Thelonious Monkfish in Cambridge

As mentioned in the previous post, Paul and I recently went to see the play "Matt and Ben" at the Central Square Theater in Cambridge.  We decided to make an entire date night out of it, as the girls would be spending the night in Plymouth with their grandparents, so we looked for an interesting restaurant to dine at before the show started.  We ended up at Thelonious Monkfish.

According to their website, Thelonious Monkfish describes itself as follows:

"Great food and jazz are characterized by spontaneity and joy. Nothing warms the palate like an explosion of flavor or the heart like a burst of song! Owner Jamme Chantler and Chef/Owner Chudapa Phomjun are passionate about jazz & ethnic flavors, and that’s why they’ve branded their unique take on sushi & Asian specialties: Thelonious Monkfish. “We love to jam on Asian culinary themes. Our menu reflects both our respect for gustatory tradition and our sense of play and innovation.” 

I think the only reason they are going with this jazz theme is because they thought up a clever name for the restaurant and had to find a way to tie it to the food.  Well, other than the jazz music playing in the background, they was nothing "jazzy" about this establishment.

We we seated immediately, as the restaurant was not too busy when we arrived and were promptly given water.  After a couple of minutes of looking at the menu, our waiter timidly appeared to see if we were ready to order.  While I dislike aggressive wait staff, this waiter was so quiet and unassuming I felt he would fall over if I looked at him the wrong way.

Paul ordered the Fever Wings and Duck Choo Chee (roasted duck simmered in choo chee curry sauce with pineapple, red and green peppers, and jasmine rice) while I went for Tempura Vegetables and Drunken Noodles. 


We both enjoyed our starters; Paul said the wings were nicely spiced and flavorful, and my tempura veggies were well cooked -- crunchy and not greasy at all, which I usually find with anything tempura.  However, neither of us was impressed with our main courses.  Paul's duck was alright, but the experience was marred by his needed to constantly pick out small bones left in the dish.  My drunken noodles were undercooked and not spicy at all.  The drunken noodle I get from my local Thai restaurant in Weymouth (Lime Leaf Cuisine) are so much better! 


The price of the dishes was no more expensive than other similar restaurants, but I have had much better Asian fare elsewhere.  While we did not try the sushi menu, I cannot recommend Thelonious Monkfish on its Asian menu.