Cecilia T.
Yelp
Ignore all of the old reviews. Since 1/22/24, Monkey 68 is under completely new ownership, and it shows. Chef Jackie, who helped open Umi and Oku, as well as his current restaurant, Chirori, has taken the helm and steered this ship right. My friends and I are hugeeeee fans of Chirori, so it made sense to attend their soft opening.
We don't trek OTP for no damn reason, but it was well worth it. I need everybody to come and experience it because it's one of the best meals I've had in a very long time, and ya girl likes to eat.
We all opted for the decadent omakase. This is a 15 course nigiri omakase, which is similar to their offering at Chirori. They also offer the signature option, which includes an appetizer, 10 pc sashimi, hot course, 8 pc nigiri, and likely dessert and soup (I forgot what he said). Both options cost $130 and while it is a steep price tag, it's on par with the other omakases around town. This one, though, is worth every penny.
Chef Jackie sources his fish fresh (like uni from Hokkaido or these stupid good jumbo oysters from LA), and you can definitely tell. Each bite of nigiri completely melts in your mouth. My god. I kept thinking the bite I was eating was my favorite, but then I'd try the next and change my mind. Absolutely outstanding. They are like butter when they hit your tongue, and you almost get upset because you wanted to savor it for so much longer. Chef created the black magic roll at Oku and brought it to Monkey 68. YES. MAAM. still as amazing as I remember. God bless.
We also got to try the asparagus tempura, Brussels sprouts, and squid ink sashimi box from our neighbors, and you guessed it...all delicious.
Cocktails were just as good. Each drink is modeled after one of the Chinese zodiac animals. Between the four of us, we tried the pig, rabbit, horse, dog, dragon, and goat. Each has a unique flavor profile, and we loved them all. The horse was my favorite with the muddled strawberries and ginger beer. So refreshing. The goat was my second favorite. Like a warm hug. Talk to the bartender. She's got a back story for each drink, and I was too lit to remember them all. But for instance, the snake drink has a numbing effect since when you're bitten by a snake, you often get numbed. Or the goat drink has a kick to it because...it's a goat.
Our servers were amazing. Staff from top to bottom were so pleasant.
Free onsite parking. Entrance is in the front (we walked to two different "doors" only to be redirected.
I hate driving out this far, but I will gladly do it to eat this food again.