10/04/09

NOT Fast Food Vietnamese

by jlimt

Okay, sorry for all the reviews about the bad service that has been written up. Personally, my husband and I have always received very professional and attentive care during our dining experience.

Comparing this restaurant to Tamarind Tree or Green Leaf in the ID - ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!

That's like comparing Nishino's to Blue C.

Sure, save a few bucks in the ID and get okay food for your money. McDondalds also serves a Filet-O-Fish that's gonna fill a hole. I'm not above that...

But, if you want a real treat, taste wise, check this place out.

• Pros: Just darn good food

02/16/09

Brunchtime Seattle! - Monsoon

by manjum

Monsoon, in the Capitol Hill neighbourhood has a very simple (almost zen-like) yet an upscale ambience.

The menu that was there online promised atleast a couple of vegetarian dishes to choose from, but their menu changes on a daily basis and unfortunately there wasn't much of a vegetarian choice. I pretty much had only french toast or waffles to choose from. (I wouldn't recommend this place, if both of you are vegetarians!) I had the Brioche French Toast with Caramelised Pineapple and Creme Fraiche ($11). AJ had the Organic Egg Benedict with Spiced Pork Patty and Fried Potatoes ($12) and we shared the Scrambled Eggs with Hedgehog Mushrooms, lap xuong and truffle oil ($11). We sadly, didn't order the dim sum and later realised that they seemed to be very popular among the regulars there.

The french toast was good but there was nothing extraordinarily great about it, Ive defenitely had better ones. The pork patties were an interesting combination with the egg benedict and the fried potatoes and stir fried bok-choy and onions completed the dish. We were not very happy with the scrambled eggs though, I had only the eggs as the lap xuong is a chinese sausage. But AJ did feel that the combination of the eggs with the mushrooms and lapxuong was good. Overall, it was a good meal - the food was good, we loved the simple ambience, the service was upto the mark and the prices were reasonable. But, if you are just looking for good food at really low prices, then this is not the place. This is the kind of place you go to, to experiment the cuisine and to have a good experience!!

More at my blog superchef-mirchmasala on blogspot.

01/11/09

Great Food and Excellent Service

by trucktruck

We recently ate at the new Monsoon East location in Bellevue. The food was great and 4 dishes was enough for two people with most of the prices in the low teens. Overall a very good value and the food gives Wild Ginger a run for its money.

The service was far and away the best I've had in years, with a helpful and friendly staff. The Bellevue location also had a nice ambience and will hopefully help revitalize the Old Bellevue area. There wasn't a bad thing about this place, would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for an Asian fusion type menu.

• Pros: Great Vietnamese Food with a Fancy Twist. Stellar Service.
• Cons: Hidden Location, Parking.

05/27/08

Not worth the price

by valentinel

I had brunch at Monsoon this past weekend and was excited by all the rave reviews it had gotten. The dim sum style dishes were good - we had the shrimp/chive wontons, daikon cakes, nem nuong, & sticky rice/pork. The fare was your standard dim sum -- good, but not any better than what you would get in the ID, and at Monsoon you pay twice as much. Service was poor. We were seated quickly, considering we had a party of 10, however, the food came out sporadically over a period of two hours -- needless to say, members of our party had finished their appetizer AND entree before others had even gotten any of their food! The entrees, while presented beautifully, were miniscule and some of our party were still hungry after the meal was over! I had the pork belly & french toast (great flavors) - other entrees ordered were the banh xeo (crispy and delicious), steak & eggs (tiny - do not order if you are hungry), lemongrass chicken vermicelli (really good, but miniscule), and congee (average). The food is good, but not $20 and entree good. For instance, if I want vermicelli in the future, I'm going to Huong Binh in the ID, where I'll pay $6, be satisfied, and have the best grilled pork in town. Monsoon just isn't worth the price for average Vietnamese food. For Vietnamese I'll still go to Green Leaf, where it is 100 times better or else home, for mom's homecooked Vietnamese meals. Pretty sure I won't be trying dinner at Monsoon.

• Pros: Location, ambience
• Cons: Vegetarian substitutes weren't available for brunch, service, average food for high $$, no reservations taken for brunch

04/22/08

Below average vietnamese food

by europeanfoodie

I read about the restaurant on its site and it sounded really exciting. I love Vietnamese food and I thought an upscale Vietnamese restaurant would be a great date spot for me and my husband. After 10 minute wait we got seated and ordererd two appetizers: stuffed calamari and five-star pork ribs. The tastes weren't balanced, too sour, not enough spice or sweetness. Food texture was pleasing, I liked the combination of jicama with mushrooms in calmari, but overpowering vinegar ruined the experience. Pork ribs were just OK, again not enough spice and way too much vinegar. For our entree we ordered clay pott catfish, which was quite nice except it had a slight burnt taste to it. The chefs forgot that clay pott catfish should boast sweet and smooth caramel taste, not burt and a bit bitter aftertaste... Needless to say, we were paying a lot for a very average Vietnamese food. To tell you the truth small family owned restaurants in International discrit serve a lot more pleasing food for a fraction of the cost. I would not recommend the place.

• Pros: Service, ambience, wine list
• Cons: Food

03/04/08

TERRIBLE SERVICE!!!

by hanayun1

I was really excited to experience traditional vietnamese flavors transformed somewhat by western, upscale methods of cooking. I was expecting to taste something new and exciting but was disappointed as the previous reviewer was by its blandness. Now, I understand that a restaurant can have an off-day and would have given it another chance if it wasn't for the awful, terrible, rude service. The waitress made us feel like we were imposing simply by coming through the door. It took an awful long time for her to take our order and after she literally dropped the plates on the table, we didn't see her until she came with the check. I will never go to Monsoon again and will always suggest that people stay away from there.

• Pros: Food could have potential to be good.
• Cons: THE MOST TERRIBLE SERVICE I'VE EXPERIENCED!

02/08/08

Bland food and snooty service

by ubik1000

I'd been looking forward to eating at Monsoon for quite a while but was disappointed by the experience. They had an impressive wine list and though the dishes my partner and I had (pan-seared scallops, wokked lamb) were nicely presented, they tasted very bland. Considering the high prices, we were expecting something exceptional but it was average at best. No strong or delicate or interesting flavors - not much flavor at all in fact. I think in terms of value and consistent tastiness, you'd be better off going to the Tamarind Tree and spending half as much. On top of this, the male server we had was rude and snobbish. I honestly wouldn't care if the food merited the attitude, but it really didn't. Bottom line: find yourself a nice Vietnamese restaurant in the International District, like the Tamarind Tree, and leave this place to people whose taste buds died silently many years ago.

• Pros: If you lived close, you could walk there
• Cons: Bland, overpriced, bad service

11/11/07

Experience it for yourself.

by jackelinquyen

I recommend their brunch.

It was hard to find this place b/c the sign was so small. I did not expect the restaurant to be even smaller. It felt like the size of a large bedroom.

The staff was not overly delighted to serve us because I think they split their tips. The person who seated us did not take our order so thats what I figure.

The food was very good. Trust me, I'm Vietnamese and I used to get 'mass production' dim sum at House of Hong and at the other international district places. The chefs at monsoon really poured there heart into creating delicate and delicious food.

Good atmosphere. It's a nice place to take your friends on a Sunday morning-afternoon. Good for kids if they can behave like my six year old niece Julia.

• Pros: good food
• Cons: parking, small space, semi-desent service

10/03/07

Save the hassle for overpriced BAD service.

by savorysista

My husband and I just moved into this Capitol Hill neighborhood a couple months ago. Such a beautiful neighborhood. Our first time at Monsoon was a very pleasant experience (mainly to the beautiful, sweet and attentive hostess, Ceylon). The food was delicious, especially the beef with chinese celery. We further enjoyed the extensive wine list very much. Since we're all moved in, we were really excited to return to our new favorite neigbhorhood restaurant, Monsoon. Twice this past month, we DID NOT have a good dinning experience and service was VERY BAD. The hostess (not Ceylon) looking tired and unwelcoming, our server very unorganized and seems as though he had better things to do ---chatting up a table of his friends, while we waited a long time for our food and drinks? Delicious food and good wine list is not going make us return due to bad service. Everyone enjoy the simple things in life...good food, wine and service while dinning out. We're just sorry to have recommended to our friends and same disagppointment. Recently we discovered Little Siagon District (12th/Jackson) near International District and go there regularly. The food is just as authentic or even better! Cheap and you save the hassle of paying too much for bad service. A little respect to service comes a long way.

• Pros: Food and Wine List
• Cons: Parking, SERVICE

09/08/07

Stuck up

by alwaysyours

I came in two weeks ago. I felt that the place did not have a warm welcome or I felt as if the service especially the men would snarl about you after waiting on you to the other waiters, it was very uncomfortable. The hostess girl with the black hair was very nice and sweet but the two waiters that are men weren't as friendly...Overall, the food was amazing, the cooks are very talented and would come back to taste some more of the great wine selection they have.