Monsoon’s rich and detailed atmosphere is what my guests and I first noticed when we stepped inside. It is a bit surprising to find a place like Monsoon in the Cathedral Square area. Sure there is some ethnic flavor nearby but most tend to have an ‘Americana’ feel to them. Not Monsoon. I immediately felt like I was transported to a different country and it was a nice sensation.

The next thing I noticed was the attention to detail which I find is often overlooked in many other places I frequent. The wall hangings, the statues and wood all add to the deep, rich, Asian atmosphere.

My guests and I tried several delicious appetizers including the Chicken Lettuce Wrap ($8) and the Calimari ($9) and we weren’t left disappointed. The Chicken Lettuce Wrap immediately became my favorite. It’s marinated in a sweet hoisan sauce and is presented with leaves from a head of lettuce - I loved it and have returned since to order it again.

Calimari at many places is simply calimari. I’m sure you’ve tried it and know what I’m talking about, but at Monsoon I think you’ll find it to be a different experience. First, it’s seasoned with salt and pepper which really sets off the Calimari. It is then presented with a spicy Thai sauce that adds to an already great taste. It’s better here than anywhere else that I’ve had it. Definitely worth giving it a try.

A word of advice - The portions of the appetizers are very generous so plan your dining experience accordingly. You can surely order a few appetizers and share them among friends and feel satisfied.

Dinners range between $13 and $19. We ordered the Cashew Chicken, the Kung Pao Chicken and the Teriyaki Tenderloin (pictured below). I ordered the tenderloin to be cooked medium and that’s exactly how it came out - medium. I’m always a bit skeptical if the chef can get it right but fortunately I wasn’t let down.

My favorite dish so far is the Kung Pao Chicken which is incredibly flavorful. Monsoon’s ‘fusion’ displays itself in the sauces they use to complement each meal. Sweet, spicy, thick and rich, each of the dishes has a distinct flair to it which made the experience vastly different from standard Asia fare.

The Cashew Chicken (pictured below) came off a bit spicy for my taste and I think in the future I will ask them to tone this dish down a bit.

The last item we tasted was the Crunchy Tuna Roll. Sushi? Chinese? Asian? I was surprised to see an extensive maki menu at Monsoon and wanted to give it a try. The maki didnt arrive with soy, wasabi, and ginger as I would have preferred but upon request they promptly delivered my training wheels and the sushi rivaled even the most focused of sushi establishments. The only unfortunate part of the experience was that by this time I was so incredibly stuffed that I pretty much had to go home and sleep it off.

I don’t recommend gorging yourself the way my party did, however, if you intend to go out and eat some great food with a tasty pizazz I highly recommend the food and the atmosphere at Monsoon.

– Edit –

Since the writing of this review the Cathedral Square location has been closed but is still serving at their Brookfield location:

BROOKFIELD, WI
17800 W. Bluemound Road
Phone: 262-782-SAKE Fax: 262-782-8844 (Wok-side)
Located between Calhoun Road & Brookfield Road.
Sunday - Thursday: 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Friday - Saturday: 11:00 am - 11:00 pm