MONO

Open Now

Now Closed

Item: MONO
Rating: 4
Author: eatwai

63 Reviews

Taste

Decor

Service

Hygiene

Value

15393

Central

Above $801

International Fine Dining

eatwai

Level4

188

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[ MONO | 中環 ]

As a bread lover, I have been wanting to visit this restaurant and try their very famous sourdough bread forever. I have finally decided to stop procrastinating and come here to celebrate my birthday.

I booked a table for 12:30 on a regular Wednesday and we were the first people in the restaurant that day but it never got too busy, only 2-3 other tables during this period which was nice as the restaurant isn’t that big and seating wise there was only the kitchen counter and a few 4 seaters.

Before I discuss the food, the service here is what’s expected from a (recently awarded) Michelin 1-star restaurant but there are some inconsistencies among the staff. The higher ones (general manager and assistant GM) are more educated about the menu and cuisine and are much more attentive and interactive than the other staff which needs to be improved on. Moreover, the head chef was not present the day I went (I also hear that he does not usually come during lunch sessions unless there is VIP 😬) which was a shame but I’m glad the sous chef was friendly and allowed me to ask him questions about the dishes.

We were first given a warm towel to clean out hands as the first course requires us to eat with our hands, I wished they kept the towel or even replaced it instead of taking it away afterwards as I wanted to clean my hands throughout the course.

I went for their Soul menu priced at $888 but added a main course for $168 as I feared it would not be filling enough. Spoiler alert, I was right. The total of this meal was $1162 including the service charge.

They then showcased a platter of unqiue produce and ingredients which will be used throughout the course and every single dish incorporates a new and rare product for the Hong Kong palette and I can easily say I have never tasted these flavours before so every course was delicious and educational.

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Mexican blue corn infladita, mezcal steamed Fine Cadoret oyster, shallot cream & chayote

This first bite is probably the most memorable and dare I say delicious course from the whole menu.

The inflation is crispy (however slightly stale but the thinness prevented it from being too hard), and the filling inside is extremely creamy from the smooth shallot cream as well as the briny oyster which is not blended but roughly chopped so there is still texture. The chayote also made added a crunchy and refreshing element to this bite. The oyster is sourced from France and you can taste its quality due to the sharp brine but creamy finish.

I finished it in two bites and wished there were more, but the oyster flavour lingered enough for me to prolong the enjoyment.

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Roasted Peruvian mashua & tamarillo-chipotle salsa

This second course was presented beautifully and I was very intrigued by ‘mashua’, a root vegetable from the Andes Mountains that can be eaten raw or cooked. Here it is presented in 3 forms: pickled, raw, and roasted. The pickled one highlights it’s crisp texture and neutralises it’s herbal undertones with acidity. The raw pieces showcase the mashua’s pungent pepperiness. On the other hand, the biggest piece (the roasted mashua) is crunchy and sweet and reminds me of celeriac but less starchy. The amalgamation of these different tastes and textures allows MONO to put a spotlight on what they do best: highlighting the diversity and beauty of produce native to Latin America.

The salsa on the bottom is made using tamarillo, an egg-shaped fruit that’s sweet, tangy and sour. Coupled with the chipotle chilli, this salsa has a mild heat but is overall not spicy and (to an extent) reminds me of gourmet ketchup with less sugar.

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Artisanal Bolivian kiwicha sourdough & Eva Aguilera’s bio-dynamic Spanish arbequina olive oil

Now for the most anticipated course. The day I went the mother dough was 1432 days old. It arrived fresh from being reheated and served with an elusive olive oil.

The crust is thin but crusty and crunchy, unlike the sourdough with a hard crust that hurts your teeth. The interior is extremely fluffy and dense in the best way possible and reminds me of sponge as it absorbed the olive oil and other sauces without getting soggy, maintaining its bouncy and chewy form. The taste is also extraordinary; tangy and sour but earthy from the kiwicha (Amaranth) which is a whole grain and gives the bread more flavour.

I unbashfully asked for another loaf after finishing it all. Unlike regular bread, it doesn’t go stale or hard after cooling down but does loose some of its aroma.

The olive oil is good but the bread is truly the star and I enjoyed it without the oil. But I did love using it to mop up leftover sauces from my plate. A side note: every sauce here is very unique and delicious, reminds me of French cooking where sauce is the most important part of a dish.

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Roasted ananas tomato, Menton lemon sauce, razor clams a la plancha with an emulsion of 7 year-old Nicaraguan Rum & Venezuelan sofrito

Following the bread is the perfect dish to eat with the bread. It was my first time seeing and trying pineapple tomato (named after its appearance but it honestly tastes like pineapple too) and wow was it tasty. Super juicy and sweet with a sight tang to round it off, paired with lemon sauce to enhance it even more and some razor clams to add texture. A really really good dish unlike anything I’ve ever had and highlights the ananas tomato really well without overpowering it despite using other more strong or expensive ingredients.

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Pacific seabass, tomatillo concasse with yuzu koshō, Colombian coffee oil & vegetation water

Fish course was this seabass which seemed undercooked but they explained to me it was supposed to be like that. Nonetheless, the flesh is very much opaque and did not flake which is a clear sign of it being just slightly undercooked. I did not mind it but my companion sure did. Anyway, taste-wise it was very unique. The combination of yuzu kosho and coffee did not go together in my mind but I guess the slight bitterness from the coffee oil was needed to balance out the spicy kosho. I found the ‘vegetation’ water very interesting and they explained that it is made from pure leftover vegetables which explains why the flavour is so intense without being heavy.

A nice and very intriguing dish that again required the bread to soak up the remaining sauce. I also recommend eating the fish with the bread because this pair goes very well together.

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Bone-grilled monkfish, Peruvian oca “tatin” 21 ingredient mole, chimichurri sauce & ancho chilli jus (+$168)

By now I was not very full despite having eaten a loaf of bread so I was very glad I got this add-on main. This is another signature dish that I really wanted to try and I am glad I did.

Monkfish is very rarely seen in HK restaurants but its texture is meaty and thick unlike other white fish such as the seabass beforehand. Here, they (weirdly) served it with a sweet oca tatin, a tuber that holds similarities to potato and apple. It’s texture is starchy yet crunchy and the sweetness actually went great with the fish and the chilli jus so I recommend eating it together and not by itself.

Like the ingredients used throughout the courses, our server made the mole sauce in front of us beforehand and this interactive experience just made it all the more memorable. The mole sauce is definitely a standout, incredibly savory and rich with bitter after tones; paired with the herbaceous chimichurri sauce and the spicy ancho chilli jus, it was an explosion of flavours. It was funny how I got the chef’s signature as a sauce on my plate even though he wasn’t here 😂 shows how real it is I guess 😂😂

Also don’t forget to mop up the remaining sauce with the bread 😉

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Argentinian mate cocido

To end the meal, we were first given this mate tea which is incredibly soothing and helps digestion. But don’t drink all of it yet (or ask for more) because it is even better when paired with the chocolate course.

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Our homemade Ecuadorian chocolate layers & avocado leaf ice cream

If you are a chocolate lover, you definitely have to check this out sine they make their own chocolate from cacao beans in-house and they said the whole process takes a minimum of 12 days. They also show the step-by-step process of processing the beans to make chocolate and knowing the origin of your food is very important.

I actually saw them plating this dish when I was eating the seabass so I was pretty bummed out about the lack of freshness but it tastes good so 🫠

Our server told us to start from the lightest part which is the avocado leaf ice cream and make our way around to the most indulgent so as to not ruin the palate too soon. But I liked taking a bite out of everything and then going back for more or mixing them together.

The avocado leaf ice cream surprised me the most, so soft and silky and only a bit icy. It melted very quickly and to didn’t have a strong taste of cream, instead, it was herbaceous and fresh and even a bit nutty. I also enjoyed the crispy chocolate biscuit and something similar to a brownie. The most indulgent was definitely the ganache which felt like fudge, it is not as sweet as I would have thought but definitely sweet for someone who doesn’t like desserts. Thank god I had the tea to help balance it out.

I also got a complimentary birthday cake and I actually enjoyed this more than the dessert in the menu as it’s less sweet. The crunchy base is so nutty and tasty and went so well with the tonka bean mousse on top and everything is lightened by the açai berry in the middle. I unconsciously finished the whole thing myself 🤭.

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Dulces

To actually end the meal, we were served with two sweet bites, similar to petit four. There was a fresh cacao fruit juice gominola (jelly candy) coasted with Mexican chamoy and gochugaru which is not spicy at all and rather sweet and very sticky.

The second sweet was an Alfajores which is a traditional Argentinian snack of dulce de leche sandwiched between two butter cookies. I much preferred this one as it’s creamy and not too sweet. You can even buy it on their website

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推介 💁🏻‍♀️

💬 Overall, a not-bad dining experience and I really enjoyed learning about Latin American cuisine since it’s so uncommon in HK. I will say their prices are expensive compared to other fine-dining restaurants but I do believe you should try it once if you like learning about food. I myself will definitely be back for their bread and if they have a new menu because I loved the flavours.

I’m happy they just earned a Michelin star but I hope they don’t get too infatuated with it or increase their price just because they can now.

🗓 Revisit? ✅ ⭕️/ ❎