Chaya Asian Bistro Photos

Miso Soup

Thai Steamed Dumplings 

Golden Roll, Spicy Maryland Jumbo Lump Crab Roll, Tiger Roll

Mango and Sticky Rice

Chaya Asian Bistro Review

www.chayaasianbistro.com

8874 McGaw Road

Columbia, MD 21045

(410) 381-8887

This restaurant is done up in shades of orange and yellow, red and white, turquoise blue and lime green. The seating consists of seating at the sushi bar, high bar tables and stools placed throughout the middle of the restaurant and regular seating along the walls. The front of the restaurant is a big glass window, which gives it an open and airy feeling. While inside the restaurant, one is met with a small and cozy space. There are lots of Asian pictures scattered throughout, both tapestry and painting. Providing illumination, were glass mosaic hanging lighting fixtures above the tables. The service was neither spectacular nor terrible, though this impression may be due to more of a cultural dissonance than anything else. Our waitress was pretty much always at hand and she was neither rude nor overly friendly… efficient would be the best way to describe her.

According to their website, they serve traditional Japanese and Thai cuisine such as Sushi, Hibachi, Teriyaki, Curry and Thai hot entrees. They are located in a shopping center off of Snowden River Parkway, next to the new Wegman’s Shopping Center. Due to this, parking is plentiful and easy to find. This is a great place to hang out with friends, coworkers, family… even to grab a bite alone. We give Cha Ya Asian Bistro ♪♪♪ and a half note.

MISO SOUP

Being that Miso soup is a standard offering at Asian restaurants, it was nothing spectacular, but was a good, solid showing… not too seasoned, not too mild.

THAI STEAMED DUMPLINGS

These dumplings, shaped like little cups, were earthy and oceany all at the same time. This was due to combination of the pork, shrimp, water chestnuts and Thai herbs filling them and the crabmeat topping them. The dip with which it was served was gingery, sweet and spicy, having basil and ginger in it. Crunchy ginger was sprinkled on top, which was a nice touch.

GOLDEN ROLL

This roll was topped with paper-thin slices of mango and the chef’s special sauce. The Mango and the sauce perfectly matched the tempura shrimp. The tempura shrimp gave the roll crunchiness and the avocado was a nice addition, serving to ground the dish and give it a nice creaminess.

SPICY MARYLAND JUMBO LUMP CRAB ROLL

This roll was like a crab salad sushi. Seasoned with old bay, which was a wonderful addition,the dish had a slight creaminess and oceaniness.

TIGER ROLL

This roll was made with crunchy raw fish and tobiko, wrapped with salmon, fluke, tuna, eel and yellowtail. The chef added three different sauces, which gave the dish creaminess throughout; a brown, a white and an orange sauce.

MANGO AND STICKY RICE

OMG… This was the best mango and sticky rice we’ve ever had. Again, paper-thin slices of mango combined with coconut-flavored, sweet sticky rice came together to create a warm, comforting, absolutely divine treat.

Fleet Street Kitchen Photos

Fluke Crudo

Butter Poached Lobster

Black Cod

Black Bass

Kale

Lemon Thyme Cake

Chocolate Banana 

Fleet Street Kitchen Review

Fleet Street Kitchen

1012 Fleet Street 

Baltimore, MD 21202
(410) 244-5830

http://www.fleetstreetkitchen.com/

“Mama said what?!” sums up our dining experience at Fleet Street Kitchen.  This little gem knocked our socks off.  Fleet Street Kitchen is located on the edge of Baltimore’s hottest new hip area, Harbor East.  This restaurant is one of three in the Bagby Restaurant Group.  Other members of this restaurant sibling group include Bagby’s Pizza Company  and Ten Ten. 

Why did Fleet Street Kitchen knock our socks off, you ask?  Allow us to explain.  Picture this, a cozy, dimly- lit restaurant with beautiful chandeliers and 3 eating areas; the first of which is immediately off the main entrance.  It is adorned with exposed brick walls and cream colored plaster.  Tan paint adds a warm glow.  In the next area, separated from the first by wrought-iron railings, you see a huge bar surrounded with the most fascinating seating.  It kind of looks like raised benches are built into the wall with sturdy armrests made of marble to divide the seating.  These benches have cozy leather backs and helpful foot rests for those that are short in stature.   In the far back of the restaurant one will find additional seating areas with comfy tables and chairs.  In this area, you can watch the chef at work in the open kitchen.   This mixture of wood, glass, marble, cement and exposed brick gives a wonderful combination of urban chic and old world to this restaurant while the swanky, jazz-music playing softly in the background transports you to another time.

Now for the food, hold on to your seats for this one readers.  You are in for a crazy ride!  Eating dinner at Fleet Street Kitchen is like going on a thrill ride.   There are so many unexpected twists and turns.  Just when you think it’s over…BAM… you’re hit with another flavor surprise.   Take for instance the Fluke Crudo. ..aka raw fish.  How exciting can raw fish really be, you might wonder?Well, in the hands of Chef Chris Becker it can be the most amazing food you have ever experienced eating.  We took a bite and with every chew there were different flavors exploding on our taste buds.  First, it was sweet, then citrusy, then floral and then it crescendoed with the addition of salt perfectly placed among the other flavors.  Sigh….we tear up just thinking about it.  Dish after dish; the chef left us speechless, swooning in pure delight, weak with pleasure.   In the words of that poor little orphan boy, “Please sir, might we have more?”

The service at Fleet Street Kitchen was superb.  When Melissa had to go to the bathroom, our server escorted her half way through the restaurant, and handed off to another server who escorted her the rest of the way.  She remarked that she had never had a more pleasant jaunt to a commode in her life.  The wait staff knew the menu and was great at offering ideas and suggestions. We will admit that this is a pricy dining experience.  Expect to spend upwards of $60 plus dollars per person, but it really is worth every penny.   Fleet Street Kitchen would be a great place for a romantic date or a night out with friends.  The restaurant offers free valet parking, which is a wonderful treat in downtown Baltimore.   Overall, we give Fleet Street Kitchen ♪♪♪♪.

Fluke Crudo

This delicate dish consisted of fresh raw fluke (fish) adorned with mint, sea salt and a citrus marmalade.  Flavorful, aromatic and delightful are the only descriptors that come close to explaining this dish.  This lovely,classy dish is a must try!

Butter Poached Lobster

The chef sat lobster upon a sea of buttered creamy yumminess.  This butter sauce was so rich and aromatic.  The lobster was a tad bit tough but the sauce and flavors melded together in such a beautiful way.

Black Bass

This bass had a wonderful fishy flavor that was delicious and not at all offensive.  The fish was served in a parmesan broth with a lemon marmalade and chili.  The skin was wonderfully seared and the sauce was light and refreshing.  Even the little potatoes and baby spinach were delightful. 

Kale

This was the best kale we think we have ever had.  It was served in this sauce that had notes of vanilla and maple.  It was not super sweet at all.  The golden raisins were a nice touch and pine nuts added an earthy richness to the dish.  The kale was not heavy or greasy, just floral and aromatic.

Black Cod

This cod was cooked to perfection with a wonderfully charred and salt flavored skin.  In this dish the chef used Asian flavor influences and successfully created a delicious dish.  He used cellophane noodles as starch in this dish and they soaked up all the wonderful flavors in the sauce. 

Lemon Thyme Cake

What in the world?  We are not even sure how to describe this dessert because we have never had anything like.  Nor could we even identify what all was in this cake.  It was spicy and savory with very little sweetness.  The cake was dense and intense.  The honey milk sorbet was insanely good.  

Chocolate Banana

This dessert was like a creamy chocolate and peanut butter candy bar.  It had a salty, savory element with the peanuts.  The curried quinoa was by far the best part of this dessert.  We wished that the quinoa was served alone.  It was so crunchy and savory and yummy, but the rest of the dish overpowered it a bit, believe it or not.  The rest of the dessert was pretty good though too…Lol.