When we had lunch at Tian Tian Plus a couple of weeks ago, I knew we're very likely going to be back at Elements Mall very soon, because of the newly opened Monsoon Oriental Cuisine by Chef Will Meyrick.
We got our first taste of Chef Meyrick's pan-Asian dishes when we were in Bali a few years ago and later at Mama-san, the chef's collaboration project with local F&B giant, Dining Concepts so we're no stranger to his brand of Asian food that embraces the rich tradition and finest ingredients of Asia. Monsoon's kitchen is helmed by his usual deputy Chef Gede Budiana, an expert on Indonesian and Southeast Asian cuisine who has been working under him for over 17 years including stints at Mama-san in Bali and Hong Kong.
At Monsoon, Chef Meyrick again presents a menu full of authentic comfort dishes from Asia based on his extensive travel in Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.
Of course, they have an Asian inspired décor to match their cuisine. Very warm, welcoming atmosphere.
Some welcome bites to kick off lunch - prawn crackers served with a homemade chili sauce.
Indonesian Wagyu beef rendang ($168) - Lunch got off to a flying start thanks to this wonderfully executed Wagyu beef rendang. I haven't had a beef rendang for years so I was really looking forward to it. The braised beef short ribs cooked in coconut milk with Indonesian spices definitely didn't disappoint. It was soft, tender and moist with that perfect melt-in-the-mouth texture. This dish on its own already warrants a second visit.
Soft shell crab "pad thai" ($138) - But they dropped the ball with one of the easiest and simplest dish in Thai cuisine, the pad thai.
The rice noodles were really really bland, and so were the deep-fried soft shell crab. When I have an authentic pad thai, I'm always impressed with the mix of sweet, acidic and spicy flavors. But this one didn't have any of the promised flavors in the mix.
One good and one not-so-good dish from today's meal but it would be a little too early to write them off especially considering that there are so many favorite Asian dishes of mine on the menu. Yes, the results weren't all that good today but I will likely be back for more.
Price: $$$
Address: Shop 1044-45, 1/F Elements, 1 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Kowloon
Tel: +852 2511-0100
Website: www.monsoonoriental.com.hk
Opening Hours: 11:00pm - 2:30pm, 5:30pm - 10:30pm daily
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