Cha Cha Moon

hollowlegs

Bizarre 11th May 2009

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I really am confused as to why so many people like Cha Cha Moon so much.

The first time I came was for their new breakfast menu. My companion was quite excited as 'salmon porridge' was on the menu - we took this to mean congee, a Chinese rice porridge which is usually savoury. But no - it was actually oat porridge with salmon and a bit of salmon skin on top. Eurgh.

My own breakfast, the Marco Polo noodle soup, was actually instant noodles in a white-flecked puddle of non-descript 'soup' with a slice of flaccid pork belly, a string of choi sum, and a poached duck egg on top. It was so bland that the only thing I could do was add loads of chilli oil and soy sauce. For breakfast. Meanwhile, my companion struggled to get the waitress' attention to get a spoon to eat her porridge with. It was all so farcical that we had a good ol' laugh.

For some unfathomable reason, I returned for dinner. I was astounded to see a queue here. We ordered seafood ho fun, duck lao mein and some taro paste croquettes, all to share. The ho fun was fine, if a little stingy on the seafood. However, we weren't given the duck dish until after we'd finished the ho fun so had we not been sharing, one of us would have gone hungry. We sent it back anyway, as it was mainly skin and gristle. It didn't make much difference, as the replacement was dry, stringy and really poor in quality. This was the general theme - catering to the masses for as cheap an overhead as possible.

I'd much rather go to Chinatown, as my favourite, Hung's, is much cheaper, better in quality, and even the service is better.

One thing I will begrudgingly give them is that their Hong Kong milk tea is nice.

girlswear

Quick cheap eats 7th May 2009

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Canteen style Chinese tapas cafe in the heart of Carnaby Street. I like going to Cha Cha Moon, my favourite is the fried beef noodle (order Fried beef noodle and Sweet n Sour Pork, they might be simple dishes but to make them good is hard, usually my order to test out Chinese restaurants). Nothing more than £5, portions are a bit smaller than average although one dish is just perfect for a small eater like me, but this is meant to be a bit like tapas style. Dumplings were also good. In and out quickly and it definitely worth the value, especially during lunch time. But watch out for weekends as they tend to get quite busy but the queue moves rather quickly due to the fast turnover. Staff are efficient and friendly.

bellaphon

£3.50 no longer, but still good value. 24th December 2008

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Alan Yau deserves some kind accolade from the Queen for his services to the restaurant industry in the UK and now the world. His Midas quality is plain to see from the communal phenomenon of Wagamama to the Michelin starred Hakkasan. The man put himself on the map, and we the masses are happy enough to be inspired or at least be fed by him.

Cha Cha Moon (If recited backwards, ‘moon cha cha’ means dazed and confused in Cantonese) has been feeding a large number of people in its refectory-like dining room since May this year. The location within chic Carnaby Street is a brilliant marketing exercise, close to the hustle and bustle of both Oxford and Regent streets whilst retaining a degree of calm and oasis on where it stands. Since it first opened, all the food dishes were priced at £3.50; no more and no less. At those prices, it would've been pathetic to dismiss or disembowel Yau’s then new venture. The quality and quantity of the dishes were quite simply reflected in the introductory prices. The noodle based one-dish meals were in essence cheaper and better tasting than a Big Mac meal at McDs.

Six months later only 25% of the food menu consists of dishes that are still priced at £3.50 and this is mainly found on the sides options. The Spring Rolls, lovingly described as containing cloud ear, carrot, Chinese chive, cabbage and dried shrimp- were at best mediocre, not too unlike the frozen variety that one buys from Oriental supermarkets. The Prawn Guotie (fried dumpling) was tasteless and over salty. For dumplings of this ilk you can’t beat the Cantonese with their Deep Fried Prawn Dumpling in Salad Sauce. Beef Ho Fun- this dish totally dumbfounded me. An all-Chinese crew as far as I could see manned the kitchen, sadly this dish tasted as if it was cooked by some long lost Phoenicians. It tasted slapdash and quite possibly formulated (that’s how the dishes at Wagamama ended up when it began to expand nationwide). The ironic thing with this dish was I thought the peppers that came with it were actually yummy. The final dish of Cod and Bitter Melon Glass Vermicelli tasted wholly experimental- the vermicelli was way under seasoned, the batter encasing the cod was a tad rancid and the poor bitter melon felt hopelessly lost in this dish.

Despite the findings of the above, Cha Cha Moon deserves a huge credit for not over inflating the prices, none of the main dishes costs more than £5.50 and no service charge imposed on small groups of diners. The service from the young staff I find eager and helpful. Do I come back, yes only when I’m in the vicinity and can’t be arsed to go to Chinatown instead.

Sami

Average - but worth it sheerly for the price 11th September 2008

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Went here yesterday for a mid-afternoon snack and then passed by again at about 8 pm; there was a huge line of people spilling outside of the door, waiting for tables.

I've read so many mixed reviews and really wanted to try it, so I wasn't let down when our food arrived. What you get for 3.50 completely varies for the dish - I had the chicken and prawn dumplings, which were really good. One of my friends had the shitake mushrooms which were all of 4 tiny mushroom caps, but my other dining partner had some sort of meat/noodle dish which was huge for the price. He said that it tasted good but the texture was rather gloopy, which didn't sound very pleasant.

The setting is really nice and there's a lovely patio in Kingly Court if you're looking to sit outside (if the weather is still nice).

If you need a snack on the run then try it, but the service is varied, the waitstaff seem pretty unsure as to what they're doing, and the dishes all come out at different times. That's fine if you're eating at a finer restaurant and everything is fresh and made-to-order, but I can guarantee you that's not the case at Cha Cha Moon.

shopaholcleo

cheap but not enough 1st September 2008

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My first experience at Cha Cha Moon was bittersweet. After hearing about it's seriously cheap prices, I was really excited. There was a bit of a queue, but it went down reasonably quickly, the only reason we were delayed in seating was because we were waiting for two others. The hostess kindly kept a table by for us, so we could be seated as soon as they arrive.

I ordered the seafood ho fun and some chicken and prawn dumplings. However, I was very disappointed with the portion size for the seafood ho fun. It was lovely, with scallops, squid and the like, i just wish i could have enjoyed more of it. I guess for that low price, that's all they could give me. My friends had much better offerings, some dishes even came with soup. I think i'd definitely go with one of these next time, or order additional dishes.

I then had a long wait for my side dish, wish was annoying, and a friend waited an even longer time for her main. However the dumplings were hot, and worth the wait. The drinks menu is how they make their money, most are more that £2.50, but of course if you're not fussy you can just go for tap water. All in all, I liked the feel of the place, and the concept, I just wished there was more of it.

jezirwin

Great cheap food 9th August 2008

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I have been here a couple of times for lunch and I can say with confidence the food is great, it arrives quickly (although when its ready, not in any particular order). I guess the menu is best described as asian fusion, with cuisine from various parts of asia.

But the real kicker is the price. Every dish is £3.50, be it a side order, or main. Two dishes would fill most people and one would definitely fill a hole.

It's constantly busy and it's a bit of a lottery as to where you will be seated. But for me this just adds to the charm.

lenalouise

Bargain at £3.50 29th July 2008

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When I heard about the new opening of Alan Yau’s latest venture, I couldn’t resist having that on the top of my mental list of ‘places to try’, especially at only £3.50 a pop. We joined the queue and watched the chefs in the kitchen through the coloured glass wall while we waited. They seemed to have plenty of space but only let in a certain amount of people, probably so that the kitchen didn’t get too overwhelmed.

The wait wasn’t too long (15-20 mins) and we were eventually seated on a bench near the pass. Naturally, we took advantage of the opening offer and ordered way too much. We got 5 starters and 5 mains for the THREE of us!!

Starters:
Spring Roll
Guotie (Potstickers)
Cha Cha Mooli – A Chinese turnip cake with shrimp, spring onion and egg.
Braised Shiitake
Garlic Chinese chives

Mains:
Jia Xiang beef ho fun
Singapore char kway teow
Char siu mian
2 Taiwan beef noodles

The spring rolls were different to normal ones that you might find in Chinatown, it didn’t just contain the usual beansprouts, char siu, prawns. It had cloud ear, chives and dried shrimp. The guotie were average but I enjoyed watching the chef cook them. The turnip cake was nice but not as nice as the traditional one that is found in a normal Chinese restaurant.

Both the braised shiitake and the garlic chives were delicious. The mushrooms had been braised in a soy-based sauce and were soft, tender and full of flavour. The chives were refreshingly crunchy and just about garlicky enough for me (love the stuff, sorry Keith!).

My beef noodle was fairly flavoursome. They'd taken a classic chinese dish of braised beef flank and chinese turnip and added a broth and noodles to it so the idea was right but the braised meat/turnip needed a bit longer, it just wasn't tender enough for me. The other main meals were okay but nothing special.

I'm truly glad that there is now somewhere like this to get quick, chinese meals. Even though the decor isn't trying to hard and you sit on benches, it's still much more pleasant than sitting in a typical chinese restaurant of a similar same price range. I probably wouldn't pay much more for the food when they do put the prices up. Does anyone know if they have and what they put it up to?

sue

Fast, tasty and great value 23rd June 2008

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I had been eagerly reading the early reviews on Cha Cha Moon and liking the sound of it - especially the launch price of £3.50 for all dishes! So when we found ourselves in the vicinity looking for a fast, cheap meal one evening it seemed like the perfect opportunity to give it a whirl.

Thankfully there was no queue and we were seated immediately in a position with a good view of the kitchen and dining area, enabling us to eye off some of the dishes before ordering.

In the end we opted for the Wonton Mian (chicken wonton); the Crispy duck lao Mian; and the Seafood ho fun. The duck was very good - not too fatty, but the favourite dish was the seafood - loved the black bean flavour and those noodles.

Service was fast and efficient and our food arrived quickly. We really enjoyed the flavours and atmosphere and look forward to returning again asap, especially at those prices.

kellytron at 23/06/08

The £3.50 deal is still on then? I really need to get myself down there ASAP

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ilovelucy

Beware of teething problems 28th May 2008

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Remembering this place had just opened we skipped sushi in soho and made a beeline for Cha Cha Moon, a restaurant encompassing all types of noodle dishes from different parts of Asia. As a Wagamama and Yauatcha fan I was eager to see what Alan Yau's brand new restaurant and eating concept was like especially with all the dishes at a very low price of £3.50. We waited in a line of people down a glass corridor which faced onto the kitchen - they were obviously expecting queues and made provisions for it. Peering down into the restuarant there was plenty of space available on the wagamama style benches - however we were told that they were having some problems in the kitchen so they were taking things slow... Fair enough we thought and studied the extensive menu intently trying hard to decide what to pick. After around 10 minutes of waiting we were seated - the restaurant was modern, beautifully designed similar to Yauatcha. Wanting to try as much as possible we ordered our noodle dishes - mine was the Spicy prawn lo mein and Farrah had the Roast duck noodle dish and to top it off we chose shitake mushrooms, spring rolls, dumplings and Mooli pancake for sides. We loved the side dishes - mushrooms were meaty and flavoursome, and the mooli pancake had just amazing flavours of garlic and shrimp and spring onion - rather like turnip paste that you find in Dim Sum. Farrah liked her noodles - duck was excellent quality and the wolfberries gave a different but nice medicinal aroma. However, I was very disappointed with my noodles...it had said Prawn, Aubergine and Wonton noodles on the menu but when it turned up it had neither Aubergine or Wonton. I complained of course and they said the aubergine was a printing error they forgot to tell me when i ordered. But what about the Wontons?- i asked. I was surprised by the reply - it was wonton noodles not dumplings! Never in my life had i heard of such a type of noodles - how misleading! Graciously they took the offending dish off the bill and said their new corrected menu was arriving shortly. We paid £11 each which was frankly brilliant. Despite the hiccups I think we will be coming back, although I did hear a rumour that the £3.50 price of a dish is a introductory offer.....i sincerely hope not!

Niamheen

Fly me to the moon 13th May 2008

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Stylish, modern and in a great location, Cha Cha Moon is Alan Yau's latest eatery, following on from Busaba Eathai, Hakkasan, Yautcha, Sake no Hana. It's a sililar formula to Busaba Eathai - communal eating on long wooden tables and food served efficiently as it's ready.

The food listed on the menu appears very traditional, all chinese noodle dishes save the sides, although the szechuan wonton are a little tamer than those that I have experienced in Angeles in Kilburn. The tea smoked chicken was delicious and light. A shibuya cocktail was fragrant and fruity, possibly a highlight of the meal. It was a brief visit but I'll be back to try more.

It has just opened so, all food is £3.50 for the near future. I'd recommend that you get down there and see what you think!