Foodgasms are few and far between. My rule of thumb is that I must dine at a restaurant at least three times before I will bestow the coveted foodgasm. Ok, perhaps my foodgasm is not so coveted, but it is my stamp of approval on a great meal.
I had a foodgasm near Disneyland at the Hotel Ménage recently. The K’ya restaurant occupies the ground floor of a remolded 1960’s era motel. You don’t normally think of motel kitchens as being hot spots for trendy cuisine, but the Hotel Ménage transformed itself into a nice place to stay and along the way they built a decent restaurant.
The current menu features international street food at affordable prices. The cities featured are San Francisco’s Chinatown, Ensenada, Tokyo, New York, Miami Beach, Korea Town, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Chicago, Venice, Paris, and Bangkok. Their menu describes street fare as…
Take a culinary adventure and try the flavors of the world with K’ya’s “streed food” menu. Enjoyed by 2 1/2 billion people daily, stree food is sold cart style or served up at local eateries, each authentic dish reflecting the flavors of the culture . Delicious fun fare and not a dish over ten buck in sight.
Reminiscent of a tapas bar, you order small quantities of moderately priced items and share. For one meal we tried gumbo ($5), loco moco ($6), fish tacos ($3), and a grilled scallop brochette ($7). For another meal, spiced conch chowder ($4), Cubano Sandwich ($5), Hummus Bowl ($5), corn on the cob ($3), and crisp Thai calamari ($5). We’ve never made it to desert.
The only knock I have is a weak wine list and pricy beer. Who orders a $4.50 bottle of Coors Light?
K’ya also has a bar with a piano lounge featuring live music most nights. The vibe is young and hip. Parking is valet only, but fully reimbursed.
Hot tip… if you want to watch the nightly Disneyland fireworks, pull up a chair at the outdoors Palapa Bar, the show goes off 500 feet over your head.
Hotel Ménage and the K’ya restaurant are located at the corner of Ball and Harbor near Disneyland.