Meal in Shenzhen

It did seem a bit over the top when I made a quick trip to Shenzhen in a Sunday afternoon to try out some food by Chef Ricardo Chaneton (of Mono), but then I was curious about this special menu in collaboration with Chef Miles Pundsack-Poe of Ensue Shenzhen only available during this one-night event. And it’s also my first trip to Mainland China in more than 3 years. 

More Good, More Food

We love the idea when chefs Agustin, Ricardo and Matt joined force to do a one-night dinner event to raise fund for More Good. We came to know about this organization with the mission of helping the needy in Hong Kong by preparing nutritious meal-boxes from its kitchen venue in Chaiwan, and we have been helping out as volunteers once a month to help with food preparation and packing. So we are more than happy to lend our support in any way we could, and even better, got a “free meal” out of it. 

Mono Before Christmas

We had another outstanding meal at Mono a few weeks ago. Realizing it’s been a while since our last visit we made an effort to go one more time before the turn of the year, and we were glad we did just that. 

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!)

Off Menu Unplugged

There are a few things I seldom said no to, one of which is when chefs invited you over for an off-menu party to their restaurants. Chef Ricardo was celebrating the 2nd Anniversary of their restaurant Mono and he and his team prepared a special menu for a few of us with new dishes that he specifically prepared just for an evening of fun and eye-opening dining experience. 

Louder Than Words

Chef Ricardo may not be the one with many words – you hardly see him hyperactive on social media sharing every single bits of his life, nor he’s the type seen screaming and yelling at the kitchen constantly. But dishes at his restaurant Mono cannot be more expressive, uniquely reflective of his own heritage and culinary journey and his vision of a “perfect meal” for his customers who dined there.

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. 

A Quick Return

“Come back soon to try our regular menu!” said Chef Ricardo as we parted ways after the special seafood-themed dinner at Mono the other night. So one week later, I did return to the restaurant to check out more of his cooking at his new restaurant in Central.

Seafood at Mono

It’s not an overstatement that Mono is one of the most anticipated restaurant openings at the turn of the year. Chef Ricardo Chaneton has showed Hong Kong what he could do with his first gig in town at Petrus of Island Shangri-la for the past 4 years, and going solo at his new namesake restaurant meant he’s given even more freedom to show off his contemporary French cooking style.