Cha Cha San, Anguilla

Looking for something a little different in Anguilla?  How about dumplings, sushi, spicy kung pao shrimp, and a bottle of sake?

We went to Cha Cha San and had all of the above!

It’s hard to miss the restaurant as you drive on the main road from the West End towards the Sandy Ground roundabout: just look for the bright sign featuring Cha Cha San himself (aka Mr. Tea), an anime rasta character dressed in the blue and orange of Anguilla.

We sat on the pleasantly breezy covered patio, beneath red lanterns.  Good for ambiance, but I apologize in advance for the not-quite-right colors in my photos as a result!

There’s a good selection of sake (as well as cocktails, wines, and beer) and we chose a small bottle to share.  It came with tiny cups – very authentic – that kept us busy pouring.

We chose two starters: steamed beef dumplings that reminded me a bit of soup dumplings, with warm broth inside, and a soft shell crab roll.  Both really nicely made, and very good.

Chef Ken Lin (previously of Cuisinart and restaurants from Tokyo and Taipei to Moscow and London) stopped by every table to chat – he’s so enthusiastic and cares so much about his restaurant and his cooking, you can’t help but be charmed!

We shared the kung pao shrimp, which was delicious and spicy; our server mentioned that the chef had recently dialed back the heat since Anguillans aren’t really used to it.  Even so, still pretty hot!  There was fresh bok choy hidden beneath the shrimp.

We decided to pass on dessert (mochi ice cream, etc) since we were rather full and happy to have a lighter meal anyway, so we finished up our sake and said good night to Cha Cha San.