Monster has been vegetarian for four years, but customer requests have prompted them to bring back meat. Photo: Leigh Griffiths.
Monster Kitchen and Bar recently announced its transition from a fully vegetarian menu to an omnivorous one, following feedback that customers wanted meat back on the menu. I went with a friend to try out the new dishes.
At first glance, not too much has changed at Monster. There is still the option of ordering from the a la carte menu or choosing a set number of dishes. The menu still features a good number of solidly veg-focussed dishes, while expanding out to meat and seafood. We opted for the Omnivore Feed Me menu, with matching wines.
I also ordered a Twisted Gimlet cocktail to start. This fresh, herbaceous, summery gin-based drink was a lovely and refreshing start to the meal.
The menu began with scallops served on the half-shell in hazelnut and coriander butter. There was a small hiccup regarding dietary requirements as my dairy-free friend was served a buttery scallop, but it was fixed promptly. (I got to eat the extra scallop while the kitchen prepared one in olive oil, so I wasn’t complaining!) We also enjoyed the melt-in-your-mouth tender pork belly skewers served with a spicy pepita crumble and aioli. A buttery Tasmanian sparkling wine accompanied these.
The pork skewers were super tender and tasty. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
The next course featured tuna tartare on a rich hummus with paper-thin potato wafers to scoop it all up. It was tasty and surprisingly hearty for a raw fish dish, with pops of acidic finger lime to balance the umami additions of cured egg yolk and fermented hot sauce.
Adobo marinated spatchcock with blood orange, pickled green tomatoes, and watercress was a delicious main; it was juicy and tender with a beautiful char on the skin, and it offset nicely with the pickles and fresh salad. We thoroughly enjoyed the large bowl of crisp cos dressed in aromatic basil oil and bitey pickled shallots.
The buttermilk dressing – served on the side – added an extra layer of flavour, but the salad was delicious with or without it. A second side of braised snake beans was a bit oily but very moreish. The accompanying wine, a South Australian Mencia, was probably a bit too heavy for the dishes as the tannins and bold flavours overpowered the summery dishes. A lighter red would have been more appropriate for both the hot weather and the food.
The tuna tartare served with hummus and potato wafers. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
While the food was (mostly) excellent, the service was unfortunately not up to the same level. Staff were clearly unfamiliar with the menu and had not received enough training or support.
Considering the recent shift to a menu with meat, I was surprised that the staff didn’t give us a rundown of the new ethos or ask if we’d dined there before. Empty plates and glasses were cleared haphazardly – the empty cocktail glass remained on the table for the duration of our meal – and wines were poured out of sync with the dishes they were supposed to be paired with.
I’m sympathetic to the industry’s ongoing issues. It’s harder than ever to hire experienced staff, and training them takes time and money. December is always a tough time for hospitality. But it’s not fair for management to put young, untrained staff on the floor in busy conditions without support. They were doing their best, but at these prices, it’s fair to expect a higher level of service.
Monster Kitchen and Bar is located in the Ovolo Nishi Hotel in New Acton. Photo: Leigh Griffiths.
Desserts were passable but not quite up to the same standard I’ve enjoyed at Monster in the past.
Pavlova is a risky dish on a menu because it’s so well-loved and often made at home. If you’re serving it in a restaurant for $19 a plate, then I’m looking for something pretty bloody special. The addition of negroni jelly was interesting, but the flavour didn’t shine through.
The new Monster menu is generally really good. The savoury dishes are well made, and the kitchen has done a good job revamping the menu while staying true to the high bar that people have come to expect.
Monster is located at Ovolo Nishi, 25 Edinburgh Ave. The restaurant is open from 5:30 pm to 10 pm, seven days a week. Follow Monster on Facebook or Instagram.
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