cha cha moon
May 10, 2008
At long last, after many months of anticipation (only prolonged by the wretchedness that is British Gas), Alan Yau’s budget Chinese-style noodle bar has opened in Soho. The man himself was present all night, and the atmosphere was jovial. I’ll be keeping mum about what I think about the food until the Time Out review comes out, but in the meantime I’d love to hear what you all think.
Entry Filed under: london. Tags: alan yau, cha cha moon, chinese, ganton street, new restaurant, noodle bar, opening night, soho.
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1.
LSF | May 10, 2008 at 12:08 pm
A bit soon to review, don’t you think?
2.
si chun | May 10, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Thanks for the heads-up regarding the new restaurant, just sent some london friends along there to try it out tonite :P
3.
Charmaine | May 10, 2008 at 9:15 pm
LSF – I see what you’re saying, but I see no problem in doing so. It does pay to be a bit more lenient in the early days, so I will return in a few weeks to see how things have changed, if at all.
A good time to go though – all dishes are £3.50, which will change in a few weeks’ time.
Si Chun – No problem. Would be interesting to see what they think!
4.
si chun | May 11, 2008 at 1:46 am
They ordered choi sum, crispy duck lao mian, and hk-style ice tea; and they enjoyed it though found the portions rather small (fitting with the rather low prices at present..).
5.
foodieguide | May 11, 2008 at 2:29 pm
I can’t wait to go, hopefully this coming week! It’s never too soon to review a place. All you have to do is go again after a month or so!
Helen Yuet Ling
6.
basil | May 11, 2008 at 11:36 pm
i went at 5pm today (sunday) but it was closed. looked very colourful from the outside. i walked past it three times before i realised that it was closed :)
7.
Niamh | May 12, 2008 at 1:17 pm
I have been waiting for this and am going to check it out tonight! Really looking forward to it. I really liked ping pong when it first opened but the quality and consistency has really slipped so I don’t go anymore, I will stick to Royal China.
I am really interested to see how this one fares and will keep an eye out for your review!
8.
Tiramisuu | May 12, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Hi all! After reading Charmaine’s review, I couldn’t wait but dragged a friend to ChaChaMoon this evening.
Verdict: dissapointed.
We had:
- Penang prawn mee
- Stir fry turnip cake (too salty)
- Singapore Char Kuay Teow (too spicy and certainly did not taste like what i had back home)
Yes, all dishes are currently priced at 3.50 but the waitress “reassured” us that the price will change very soon.
Gossip: Mr. Yau himself was spotted in the restaurant.
I would like to know what others think about ChaCha too!
9.
Charmaine | May 13, 2008 at 7:14 pm
Si Chun – Thanks for the report! I’m wondering if portion sizes will also change when the prices go up.
Helen – Agreed! It would be unfair to write off a restaurant that is still finding its feet – Yau is still on the frontlines giving criticism/praise to his chefs every night.
Basil – I believe they open from 12noon every day, I don’t think they close for the afternoon (though I’m not sure on that). Let us know what you think when you’ve gone!
Niamh – I’ve never been to Ping Pong – too sceptical about the authenticity and quality! Glad to see your review already posted :)
Tiramisuu – Thanks for the mini review! What did you think of the Penang prawn mee?
10.
Tiramisuu | May 16, 2008 at 12:34 am
Hey Char, your Time Out review is out. I saw it on the web!
Job well done.
I think there is definitely room for improvement for Cha Cha Moon. I might give it a second chance to try other dishes while the prices are still low. Hope to bump into you guys.
London’s weather has gone mad again! aaarrrgghhh!!!!
11.
jaja | May 17, 2008 at 10:30 pm
i loooooveee the food in cha cha moon ve been there already three times;) prices are really low and the value of the food? ohh miam:) just came back and have to tell u that tomorrow (sunday) they r closed again but its last sunday off for cha cha moon:))))
service quick and really friendly:) keep up keeping up:))
12.
Charmaine | May 17, 2008 at 11:23 pm
Tiramisuu – Thanks! Gosh, the weather, I know. Here’s hoping the bank holiday weekend will see the sun!
Jaja – If only the prices would stay this low. I agree about the service – really charming people.
13.
mario | May 18, 2008 at 4:03 pm
oh yes service very nice and sexy:) at least two sexy estern european looking waitress yum yum:) what do u think about them?;)
14.
Jajiang | May 24, 2008 at 2:55 pm
A quick visit yesterday as I was passing .Only one dish a small portion of HK style Dan Dan Mien, not terrible but no better than my 4 minute version at home. All around me was chaos though, clearly a very severe lack of experience in the open kitchen as eveidence by the visibly faulty dishes emerging from very ineptly wielded woks. Thhis food would not pass even in the mediocre chinatown down the road, and is not outstandingly cheao even at introductory prices. A shame given the glorious tradition, but clearly immigration rules are having a serious impact.
15.
Charmaine | May 27, 2008 at 11:16 pm
Jajiang – I think Cha Cha Moon is suffering from its opening offer of £3.50 dishes – it was perfectly fine the first few days I went, with relaxed but efficient service. They’ve probably bit off more than they can chew with the low prices and subsequent hordes! I’ll be waiting a few more weeks when it dies down to return…