Cha Cha Moon (15-21 Ganton Street, London, W1F 9BN) I'd read all the hype about this fabulous cheap noodle bar by Alan Yau of Hakkasan and Yauatcha fame and having eaten many times at the latter, I was quite excited. My credit has been well and trully crunched this year, so the prospect of eating a more affordable meal at one of Mr Yau's restaurants was an opportunity not to pass up. When we arrived there was a queue that snaked the length of the restaurant entrance and way out into the steet, so although the thought of queuing wasn't ideal we figured this was a good sign. Luckily the queue moved quickly and we managed to get inside only to join another really long queue, but this was next to the glass fronted open plan kitchen so we were kept amused by the super-fast chefs with their bamboo steamers and searing hot woks. When we eventually made our way into the restaurant proper, we were surprised at how big it was. It looked like a posh Wagamama's or not-so-posh Yauatcha. The seating was main ly bench style and you share tables with complete strangers which you don't mind when no dish exceeds £6.50. The menu was noodles in any which way: steamed and hand pulled, boiled, stir fried… I opted for a chicken and vegetable stir-fry dish and my friend had a beef ho fun dish. Both were fresh, light and tasty. My friend is allergic to shellfish, so we had a little trouble choosing side dishes as we were only left with two options, some veg and chicken dumplings. It's not a great menu if you're vegetarian or if you can't eat shellfish, but other than that, it does what it says on the tin. The portions were on the small side though and we did come out a little hungry. Probably best for lunchtime rather than a leisurely evening meal.
Link to this reviewApril 2009 |