Monsoon Bellevue
Vietnamese restaurant · Bellevue ·
Contemporary Vietnamese cuisine with Western touches elegantly presented
Contemporary Vietnamese cuisine with Western touches elegantly presented
"For date-night Vietnamese, head to Monsoon on Old Main—it’s a little smaller than the Capitol Hill location, but serves the same menu, with dishes like claypot catfish and crunchy drunken chicken. And much like their Capitol Hill counterpart, they serve a dim sum brunch on Sundays complete with shrimp dumplings, pork buns, and plenty of mimosas." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley, gabe guarente
"I recall Eric Banh opening Monsoon in 1999 with no bar because he thought cocktails didn’t go with the food, then learning bartending by watching Brasa’s pros during happy hour and later adding a bar and a strong happy hour when Monsoon East opened in 2008 (and eventually adding a bar at the original location)." - Naomi Tomky
"Enjoy contemporary Vietnamese cuisine in a modern space at this longstanding Bellevue favorite, currently offering limited indoor seating plus a heated outdoor patio." - team infatuation
"For a fine-dining take on Vietnamese food, I choose Monsoon — known for dishes like catfish claypot and crackly imperial rolls and widely regarded as the obvious choice for diners seeking a more refined vibe than a neighborhood pho joint. Opened in 1999 by siblings Eric and Sophie Banh with money borrowed from family, Monsoon became Seattle’s first Vietnamese fine-dining restaurant, bringing Chinese-influenced Vietnamese dishes served family-style with rice and Northwest ingredients. Signature plates have included steamed halibut with vermicelli noodles and black beans, spicy cumin lamb (made with Sophie’s fermented soybeans), and spring rolls stuffed with Dungeness crab; wild mushrooms such as chanterelles and morels and heirloom tomatoes also featured on early menus. The restaurant drew lines within weeks of opening and received praise from critics, though money was tight at first and family pitched in (Eric’s mother rolled imperial rolls). Over time Monsoon became profitable and even opened a second location in downtown Bellevue in 2008. Some dishes have changed: wild mushrooms are harder to source and are no longer on the menu, and the heirloom-tomato beef dish was removed because of rising costs. Sophie remains in the kitchen most days, obsessively tasting for quality control." - Jade Yamazaki Stewart
"The downtown Bellevue location of Eric and Sophie Banh’s fine-dining Vietnamese restaurant serves dishes made with the same care that has wowed diners in Seattle since the original restaurant opened in 1999. Expect dishes not found at other Vietnamese restaurants in the area like fresh rolls filled with avocado and raw ahi tuna and perfectly-balanced cumin lamb made with house-fermented soy beans. Though more common, the subtly flavored green papaya salad is just as impressive as the other dishes, achieving a perfect balance of salt, acid, sugar, and funk." - Brett Bankson
