monsoon poon

considering how long i've lived in wellington it was about time i got tomonsoonpoon. we had a great experience - service was a little slow although the place was packed. there is a good selection of asian dishes - 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 really enjoyed my dining experience atmonsoonpoon for my anniversary with my partner.
friendly and professional service. even when they were busy the wait for a table wasn't too long.
the food was beautifully presented and delicious. the firecracker chicken is no joke, quite spicy and i love spicy food.
my girlfriend had the pork and we shared stuffed roti bread and fried squid tentacles. they all tasted great and i don't know what sauce they had but it was awesome.
also we tried the mr. miyagi,monsoonpunch and a coffee cocktail and they were all well made and tasted great.
highly recommended and look forward to returning there.

i have only ever had positive experiences when venturing tomonsoonpoon on allen st.
thoroughly enjoy the mee goreng, sides and other noodle dishes here. 
excellent service, atmosphere, drinks and nibbles.

everyone wellingtonian or a visitor to wellington must go tomonsoonpoon. the food is always consistently amazing and the atmosphere is always fun. this is a busy place, therefore there is no booking allowed which is a good thing. you can go to this place anytime you want.

some great meal ideas are 25 herbs and spices lamb, or if you like your hot food then go for the firecracker chicken.. make sure you have lots of water with you though.

great place for a dinner with friends or family.

wow.  just wow.  my bestie and i were out for a glass of wine on a cold wintry thursday night, and took a while to decide where we should go for something to eat.  we opted formonsoonpoon as it's generally consistently good food, and we felt like something fairly hearty.  we arrived at 8pm and the fabulous henry greeted us (and i mean fabulous - he absolutely knocked our socks off with his friendly attitude and impeccable service).   the place was absolutely packed, but we clearly looked hungry and not in the mood to linger, so henry created a work around - he seated us at the bar, and said that he'd take care of us personally.  he was back at the table within 5 minutes, took our order, and apparently told the chefs to hustle - all with the end result that we were seated, served drinks, ate three courses of amazing food and were wrapped up and ready to leave within 30 minutes of arrival. monsoonpoon - the environment, the food - and the lovely henry - just absolutely hit the spot.  i hadn't been tomonsoonpoon in simply ages prior to this visit, but this experience has elevated it back to the top of my "go to" list.

came here for a work team dinner and it was a great choice, they're easily able to accommodate larger numbers which is helpful.
the food was really good, there wasn't a single criticism from anyone in our group of 10 which shows how consistent the standard is.
would be happy to recommendmonsoonpoon to others.

it had been a long time since my last meal atmonsoonpoon. it's good to see that nothing much has changed: excellent asian fusion food in a dark, mystical environment - so dark that phone torches make an appearance as diners peruse the menu. there's an extensive cocktail list with comedic descriptions that will keep you entertained at the bar while you wait to be seated. we began by sharing peppered squid with panko crumbs and chili flakes. the squid was very tender and the flavour set off beautifully with lemon juice and seasoned mayo. our main course of 25 herb and spice indian lamb curry with naan was good with a slight kick to the spices, although the lamb was bordering on tough. rice and bread is ordered separately. i really enjoyed the fresh flavours of the bangkok street noodles dish. sharing an entree and two mains left us with no room for dessert but the dessert menu and cocktails looked appealing. efficient service topped off a great meal for our group.

i've wanted to trymonsoonpoon 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 atmonsoonit 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 the dishes were 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.

early dinner atmonsoonpoon - i've been to the auckland restaurant many times, but this was my first visit to wellington.
great service & welcome - all staff i encountered were very friendly. nice environment as with auckland's branch. the booth seats are particularly good for 'people watching' & the kitchen is open with a reflective mirror above the bench enabling you to see some of the food prep.
decided to ask for a recommendation from the cocktail menu - was told about the $10 special (they are normally $14) & it was very nice & refreshing - similar to a mule.
was deciding between shaking beef which is a favourite & the pork belly which is quite new. went for the pork belly. it was a good choice!
flavours were well rounded with salty & sweet. it comes with a chinese cabbage/apple sticks slaw on top & a black vinegar on the side. everything was well cooked & presented although the pork needed a bit more rendering - on some pieces the fat between the meat & crackle was tough rather than melting & i had to cut it off.
a great meal & experience - will be back.

i'm not a fan of fusion cuisine and that's because i'm the kind of person who likes to separate everything into its proper place. needless to say, i prefer my asian food wholly and completely asian and my european food likewise. also, i've been put off in the past with fusion type places for their exorbitant prices for a plate of ersatz dumplings and spring rolls.

anyway, it was sunday night we were entertaining a friend of ours from christchurch and laid it upon our guest to pick a type of food. i inwardly groaned a little when he said he wanted fusion. so i suggestedmonsoonpoon and i'm not going to lie - it was simply because their prices were the most reasonable. there was no finesse involved in the decision making.

so we arrived and were seated by the friendly maitre d'. the first thing that catches your eye when you arrive atmonsoonpoon are the bright, almost garish looking decorations, but it actually kind of works. it was like i had sort of stepped into a place that some crazy asian grandma of mine had decorated - which i guess is the whole point. 

we were handed the menu - drinks completely and utterly filling up one side, with food on the other side. their cocktail selection is extensive and mouthwatering. i had trouble deciding which ones to select and in the end, we went with the salted caramel hard shake and rosebud. they arrived fairly fast and i was impressed with the salted caramel hard shake. imagine salted caramel rum (from cgr in wellington) in a milkshake, topped with cookie crumb. is your mouth watering? it should be.

between the three of us, we chose:
- shaking beef: this was probably my favourite. tender beef pieces with the most delightful sauce - it was like someone had decided to make steak and then added some soy sauce based dressing. beef was slightly crispy on the outside and this contrasted beautifully with the slightly undercooked interior.
- 25 herb and spice indian lamb curry: most indian curries have a really awful fatty aftertaste due to the massive cream content and it makes you feel quite ill. this one had all the flavour and none of the oiliness coating the inside of the mouth. the lamb had been slow cooked and pretty much dissolved in my mouth. fantastic.
- sticky pork belly: served with slaw, this one was actually quite spicy. while i prefer my pork belly made the cantonese style (i.e. with super crispy crackling), this one was still pretty good. 

so, whilemonsoonpoon is more asian than fusion, you have to admit that it's not your traditional asian cuisine. the slight twist on the classics makes the food exciting with that hint of freshness that sometimes is lacking in traditional asian food.

there aren't many places i give a five star to.. 4 star sometimes, 4.5 occasionally. butmonsoonpoon is certainly deserving of the five star i give it.

from the moment i entered the building i was greeted by smiles and friendly staff. the decorations are superb, with curtains, chinese lanterns and oriental statues and the like really set the scene for the type of food you are about to eat.

to start i had the fried squid, a particular favourite of mine and was seasoned perfectly. all other entrées looked delicious as well and the main courses did not fail to impress, the bali prawns in a coconut sauce went fantastically with the coconut rice.

i was also able to discover one of my new favourite sauces, a sweet soy sauce called kecap manis. and has worked its way into my own cooking adventures.

if top quality asian food is what you want with the possibility of trying and finding new tastes and smells thenmonsoonpoon is the location for you :)

hadn’t been tomonsoonpoon for about 5 years or so but decided it would be a good place for my birthday dinner. i made a good choice, this place is still fantastic. we were a group of five and ordered some entrees to share: rice paper rolls and chicken tacos. the tacos were absolutely divine and the rice paper rolls were pretty good too. one of my friends and i ordered a cocktail which was amazing! for main i had the salmon which was cooked to absolute perfection: translucent and falling apart at the slightest touch of my fork. my friends all enjoyed their meals as well. the service here was attentive and polite enough; they could have been a bit friendlier though. i love the decor of this restaurant and all the little detailing. i really recommend this place for a special occasion: fantastic food and amazing atmosphere! i’m pleased to say this is still one of my favourite restaurants in welly!

first thing to say is thatmonsoonpoon has amazing service, the staff there were absolutely attentive, quick and polite. the food was amazing, my partner and i ordered a few entrees; wontons, chicken satay & little dragon tacos with a side of coconut rice. they were all delicious, we got so full from just that but i'll definitely be going back for a main. the desserts however were exceptional, i ordered the whittaker's triple choc trifle and it was simply devine. very happy.

i must say that the service atmonsoonpoon is just as outstanding as the restaurant's wonderful thai cuisine! we ordered our food and it was brought out to us in such a timely manner that it completely took us by surprise. we will be back again soon!

we had seenmonsoonpoon at beervana, where they served delicious food. we then saw an advertisement for unlimited fire cracker chicken.
we've been there in 2014, with a couple of friends.
the chicken itself was good, but it was way too spicy, absolutely ridiculous. i am used to spicy food, but this was 100 times over the top. one of my friends was sweating like he had run a marathon.
the entire next day i felt sick.

we only had one extra plate, so not really profited that it was unlimited.

i understand that you don't want people to order too many plates in an unlimited offer, and/or make it more salty, but this was just disgusting.