| Monkey Business: The Drunken Monkey |
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| Food | |
| Sunday, 18 May 2008 | |
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The Drunken Monkey, reigns over its corner of Shoreditch High Street and Great Eastern Street. A perfect location for a one of a kind Chinese gastropub that doesn’t hold anything back when it comes to everything from its style, food, and of course –signature drinks. In fact, when you first walk into the The Drunken Monkey, you feel like you’ve just walked onto a movie set. Traditional Chinese paneling and large mirrors line the walls, as large red fabric lanterns with Chinese characters hang from the high ceilings of the Monkey. Not surprisingly, when it came time for Chan to propose a design brief for his new restaurant, he knew exactly what he wanted. In result, his designer created him a place that drew from the sinister yet sexy villains of 007 and the martial arts movies of Bruce Lee glory days that he grew up with. Underneath it all there is something innately sensual and seductive about The Drunken Monkey. Low lighting and lanterns add to a red-tinged Wong-Kar Wai “In the Mood for Love” glow that is warm and inviting as it is a surprising open venue with more than enough room for patrons to mix and mingle with one another. Chan himself comes from a background in working for West End bars and style bars, including the Opium Club in Soho and Jerusalem off Oxford Street to name a few. As both of these bars have made a name for themselves, so has the Monkey as Chan has been able to bring in his own culture into the mix. There is a long history when it comes to Chan’s family and Chinese restaurants at the forefront of Chinese dining in London. His grandfather owned the legendary Fu-Tong Restaurant of Kensington in the 1960’s and 1970s, which China Tang and Shanghai Tang creator David Tang spoke of its celebrity clientale, which included Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, in a 2006 Daily Telegraph article about Chinese food. Growing up in Chinese restaurants and learning the art of Chinese cuisine, it was only a matter a time that Chan broke out with a restaurant that combined both his bar experience and his Chinese cooking skills, giving diners a restaurant that can not only offer some kick butt dim sum but also a great pint of beer as well. When it first started, the Monkey did something no restaurants had really done in London, pioneering the offering of dim sum in the evening. Chan points out, “We beat Mr. Yau [Alan Yau of Hakkasan and Yauatcha] by 3 months” as he spoke in regards to this simple yet brilliant culinary concept.
It has been four years since the Monkey has been open, the food menu
has not changed at all as Chan takes on the view of “Why fix something
that isn’t broken?”, as patrons continue to come back night after
night, enjoying their strong and sweet drinks with savory portions of
dim sum. But if you take the time to take a closer look at the witty descriptions, especially for wines and drinks, you’ll have a good laugh. You’re told “Everyone loves Pinot Grigio -it sounds so sexy…” and for the description of a bottle of red wine, “You’ll need you teeth scraped after this one – unbelievable.” Besides the impressive wine selection, the Monkey boasts it’s the signature cocktails that really steal the show. Chris Goulbourne, general manager and bar manager for the Monkey, spoke of how many of the exotic and creative cocktails on the menu came about from his travels all over the world and tasting the fresh native produce. “It’s nice to offer cocktails that they [the customers] are not so familiar with,” Goulbourne says. Although many of the drinks on the menu have names that hark back to granddaddy cocktails, like an Oriental Pimms, Shanghai Sling, or Mao’s Mai Tai, don’t be fooled because they all have a pleasant twist that makes them anything but old fashioned. In the Monkey’s signature cocktails, Golbourne uses unusual combinations of fresh fruits, alcohol, and even herbs to make a memorable drink for his patrons. The Simian Features cocktail may be the perfect example of the meshing of the untraditional and the unexpected with it containing not only Matusalem Clasico rum, but also fresh basil, pineapple, and passion fruit, topped with soda water, all in one long tall glass.
With people coming to Shoreditch for years for the music, the art, and the fashion, they are now also coming for the Monkey. With the growing reputation and popularity of the restaurant, the Monkey Delivery service and its mini fleet of motorbikes was launched only a couple of weeks ago to great success. With the next step for the Monkey being the opening of more outlets, Chan has been looking to the North of England in places like Liverpool and university cities to expand his business. But until then the Monkey will continue to hold its own in Shoreditch as Chan asserts that the Monkey “offers the whole package”, with its Chinese dim sum and dishes, drinks, DJs, and décor making it easy for diners to make a day and night out of being at the restaurant from lunch to late nights at the bar. “When you’re in here the focus should be what’s in here,” Chan said.”Forget about what’s outside.” And for the little while you’re in the restaurant, sharing drinks, eating dim sum, and having a great time with your friends , there’s really no need to focus because most likely you’ve already fallen under the spell of The Drunken Monkey. For more information on the restaurant, check out the link for The Drunken Monkey.
Pamela Yau |
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James Bond baddies, 1970s kung fu movies, and dim sum, what could these
things possibly have in common? Just ask Stephen Chan, the owner of the
The Drunken Monkey in Shoreditch and he’ll set you straight on how he
was inspired by these elements to create his own dim sum eatery and bar
that has been a trailblazer on the London dining scene.
“As far as food we’re more traditional and simplistic, we try to get
the little things right.” It’s the little things like the many
delicate crimps in the har gau (king prawn dumplings) and the freshness
of the cha siu bao (barbecued roast pork buns) that make them perfect
in their own right, as “less is more” at the Monkey and the attention
to detail in the food and drinks is first rate. 
“Food and drink shouldn’t be separate experiences they should mingle as
one,” according to Goubourne. Fortunately, the wait staff at The
Drunken Monkey is more than capable of helping diners complement their
food with their drink selection and the vice versa. 
