The indecisive diner will love Monsoon, the newest creation of celebrated Aussie chef Will Meyrick to arrive in Hong Kong.
When it comes to Southeast Asia’s dining heritage, you could eat until you split your sides and still only nibble at the tip of the culinary iceberg. From the fiery chili-laced dishes of Isan in northern Thailand to the rich noodle broths of Penang, and the sinful goodness of bubi guling in Ubud, the region is one of the world’s most gastronomically vibrant. Celebrating this diversity, and inspired by his own extensive travels through Asia, Australian celebrity chef Will Meyrick delivers soul-appeasing comfort fare at his second Hong Kong restaurant, Monsoon.
READ: Sweet Buds For Your Ears
Now, as you can imagine, with travel restrictions galore, it’s been a tricky time for empire-building celebrity chefs the world over, and, stuck in Perth during the pre-opening period, Meyrick and his team had to think outside the box. The chef, whose acclaimed Bali restaurants include Sarong, Mama San (an outpost of which was his first foray into the Fragrant Harbour), Billy Ho, and Ubud’s Hujan Locale, has instead relied on both daily Zoom sessions with the culinary team and the unassailable talents of his Balinese colleague, Indonesian chef Gede Budiana, who arrived from Bali to head up the new eatery.
This remote patronage is actually something that Will Meyrick thinks will become the new norm – so much so that he’s even created an archive of Monsoon recipe videos to both ensure consistency at the Hong Kong restaurant and to also let would-be home chefs have a crack at his signature dishes.
READ: A Watch for Golf’s Golden Boy
Located at ELEMENTS Mall, Monsoon showcases the textures, flavours and traditions that both bind and differentiate the cuisines of the Monsoon belt, the countries whose seasons (or lack of them – sorry Singapore) are defined by the annual rains. Catering to 100 guests (including eight in the private dining room) in a soothing space of glass, gleaming timber and earthy hues, the restaurant’s interiors blend elements of colonial style with the verdant colours of Southeast Asia – think rice patty green ceilings, delicate cane parasols hung from the ceiling, rattan detailing on the banquette seating, floral wall motifs, and vintage-esque floor tiles. The effect is a balanced symphony of colours, details, and influences that perfectly sets the stage for the food to come.
It’s a busy weekday afternoon when we visit, and with social distancing in effect, the new venue quickly fills to its allotted capacity. Many guests can be spied ordering off the set lunch menu (the free-flow Thai milk tea is a bit of a giveaway) but we opt to go a la carte, ordering fresh rice paper rolls with crispy soft shell crab; Cambodian steamed salmon amok; and grilled pork satay to start.
READ: Hong Kong’s Best New Restaurants in August
The spring rolls are feather-light and zesty, with the fresh herbs delivering a decisive crunch and leaving a perfumed aura around each bite; while the pork satay skewers are perfectly caramalised with touches of palm sugar, the sweetness offset by hints of white pepper and the citrusy heat of nahm jihm sauce. Salmon isn’t a traditional ingredient in Southeast Asia, but Meyrick’s use of the river fish in the Khmer-styled dish really works, the delicacy of the salmon embracing the other ingredients – lemongrass, red curry, coconut cream, and Thai basil – and creating a dish that’s so much more than the sum of its parts.
The Jungle Curry is another interesting medley; the barramundi is steamed in banana leaf and becomes a platform from which the sour spicy flavours of the nam pla prik – fish sauce, lime juice, chilli peppers, garlic, and palm sugar – can literally (ok, not literally) leap off the dish and into the mouth.
For something a little more mellow we go with the Siam prawn curry, a hearty blend of pineapple, kaffir lime, coconut milk, and Thai basil that brings out the sweetness of the prawns while warming the body from the inside out.
READ: Bond-inspired Luggage From Globe-Trotter
We cool things down with the Malaysian rujak salad – apples, guava, pineapple, yam beans, cucumber, and mint with a peanut and tamarind sauce. I’ve always found this to be a curious dish that doesn’t know if it should be on the appetizer or dessert section of the menu but either way it’s a brilliant punch of fresh, sweet, earthy flavours.
The menu at Monsoon has something for everyone, from soft shell crab pad thai; and peppercorn snapper with wild ginger; to Vietnamese pho bo with tenderloin beef; a royal beef salad of brisket simmered in coconut, shredded bamboo, lemongrass, and roasted chilli sauce; and tom yum “kway teow“, a dish that really assembles elements from the length and breadth of the Malay Peninsula. This makes it a great destination for groups, once the Covid dust settles.
READ: Why You Need to Be Using Toner
If you have room, don’t go past the Vietnamese creme caramel with coffee granita, in which the rich, robust espresso slices and dices its way through the delicate custard like a samurai in a tissue store, carrying its silky sweetness with it.
You can also match your dishes with an extensive list of alcoholic and virgin libations, many laced with the same ingredients used in the mains. I decided to go with something like – the Oriental Pearl, with sauvignon blanc, Campari, passionfruit puree, orange marmalade, and fresh grapefruit – which was tall, cold, and utterly refreshing, while my dining companion went with a Gunner, a traditional cooler of lime, lemonade, and ginger ale that’s keep generations cool through Southeast Asia’s balmy summers.
READ: How About a Luxurious Thai River Cruise?
With intelligent, discrete service, a menu packed more with flavour and heritage than innovation, and a concept that’s all about good food at a reasonable price, shared with great company, Monsoon is sure to please palates from across the city.
Note: The author reviewed this restaurant as a paying guest
For more Wining & Dining inspiration click here.
LIKE WHAT YOU SEE? FOLLOW ALPHA MEN ASIA ON FACEBOOK, OR INSTAGRAM AND SUBSCRIBE TO OUR HONG KONG-CENTRIC NEWSLETTER HERE
