Chinese food is good for friday evening; tasty, varied and goes with watching movies.
But when I want a good culinary experience with some friends, we go to one of those Japanese restaurants where the cook is in at the center of the table and prepares your food as you watch, doing all sorts of tricks.
Chinese is nice, but Japanese is far more exquisite, delicate, stylish and more cleverly thought of. Much more focus on the separate qualities of the used ingredients.