Cah Chi (Raynes Park)

I came to Gah Chi to meet a friend for lunch today, having been encouraged by the positive reviews here. I can safely say the hype is not undeserved.

My friend, having been married to a Korean in the oh so distant past, lives locally to this restaurant, and remarked that he knows this establishment (and Korean food) well. Being in close proximity - walking distance really - to New Malden, the largest community of ex-patriate South Koreans in Europe, they cater primarily for their own people in here, so what you will find here will be authentic, high quality Korean cuisine.

The waitress was the very example of service with a smile, handing out lots of free snacks before the main meal (kimchi, soy beans, mmm...) and being impeccably prompt with the order.

Mine was a mixed seafood dish with udon noodles, which I enjoyed thoroughly. To think that all the other times I've met this same friend for lunch has been in a traditional English greasy spoon, I will certainly not be making the same mistake after finally having found this place!

To see the bill come to £10 a head including service charge was a sin we thought, so we put an extra £3 in as a tip for the lovely waitress. Will definately be back again.
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Jonathan Treliving
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, February 13, 2008

We decided to eat here this evening after being regular visitor's to the owner's bother's Korean restaurant in Staines (Kyo Gu Ryo) since it opened in January 2006. We'd never had Korean food before and quickly became addicted to kimchee, barbecued beef rib and hot stone pot rice. The owner - Mr Cho - told us that his sister had a restaurant in Raynes Park and we felt we had to give it a go. It has a very different atmosphere and Judy , Mr Cho's niece, who works at Cah Chi, told us that the food was more authentic due to the mainly Korean clientele and we certainly found that the kimchee packed quite a punch! The small dish of dried squid was absolutely delicious as was the sesame leaf & spring onion pancake. The black pudding stuffed with vermicelli was quite different to traditional Scottish black pudding - more subtle and delicate in flavour - and was a sizeable portion. The prawns & vegetables in a piquant sauce were fabulous. We finished with bulgogi - strips of beef sirloin stir fried on the table top BBQ with onions & mushrooms and wrapped in lettuce leaves with spicy spring onions & soya bean paste - my mouth's watering as I think about it! We drank Korean beer and Bek Se Ju, a very potent wine with a blend of 12 herbs. Service was charming and friendly.

Apparently they are going to be opening a Japanese restaurant a few doors down shortly so we'll definitely be making the trek over from Staines again in the not too distant future.
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Lucy & Nigel
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Saturday, November 10, 2007

Delicious food, great atmosphere, helpful staff and authentic taste. I surprised my husband on his birthday by bringing him here... he's lived in South Korea and deemed the fare on offer almost like the genuine article!

My only warning would be that 10% is added to your bill if you bring a bottle... However what they DIDN'T tell us beforehand was that they do actually sell reasonably-priced chilled Korean beer and Soju, which we would have much preferred. The £5 Pinot Grigio that we'd brought in and didn't touch (we went for beer instead) ended up being a very expensive bottle of wine indeed.

For an out-of-the-way place like this, the prices are on the steep side too.

But otherwise, would recommend... and go bottle-less next time!
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Natalia
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 6
Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Four of us went here on Saturday night and I have to say, it is one of the best meals I have had in London and the fact that it is BYO is even better! The food was delicious, the service excellent and I love the little BBQ in the centre of the table - a must if you do come. The side dishes included were very tasty and the orange at the end finished it all off nicely! I will definitely be going back.
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Samwaah - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, February 12, 2007

Six of us went for Sunday lunch with two small children and we were all made very welcome. Our BYO bottle was opened before we'd even sat down! This small restaurant was bustling (booking a must) with a mix of Korean and local families. The food was great. We had a good mix including pork belly cooked at our table (good theatre for the children!), garlic chicken - a great hit with the kids, fantastic fish soup, fried kalamari.Two in our party hadn't tried Korean food before - we'll all be back! Delightful service in a lovely local restaurant.
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Mark
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Monday, December 11, 2006

Very glad we gave this place a try. I think we were more or less the only non-Koreans in the busy, pleasant dining area which is always a good sign, and the waitresses were really helpful in explaining the menu to us. We had just the right amount of food, some of which the waitress cooked in front of us at the built-in bbq in the middle of the table. The spicy fried chicken and the bbq sirloin were gorgeous, though the heavy, cloying rice cakes were probably best avoided! Overall Cah Chi is a fun place to go for a new experience, and our bill of £50 for four (we did BYO so there was no wine in that) was incredible.
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Jeremy Liebster
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Monday, August 21, 2006

Fantastic restaurant. Great food at fantastic prices, lovely and informative waitresses. We had the set menu which is a great way for 'first timers' to Korean food. Take your own wine and have a great evening - we will definitely be back!
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Joyce Davidson
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, July 05, 2006

fantastic food and atmosphere here. the waitresses are really helpful and explain what all the different dishes are. we went for the set menu and weren't disappointed. great selection and plenty of food. one tip though - service is included in the bill but it wasn't that clear so it'd be easy to pay twice for service!
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, January 03, 2006