Cha Inn’s logo stuck out to me as we searched for parking. Luckily for me, I live relatively near to Kota Damansara, and the tea house stood out among the shop lots. A warm, welcoming exterior greeted me; literally, it’s painted a welcoming brown and off-white cream. The interior’s gorgeous, too; carrying the same warm tones, it retains the same comforting scene; probably the most stunning part of the cafe was the sunset behind the counter, a moon hung on the ceiling to complete the artificial sky.

We settled into a seat against the wall, my attention ensnared almost immediately by a little moon decoration on the table. I’m telling you guys, they nailed the deco. We were quickly handed a menu as Jason, introducing himself as a tea-master, pointed out some of their best sellers on both the food and drink menu.

He left us to attend to other customers as we poured over the menu. As the drinks were the main attraction (and our wallets were padded with MONCH money), we decided to try out a variety of food and beverages.

After ordering, Jason returned with a tray of hand brewed tea. A teapot sitting atop an (unlit) candle, a box of matches, three little cups, a cloth, a wooden stirring utensil, a cup of sugar, and of course, a bowl of tea leaves.

He explained that this was a complimentary pot of tea (Premium Black Tea, RM18), and that we could brew our own tea according to the instructions given to us. He ran us through the process, the hand-picked, carefully selected process of acquiring the leaves, and hoped we’d enjoy it.

We ended up brewing the tea thrice (as according to instructions), with us adding the sugar into the final brew. Overall, this tea set would be great if you’re a traditional, tea enjoyer who enjoys the process. As my tea brewing experience has been the two extremes of Lipton packs and full on, mortar and pestle pounding spices for a Chai latte, it’s a nice in between and experience to try it out this way.

Following that, our other drinks came. We ordered…

My drink was a Pu-Er Coco Tea (RM11), which, in the name, is a mix of those two ingredients. It was surprisingly refreshing and a really good flavour mix; the mellow, slightly nutty notes of the tea meshed well with that of the coconut water, but it wasn’t as sweet as I thought it’d be. It’s literally just not my cup of tea, but any tea lover lacking a sweet tooth would probably enjoy this a lot more.

From the same specialty brew section, a (recommended) 3½ (RM14.80). It’s named that way cause its 3 parts Pu-Er tea, and ½ parts of a coffee milk macchiato. I’m not a huge fan, honestly, but it’s a drink that unites coffee and tea masterfully. Although it doesn’t fit my personal preferences, I can appreciate what must have taken hours of experimentation to create a drink that melds the best parts of a teahouse.

Our final drink came fizzy and bubbling; a tall, slim champagne glass of Elder Flower Champagne (13.80). It’s gorgeous, a hint of sweetness carrying through the fizz. I don’t have much to say. I don’t think I know what elderflower tastes like.. It was good 👍!

Our food arrived soon after; I’ll run this through a little quicker. Cha Inn boasts fusion food, it’s in their tagline, ‘Where East Meets West’. We ordered…

Sichuan Creamy Mala Pasta (RM21.80)

It was really good. I’m kind of a sucker for spicy food, even though I can barely handle it, and this was so worth it. If you like Mala and spaghetti, absolutely order this. Garnished with a single parsley for flavour, it smelled and looked great. The sauce was just the right amount of creamy, spicy and savoury, and the spaghetti was cooked perfectly. My only complaint, however, is that they were a little stingy with their lotus and mushroom portions; in which there were only two slices of lotus, and only a few mushrooms slices. It was good! I wanted more! If not protein, gimme some more veggies!

Vinegary Chicken Bao (RM19.80)

Everybody’s favourite type of fusion food: mantou burgers. A savoury-sour chicken and vegs clamped between a snow-white, soft, fluffy bun. A toothpick bearing Cha Inn’s logo stuck out the center of it, a small bowl of salad and curly fries flanking the burger. I will admit, the fry portion was a little sad to look at; perhaps the plate it was served on was a little too large? Despite that, however, it was delicious. The fries were crispy, the salad was crisp and fresh, and the chicken was wonderfully tender and flavourful, thanks no doubt to the marinade.

Dude, it’s a burger. Who doesn’t love burgers?

Shrimp Toast (RM13.80)

Shrimp toast, battered and fried to a perfect golden brown. Served in a circle surrounding garlic mayo and a lemon wedge, we squeezed it over the food and tucked in. It’s great for sharing, especially within our group of 3. It tastes good, it’s fried just right, and the addition of mayo complemented the fried toast, and the lemon’s aridity brightened the overall flavour.

Fries Platter with Tea Mayo (RM13.80)

Another sharing palette (I mean, it’s fries.) A mix of thick-cut-almost-wedges and some curly fries, they were just…okay. There’s nothing too special about it. The tea mayo was what caught our eye, but in the end, we couldn’t quite taste the tea infusion. We really did try, but it’s just not there.

Overall, the food was good. Some of the fried foods were a little oily, but I found that the tea helped cut through the greasy taste extremely well, so the inclusion of greasy food fits perfectly with their drinks.

Speaking of which, after our meal, we ordered some more drinks…

A Red Riding Hood (RM16.80), which as Baiya Qilan as its tea base, which appears to be a type of Oolong tea. Tinted red (like it’s name), the drink was sweet and tangy.

An Ocean Whisktea (RM15). Okay, I have no idea what was in this, tea aside. It’s named that because…well, it’s blue, and under their Whisktea series. It’s a cold brew, which does tend to extract much more flavour from the leaves; I can taste that, but I can’t for the life of me tell you what tea it was. What I can say was that it came in a large round container, and it’s definitely for sharing (though you could totally down one alone).

I ended up taking two drinks to go; a Laputa (RM14.80), a Summer Teatail (RM17.80). Even in the plastic takeaway containers, they looked great, and tasted amazing. In fact, they were both my favourite drinks from the entire meal, so it was a shame I couldn’t enjoy them in the shop itself. The Laputa is a tiramisu inspired drink; tea, chocolate and coffee macchiato is mixed into the drink, topped with a light milk foam, cocoa powder, and an entire ladyfinger biscuit. It tasted amazing! I have a sweet tooth, and this definitely fulfilled my sugar craving. It really is like a tiramisu turned into a drink; a balance of sweet and bitter and all the lightness of the original dessert. The Summer Teatail was made with Alisan Oolong tea. I’m honestly not even fully sure what the full ingredients were, but it was tinted yellow, had pineapples in it, and tasted great. It’s a great, fruity and sweet drink, named aptly after the cheerful season.

Overall, I’d give Cha Inn a solid 4.5/5! We went at lunch hour, and while it’s buzzing with activity, it’s not overly packed. It maintains a pretty solid, cosy, cafe ambience. I’d take a coffee/tea nerd here, or even just someone interested in trying out different drinks and snacks. For the price, I probably wouldn’t come here too often, but I think it’s the perfect place for a nice treat, or a first date ;). The overall vibes of the place were on point, and the presentation of the food, especially drinks, were gorgeous! Heavy emphasis on the drinks. As expected of the teahouse, they truly were little works of art in every cup.

(My parents are coffee/tea nerds respectively and my sister likes mala, so I’m totally going back sometime soon.)

Don’t forget to check out their Instagram (@chainntea); the food does taste as good at it looks!

Overall Stats:

Food- 7/10 it’s just alright.

Drinks – 10/10 go figure. tea shop sells good tea.

Service – 9.5/10 super helpful staff, explained the different drinks to us

Atmosphere – 10/10 aesthetic and homely, deco looks great, it’s clean

Price- 8/10 – average bougie cafe price honestly, worth the money

Written by Erika

Photos by Luanne & Michelle