Royal distinction
Cha-Da Thai Restaurant and Sushi Bar vies for the crown in dual cuisines
By Erica Wayne 01/28/2010
According to our server, Cha-Da means crown. She points at two ornate examples on display on the walls above us. She also seems to be gesturing at the nifty light fixtures, marvelous sculptural ovoids suspended from the rafters, which could (perhaps) be interpreted as crown-like. The rest of the restaurant is understated: low lighting, subtle hues, tables set with white cloths and geometric white dishes, Zen waterfall fountain taking up an entire back wall, wall of comfy banquettes, dark box-beamed wood ceiling and panoramic glass façade onto Holly Street.
We’ve just come in from the proverbial dark and stormy night, and are looking for respite from the rain and the gloomy political outlook. (Trying desperately to digest the triple bombshell of the Massachusetts upset, the collapse of health care reform and the Supremes’ bizarre decision to let corporations decide who our elected officials will be, we’re not sure we’ll have room for dinner, but we’re giving it a try.)
Cha-Da bills itself as both Thai and Japanese (mainly sushi). Our server confides that the owner is “half and half.” Sure enough, tucked into the west side of the restaurant is a small sushi bar, manned by a cordial chef. Once seated, we are handed two menus — one with tempura and sushi, featuring specialty rolls of many, some really over-the-top, combinations and permutations ($5 to $12.95), complete with glorious color photos. The other is equally beguiling (even without pictures) and contains a full complement of Thai dishes, from plebian (e.g., pad Thai - $8) to patrician (Chilean sea bass in tamarind sauce - $16, for instance).
We’re a bit undecided. The prices on their Web site (which we glanced at before heading out) are wrong. Instead of $3.50, simple rolls are now $5. Pieces of sushi (since we’ve arrived after happy hour when they’re half-price) are $2. And a lot of the specialty rolls are way too complex and vibrant for our dreary mood. Besides, we’re cold. So we order a large bowl of tom kah gai (chicken-coconut soup - $9), one roll each of tuna and yellowtail — just to sample — and turn to the comfort of curries.
The rolls come first, eight slices each, beautifully stretched out on rectangular white plates. The yellowtail is more appealing — fish paired with scallion as well as cucumber with a smattering of sesame seed. The tuna is tender, but somehow a little less flavorful. Nevertheless, as it goes down, we begin to feel better; and, by the time the hot (and luscious) soup arrives, studded with mushrooms, chicken, red pepper flakes and perhaps just a bit too much lemon grass to navigate around, we’re thawing nicely, thank you very much.
Our entrée choices are all Thai — chicken panang (coconut milk curry - $8), pad thai ($8), pad prig king (red curry, green beans and pork - $8). These choices are purposely the same ones we order at almost all other Thai restaurants for comparative purposes. And we pick something less pedestrian, a crispy soft-shell crab with basil sauce ($14), the closest thing to a Japanese-Thai fusion dish we can find. We also tell our server to tell the cook that we like spicy food, a request that we find mostly futile in Thai, Chinese and Indian places we frequent.
So, how does the comparison work out? Pretty damn good, over all. Our panang is subtly spiced, complex and rich. It’s not as creamy as our favorite (at President Thai), but just as flavorful. The green beans in the pad prig king are cooked to a tenderness rarely found in stir-fried recipes and the slices of pork are a little thicker. The taste is just fine. Our noodles are nice — not gummy, with plump shrimp as well as chicken and bean sprouts. We don’t find the advertised crushed peanuts, and a little cilantro and lime wouldn’t be amiss. Of course, the heat level (except for the soup) is only moderate, and our server is surprised when we indicate we can tolerate hotter preps.
Our soft-shell crab is somewhat disappointing. There are two, cut in half, very heavily breaded (is this done in advance?) and not at all crispy. But the basil sauce is a pleasant topping, and the seafood nestles in a fluffy mass of greens, making it more like a salad than a main dish. I notice that the soft-shell crab garlic tempura on the Japanese menu is only $8, and might be a better bet if it’s truly tempura and fried after ordering. I’m tempted to do a side-by-side, but we’re sated and the price of our meal is already relatively high, so it’s moved to my “to do” list for a later visit.
And there will be a later visit. The food and atmosphere are certainly good enough to warrant further patronage. There’s a nice dessert list, including sticky rice with mango ($7.50) and coconut crème bruleé ($5) that I’d like to try. Several other dishes demand attention: crisp trout with green apple salsa ($16) and shrimp and giant scallops in curry ($15) to name a couple. And finally, there are those 64 rolls to contemplate.
Cha-Da Thai Restaurant and Sushi Bar
29 E. Holly St., Pasadena | (626) 844-4524 | Beer and wine/Major cards
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