Cha-ya

So, I figure since I'm still in San Francisco and enjoying all its culinary delights, I might as well throw up my own little restaurant reviews. If not for the general public (because, really, who stumbles onto this site and reads it? Currently, no one, but one day perhaps the WORLD haha) then at least for all of you guys. For those of you here in the bay, and in case anyone from back east (or elsewhere in the world) decides to visit San Francisco, then at least you can have some ideas not just from chowhound. (If you haven't frequented that site, you really should, it has great food recommendations for a good number of cities in the US.)

Rating system:
Boo -- I will not be trying this ever again.
Ehh -- I'd give it another go, if there's really nothing else.
Yay! -- Totally going to try this again.

So, Tuesday night I tried out Cha-ya on Valencia in the Mission with D-Ha (names have been changed to protect people's privacy). We actually stumbled upon this place since we were trying to go to Osha Thai (the Mission one) and both recognized the name, so opted to try this instead.

Cha-ya is Vegetarian Japanese Cuisine, so it's an ideal place for any PETA fans. The decor is very laidback, with a counter and stools running along the front window and something like 15-20 other tables in the restaurant, it's a moderately sized restaurant with a cozy environment. It reminded me a bit of Noodle Cafes in Hong Kong, but obviously cleaner than a lot of those. Since it's in the Mission, everyone I saw there was young and um... hip (I reserve my thoughts on this for another post), but it's obviously a very open environment because immediately upon sitting down a table had a birthday celebration, and the entire restaurant chimed in singing. Service is great, even though there was a bit of a wait to order, the waitress was very polite and anytime that we ever needed anything the response was prompt and well thought out. (Bringing extra spoons and dishes, sometimes without us even asking etc.)

D-Ha and I ordered:
Agedashi Tofu
Sunomono
Veggie Tempura with Hot Udon
Pear Compote (for dessert)
One Large Asahi Super Dry (from the bottle! Yay!)


1. Agedashi Tofu: I was a little less than satisfied with this, but I actually only ate this after it had been on the table for about 15 minutes. I'm used to having the little flakes (ingredient unknown) on top though, and there weren't any. D-Ha seemed to really enjoy it, though, after handling the initial issues of sufficiently dousing each piece of Tofu in sauce. Also, this comes out hot, so try not to shove a whole piece in your mouth like D-Ha did. Though, it will provide much entertainment to other people in your party, haha! (Rating: Ehh)

2. Sunomono: This was interesting, but nothing mind blowing. Cucumbers, radish, rice noodles, seaweed etc. The interesting additions, though, were roasted soybeans and raisins (!). Otherwise, heavy on the vinegar but light on other seasonings, and generally not tasty unless used as a palette cleanser. (Rating: Ehh)

3. Veggie Tempura with Hot Udon: I really enjoyed this. The broth was different than most I've tried, light and tasty (though, perhaps a bit salty -- D-Ha vehemently agrees), and the noodles were pretty al dente so I was happy about that. The tempura was well done, not too much batter, and the presentation as a little tee-pee of veggies was quite cute. I'd never had asparagus tempura, and I'll say that I don't think asparagus should be tempura-ized, but otherwise the squash, mushroom, carrots etc. were fabulouso. (Rating: Yay!)

4. Pear Compote: Yummy pear slightly submerged in vanilla soymilk topped with green tea sauce and some soybean granule type things on top. Served cold, this was super tasty. A nice healthy end to a good meal. The green tea sauce and soybean balls on top are totally the kicker. I advise against drinking the soymilk, unless you like unsweetened soymilk. (Rating: Yay!)

5. Asahi Super-Dry: duh. Came from the bottle. Kicked ass. (Rating: Yay!)


Anyways, this whole meal was all priced somewhat modestly at around $38.00, including tip! Also, they only accept Cash so don't be whippin' out your Visa, but they do have an ATM inside the restaurant for convenience. (2 dollar fees and all that... I had to use it.) We didn't get to try any of the sushi this time, but there are plans in the future to return and try out their other dishes. On the whole, Cha-Ya ranks a Yay! and I will be re-visiting them hopefully sometime soon. As a sidenote, I really enjoyed their dishware. It was cute and very apt to their vibe.

Keep an eye out for the other Chaya of Japanese/French fusion influence and Blowfish Sushi (coming this weekend!) which is known more for their drinks than their sushi... but hey, we'll see how that goes, I guess.