monsoon poon

considering how long i've lived in wellington it was about time i got to monsoon poon. we had a great experience - service was a little slow although the place was packed. there is a good selection of asiandishes- not the best i've ever had but well cooked and nicely presented. great to see a kids menu in line with the cuisine theme instead of resorting to nuggets and chips.

i have only ever had positive experiences when venturing to monsoon poon on allen st.
thoroughly enjoy the mee goreng, sides and other noodledisheshere. 
excellent service, atmosphere, drinks and nibbles.

we really all enjoyed the dinner including the casual setting and aromaticdisheshowever few things that could have been improved. the serveddisheswere cold so food got cold very quickly. the soy salmon were soft but there was literally no sauce so it was a bit tasteless. with these things improved i would easily keep this place as my one my regulars.

i've wanted to try monsoon poon for a loooong time! i’d heard great things.i 'd just picked my partner up from the airport and we couldn't be bothered shopping then cooking, so a meal out at monsoon it was!

great decor and ambience. i like the open kitchen and all the fresh ingredients on show.

attentive, friendly staff.

the menu surprised me as it didn't have what i expected. not that it was bad, it was varied, but i expected something else, maybe more curry based options.

however, the mix of asian cuisine was broad. many nice choices.

i wasn't quite in the mood for a curry, neither was my partner. we decided on a selection of starters and a side of bok choi. we ordered:

* deutz bubbles: $12.00
* chang: $8.00
* wontons: $14.00
* pakhoras: $11.00
* squid: $14.00
* malai chicken: $15.00
* bok choy: $9.00
total: $83.00

food was ready in 8 minutes.

presentation and portion sizes were good. the meal itself was a mixed bag. three of thedisheswere superb, two were average.

the wontons were nice but i found the pork a bit dense. i wasn't a fan of the dip. the pakhoras were not what i expected. they were a bit of a let-down as they were dense fried lumps. again, not a fan.

however, the squid was soft and light and the dip was sharp and fresh, a lovely dish. the bok choi was flavoursome with the black beans and the oyster sauce. and finally the chicken was tender and juicy with great flavour. these were very enjoyable.

on this visit i wasn't blown away, but i would love to go back and try one of their curries.

went on tuesday, 9 june 2015. group of 8 people. rang up with 5 mins notice asking if they could squeeze the group in. not a problem. arrived and were seated straight away. the place was humming with diners, so surprised we got a table given how busy they were. variousdishesordered. i had the chicken fire (or whatever it was called - you can also get this dish as an entree slider!! go for it i reckon!!). it was explained that it was a hot dish and was i ok with that. yes i said. well it was hot and fantastic. had it with brilliant roti and rice. others had a variety ofdishesand not one complaint. highly recommended. one negative, which is really not a negative but a gripe with some restaurants, don't charge 4 or 5 dollars for plain rice. it's overpriced for what you are offering and most people would rather you increased you price by a couple of bucks on each main to cover the rice. anyhow, minor issue and would definitely go again.

came with a large group (12) and tried many different dishes. the salmon was not fresh and while i understand you can eat it raw this was very rare and luke warm which was not expected (half this meal went back). the yellow curry was luke warm. one of our group ordered the butter chicken and asked for it spicy hot but was told its pre-made so cant be changed?? really? is it a jar or packet sauce mix? rendang was sold out which we were not informed about until time to order which meant last minute changes but we were the second diners that night so not sure how this happened. the disabled toilet had at least six chairs stacked in there so you couldnt go in with a wheel chair... (i (dad) had to take my daughter to the toilet so this was the best option). noodledisheswere ok, did not taste authentic and we have eaten thosedishesin the countries of origin and many other spots in wellington. chicken satay didnt rattle the tastebuds either. such a shame as this was a good spot a few years ago but the love of food seems to have died. when we booked we said we were dining with kids... when we turned up we had kids that were very excited... we never even knew there was a kids menu and the kids never got the wee games/colouring in pics or anything from the wait staff.... stinker. if you like decor try monsoon poon...if you are a foodie i would suggest somewhere different.

the best asian restaurant i experienced in wellington. costly but worth. excellent decor, outstanding courtesy and so nicely spoken chef! they mainly concentrate ondishesfrom thailand, india, singapore and malaysia. supreme quality od ingredients and awesome flavours. in 2010, it used to take around 45 nzd to fill my tummy in lunch. i was a frequent customer. miss them.

a long time favourite...
monsooon poon is always exciting!
the asian decor makes you feel as though you are deep in thailand or vietnam & the food is just as authentic. noisy banter & music add to the ambiance.
a huge selection of asiandishes- thai, indian, vietnamese...
try the firecracker chicken sliders if you get a chance & the 25 spice curry is delicious!
bring a big appetite, plenty of friends and make sure you choose a large selection to share!

great and attentive staff, with the location and environment to suit. unfortunately that is where it ends. the function of great restaurant should (largely) be defined by the food they serve. with more than a decade being immersed in south east asian culture and cuisine, i can safely and confidently reflect that thedishesare neither authentic nor worthy of the assigned menu names they masquerade themselves in. the meals came out warm at best; unless called for, one would never try a dish served warm in asia unless you are fond for frequent trips to the bathroom. it is done hot for a reason but being so far away from that part of the world doesn't make it any more acceptable to qualify that - certainly not from a place that tries so hard to transport you to a foreign place upon entering through the doors.

the establishment's famous firecracker chicken dish was nothing but a fizzle with tender chicken being drowned in sweet and sour sauce that one could obtain from a jar with the spices kicked up a few notches. one could be forgiven if it was more of a traditional pork based dish. the other dish in question was the clearly implied malay fish and prawn medley which was fused with, insultingly, what appears to be thai green curry sauce - given that south east asian cuisine from one particular country should already have a lot going on for the palette care should be taken to fuse it with a different country - again from a sauce base that could be found from a jar. to round things off, the jasmine rice served was poorly made which stuck to the cutlery and did not fall apart. a simple staple like this can even be made in a microwave with better results!

this establishment struggles too much to create the visual appeal with lack of evidence to support in areas that should matter most - the food. overall i found the experience to be inspirational and underwhelming at the same time amidst the club/disco music with detracts from the overall experience. seats were crammed to maximise intake of patrons where you could overhear conversations from the next table or shoulder surf the text message of another patron. given the final bill total, there are many better places in wellington to be had. place suits those who want to be seen and heard (intentionally or otherwise) and couldn't care less what they consumed at the end of the sitting.

we had a large party (16) so was impressed we could be together, sort of, over two tables (no bookings - why not for a big group?) food was great. service was ok except the waitress insisted on leaning over us to reach other diners - that was rude! she even asked that we passeddishesaround so she wouldn't have to go to the effort of walking around. but, the big clincher why we will never go back was the very loud disco music with an consistent loud beat that, apparently, was the 'managers play list'. not music conducive to dinning but would have been ideal in a night club. after asking a waitress if it could be turned down, we were convinced it went up!

we were lucky enough to be invited to a birthday here this weekend.
what lovely food, friendly staff and a fun atmosphere.
music maybe a tad loud for me (i'm getting old) but it was a great vibe.
we had over 15dishesfor the table, to many to list, but i was delighted with them all.
we cannot wait to go back again.

i like to get here when in wellington, it's the best restaurant for fun and casual dining. it has a young easy-going vibe, there's a great cocktail list, a diverse range of south east asiandishesand service is really efficient.

have been here a couple of times for both late lunch and also dinner.disheswere averagely sized and the decor was amazing. lots of details have been pinned into and truly reflects the south east asian concept. menu offers a fairly extensive option and the waitresses are friendly. a little pricey compared to other asian restaurants but i am happy to pay the price. fire cracker chicken is a must try dish!

a comfortable place and a intresting menu..i have tried a couple ofdishesand will def go back for more

i distinctly remember the kashmiri aloo ..i think its called bombay aloo on the menu...nice flavors

good food, but last night the service was not as good as it should have been. the waiter who bought out ourdisheswas very forceful and almost slammed the plates down our tables. he was rude and when we enquired what thedisheswere, he was non-responsive. however, the waitress who took out orders earlier was pleasant and friendly, although we did have to wave her down when we were ready to order.