On Main Street in Bellevue, you’ll find a lovely Vietnamese restaurant called Monsoon. It’s right next to Browne Family Vineyards Tasting Room. Browne’s tasting room had just opened, so it was the ideal duo on a brisk fall afternoon. Read more about our experience wine tasting, here.
First, we wanted to fill our bellies with food before our tasting. So, we decided to start with lunch. When you walk into Monsoon, the scenery is magnificent. Even though you are right next to Main Street, it feels like its own little getaway. The bar on the left is beautifully lit up with string lights cross-crossing above. On the right, there are gorgeous paintings decorating the wall with bright red light fixtures. It felt warm and inviting!
We were impressed with how extraordinarily quick and attentive the waiter was. Jen and I began with a Vietnamese iced coffee since it was a dreary fall day. It was delicious, not too sweet or bitter.
The lunch menu provided options for everyone such as gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, etc! They were able to accommodate us if we needed additional adjustments, too. There were so many choices that we needed to ask for suggestions. Our server was happy to give his recommendations. Everything on the menu sounded so delightful, we were happy to have some of the staff’s favorite dishes shared with us.
Jen ordered the Grilled Pork Belly. It also came with pickled vegetables, cucumber, pineapple, steamed rice, and a soft-boiled egg. Kaiti ordered a vermicelli noodle bowl with cucumber, bean sprouts, fresh Vietnamese herbs, crispy shallot, and peanuts, with lemongrass beef. The portion sizes were so generous that we had to take some leftovers home!
Everything was delicious and the service was excellent. If you are looking for a place for a quick bite or a cozy reprieve from a busy day at work, Monsoon is the perfect restaurant for you.
~Kaiti
