If Monkey Chinois seems a bit like a chain restaurant, that’s because it’s a product of the slick and successful Witch’s group. Like its namesake tavern and its so-called “oyster bar,” Monkey Chinois is a well-managed and planned conceptual venue with a tested menu and polished décor. If you’re looking for the best Chinese food in town, look elsewhere. The appeal of this restaurant (and “wine bar”) is its stylish atmosphere (Chinese chic, with low lighting, house music, stark concrete walls, water cascading down glass walls, red lanterns, marble-topped tables, and Warhol prints of Chairman Mao) and prime location (trendy Thonglor). The second floor “wine bar,” which overlooks the dining room, has a curiously pathetic selection of wine by the glass (“house” wines), but if you’re a wine drinker the cellar of nearly 150 bottles alone justifies a visit. It’s a well-chosen list from around the world (including China), at very reasonable prices. Or you might begin your dinner with one of the house cocktails, many of which will be recognizable to veterans of Witch’s Tavern. Specialties include Raspberry Mojito and Shanghai Ginger; despite the names both of which are adult drinks, capably poured and shaken and thankfully not too sweet. Monkeys Chinois is designed to attract a young and well-heeled clientele that is generally not price-conscious. Portions are small and the quality is fair to good at best, so don’t expect any bargains here. We had better luck with appetizers than main courses. Our crispy batter-fried silver bait fish were slightly too oily and the portion tiny, but the fish were fresh and nicely presented. The Emperor’s Dumpling Selection is ostensibly an assortment of dim sum, but really it’s four pairs of shrimp-dominated dumplings embellished with token ingredients such as shark fin and fish roe—the shrimp were terrific, though, plump and juicy. The lightly fried Thousand Year-Old Egg Rolls, that are in fact made with rice paper instead of egg wrapping, also contain the same delicious shrimp. On the recommendation of the helpful manager, we sampled Crispy Pork Ribs in Monkey Sauce, which were indeed crispy and tasty but looked so much like a (small) rack of babybacks from Tony Roma’s we couldn’t help but laugh. The steamed garoupa was a bad choice. Our “800g” fish looked no bigger than 600g, but that could have been since it was butterflied for faster cooking, which is a mistake. The meat was overcooked and the fish didn’t have the freshness and lightness that you expect. Hoping to end our meal on a higher note, we decided to order another shrimp dish, because they seemed to have a way with goong. Everyone knows that “salt-baked” shrimp are not really baked (they’re usually pan-fried), but here they use river prawns, and they remove the shells, so what you get are shriveled, overcooked prawns that absorb way too much salt. Adding insult to injury, only four of them for B390. We’re not saying this is a bad place. We like the style and the service. But you’ll be a happier monkey if you stick to the simpler and cheaper dishes (steer clear of anything that is “market price”) and enjoy the great prices on wine. Corkage: “varies.”
