Le Monsoon — Restaurant in District of Woden Valley

We wanted to try out this South Indian restaurant based on some good things we have heard. Upon arrival on a Friday evening, the restaurant was completely empty of patrons AND staff. Minimilist style decore, walls were bare with a single painting (most likely a cheap print that looked like it came from a Salvos store), suffice to say it was not warm or inviting as we have come to expect from most restaurants in Canberra (especially Indian). No staff to greet us, we had to ring a little bell for a fairly disinterested waitress to attend us. The descriptions online seemed to be copied from other menus, with vague terminology (we don't use the term 'bell peppers' in Australia) and appom was not on the menu, but mentioned as an accompaniment in a dish (much to my dissapointment). Once we "seated ourselves" (i.e. not shown to a table) we discovered the preference was to order and pay from a QR code at the table. Is this a restaurant or a pub/burger joint? No table service. Well we tried the QR code, but the online QR system does not have any alcoholic drinks available, so gave up and went back to the front counter to ring the bell again... Ordered a thali and a lamb dosa. The dosa came out with the waitress, then the thali came out with the robot. In a Japanese restaurant, the robot can work, however this was an odd gimmick in an Indian restaurant and added to the lack of warmth and service. Have to say the food was remarkably good, except for the Gulab Jaman which was not fresh. Toilets were okay, except the sliding door lock didn't work (in the men's). Left with mixed feelings about the food being tasty and the service being non-existent. With every other business surrounding this restaurant being very busy, I suspect this young business may be missing the mark. Possibly get rid of the robot, the QR codes and get some friendly warm staff to give attentive table service and you might survive. There are only so many close friends and family that can give you 5 star reviews - time to get serious and stop...

Le Monsoon – A Must-Try for Kerala Food Lovers!

This was our second time dining at Le Monsoon Kerala Authentic Food, and once again, they didn’t disappoint!

We ordered the Beef Roast, Malabar Paratha, Beef Cutlet, and Chicken Biryani. Each dish brought out the true essence of Kerala cuisine. The Chicken Biryani isn’t your typical Mughlai or Lucknowi style—it’s a Kerala-style biryani with thicker rice (mota chawal), and the taste was absolutely brilliant. The portion size was generous too.

The Beef Cutlet was slightly over-fried, a little burnt around the edges, but surprisingly, the taste was still great and full of flavor.

Now, the Beef Roast—hands down our favorite! It had those amazing slices of coconut and an irresistible aroma of Kerala spices. The portion was good enough for three people, and we ended up packing the leftovers because two of us just couldn’t finish it (no complaints there, more for later!).

This place may not be the most budget-friendly, but it’s perfect for a once-in-a-while family outing or date night. And yes—the cherry on top? The cute little robot that served our food! Such a fun touch!

Highly recommend this place if you're looking to explore authentic...

It's a perfect place to try authentic South Indian food. This is a must go place for people who would like to explore flavours of Indian cuisines. From typical well known Indian dishes to very specific regional dishes, their menu is adapting wide flavours of Indian food, and that doesn't compromise the quality and quantity of the food. Price wise, you may feel, it's bit expensive than usual Indian restaurants but you won't complain. On top of the food and ambience they have set there, it's the people both front end and back end which takes you back there. Yesterday it was pranshu, before it was a girl whose name I don't know and tomorrow it will be someone else, but they all are collectively putting their effort in making sure the customers are getting fantastic experience. Robi, man o man, you are a gem of person and I wish you all the success. I believe you are the head chef/owns it?? But the way you behave itself will brings heeps of customers for sure. I am not a kind of person who rate everywhere I go, but I felt it was worth mentioning for all the canberrerians who would like to try something different and to get a proper dine in experience on a Friday or...