Cha-tŷ — Restaurant in Wales

Finally visited Cha-tŷ yesterday and am so happy we managed to swoop in half an hour before closing time.

Cha-tŷ is an indie café in Swansea run by a Japanese lady called Marie. I heard about it via a friend years ago and have been meaning to go since.

I had a soy matcha latté, my partner had a watermelon cream soda and we shared a strawberry shortcake, which tastes just like the Chinese cream cakes we used to get on our birthdays growing up~ 🍰 (there's a lot of similarities and cross-overs in Asian cuisine).

There's also a little shop at the back full of little goodies from Japan. We bought a matcha whisk, so I can finally get some frothy matcha goin' on at home. 🍵

Pictured in the cabinet are wax models of ice creams that are on sale. This is a common feature in Japan to entice customers and manage expectations, but isn't really a thing here in the UK. Traditional artwork dons the walls and nods to wabi sabi in the decor. I love the scrolls in particular.

They serve traditional Japanese food too, which varies. We already had a booking that evening, so didn't have a main, but will totally come back for one. I'm so, SO stoked they do omurice, as I've been wanting to try it for yeeeaaaars No idea when they'll serve it next though. They update their Facebook Page more frequently than their Instagram account.

Service is a little slow atm, as I saw on a recent review that they've got new staff, so bear that in mind and be kind. It's a delightful little café and well worth...

I had been looking forward to visiting this cafe for a long time, thanks to the high recommendations from my friends. Finally, I had the chance to stop by for tea and cake, and it was absolutely worth the wait.

We (one adult and two teenagers) ordered the green tea chocolate cake, another green tea cake, green tea latte, and melon soda with ice cream. Each item was delightful and exceeded our expectations.

As the owner mentioned, the cafe is run by a single person, so service might take a bit longer. However, while waiting, we enjoyed exploring the lovely garden and art gallery upstairs, and chatting with the friendly landlord couple. The café is not only for food and drink but also sells art pieces, mugs, Japanese items, Japanese snacks, and more.

If you're in a rush, this might not be the best spot for you. But if you have time to relax and go with the flow, you'll find the experience truly rewarding. The food will...

A hidden delacacy 😍 Mari cooks all the food and creates/ serves all the drinks by herself 💓 it really brings home cooking to a new level. She makes you feel so welcome, is so polite and explains what exactly each bit of the meal she creates is. She picks one recipe to cook and serve solely a week. Which my fiancé and I adored as we got served a meal picked for us and was lovely!! All sublimely cooked, traditional Japanese cooking. Aromatic, delicate flavours and the drinks were so fabulous too!! It was a beef & rice meal with miso and plum jelly we had. My drink was a Jasmine and green tea with flowers. It was a small tea room, so nice and bespoke and not overcrowded or loud. Lovely Atmosphere and a great find! So happy we found this place!! Highly recommended!! It's worth throwing on the Satnav and finding! Thank you Mari for the lovely experience...