Mono Lunch

A few weeks ago we had lunch at Mono, something we meant to do for a while but didn’t get a chance to. I have been to the restaurant twice last year and enjoyed Chef Ricardo’s unique take on French cooking with heavy South American influence in his casual restaurant in Central which opened in late 2019/early 2020 (which seems ages ago, I know), so a return visit was definitely warranted. 

We requested to be seated at the counter in front of the kitchen (which they called the chef’s table) so we were at one end of the long counter with full view of all the cooking actions from behind. Three options were offered during lunch service, differed mainly by number of courses (4, 5 or 6) and choice of ingredients in some courses. And we went for the 5-course menu this time and chef Ricardo generously passed us a few extra when he spotted us. 

To start was the amuse-bouche of green peas and salmon roes served with soft ricotta underneath, along with Menton lemon, olive oil and a touch of lime zest, a reference to Chef Ricardo’s time spent in Provence, and bringing us the taste of spring season with the garden flavor of fresh peas. Carabineros must have been one of the chef’s favorite ingredients, as it stayed on the menu all year long. The whole prawn was seasoned only so slightly – with quality ingredient such as this you really didn’t need to do much other than a light sprinkle of salt and drizzle of citrus juice – and it has amazing texture and umami taste. On the side and underneath was oca, a root vegetables common in the Andes which looked like small red radish but more starchy, done in three different ways, Imperial caviar, and the Leche de Tigre dressing. I like the cooked oca served in a small chunk with a nice subtle sweetness, working well with the briny caviar and sweet and mildly citrusy dressing. Dish was well presented too, on the glass plate on top of the stone placemat it did look like the prawn was “swimming” in shallow waters. 

The bread course was then served in ceremonious manner, oven-fresh and with the rare Catalan olive oil served on the side. (The artisanal Eva Aguilera Arbequina olive oil was only supplied to a handful of restaurants in the world apparently) I love the sourdough with a nice crispy crust and soft and steamy hot in the middle. The bread was so good that we had a couple and took a couple home (as gift from the restaurant after the meal). Next was an extra course that Chef Ricardo handed us, introduced as Parcha and Sea Urchin. Parcha has a similar taste as regular passionfruit but in the shape of a small banana (hence it’s also known as banana passionfruit) The fruit was halved with the pulp taken out, and replaced with crispy quinoas and tongues of sea urchins. On top was the leche de tigre foam made with the parcha juice. The different level of sweetness, that of the sea urchins and of the foam, worked well.

Mole was the condiment that’s revered at this restaurant, completed in front of the customers with detailed introduction of each components that went in. Sous Chef Joaquin carefully heat up the stone mortar bowl by blowtorch, grinding and mixing chilies, herbs and spices along with the grilled egg-plant and cocoa sauce that was made ahead of time through a long cooking process, and finished with the grated lime zest. A total 21 ingredients were involved, we were told. I love the rich complex flavor with just a slight of heat and sweetness but plenty of exotic spices and pleasant aroma. The sauce was served with our next course of morel, with the giant piece of mushroom (from Yunnan) stuffed chicken and foie gras farce, steamed, wrapped in banana leaf and grilled on open fire, served with that mole sauce and the thick demi-glace. It’s earthy, rich, nice fatty texture, with a smoky hint and subtle sweet and spicy flavor – so many things going on in a single bite. 

Seafood course was a straight-forward one but with the consistent theme of bringing in a South American twist. The piece of Corvina fish fillet was cooked skin-side down for the crispy skin, and on the side, a piece of young whole parsnip (coming from a French Artisanal farm) and salsa verde (described as Caribbean sauce on the menu) with ingredients such as tamarind, lemon grass and fish sauce that went in. On the side was a piece of fish pop made using the fattier bit of the fish (cheek and belly), mixed with potato mousse, battered and deep-fried, and served with a Maté tea bernaise espuma on top. 

The beef main course was a colorful one with “colorful” tastes to show forth. The big piece of Argentinian rib eye was done a la plancha, with a side of a piece of purple corn mini taco with black bean sofrito. Also on the plate were the tiny crosnes (Chinese artichokes), the dark-green chimichurri sauce and the sweet ancho chili sauce. Plus some extra mole sauce we were given in a separate bowl. The steak was fine, tender and fatty, but I got to give it to the taco as the best part with so much flavor. 

While we sipped on the cup of Maté tea as digestif, the pair of desserts were served made with various parts of cocoa carefully prepared in-house, plus the tradtional Alfajores cookies at the end. First was the Chicha sorbet, made from the cocoa skin taken from the inner side of the pod, and slowly fermented with spices, and underneath was the jelly of unfermented cocoa pulp. The second part was the homemade chocolate mousse, made through the traditional long process of fermentation and roasting, served with rosemary ice cream and Sicilian olive oil. Not only were they both delicious, it serves as a good learning experience on how raw cocoa was turned into the finished dishes through much labor of love. 

When? March 13 2021
Where? Mono, Level 5, 18 On Lan Street, Central, Hong Kong
Menu Highlights? Morel, Foie Gras, 21-ingredient Mole
Drinks?
Champagne Henriot Rose Brut NV
2011 Brezza Barolo DOCG
Web: www.mono.hk