deckard's noodle bar was counter-service only, but Chika offers bar seating for 14 along with a mix of tables and banquettes and a private dining room. The menu features five ramens with customizable spice levels and toppings, designed by chef Dean Leevongcharoen, who previously ran Ramen Bar in University City. Customers also can sample sushi, dumplings, seaweed salad and mochi.
Chika will serve up tonkotsu, shoyu and chashu miso ramens.
Provided image/Cody Aldrich Photography
Chika serves a selection of sakes, wine and beer, as well as cocktails with "Blade Runner"-inspired names. The Deckard, for example, is a mix of Japanese whiskey, St. Germaine, cherry shochu, egg white and citrus. Other drinks include the Roy Batty, named for Rutger Hauer's platinum blond robot, and the Electric Sheep, a nod to the Philip K. Dick story "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" the film is based on.
Chika only is offering dinner service to start, with lunch and brunch to follow at a later date. It will be open Tuesdays through Thursdays from 4 p.m. to midnight, Fridays and Saturdays from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., and Sunday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
While you're there, watch out for replicants.
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