This interesting sign in Soho on the front of a Georgian house door. (Now a converted office). Blink and you would have missed it.
I mean, they must have received so many propositions that they felt it was necessary to clarify the situation. It was a very sexy black door otherwise.
Giant hair? Coming out of a window and into a door? Again in Soho. This was a little gross but quite funny to watch people avoid the 'hair' when walking past.
A giant electric socket near Carnaby street. I actually think this has been here for awhile. I think...can't remember.
Smee and I had the hungries and so off we stopped at Cha Cha Moon. This was another venture into the restaurant world by Alan Yau, the same guy who brought Wagamama into the world. I hate Wagamama but the food at Cha Cha Moon wasn't bad. I dare say, it was good! When this eating establishment first opened, all the dishes cost £3 each. I remember being seated next to a couple who ordered the entire menu. Ok I exaggerate but they had a good 15 plates on their table and could barely keep up, merely sampling each dish. Much fun for them though!
The first few times that Smee and I ate here, it was only peppered by a few suspect dishes but overall we usually quite happy with the meals and definitely had our favourites. Time went by and while it was a good thing while it lasted, the prices soon went up. Not by much but by about £1-2. No biggie.
Smee and I returned today and we saw that prices had pretty reached the 'norms' of Chinatown - about £5-7 each. Still not expensive by any measure but if you think about it being only £3 only two years ago, yet the serving size hasn't changed - maybe shrunk? - well, it's not such a bargain after all.
The menu had changed somewhat with the addition of the 'Dolly Mee Goreng'. I like mee goreng - both the hawker and instant varieties - but wtf is 'dolly'? Anyway, I expected to be served something like this which is what I expect to receive from hawkers. The noodles are thicker, egg noodles. What I got was this:
Hrrrmmmmmmm.... *scrunched up face* Instant noodles! Not the thick, egg (Hokkien) noodles!
I mean, this mee goreng imposter really upset me. I understand that some hawker stores do serve this type of mee goreng and it's called 'Maggi Mee Goreng' which makes it very clear it is the instant noodle variety. All Cha Cha Moon did was open up a 45 pence packet of instant noodles, toss in the cheapest vegies possible, two slices of fish cake and called it Dolly Mee Goreng. Is the 'Dolly' meant to imply the instant noodle usage?
Smee could tell I was disappointed and offered to buy me a cheeseburger as a consolation. Smee's char kway teow (which had been his favourite) was quite disappointing too. They had cut back on key ingredients yet was charging more than ever before. Based on this, Smee and I will probably never return to Cha Cha Moon. The food really is only so-so now with no price point to draw us in. You could say that maybe they were undercharging but c'mon people, everyone knows you get ripped off in London.
I'm not an Alan Yau worshipper and to the purists, his food wasn't always the most authentic. However, he did know how to run a restaurant properly and appease customers. I have now discovered that he ceased his relationship with Cha Cha Moon about a year ago. No wonder the food has slipped!
(Note: Smee actually realised later that 'Dolly' (bad Anglicisation) in Cantonese implies instant noodle. Still, the menu description doesn't make it clear!)
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