Cah Chi

Grace Dent went to New Malden for the pajeon and found one thicker than the West End's, all the more luscious for it.1

Why go

This is a family business that has moved doors several times and landed at 79-81 Kingston Road in spring 2023, keeping the following it built at the earlier addresses.1 2 New Malden holds the largest Korean community in the country, which Dent describes as an umami-drenched patch of extreme deliciousness with upwards of 20 more-than-decent Korean restaurants, so a room that stands out here is standing out against real competition.1 The grills are at the table and the card runs wide, and Harden's survey diners single out the pajeon, the mandu and charming staff who are happy to educate you.2 The wine is cheap for London: Harden's records 38 pounds a bottle with 12.5 percent service.2

Order this / avoid

Order: the pajeon. Dent had been tipped off that they served a very good pajeon and the one she ate was very good. Perhaps a little thicker than the slender, elegant versions available at the likes of Yori in London's fancy West End, but all the more luscious for it.1
Order: the mandu, which Harden's diners name alongside the pancake.2
Avoid: Monday, when the room is shut.3

What locals & experts say

Grace Dent, The Guardian, May 2023: Cah Chi isn't trying to change the world; it's just quietly representing skilful Korean cooking and creating a haven for hungry passers-by. Consider me a fan. She calls it one of those cheap and cheerful, but decidedly good places that's nothing to look at from the outside, and a family-run spot that has changed venues a few times over the years and opened here only a month or so ago, but has retained a loyal fanbase for its simple yet delicious taste of home.1
Harden's survey diners: This family-run restaurant in the Korean expat enclave of New Malden is a great place to sample the cuisine, with 'tasty, varied dishes' including pajoen (green onion pancake) and mandu (dumplings), served by 'charming staff who are happy to educate you'. 'The wine is also relatively inexpensive for London'.2

Good to know

Timing: closed Monday. Tuesday to Saturday, noon to 3 and 5 to 10:30. Sunday, noon to 3 and 5 to 10.3
Money: wine from 38 pounds a bottle, filter coffee 3 pounds, service 12.5 percent.2
Getting there: New Malden station is on the South Western main line out of Waterloo, and Kingston Road runs off the High Street.
The address is the new one. The business traded elsewhere before spring 2023 and nothing recorded about the old rooms applies to this one.2

Verdict

should-visit — New Malden is where London's Korean community actually eats, and Grace Dent counted 'upwards of 20 more-than-decent Korean restaurants' there before landing on this one. What she came for was the pajeon, and what she found was thicker than the elegant West End version and better for it, which is the useful kind of comparison: it tells you the kitchen is cooking for people who want the pancake to eat like a meal. Her verdict is unhedged, 'Cah Chi isn't trying to change the world; it's just quietly representing skilful Korean cooking', and Harden's survey diners independently praise the mandu, the range and staff who will talk you through an unfamiliar card. The wine runs cheap for London at 38 pounds a bottle and the grills are at the table. It stops short of the top rung because it is a family restaurant doing a regional repertoire very well rather than a kitchen doing something nobody else does, and because it is forty minutes out of central London.