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I was beginning to wonder if really good food would ever hit Old Bellevue. It hit. Monsoon East, the little sister of Monsoon on Capital Hill, opened a few months ago to rave reviews.
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Monsoon offers modern Vietnamese cuisine using fresh, seasonal ingredients; a great little wine list; comfortable, swanky atmosphere; and a knowledgeable, attentive staff.
The bar area has a black leather bench system with small tables by the spacious front windows -- perfect for a small gathering of friends. The bar stool counter overlooks the open kitchen, where the wokking happens.
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Daily offerings include both fresh & fried rolls, claypot and wokked dishes, lots of fresh seafood, and several great vegetarian options. Don’t leave without tasting something from the raw bar. The lunch menu is a bit smaller, and includes rice and noodle bowls. Monsoon East also has happy hour from 3-6pm -- several amazing little plates, specialty cocktails, beer and wine all at a discounted rate.
The tea list is small but well-rounded -- a little something for everyone. The organic yang xian mao fang tea is great, and you can’t go wrong with green dragon oolong.
The vegetarian fresh rolls with roasted shiitakes, tofu & mint are a light, refreshing appetizer, and the rich peanut sauce makes them quite satisfying.
The crispy imperial rolls with kurabuta pork & shrimp are accompanied by glass noodles, thai basil, lettuces and a sweet chili dipping sauce. They are very delicious. I do wish, however, the dish came with a bit more sauce -- there’s plenty if the rolls came unadorned, but after compiling a proper stack of all the little accoutrements, it seems a bit skimpy, especially if you are dining with sauce hounds.
The wokked soft noodles are studded with oyster mushrooms, duck egg & green onion. The duck egg is scrambled into the dish, much like fried rice. It’s the kind of comforting dish I could eat everyday.
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The wokked gulf prawns with roasted chili & caramel sauce has a good balance of both sweet and heat, and nicely complemented by the caramelized red onions and crisp, peppery watercress.
I’m not sure what we did to deserve Monsoon in suburbia, but we must keep up the good work.
Monsoon East
10245 Main Street
Bellevue, WA 98004
425.635.1112
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