[StephanieL]

Cha-An is a beautiful little Japanese teahouse on East 9th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue (up one flight from the street). There is a small "bar" done in wood, space for about 10 tables, and a couple of private rooms where one can have a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. I went with a friend for an afternoon tea/late lunch last Friday. You can order small entrees, dessert assortments, various food sets (either Japanese or traditional English), or just pots of tea. They have about 6 black teas, 6 green teas, 5 oolongs, 2 whites, and various herbal infusions. The menus describe each tea in detail.

We both got the larger of the 2 Japanese sets. We first got an amuse of reconstituted dried tofu with shrimp and shredded carrots. The texture of the tofu was interesting--almost like fine couscous. Then came a slice of soy milk mushroom & scallion quiche. I honestly could not tell that there was no cheese, and it definitely wasn't dairy-free as the crust certainly was made with butter. After that came the "mains": soup with muzu (?) seaweed, Japanese eggplant in a miso sauce, served at room temperature, slices of clam in a Dijon mustard sauce with shredded daikon, and "15-grain" rice. (The clam was a substitute for the tea-smoked salmon normally on the menu--they said they were out.) Everything was well prepared, and the clam was especially striking--the slices were so tender and the mustard sauce worked beautifully with it. Finally, we got a dessert sampler: honeydew sorbet (not my favorite--I don't like honeydew), a mochi blob, white sesame blancmange with cherries on the bottom, and a black sesame creme brulee. The latter two were just...wow. The creme brulee had a dense layer of sesame on the bottom, with a consistency of poppy seeds. The blancmange was understated but not as plain as a regular blancmange.

The sets were $19 each, including any tea on the menu (except for a few of the most expensive ones, which are a $3 surcharge). It was a relaxing way to spend the afternoon, and I was full but satisfied, not stuffed. I highly recommend going here, even for just a pot of tea. Note: they don't take credit cards.

[tanabutler]

This post is pure poetry. Thank you.

[Orik]

It's a very very nice place. Desserts, by the way, are the same as the ones served at Sakagura.

[Abbylovi]

Are they related? I had the impression that Sakagura made their desserts inhouse.

[Orik]

I don't know if they're related, it took a couple of visits to Cha-an to figure it out, but at least the sakura flan and the sesame creme brulee seem the same.

[StephanieL]

Which are both sort of similar to the black sesame panna cotta they have at Oms/b on 44th Street.

Forgot to mention the Yinzhin white tea that I had. I'd never had white tea before, and it had an interesting scent that I can't begin to describe. It was subtle though, more so than my friends "jasmine pearls". Both teas were served in individual porcelain pots, enough for one large cup, and the waitress was happy to keep adding hot water to the leaves for refills.

[Orik]

Abbylovi, on Aug 22 2005, 03:15 PM, said:

Are they related? I had the impression that Sakagura made their desserts inhouse.

on eG, someone says that the former Sakagura dessert chef is currently at Cha-an.

edit: and as for the relationship, I believe Cha-an is owned by Bon Yagi, who also owns Sakagura, Decibel, Rai Rai Ken, Shabu Tatsu, Sobaya and probably a few others.

[StephanieL]

I went back with N for tea today. The large Japanese set is still $19; I had that, while N had the afternoon tea. Her set was good for a light afternoon lunch: a smoked salmon sandwich, a lightly sweetened bun, 2 scones (one with bits of chocolate, the other with tea pieces) served with cream and jam, a small coffee macaroon, and two other petit fours. As for my set, I again had the soy milk quiche to start. The mains were the 15-grain rice, lightly cooked kambocha squash, a spicy vegetable soup (with okra, peppers, carrots, etc.), smoked salmon over watercress, and two small pieces of cooked chicken in broth with a starchy vegetable that I didn't recognize. Again, the quality was excellent; I could have had a much larger bowl of that soup. Dessert was also very good: a "napoleon" of two flaky, crunchy, sweet pastry squares with a dollop of red bean paste and a dollop of green tea buttercream (or whipped cream) between them. I had green sencha tea and N had a variety of oolong. When I finished one cup of tea, our waitress brought me a second, fresh pot.

Weekend afternoons seem to be heavy traffic times. They don't take reservations for then, and the noise level was higher. It's still worth going to. You can also get cookies, small cakes, and green tea truffles to go.