In the bowl: From the menu: "buck wheat noodle salad with mixed vegetables, hardboiled egg and spicy vinaigrette." Those vegetables include shredded cabbage, red onion, cucumber, bean sprouts, kaiware (daikon sprouts), and maybe some microgreens.

Supporting cast/What to do: Some of the dishes at Cha:n, like the bibimbap and grilled short rib, come with a runny egg, requiring a mix of what's in the bowl before eating. That's not the case with the buckwheat salad, which is ready to roll.

In the bowl: Rice vermicelli noodles, bamboo shoots, fried shallots and peanuts, and Thai basil.

Supporting cast/What to do: Along with your soup, you get a plate of cold duck pieces (on the bone), shredded cabbage, more fried shallots and peanuts, Thai basil, and a small bowl of ginger fish sauce (nuoc mam gung). You can use the sauce as a dip, or pour it over the duck and cabbage, eating your "salad" at whatever intervals you like along with your soup.

On the plate: From the menu: "Thin egg noodles with beef, garlic, and sweet chili sauce." You'll also notice bamboo shoots, onions, carrots, water chestnuts, celery, and green onions on the plate.

Supporting cast/What to do: You'll find soy sauce and chili pepper sauce on your table, but you'll likely need neither. The noodles are saucy and hearty, to the point where you might want to order something more. (See below.)

In the bowl: From the menu: "Noodle soup with chicken or vegetables, peas and herbs." Clarification coming, below.

Supporting cast/What to do: You can choose between chicken or vegetables. The latter will be one dollar less than the price above. Your server will ask your desired spice level, from one to five.

On the plate: Two types of noodles, which require a close inspection to see. Onions, green onions, carrots, bean sprouts. Shrimp, which are presumably not the intended salted fish, with the chicken missing in action.

Supporting cast/What to do: There's soy sauce and chili sauce around if you need it. But there might not be a server around if you need one. And you'll likely need one.

In the bowl: You'll see slightly yellowish egg noodles topped with little bits of ground pork and thin slices of green onion. The chili sauce is at the bottom of the bowl.

Supporting cast/What to do: It's all there, in the bowl. What's important is to mix as soon and thoroughly as possible before the noodles harden and congeal, as the sauce will have settled to the bottom of the bowl. And I do mean thorough. There's not a lot of meat and sauce, so you'll want to go for good distribution.

On the plate: Per the menu: "pan-fried thin noodles with mixed vegetables, sausage, and chicken." That description will warrant further explanation.

Supporting cast/What to do: Dig in. There's no option for spice level when ordering. You'll find chili sauce on the table, but as much as I like heat, I don't see this as a dish that needs to be made spicy. Enjoy the noodles as they are, getting some "meat" and/or vegetables in each chopstick pull.

On the plate: Per the menu: "Classic Thai spicy wide rice noodles stir-fried in garlic & chili with veggies beef, Portabello and other mushrooms." The other mushrooms are shiitake and white button mushrooms, and there's also red and green bell pepper, asparagus, and fried Thai basil.

Supporting cast/What to do: You'll be asked how spicy you want the dish, but the dishes are less spicy than promised. This surprised me, since Araya's was features on Food Network's Heat Seekers as a "Thai restaurant with dishes that bring all comers to their knees." Be prepared, then, to request the special plate with spoons of spices so that you can raise the roof on the heat.

In the bowl: Per the menu: "Small rice noodles, bean sprouts, spinach." "Small" is written in because "Wide" is crossed out. Beef is the logical choice with boat noodle soup, so I went with that, though chicken, soy chicken, soy beef, and tofu are available for the same price, while shrimp and soy shrimp raise the price to $7.89.

Supporting cast/What to do: This soup comes spicy, but as always, you can ask for extra heat in the way of Sriracha or chili flakes/oil. Stir to mix the ingredients and chili, then eat with a cooling beverage at the ready.

On the plate: Per the menu: "Steamed flour noodle dish with beef and veggies." Or, per the photo in the front window: "Stewing Beef, Salt, Flour Noodles, Garlic Onion, and Black Pepper. MSG and Sugar Free." Those vegetables include yellow and orange bell peppers, broccoli, and cabbage.

Supporting cast/What to do: Nothing. But by the counter you'll find Maggi sauce, Sriracha, and other condiments. Keep those in mind for potential use.