Cha Pa's Noodles and Grill 01-31-2011

Location: 314 W. 52nd St.
Time: 1pm

Feelings: I find myself on 52nd Street between 8th and 9th avenues quite often because of my countless trips to the post office. After sending some beauty products to my mother in Japan, I love to grab a quick bowl of ramen from Totto Ramen, but as we all know, there is usually a long wait. Luckily for me, there is a new Vietnamese restaurant on the block.

"Cha Pa's Noodles and Grill" does not even sound like an Asian restaurant, but this is a legitimate Vietnamese establishment with typical Vietnamese menu items like banh mi and pho. The place recently just opened, so they did not yet take credit cards (by the time you're reading this, they might) and also ran out of some of the lunch specials. However, the service was attentive and pleasant, and there were some attractive male waitstaff present for those of you who need a nice eye stimulation during lunch hour.

I ordered bun with spring rolls, which I realized was not on the menu, but they courteously offered to make it. The vegetables, especially the lettuce was incredibly dry and inedible, but the rest of the elements were pretty authentic and tasty without "Americanizing" any flavor. It is still early to say what this restaurant will be like, but it is promising. Now, the trip to the post office does not seem so bad.