Twice at Mono

It was a pure coincidence that I ended up eating at Mono twice in the same week in late March/early April. First it was on a Tuesday when Chef Ricardo invited me over when the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant awards were announced over live stream video. There’s plenty to celebrate about that afternoon of course as they found themselves being ranked 32 in the continent this year. Kudos to the team and I was glad they let us share the joy with wonderful food, champagne, company and all. (Both the Arepa with Caviar and Pabellon Criollo were out of this world!)

I returned to the restaurant a few days later on a weekend afternoon for our lunch booking, even sitting at the exact same spot at the counter right in front of the show kitchen, this time with a full-on tasting menu. We started off with a couple cold seafood appetizers, first red crab ceviche with pickled onions, julienned jicama and leche de tigre dressing and then the arctic char fillet cooked under low temperature and paired with tamarillo shaved rice, trout roes, chayote and cactus. The former was a small bite loaded with acidity and umami flavor, and the latter was milder, highlighting the original flavor of the fish with a hint of minerality from the roes. 

The signature sourdough was served next, served with the exclusive olive oil from Catalunya, and best when it’s steamy hot, soft and fluffy. The stuffed calamari soon arrived and it was certainly the highlight of the afternoon. The squids were stuffed with rice morcilla (blood sausage mixed with mashed black rice), grilled a la plancha and served with a mix of chimichurri and romesco sauces with eye-catching green and red colors and garnished with popped buckwheat. The squids came with nice size with perfect tender texture and complimented the rich morcilla filling well for a sort of Turf n Surf flavor.

The mole was ceremoniously made in front of us using the traditional mortar and pestle made with volcanic stone, heated to release the aroma and flavor from the scores of ingredients that went in. The mole was then served as the sauce for the duck tortilla dish, made using two types of corn to give it two colors. The punchy mole worked with everything but I thought it went particularly well with the shredded duck babacoa filling especially when combined with the duck jus. Turbot was another beauty with the best texture coming from a huge whole fish from Britanny, served with salsa verde made with avocado and poblano peppers, topped with caviar and shaved mashua.

I felt Racan Pigeon must have been one of Chef Ricardo’s favorite ingredients and he certainly did some of the best pigeon dishes in town, including the one we had this afternoon. The piece of breast was done medium-rare, cooked unbelievably tender and served with a black bean “ketchup” on the side. Also on the plate was a piece of oca and infladita filled with meat stew prepared with pigeon leg. 

The appearance of the dessert, with different components in similar color tones, didn’t do much justice to the complex combination of flavor, made using coffee, corn and cocoa, arguably three of the key ingredients in Latin American cuisine. And last but not least was the petit fours including the mini alfajors.

Mauricio their restaurant manager generously poured us a couple of glasses to go with our meal. First was the champagne, gripped with minerality and nice acidity and one couldn’t go wrong with the 2016 Finca Piedra Infinita that was paired with the main course of pigeon. There’s no better Malbec than this, full-bodied, opened up nicely with intense jammy black fruits, some minerals and nice tannins summed up this 100-point wine well in its prime. 

More photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/g4gary/albums/72177720297849913

When? April 2 2022
Where? Mono, 5/F 18 On Lan Street, Central
Menu Highlights? Stuffed Calamari, Morcilla, Chimichurri
Drinks?
Champagne Doyard Vendemiaire Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Brut NV
2016 Familia Zuccardi "Finca Piedra Infinita" Paraje Altamira Argentina
Web: mono.hk