Blue Monkey Thai

This Thai joint has been a staple at The Spot for many years, and it never disappoints. There’s always a good crowd on a weekend, testimony to the consistently decent food, fast service and reasonable prices you can expect. Four of us dined on a busy Saturday night. We took the precaution of phoning ahead to book a table, which was just as well, because it was pretty full and we wanted to sit outdoors, where there are only two tables but we got one of them. Being a warm, early autumn night, we were quite comfy there and enjoyed a laid back and relaxed meal. As this place doesn’t have a “licence” to serve alcohol to consenting adults, we had to dash across the road to the nearest bottle shop to grab a few bottles of beer, then ended up paying $3 per person, for the pleasure of drinking our own grog. But then I guess it’s not the fault of the restaurant, just the archaic rules around alcohol service which we seem to tolerate. Go to any mature country in the world, and all restaurants and cafes serve alcohol to adults, no such thing as “licences” required to do so. Having quenched our thirst on some good value beer specials from the popular and well stocked BWS at St Paul’s, we proceeded to order. We choose fish cakes ($7) and curry puffs ($7) to share as entrees. The fish cakes were firm and chewy, just the way we like them, and the curry puffs had a crispy outer coating and a savoury veg filling. Standard Thai dishes but well done. For mains, I choose the massaman beef curry ($20), the others choose tofu ($17) and seafood ($23) dishes, accompanied by brown and white rice. My massaman curry had lashings of tender meat pieces, cooked with potatoes and cashew nuts. The tofu dishes were fresh and tasty; same with the seafood. Serving sizes were generous and we all enjoyed our meals. With corkage, we ended up paying $109 for the two starters, four mains and two serves of rice. Good value for money in these difficult times. As we sat outside, acoustics were fine, apart from the deafening noise of the occasional bus pulling up at the kerbside. Service, as we have come to expect from Blue Monkey, was fast, professional and efficient. Orders were quickly taken and meals came out at a steady pace, in the correct order. The atmosphere, inside or outside is laid back, casual and relaxed. There are separate male and female toilets, down the narrow corridor at the back past the storage and kitchen areas. The male toilet was reasonably clean and well stocked except I couldn’t find the light switch for the cubicle, so had to fumble around in the dark. Blue Monkey is in the heart of the bustling “Spot” dining and entertainment precinct in Randwick. It’s a solid and reliable choice for a Saturday night out with friends. The food is flavoursome, service is first class, and prices, even without any deals, are reasonable. The atmosphere is pleasant and there’s always a fair crowd. Parking is never easy around here, so I usually drive straight past and head to Howard Street, where I can normally find a “spot” (excuse the pun) and it’s a level, 10-12 minute walk to the restaurant.

Good meal. Nice background music. Ordered and liked the drunken noodles. The green chicken curry was ok. The chilli beef was nicer. They brought water out without being asked so a big plus.