Monta Chaya is like the younger, sexier sister of Monta Ramen. Anything Monta Ramen can do, Chaya can do better.
I stopped here during the week of grand opening with my home skillet Molly T. The restaurant is much more open and spacious than its sister restaurant. The decor is simple yet modern and tasteful. The stools at the bar no longer anally penetrate your behind; they now have larger stools with rectangular cushions on top.
In addition to the standard ramen menu offered at Monta Ramen, here they offer you additional "Chaya" menu consisting of various appetizers ranging from chicken karaage to daikon salad to chasu buns to several other things in between.
The ramen menu is identical including the add on options. I went with my tried and true Tonkotsu Shoyu (soy and pork bone based broth) ramen with extra corn. The taste was every bit as good as the original location's. The noodles were cooked well and had great texture, the broth was milky and packing flavor, two pieces of chashu were solid quality and not overly fatty, and the standards that included dried seaweed, green onion, and kikurage mushroom completed the great taste.
I saw one of the cooks from the original location working in the kitchen, so it is no surprise that the taste seems consistent. The service was okay, toward the end the waitress kept hovering behind us as to hurry us along. The prices are reasonable...I think my bowl came to $7.45 with the add on. Definitley great value for both quality and quntity of ramen.