Cha An - New York City

The ambience is nice, and the desserts are novel! However, the desserts are very pricey and not very good. The black sesame crème brûlée had a good sesame-y base, but the ice cream on top tasted like it had been in the freezer for too long (icy and sticky). The matcha tiramisu was pretty, but nothing too special. There was also a thick layer of matcha powder on top that cemented to the roof of my mouth with each bite. I don’t think I would come back.

Come to get a full matcha experience at a cute cafe. It is a little price-y but the tasted and quality of the food makes up for it.Food: 5/5

I mean whoever designed this is freaking smart. Everything felt like Japan, the vibe was Japan, from the beginning of the entrance to shop and the setting too. Dessert so pretty and was a great fulfilling one to end the lunch me and my bf had. Love the cornflakes in ice creams. So much texture. The tea was our favorite. You can get one more refill and after that they charge. This inspired us to get Japanese tea at home. Definitely stop by.

First told us that we had to hurry because we had one hour before closing… Didn’t seem like an issue but then they told us that we each had to order a dessert instead of share. A little annoying but fine.Then we both ordered the shaved ice (which had no price listed so should’ve been a warning). ended up costing $22 per ice before tax/tip. but the pictures looked good so whatever.then they told us that they only had one machine so they would have to bring them out at different times…okaythen they brought out the ice and it looked good. But when I ate the top layer the bottom 2/3 was just totally unflavored.Like why did you bully me into ordering two ices when you delivered less than one total between the two of us?Then I didn’t tip and then the waitress (who I think was also the owner) interrogated me why I didn’t tip. and I kept pointing at the remaining ice and asking if that looked like something she would like to eat and explained the above. She kept harassing me for a while as we packed up to leave and hurried out.Did the owner really need to harass me after paying $48 for two half made shaved ices?

The regular tea room menu is fine, but the omakase is disappointing. I expected more unique offerings. Many of these, like the inari sushi, daifuku, dango, and sakura mochi, can be bought in the tea room or BonBon downstairs, albeit less dressed up. Buying these individually is better value as you don’t have to commit to a whole set. The bento was prepared too far in advance: the monaka was soggy and the dango were starting to become hard and stale. The main highlight was the kohakuto, which would be a fun addition in BonBon. In short, stick to the main tea room and BonBon.