Dessert cocktails and East Asian BBQ hits East Terrace
East Asian bistro and cocktail bar Monica opens next week, bringing 80s and 90s Hong Kong-inspired nightlife to the terrace.
When CityMag visits Monica ahead of their opening, we’re drawn to the wall of records displayed above the vibrant orange plush bench seating.
Co-owners Ben Liew and Karl Tang, who met working at nearby restaurant Paper Tiger and opened Flinders Street bar Makan last year, tell us Monica’s wall of records will keep filling up.
Staff and customers will help choose the soundtrack for Monica. This picture: Helen Karakulak/CityMag.
Design choices like displaying vinyl, having pantry staples like sour cream and onion pringles on display and delivering receipts in Tiki cups are some of the ways the duo’s personality is injected into the bar.
“It’s a little thing, but we try and make it as unique and a bit more playful,” Karl says.
This cheeky face will deliver your bill at the end of the night. This picture: Helen Karakulak/CityMag
Not just for decoration, Karl says the vinyl will get plenty of spin time, with staff choosing what they want to play and even a potential BYO record night on the cards in the future.
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“During dinner time you expect a bit like jazz, Lo-Fi, that kind of stuff, so you won’t go super hard,” Karl says.
“When it comes to late at night, I don’t mind playing some Jay-Z, I don’t mind playing some Kendrick Lamar. Valentine’s Day is coming up, we’ve definitely got something for everyone, we’ve got Taylor Swift,” he gestures to the Lover album on the wall.
The Char-siu pork tomahawk with Boston Bay Berkshire Pigs and Chinese rose wine. This picture: Jay Zhang/supplied.
On the menu, Ben is cooking exclusively on firewood to complement the cocktail menu which has a range of classics, some with Karl’s unique spin playing with Asian flavour profiles.
“The Asian is more a focus of East Asia, which means China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Mongolian, there’s so many Southeast Asian venues so we want to be a bit different,” Ben says.
He says to expect raw items and a lot of skewers, like lamb and rice cake skewers.
Burrata with Grilled Mantou, Szechuan Strange sauce, crispy chilli and peanut. This picture: Jay Zhang/supplied.
Karl and Ben agree the crowd-pleaser will be the Char-siu (Chinese BBQ) pork tomahawk, but Ben’s personal favourite is the Burrata with Grilled Mantou.
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“We have more small dishes to match the cocktail, so people come and drink a little bit, chit-chat, side dishes but sorry, no dessert. We have a small kitchen, dessert will be a cocktail,” Ben says.
Some of the dessert cocktails you can expect are a mango sticky rice clarified milk punch and a pandan cream foam highball.
Mango Sticky Rice in cocktail form. This picture: Jay Zhang/supplied.
Monica will also have a grilled pineapple tequila cocktail with gochujang and a ginger Coca-Cola old-fashioned on the drinks menu.
“With some fresh ginger, we make a reduction, so we boil cola… it all got concentrated, and it’s kind of like a syrup,” Karl explains his take on the old fashioned.
“It’s just super Asian, if you are Asian, that’s what you drink when you’re sick.”
“If Asian people come in, that’s something you know. People that don’t know, it’s also a new flavour,” Ben adds.
Ginger Coca-Cola Old Fashioned. This picture: Jay Zhang/supplied.
As we chat, a vintage television that Ben and Karl tell us will exclusively screen 80s and 90s Jackie Chan films plays on the bar behind us.
“Monica is an 80s/90s Hong Kong vibe cocktail bistro and during that time Jackie Chan is like a symbol of Hong Kong,” Karl says.
“We just want to create the environment for people, and then, it’s the little things, it’s detail, things chef [Ben] loves and I love as well.”
The opening credits of Police Story with Jackie Chan about to roll. This picture: Helen Karakulak
Monica opens next week, February 7 and is located at 14 East Terrace, Adelaide. Connect with them on Instagram.