ORIENTAL FLAVOUR

Monsoon presents inventive and inspiring takes on classic Southeast Asian dishes, says Denis Fahy

Bali-based Scottish born chef Will Meyrick – renowned for piquant plates like Thai dry-fried minced chicken with yellow curry at his first Hong Kong restaurant Mama San – has opened his second eatery in the city, Monsoon. Situated at Elements and decked out with colonial-era décor like rattan chairs and lampshades, it serves up a modern expression of Southeast Asia’s much-loved street food dishes. The restaurant takes its name from the monsoon rains that Southeast Asia is renowned for, and the menu features a diverse selection of dishes from the region, from comforting bowls of tom yum soup to Indonesian Wagyu beef rendang braised in traditional spices.

Meyrick is renowned for his creative take on Asian cuisine and is the driving force behind some of Bali’s most coveted restaurants, including flagship fine dining restaurant Sarong. Unable to make it to Hong Kong due to travel restrictions during the pandemic, the chef set up Monsoon remotely, regularly liaising with the Monsoon culinary team, which is headed up by his trusted head chef from Bali, Gede Budiana. The chef tasked with recreating Meyrick’s innovative takes on Southeast Asian classics was part of the opening team at Sarong, which made it on the list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants.

Since opening back in August, Monsoon has not only been welcoming in well-heeled shoppers to one of Hong Kong’s most exclusive malls but has also built up a hard core of regular diners keen to sample vibrant signature dishes like royal beef salad of brisket and grilled barramundi marinated with jungle curry and wrapped in banana leaf.

In a real Monsoon the environment gets naturally purified, filling the air with refreshing ions. Monsoon does exactly that, providing an informal yet sophisticated restaurant environment, from striking floral murals to wooden umbrellas hanging from the ceiling.

I start the evening with a betel gin and tonic, the flavours heightened by this South Asian staple renowned for its distinctive herby bitterness. It’s deliciously more-ish but try to go easy and savour the flavours: gin and betel are proven to stimulate gastric juices, especially, it seems, when combined with fresh prawn crackers to nibble on. Appetite suitably stimulated, my palate is rewarded with fresh rice paper rolls and perfectly crispy soft shell crab with a divine yellow bean sauce on the side.

Keen to sample a good selection of the menu, I order a solid selection of plates, including a pad thai, surely the litmus taste test for any Southeast Asian-influenced restaurant. Monsoon’s take on this Thai classic, loaded with tasty fresh prawns with chewy rice noodles and crunchy bean sprouts & garlic chives, easily passes the test. From the wokfried section of the menu, chicken chili jam similarly delights with a sizzling bonanza of surprising tastes, the fragrant Thai basil juxtaposed against crunchy cashew. I mop up the delicious flavours with some garlic and cumin bread, a staple of the restaurant’s sides menu. Similarly, the Singaporean chicken laksa noodles with Hokkien meen are enormously good and are given the edge with a blast of fresh coconut.

As I work my way through the dishes, it becomes increasingly clear that Meyrick has put together a well thought out menu with selections for palates suited to different levels of spice. Dishes like the seafood tom yum and peppercorn snapper feature a two-chili icon warning, but most of the menu is without a two, or even one, chili icon. Leave some room for Meyrick’s playful dessert selection, which includes a Kampung snicker made with peanut butter parfait, butterscotch and chocolate-coated peanut, and a refreshing lemongrass panna cotta with cucumber lime jelly and lemon basil sorbet.

While you should make it to Monsoon’s cosy and inviting space at Elements, the restaurant is mindful of the stop-start nature of the hospitality industry at the moment. As such, it has launched Monsoon at Home, online cooking demonstrations available on the restaurant’s social media channels, so you can nail these great dishes from the comfort and safety of your own kitchen. monsoonoriental.com.hk