Orderinny

We were looking for some dessert last Friday in the east village, but instead of going to Veniero's for cannolis, I suggested going to Cha-An for tea and some Japanese styled desserts instead. My dining partners obliged, thank goodness. Or else we would not have been able to try the house mochi. So good that it has taken me three tries to write about it. I swear this will be the last time I make any more edits, because I am tired and really need to get on with life and stop torturing myself with finding the right words to do the desserts justice. Anyway, just do me and yourself a favor and go to Cha-An when you are in the area, relax in the simply furnished but elegant room, sit back and let the dessert makers wow you with the subtley flavored and perfectly shaped and plated sweet treats.
The three of us each chose something different from the dessert menu. One loving suggestion to the proprietors... Expand your dessert menu! It consisted of less than 10 desserts, including two types of mochi and ice-cream =( that means 3 more visits with friends and I would have exhausted the menu...
Anyway, Ying got 2 scoops of ice cream. The green tea tasted normal, but the sake icecream was really strong and very special. You would like it if you enjoyed rice wine. I ordered the black sesame creme brulee (pictured above). The custard was soft and had the right amount of smokiness coming from the creme brulee and the ice cream was homemade and just creamy enough.
The star of the show, the scene stealer, the diva, and whatever other accolades I can pile on to a dessert was the chocolate mochi Yanru ordered. My only regret was "why didn't I order it?" Then I would have 3 perfectly shaped soft and plump mochi filled with earl-grey flavored chocolate all to myself =( It was really great, the glutinous skin was so thin it was almost translucent, but it did not lose its chewy texture. The chocolate was thick and smooth, and the earl grey flavors accentuated the sweet chocolate well. Neither flavor overpowered the other and it felt so great when you had a little tinge of chocolate left in your mouth and the fragrance of the tea just permeates through that little bit of chocolate into your bloodstream... so good... My tummy is smiling just thinking of it. I kid you not, go try it soon!
FYI, they serve meals and a lot of tea too...now if only their dessert menu was as extensive as their tea menu =)

Cha An Japanese Tea House
230 E 9th St, NY 10003