MONSOON season
Returning to my recent theme, we tried that trendy Asian fusion restaurant, Monsoon.
The restaurant is located in a building that used to house a bank. An imposing edifice, it does not look at all like a restaurant.
Inside, however, it is sleek, modern, sophisticated.
And just a little pretentious.
Sort of like P. F. Chang's, only more "clubby".
The tables are set with conventional silverware and chopsticks, as well as containers of soy sauce, duck sauce and a sweet chili sauce.
The dinner menu, I'm told, was recently revamped, and several dishes were dropped and replaced by steaks. The choices range from dim sum to sushi to curry.
Sweet and sour chicken was breaded and fried -- much lighter than the standard version - with a sweet sauce and beautifully julienned peppers and carrots.
Pork fried rice was served in a deep bowl, and was topped with a whole fried egg. The dish was a bit bland until we added some soy sauce.
Shaking steak turned out to be cubes of beef in a rich sauce.
Old Style Pad Thai -- slightly undercooked rice noodles, with tofu and bean sprouts in a savory brown sauce.
Green tea was light and delicate and had a subtle flavor.
The best moment of the night? It came with the fortune cookies. They're specially prepared for Monsoon; one side contains your fortune, the other is imprinted with the URL for the restaurant's website.
Mine contained an atrocious pun: You Dim Sum, you lose some.
Drew opened his fortune and started to laugh.
For years, every time we've gone to a Chinese restaurant, when the fortune cookies came, Drew would inevitably make a joke as he read the fortune. "His" joke: "Help, I'm a prisoner in a Chinese fortune cookie bakery."
Guess what his fortune was tonight?
You guessed!
Too funny!
Of course there were leftovers (a wonderful lunch awaits). Desserts didn't really appeal.
Definitely a place worth coming back to.
}
The restaurant is located in a building that used to house a bank. An imposing edifice, it does not look at all like a restaurant.
Inside, however, it is sleek, modern, sophisticated.
And just a little pretentious.
Sort of like P. F. Chang's, only more "clubby".
The tables are set with conventional silverware and chopsticks, as well as containers of soy sauce, duck sauce and a sweet chili sauce.
The dinner menu, I'm told, was recently revamped, and several dishes were dropped and replaced by steaks. The choices range from dim sum to sushi to curry.
Sweet and sour chicken was breaded and fried -- much lighter than the standard version - with a sweet sauce and beautifully julienned peppers and carrots.
Pork fried rice was served in a deep bowl, and was topped with a whole fried egg. The dish was a bit bland until we added some soy sauce.
Shaking steak turned out to be cubes of beef in a rich sauce.
Old Style Pad Thai -- slightly undercooked rice noodles, with tofu and bean sprouts in a savory brown sauce.
Green tea was light and delicate and had a subtle flavor.
The best moment of the night? It came with the fortune cookies. They're specially prepared for Monsoon; one side contains your fortune, the other is imprinted with the URL for the restaurant's website.
Mine contained an atrocious pun: You Dim Sum, you lose some.
Drew opened his fortune and started to laugh.
For years, every time we've gone to a Chinese restaurant, when the fortune cookies came, Drew would inevitably make a joke as he read the fortune. "His" joke: "Help, I'm a prisoner in a Chinese fortune cookie bakery."
Guess what his fortune was tonight?
You guessed!
Too funny!
Of course there were leftovers (a wonderful lunch awaits). Desserts didn't really appeal.
Definitely a place worth coming back to.
}
Comments
Post a Comment