Cha cha cha!

Although I do love this energetic and romantically teasing dance, I'm talking about the restaurant known for its sensational Caribbean cuisine.

This week, my boyfriend and I decided to go out for our weekly dinner-out objective and wanted something out of the ordinary.  Driving towards the Silver Lake area, the BF turns into a small yet bright shack. (Yes, it looks like a shack.)  

The restaurant is pretty much the only thing that exists around the area; however, like most restaurants in Los Angeles, our search for parking has caused us a headache.  After a few minutes of swerving around traffic, we succumbed to valet, a whopping $5. Considering the area we were in, I personally thought that was a bit too much, but what could we do… we were hungry.

As soon as we walked into the dimly lit lobby, the explosion of sweet and spicy scents, along with a very welcoming host, invited us in. 

Seated immediately, we noticed the colorful walls, ornamented with eclectic lights, paintings, statues and other miscellaneous items.  Not only does the décor attract you into this place, the food also hits the spot.

We started off with an order of dirty chips and guacamole ($4.95).  Dirty chips are freshly made tortilla chips sprinkled with a mix of Caribbean spices.  They had just enough kick for me to notice that they weren't ordinary chips I could find at the grocery store, and the fresh guacamole complemented the taste.

For entrees, I ordered their specialty Jerk Chicken Plate ($15.50) and the BF orders the Bistec Argentino ($18.95).  The jerk chicken was tender. You know they have mustered up a unique recipe and technique for this chicken.  The flavors were very sweet at first, finishing with an earthy aftertaste - definitely a unique flavor.  On the side, there were mashed yams, salad, plantains, rice and beans to work with these flavors.  I found the combination of yams and the saucy chicken to be my favorite, but the portions were more than I could handle.

The BF's plate consisted of an aged New York strip steak, cooked medium, smothered with Argentinean steak sauce.  To be honest, I think they just got a piece of dry meat and dipped it in A-1 sauce.  It was definitely something you can enjoy, but not the “out-of-the-ordinary” food we were looking for.

In the end, our plans to have a “different” dinner did not completely meet our expectations.  Although a bit overpriced for the overall experience, Cha Cha Cha is definitely a unique little place for you to treat your taste buds to a compelling mixture of flavors.

 

To reach reporter Janice Kim, click here.

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