Blue Monkey Thai Rose Bay

Really delicious Thai food in Rose Bay. We ordered the Massaman Curry and the meat was perfectly tender. It also came with some flaky, house made roti to mop up the succulent juices. Great serving sizes and polite, friendly service. A gem of a restaurant.

We walked over from Bondi - totally worth it.
Had the 3 flavoured Barra, which came with plenty of veges and was super tasty.
The serving was quite large and they had actually removed pretty much all the bones from the fish, which made it much easier to eat.
Also had some pad see ew +roti with peanut sauce and rice.
Great food, friendly service and nice setting - what more can you ask for.

WOW!....what an amazing establishment. The food? Fresh, Fragrant, simply amazing. The vegetables in dishes are cooked to absolute perfection! The sauces are in a league of their own. The service (delivery and dine-in) is always delightful, always on time, and always delivered with grace and good manners. I can't even fathom a single flaw, OUTSTANDING!

FOOD TYPE
Thai

FOOD QUALITY
Two of us dined on a busy Sat night. We started off with our fav fish cake and curry puff entrees. The fish cakes were chewy but tender and the curry puffs skilfully prepared with a crispy outer coating and a soft vegetable filling. Four pieces per serve, so that was just enough to whet our appetites for what was to follow. And mains didn’t disappoint. My wife choose the squid and I went for the beef yellow curry. The squid was moist and succulent and served with a side of nutritious green salad. My yellow beef curry was tender, in a rich creamy sauce and accompanied by fresh, crunchy vegetables and chunky potatoes. A large bowl of fluffy white rice was the perfect accompaniment. Everything we ordered was delivered to the table, piping hot in stylish white crockery. Serving sizes were generous and we left feeling full and satisfied.

ATMOSPHERE
Blue Monkey is a small restaurant with space for maybe 60 diners. It’s has been tastefully decked out with exposed brick walls and low hanging beams. Furniture is wooden: simple and utilitarian, and lighting is dim, but it all works effectively to create a warm and cosy atmosphere. The night we dined the place filled with animated, contented diners. There was hardly an empty table, which made the atmosphere busy, energetic and lively. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves; it’s the kind of restaurant that makes you feel happy to be in.

SERVICE
This place hums with military style precision. We took the precaution of booking ahead and on the Saturday afternoon, I received a call from the maître d’ to confirm our booking and to check that we did intend to dine that night. That doesn’t happen to me too often. I was slightly disappointed though to get a table near the door, despite the fact that had booked three days prior. When two of our party failed to turn up, they put us at a smaller, but more comfortable table out of the draft. Once settled in, our orders were promptly taken and dishes came out quickly and in the correct order. I appreciated the fact that our efficient waitress first asked us HOW we would like the meals delivered.

COMFORT
Heaters are strategically placed around the restaurant so that although it was a chilly winter’s eve, we were as warm as toast, helped perhaps too, by so many bodies sitting in close proximity to each other. Our table though, was rather small and cramped and we struggled to fit everything – and it was a table designed for four.

MENU
Tatty. Just take a look at the picture I’ve put up of it. It’s well past time for new menus to be printed. Not only are they tattered and worn, but the print is so small and faint it’s difficult for anyone over the age of 50 to read it properly in that dim lighting.

TOILETS
There is a single unisex toilet at the back. That’s not sufficient for a restaurant of this size, so prepare to wait or queue when it gets busy. No signposting either so you’ll have to ask one of the busy waitresses where it is. I don’t understand why it’s so hard to put up a sign indicating where the toilets (in this case: TOILET) are/is? Once you find it, though, you will find it reasonably tidy and well provisioned and I even noticed that it benefited from a mid- evening clean-up.

ACOUSTICS
Tables are packed closely together and the design is all wood and concrete, with no sound absorbers. So it does get noisy, but in a way that’s part of its charm. Lots of people packed together like sardines, talking loudly and having a good time.

COST
We paid $62 for two of us and that included corkage, two entrees, two mains and a double serve of rice. Can’t complain about that in these tough times.

BOOKING
Essential for a Saturday night.

PARKING/ACCESS
Living locally, we walked, but parking around here shouldn’t be a problem. Easiest option would probably be nearby Dover Rd.

SUMMARY
This is an top notch little eatery that’s clearly a hit with the locals. Food is delicious and served in generous portions. Service is fast and efficient and you just can’t beat it for value. Would be nice to see new menus printed though and some decent signage for the toilets. Despite that though, we’ll certainly be back.

MEMO
If you make a booking, keep it, because they’ll call you on the day and ask you to confirm. And remember its BYO, so bring along a bottle of your fav drop to enjoy with your meals.

Our local Thai restaurant. Great flavours, large portions, byo. Perfect!