It would be fair to say that The Spot (Randwick) has seen its fair share of Thai restaurants - the small vicinity is already home to Chao Praya and Thai Riffic - thus when Blue Monkey opened, I must admit that I was rather speculative. The Spot has had a rather recent burst of new cafes, restaurants and bakeries which have posed a bit of a dilemma for the regular visitor with comfortable restaurant habits - to take a chance and try the new place or to have a satisfying meal however miss out on a potential new favourite? After hearing good reports from friends, I can now say that Blue Monkey is most definitely on the list of favourites.
With it's wide open entrance, elongated mirror, dark wood furnishings, exposed brick, blue accents and hanging chandelier-like lights, the ambience is a unique fusion of understated basics and modern classiness. It welcomes casual dinner diners however there are wine glasses and candles at the ready for those with fancier intentions. The staff are friendly and attentive (your water glass is rarely empty) and the service is surprisingly fast. Whenever I pass the restaurant it is always buzzing with a warm glow and it's understandably how many a diners find this hard to resist.
Now let's get to the real point: the food. The menu offers a considerate variety of entrees; soups; and customisable curries, stir-frys and noodles (chicken, beef, seafood, or vegetarian? Take your pick!); as well as options of both white and brown rice. Entrees come mainly in servings of four which make them suitable for sharing and fitting when wanting to order a variety. The mains are rather generous in size (a little too large for the individual person looking to avoid food-coma*) and would likewise be best when shared between a few people - and with so many different flavours on offer, why commit to only one dish when you can take advantage of the diversity of the menu?
The dishes on offer have evidently been carefully selected, each one offering its own unique flavour so that the spectrum of a meal will inevitably have contrast and interest. A special shout out goes to the green curry, the duck and the entree prawns (which have a delicious dipping sauce), and after a few visits I'm looking forward to trying the rest of the menu!
Blue Monkey
39 Perouse Road, Randwick, Sydney, NSW
Opening hours: 5-10pm
Phone: (02) 8021 2160 or (02) 8021 6120
* Food-coma is the state a person enters into once they have eaten way too much deliciousness, often indicated by extreme tiredness. Symptoms also include vaguely looking off into the distance, slurring of speech and loosening of belts. Eg. "That final cookie really pushed it; she's gone into a food-coma." The most efficient remedy is to sleep it off.
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