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Winds of change

Monsoon gets Asian fusion just about right
Restaurant Review | Search restaurants | Archives

By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
April 25th, 2007 issue

Jan Přerovský/THE PRAGUE POST
Saffron mussel soup served with an enigmatic smile: Dejvice's new lounge is worth a visit now, and may improve.
A friend walking past Monsoon claims she witnessed a group of thirsty Czechs pause outside. One detached himself and examined the menu board, then shook his head sullenly. “To není hospoda.” (It’s not a pub.)
Picture windows and clean lines defy the dim, cluttered norm. Tasteful appointments and muted earth tones instead lend an element of sophistication. The general air of modernity and stilted lounge vibe confirm it: Monsoon is definitely not a local pub.
Monsoon

V. P. Čkalova 14
Prague 6–Dejvice
Tel. 222 959 999
Open daily 11 a.m.–11 p.m.

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Overall
But what is it? A Southeast Asian fusion restaurant that, were it not for a few slip-ups, might rank among Prague’s top-tier destinations.
Right out of the gate, the kitchen stumbles badly with a crab-cake appetizer. Maybe someone on the staff once saw snapshots of the ocean, heard about crabs in grammar school and learned to spell the word with a K. If I were to break down the percentages, I’d guess what’s served is about 10 percent seafood — and probably be overstating the amount a good eight or nine percentage points. The bulk is filler and seasoning, combining for an astonishingly glutenous slurry. The outskirts, fried crisp but not greasy and drawing nutty flavors from pan-toasted sesame, complete a disappointing vision of fully capable line cooks succumbing to profit-margin goals.
From the Menu
  • Vegetable tempura 115 Kč
  • Crab cakes 115 Kč
  • Beef Satay 115 Kč
  • Saffron mussel soup 95 Kč
  • Wok-fried turmeric chicken 225 Kč
  • Fillet of beef 345 Kč
  • Thai green curry chicken 235 Kč
  • Crispy belly of pork 235 Kč
Fusion is a word of great latitude. Combining global techniques and “influences” essentially shields a kitchen from unequivocal right or wrong. With authenticity no longer an issue, measurements must be made along more illusory lines. Saffron mussel soup, for instance, turns a simple roux base into something golden and rich. It’s perfect in every way — except for an excess of salt that builds on the palate, eventually scraping your throat raw and scuttling any attempt at complexity. Same with the Thai green curry chicken, which features a neat balance of spicy, tangy and sweet flavors eroded by sodium.
But then, there’s no better marriage of Czech technique (oversalting) and Asian influence.
Lapses such as these are particularly disheartening when you try other menu items and realize Monsoon’s capabilities. Filet of beef with rendang sauce, for instance, is an impressive entree. It’s not the best grade of meat in terms of marbling, but intensely flavorful — rich and grassy, almost like wild game. Wok-fried turmeric chicken treats pale, farm-raised fowl with a bath of coconut milk, turmeric and other spices, brought into sublime balance: dusky, spicy, sweet and sour elements coat the tongue, emerging at once distinct and inseparable. The meat itself, though bland, is tinged to a pale gold with deeper scars caramelized by heat.
Even more remarkable, a serving of crispy pork belly with orange-ginger hoisin sauce manages to achieve what is, for restaurants in this city, a minor miracle: meat charred and crunchy on the outside, tender inside. Aggressive searing forces pan flavors into the meat without sacrificing the bittersweet nature of a blackened crust. Then the hoisin, again reduced to the point where it picks up untold strength, reaches in and drags all of that tenderness, bitterness and sweetness down, where flavors cram together. Like the famous stateroom scene in the Marx brothers’ A Night at the Opera, the combination is packed so densely it must burst at the slightest touch.
Other pleasant surprises include vegetable tempura and beef satay, both appetizers. The former relies on reasonably accurate batter — on the heavy side, but only just — rather than bright vegetal flavors. For dipping, there’s an aioli apparently spiked with lemongrass, and a very malty sweet and sour, both of which pair up nicely. The satay is well rounded, matching marinated red meat with a gritty peanut sauce showing a supine earthy-sweet backbone that sways between pungent and spicy elements.
If Monsoon works out a few obvious kinks, it may (and please pardon me for this) take Prague by storm. A few of the side dishes clash with entrees. Otherwise, apart from a few cases of heavy-handedness and the crab-cake fiasco, the kitchen appears to understand the delicate art of fusion.
Let’s hope they get it right. If not, there’s a hospoda across the street.

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


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