Had some time to kill after a friend flaked, so decided to give this Korean-Mexican fusion restaurant a try. This is their logo:
The boy and I shared an order of Korean Sliders (marinated Angus beef with cheese and grilled onions.)
The meat did not taste marinated, the onions had more flavor. I could be wrong, but it seemed like they used Kraft Singles for the melted cheese. Usually one slider will have me craving another, but I stopped at one.
We also tried the kimchi quesadilla with kalbi.
The kimchi had no heat. The meat was average. And the cheese, well this was supposed to be half quesadilla so I understand the need to put cheese in the dish, but a cheese sauce?
They have an extensive menu with lots of other dishes that I’m mildly interested in trying – chimichangas with bulgogi, a Korean Philly cheesesteak, and the Cha Cha Bowl which has japchae noodles. Apparently there’s also a secret menu. But since they’re located all the way out in Alhambra, it’ll be awhile before I give them a second chance.
Cha Cha Chili
Grade: C
Pros: Great concept. Love seeing Latinos and Asians in the same restaurant. Extensive selection of drinks and beer. Fun wall art.
Cons: Great concept but poor execution. Kogi Truck still sets the bar for successfully tasty Korean-Mexican fusion food. The Cha Cha Chili waitstaff is young and eager to please, but inexperienced. I watched one waitress aimlessly circle the restaurant several times trying to find her table. Pretty sure the food was cold by the time she set it down. And um — check out the owner’s blog, apparently one of his employees got drunk, tried to steal a customer’s bike, and then assaulted her when she pursued him. wtf? I’m all for transparency, but why would you blog about that on your company website?
****
Cha Cha Chili
4625 Valley Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90032
(323) 222-8900
Korean Daydreamer 