Vegan out at Cha-Ya
Summer Green Roll – avocado, cucumber, kaiware sprout, wakame and hijiki. Alissa scooped wasabi like it was green tea ice cream, but I like this one just as it is: plain, fresh and light.
It’s been a long time since I last either wrote about food or ate anything that I could write about. The occasional rainfalls during the drought of takeout Chinese are so-so hu tieu and com suon somewhere in the Ranch 99 complex, and homemade soups, lovely but no hot news. Vegetable intake has been limited to shibazuke from Berkeley Bowl, homemade kimchi, and toasted seaweed (seaweed counts, doesn’t it?). Before leaving for her trip, Cheryl fed me her black chicken soup, brown rice, tau yew bak (similar to thit kho but with soy sauce instead of fish sauce) and, like a loving sister, concerned looks and advice on how I should feed myself healthy meals. I agree with her one hundred percent, but all planned menus for the next day fluttered their wings away as I run from class to class and get home only wishing to relax. Cheryl is married. I entertain the idea that I live like a single guy. A single guy that could not have looked more forward to a vegan dinner with some old friends.
After much debate we decided on a simple kampyo roll, a big fluffy summer green roll (that we each stuffed into our mouth in one bite to prove our manliness(*)), a Cha-Ya roll, a tempura stuffed eggplant, a gyoza and vegetable soup, and three desserts.
Cha-Ya Roll – avocado, yam and carrots, tempura roll with sweet soy sauce.
Tonchi Nasu – tempura stuffed eggplant with setsuma potato, corn, tofu, hijiki, soybean and carrot
Taku Sui – gyoza soup with tofu, broccoli, zucchini, napa cabbage, snap peas, asparagus, cauliflower, silver noodles and mushrooms in a light broth – I like this a lot!
Yellow Moon – tempura banana with a scoop of soy ice cream, drizzled with green tea sauce and red bean sauce
The Yellow Moon is just the tempura banana, the soy ice cream is listed as a separate dessert, but we shameless girls requested a scoop of ice cream with the banana. The Cha-Ya staff is so nice. 😉 This tempura banana is not oily like the deep fried banana desserts at Thai restaurants, the batter is light and plain. It gives you the impression of healthy foods.
Vegan chocolate cake (left) and Oshikuro (right) – plain white mochi in gooey red bean sauce. The red bean is a bit too sweet, but I like it still. The cake is like a soft brownie, not at all dry and lifeless like normal vegan cakes.
(*) In case you wonder, a picture of us is to the right.
Address: Cha-Ya Vegetarian Japanese Cuisine
(North Berkeley)
1686 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley CA 94709
(510) 981-1213
Dinner for four: roughly $90 – Kinda expensive now that I think about it…
I love it when people come together and share opinions, great blog, keep it up.
1Hi , I do believe this is an excellent blog. I stumbled upon it on Yahoo , i will come back once again. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and help other people.
2I beloved as much as you’ll obtain carried out right here. The sketch is tasteful, your authored material stylish. however, you command get bought an edginess over that you wish be delivering the following. ill surely come further formerly again as precisely the similar nearly a lot ceaselessly inside case you shield this increase.
3I love it when people come together and share opinions, great blog, keep it up.
4This blog is definitely rather handy since I’m at the moment creating an internet floral website – although I am only starting out therefore it’s really fairly small, nothing like this site. Can link to a few of the posts here as they are quite. Thanks much. Zoey Olsen
5As I website possessor I believe the subject material here is real great, thankyou for your efforts.
6I like this post, enjoyed this one thanks for putting up. “I never let schooling interfere with my education.” by Mark Twain.
7I think this is one of the most vital info for me. And i’m glad reading your article. But should remark on some general things, The website style is great, the articles is really excellent :D. Good job, cheers
8Real fantastic info can be found on site.
9Hello! I just would like to give a huge thumbs up for the great info you have here on this post. I will be coming back to your blog for more soon.
10Hello there I am so thrilled I found your website, I really found you by error, while I was researching on Aol for something else, Nonetheless I am here now and would just like to say thank you for a tremendous post and a all round thrilling blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to read through it all at the moment but I have bookmarked it and also added in your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a lot more, Please do keep up the fantastic work.
11That is the correct blog for anybody who wants to seek out out about this topic. You realize so much its nearly onerous to argue with you (not that I really would need…HaHa). You undoubtedly put a brand new spin on a subject thats been written about for years. Great stuff, just nice!
12Great paintings! This is the kind of information that are meant to be shared across the web. Shame on the seek engines for no longer positioning this publish higher! Come on over and talk over with my web site . Thanks =)
13I love it when people come together and share opinions, great blog, keep it up.
14Hmm it seems like your site ate my first comment (it was super long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I had written and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I as well am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still new to the whole thing. Do you have any points for beginner blog writers? I’d definitely appreciate it.
15Very interesting info !Perfect just what I was searching for! “Water is the most neglected nutrient in your diet but one of the most vital.” by Kelly Barton.
16But wanna comment on few general things, The website layout is perfect, the content is real excellent. “Crime does not pay … as well as politics.” by Alfred E. Newman.
17