Cha’s Restaurant, Shanghai
Cha’s, which opened in 2009, looks like its been there for years. A typical Hong Kong Cantonese cafe/diner – Cha features great Cantonese dishes. The original chain is based out of Hong Kong, and is built on the allure and charm of the old style, circa 1950′s. The no non-sensisical restaurant has paper menus at each table covered with glass.
With Sugared & Spiced, From Dumplings to Donuts, and Frenzied Palate, we decided upon Cha for an early lunch. Since we arrived just before the Saturday lunch crowd, we had little wait for our smallish table.
Cha reminds me of the Hong Kong cafes that I used to frequent – like JJ’s, after a night of drinking. In Hong Kong, Cha would be like a neighborhood diner, featuring breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Cha’s restaurant doesn’t look like much, but I’m sure this will relieve a lot of people’s Cantonese fix.
We started off Cha’s Homemade Curry with Beef Brisket & Tendon. The thick fluorescent colored curry with potatoes and carrots is a great meal by itself, with rice. The large cauldron had a nice spicy indian flavor, naturally. It wasn’t BTS spicy, which is good for novice spicy eaters.
The Poached Chicken in Soya Sauce is a classic Cantonese dish. Strangely, the ideal chicken is not cooked all the way, as evidenced by the reddish color in the bone. This delicate and specialized cooking manner maintains a natural tenderness and a succulent moistness in breast meat.
And the last of the main dishes we had was the Sweet & Sour pork. The breaded & deep fried pork is a famous dish, not only in China, but also in the US. It is one of the more popular dishes at Panda Express and other traditional Chinese restaurants.
To round out our meal, we also had fried rice, bolo bao’s, and egg tarts. Milk tea’s and lemon tea’s, which is also a Canton speciality, had to be ordered, as well.
What to Order: Cha’s Homemade Curry, Chicken, Sweet & Sour Pork, Egg Tarts What not to Order: Chicken is ok
Rating 1 Pigs Price Range 2 $/¥/NT
Links
Smart Shanghai, Zagat, Dining Secretary, City Weekend, Dianping, Food. Fashion. Ferrets.
