monster kitchen and bar

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

located inside of hotel hotel, monster kitchen 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 thisplaceand their staff. we will definitely be returning back and back and back again.

beautiful brunch!!!! probably the best brunch i've had in awhile. had the poached eggs with dukkah, avocado and whipped cherve and added smoked salmon and mushrooms. a massive meal, all beautifully cooked and presented. the coffee was lovely and while the staff weren't the happiest bunch, we still got everything we asked for. forget the negative nancies, brunch at thisplaceis awesome!

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 aplacelike monster commit to such an idea but this is clearly performative at best.

service was excellent, drinks are always good.

i lived in this building for a few months and knew i just had to check thisplaceout before i left. really good service, the gentleman was super attentive and responsive to our needs. we ordered a variety of dishes from steak to fish to chicken. everything was really yummy. the restaurant itself is beautifully decorated.

trendy bar located on the periphery of civic at hotel ovolo. great little share plates. had the tofu and eggplant. goodplaceto hang out with colleagues after work / pre-dinner.

good selection of beverages with a focus on wines from canberra.

we stayed at ovolo nishi and came here for late night dinner, drinks and breakfast. the decor is quirky and amazing. it has a wonderful fireplaceand really cool lights, tables and chairs and a kitchen you can see into; and as you can see from the photos they keep it pretty dark. the waiters were all very enthusiastic, polite and helpful!

each day they have a breakfast menu, a bar menu, a share menu and a light lunch menu (12-5). i didn’t eat the light lunch menu but we saw that the servings were quite generous.

the free included breakfast was either granola or eggs on toast. the granola was nice, lots of fruit, feta and muesli. tasted great. could have done with more. the eggs on toast were pretty standard. the included coffee was filter so it wasn’t great but the teabags were amazing.

onto the really nice stuff. we came into town quite late and the bar menu is available until late. they had a number of nice beers on the menu and the ipa was great! except we drank the last two! the flat oysters were ok, salty but perhaps canberra is a little far from the sea and freshness wasn't the best. the lamb ribs were extremely tasty, well cooked and not too oily and the contrast between the jam and the ribs was fantastic. their take on beef tartare was fantastic, once again a contract between the crunch of the black rice crackers and the juicy, succulent tartare.

definitely one to come back to on another visit to try some of the other dishes. best of all they are one of the few places in canberra to take gourmet traveller giftcards so if you manage to get them at a discount you're all set!

is it just me or does anyone else find their eggplant too vinegary and their lamb shoulder smothered in too much syrup. warnings that my and my husbands taste buds aren't well educated or a sign of poor choices in the kitchen. the concept might be good but the execution sure needs attention to detail. the goolwa pippies were perfect and we had to ask for bread to enjoy the seafood saucy goodness. oh, the tables in this rather large space are too close. i had to endure two work based conversations. did i really need to know you were offered a job by kpmg when you weren't looking, or that your wife works from bed too much or about how much you were offered to leave before you started legal proceeding again the university you are working for. you might wish the strangers sitting a foot from you were deaf but we weren't. and there isn't a cone of silence formed by alcohol. and why does thisplacerecommend tasting plates but have no room on the table for anymore than one plate of food and individual plates to eat your chosen portion from.

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 thisplaceand 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 the monster in my closet!!
full review is now up. make a cuppa - it's a full feature article.

definitely more hit than miss, though not every dish during our lunch was up to the magnificence i'd usually expect from a mcconnell bros offering. staff are friendly, and theplacebuzzes with colour and life

when in canberra, it appears monster is aplaceto 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 is monster in 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!

such a disappointment, words can't express my frustration at this joint.

one of the most spectacular fit outs i've come across, too bad the service and the food let's thisplacedown

the food was a hit and miss constant through out the night, the twice cooked chips were oily and dealt as though they were microwave heated.

services was poor, had no idea and at times seemed dis interested with the clientele

all the above with ridiculously stupid price tags

give it a miss

thisplaceis great!
the service was delicious and the wine was top notch!
the octopus could be given a miss but the lamb shoulder is a must. the 'rusty' oysters were also a highlight.
head with a larger group and you'll get a better table near the window looking over the lake :)

love love love. best find in canberra. breakfast and went back for drinks. the best decor. cool, chic, modern, friendly and quality delicious food. thisplacecould teach the rest of australia a thing or two

quiet breakfast. had a quiet breakfast here today and the meal and coffee were fantastic. service was a lot better than the usual hit and miss and it provided a good spot for a relaxing meal and some time to check emails.


-----28 aug, 2014-----

reality check. monster k&b serve fantastic coffee, if a little slowly and their alcoholic drinks menu is very broad, somewhat exotic and well priced for what they are offering. if you just want house red and a beer, go to o'malleys, you'll only end up complaining about how much it cost. if you want a difficult to find old vintage armagnac, a premium japanese whisky or a good glass of wine, thisplaceis for you.

the dinner menu is difficult and not filling but they don't advertise otherwise, don't go there if you want to stuff yourself silly, go there if you want to enjoy something you couldn't (or wouldn't) cook at home. it's great for having a quick drink and a share plate before going out for dinner with friends. some of the reviewers here need a reality check and people reading these reviews need to understand what monster is aiming for.

bookings essential as thisplaceis packed - don't swagger in with 15 people and expect a seat, it's not a beer hall.

i return here often and will continue to do so!

fantastic modern restaurant experience, just go with it.. monster was recommended to us as a new and groovyplaceto have our anniversary dinner. we were not disappointed. fantastic food and waitstaff. (shannon) was quite possibly the best waiter we have had... anywhere! the menu was clearly explained as to how it worked. the food arrived in a timely fashion and it was fabulous. the ocean trout perhaps not quite meeting the high standards of the other dishes. we retired to the fireplace for dessert and finished the last of our wine. a wonderful night. some other reviews i read on this site were quite negative and i can only reason their perception was affected because it is not what they expected or felt it too pricey. i felt we got what we paid for.