Cha Kee in Chinatown, NYC
It’s been a while since I wanted to try Cha kee, a Chinese restaurant that opened in September 2021 in the heart of Chinatown. there, Executive chef Akiko Thurnauer (formerly of Mission Chinese, En Japanese Brasserie, Nobu Tribeca), crafted an interesting menu, far from the classic Chinese cuisine you usually find: no vegetarian dumplings or scallion pancakes. In fact, the menu is quite limited if you are vegetarian, so it was a bit of a challenge for Jodi. Not for me.
Dining room at Cha Kee in Chinatown, NYC
I was looking forward to try their Dan Dan noodles that I saw on Instagram one day and was the reason I wanted to go to Cha Kee. I tried these noodles for the first time at Hao Noodle and I am sort of obsessed with them. Made with ground pork and a sesame sauce, it is topped with a poached egg that literally dissolved as you mix everything together, giving a nice coating to the noodles that were perfectly cooked, and added some creaminess to the dish, while the radicchio added a bit of crunch. It was good. However, I was expecting it to be spicy like at Hao Noodle, but it was not at all.
Dan Dan noodles at Cha Kee in Chinatown, NYC
Dan Dan noodles at Cha Kee in Chinatown, NYC
Dan Dan noodles at Cha Kee in Chinatown, NYC
We did share few vegetarian dishes. For appetizers, we had the smashed cucumber with Shio kombu, mama oil and lemon juice, a vegan dish that was just of for me. The best was the Honey walnut cauliflower, that was phenomenal: crispy, creamy, sweet and savory. I definitely recommend this dish!
Smashed cucumber at Cha Kee in Chinatown, NYC
Honey walnut cauliflower at Cha Kee in Chinatown, NYC
For her main, Jodi got the Ume and wood ear mushroom fried rice, made with oyster mushroom, egg and Shiso. Classic, in a way, but a bit elevated, it was quite comforting.
Ume and wood ear mushroom fried rice at Cha Kee in Chinatown, NYC
Ume and wood ear mushroom fried rice at Cha Kee in Chinatown, NYC
I should mention that I had a mocktail with my meal (they do not have a liquor license). It was the Garden Spice, composed of seedlip spice, ginger, ginger ale and rosemary. Refreshing, it is a perfect mix if you like ginger.
Garden Spice mocktail at Cha Kee in Chinatown, NYC
We did not have dessert as we were full (and had an ice cream earlier…), but I would definitely go back to check out what they propose as I am sure it is as unique as the other dishes.
Enjoy (I did)!
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Cha Kee - 43 Mott St, New York, NY 10013
