monster kitchen and bar

whoever said canberra does not have good food has never been to canberra! this place ticks all the boxes - great food, knowledgable staff, good atmosphere. tick tick tick.

located inside of hotel hotel,monsterkitchen and bar replaces the hotel lobby. we started off with cocktails by the fire pit as we were a bit early for our booking. once seated, the staff explained how the menu worked, what the specials were, what they recommended and even shared some of their stories with us (which were great stories!).

now time for the food! we started off with oysters, i mean who doesn't start off with oysters! the steak tartare with black rice crisps, party in your mouth! the flavours and textures, they just dance on your tongue. now let's talk about the yabbie jaffle, yes a jaffle! who knew a simple jaffle could taste sooooo good. and that wagyu, cooked to perfection and just melted in your mouth, exactly how a wagyu should be! now the fried tofu infused with japanese flavours and ever so soft and silky on the inside, now that's a fusion.

we also had the quail sriracha, kimchi pork bao, and smoke goats curd eggplant - these were good, enjoyable but not as good as the above.

there were also some specials which we ordered, calamari (average), tuna (tasted overcooked) and mushrooms (weird tasting). we would recommend staying with what's on the menu. we felt like the specials were some things they were trailing, which didn't quite work with our tastebuds.

we ended the night on a sweet note, chocolate, sea salt with peanut burnt butter ice cream and mango, tapioca, kaffir like and coconut. both were great ends to a wonderful night.

the time flew by us. we enjoyed our experience here so much that we quickly forgot the things we didn't like and only remember all the things we did like. we love this place and their staff. we will definitely be returning back and back and back again.

i really need to this to be known about their current commitment to a vegetarian and vegan only menu so all actual vegetarians and vegans can beware - the new menu and the food was honestly so disappointing and barely palatable. it was so cheap and underwhelming (half a head of cauliflower, dismal rice and tacky satay for the price of steak, really??) and clearly not designed or cooked by an actual vegetarian, there was literally so substance or consideration of nutrition or biochemistry to any of the meals ie. where was the proteins? it was essentially deep fried or sloppy pub “sides” at best, which is i swear is something only meat eaters enjoy doing to vegetables, cheese and dough to justify a vegetarian option. also, and i cannot stress this enough, it just tasted so bad and we felt so sick during dinner but also, was left hungry? spent $200 and went for a $15 veggie pho afterwards. was so excited to see a place likemonstercommit to such an idea but this is clearly performative at best.

service was excellent, drinks are always good.

i decided to trymonsteras i was staying at the ovolo hotel.

the service was rather random - i got the drinks menu but had to ask numerous times for the food menu! once we got over that little hurdle i ordered the snapper, puréed celeriac, burnt butter and leeks with a green salad. i matched that with a viognier from france.

i followed the first course with serrano and guindillas with a spanish rioja instead of desert.

the decor was modernist but i didn’t warm to it. the background music was an eclectic mix from the 1999/2000s

total cost $105.

i am staying at the hotel for another three days but i don’t think i will be back for dinner.

second time dining atmonsterkitchen and still impressed with the architecture and design of the space. the stairs leading up tomonsterkitchen still takes my breath away. we booked for dinner on saturday evening. not as busy as my first visit but we had to wait to be attended to and shown to our table. once seated the service was quick. my previous visit was in winter and the fireplace enhanced the atmosphere. we ordered 2 entrees and 2 mains to share. the mains arrived not long after the entrees, resulting in a very crowded table. quail was tender and good flavour. blue eyed brandade was subtle but we loved it. fried tofu was soft and creamy, nicely accompanied by the bonito sauce. lamb shoulder was moist and tender with a strong sauce. the brik was very brittle...chew the brik well as we found it was sharp going down our throat if we did not break it up properly. we had green tea and coconut for dessert...not to our taste as the coconut aroma was overpowering. also there was more brik...by this time we had had enough of the brik and it is not my idea of a mille feuille. service was so prompt that we felt we were being rushed out the door even though it was not full house at the time. meals are pricey for the size. size was suitable for the 2 of us as we are not big eaters. worth a visit to experience the ambience, appreciate the design and explore the different corners of the hotel hotel lobby.

monster kitchen and bar in hotel hotel will make my top 10 australian restaurants of 2017. it is a mind-blowing experience that incorporates some of the best architecture and interior design in the country with artworks that will impress and food to make you stand and clap. ok, maybe this was just me clapping but i love this place and who wouldn’t clap for yabby jaffles?! for someone mostly invited to venues to review it speaks volumes when i have visited this place, in a different state/territory to where i live, three times and paid each time. i wish this was themonsterin my closet!!
full review is now up. make a cuppa - it's a full feature article.

“striking” is a good way to describe more than one aspect ofmonsterkitchen and bar. in a way, it is aptly named because it is an absolute beast. it is not unlike stepping off the millennium falcon into a combination of the woods of endor and one of the modern space cities. 

it is impossible not to think of jenga looking at the jumble of wood that is a theme throughout this new precinct that includes hotel hotel and its lobby restaurant, monster. the reference to fun and youth continues, with our rhombus shaped table, which is surprisingly functional.

themonsterkitchen is the restaurant at hotel hotel, new action, up the wooden stairs from the palace cinema. it is a beautiful space to spend some time in. the dinner menu has no items marked as vegan, although it turned out the chips are vegan with no changes. everything else had to be modified by negotiation with the wait staff. as a result, we suggest arriving before 7pm rush hour. the salad, roast pumpkin and chips were tasty as well-presented. portion sizes were larger than the photos suggest. however, these days we prefer to go to places that have at least a few dishes marked vegan on the menu. a bit more thought put into the menu could save some hassle for the diners, wait staff and the kitchen staff.

themonsternature ofmonsterkitchen and bar makes it a perfect choice for a canberra brunch any day and any weather. elegant in both decor and dishes – this interesting and stylish restaurant morphs throughout the ground floor of hotel hotel in new acton taking on new personalities as it fills different spaces.

when in canberra, it appearsmonsteris a place to befriend. housed inside hotel hotel which is located on the corner of a what feels like a dual carriageway, it oozes cool architecture and design. . we enter the hotel and greeted by reception staff who advise us to head towards the ipad in the far corner of the room. it's a little strange that as soon as we enter the hotel, it opens out into a dining / bar area and there ismonsterin all her glory. i keep looking for an ipad but struggle to find it. turns out, i'm taking things too literally and it's not an ipad but a laptop. i guess literal and creativity aren't necessarily seamless in this place!

today we are going to visit some very fine dining in canberra;monsterkitchen and bar. i went there for a belated birthday girls night out with some of my mothers group com-padres.monsteris located in the lobby of hotel hotel in new acton. it is a weird location, making for a restaurant that seems to spill out, extending from a bar area, into a lounge area (with an amazing open fireplace) to a more restaurant type area. the interior design is very modern and eclectic, which each designated area having a very different feel. what can i say?….it is very pretty and shiny. apparently many of the design elements come from local artists and designers, and much of it is one of a kind. it is also very large space but they don’t seem to have any trouble getting people to occupy it. in fact if you want to go i recommend planning a few weeks in advance and making a booking.

we popped intomonsterfor a quick bite before catching a movie downstairs. while the service was a little slow, the food more than made up for it. we tried the fried pigs head, the bao and the famed yabby jaffle. all three were delicious, our favourite being the jaffle. we'd have loved to stay longer, but the movie called. we can't wait to return though.

high court of consumption

betty cocker cj

1. ignore all the bad reviews from pretentious types who don't know what they like becausemonster(the 'place under hotel hotel, they should have called it restaurant restaurant') isn't bad at all. it's great.

2. the wine selection here is great. great. keep thinking great. great.

3. interior design? you know it's great. don't even lie. don't even pretend.

4. the tables are a bit suss, though. jagged, sharp layouts. it doesn't really make too much sense, but it's there. it's different. get over it. 

5. the food's delicious. the wait isn't even that long. it's not long at all. check yourself. 

6. the waiters are babes.

orders

7.monsteris fun, there's no doubt about it. it's got great vibes. great... vibrations. tingles. it gives you tingles between the legs, and it warms the cockles of betty's heart.

monster kitchen was disappointing, especially given that gourmet traveller ranked it as a top 10 restaurant in sydney. we ordered the pork baos to start followed by the brussel sprouts with morcilla and duck egg, the slow cooked lamb and the daily special of spanish mackerel. the pork baos were decent t but small. a two bite meal. the rest of the food just tasted too greasy and lacked any wow factor. staff were efficient but not warm. there was a long wait between some dishes. more misses than hits atmonsterkitchen unfortunately. i'd recommend popping in to check out the unique interior but head elsewhere for a feed.

i must admit that the nishi design scheme has definitely grown on me! not a fan ofmonsterunfortunately as i find it overpriced for what you get. definitely not value for money in my eyes.

had dinner here tonight, and wow oh wow !! what a quirky building from outside all the way through to the restaurant , the meals were amazing , shared plate of 6 dishes and each and every one of them were just amazing . staff were all very experienced and service was timely efficient and fully explained.

if your in the areamonsterkitchen is a must, you won't be disappointed ! and have a few drinks around the open fire prior to set your mood. just divine.