MonsoonSiam — Restaurant in Madison

We've been here in years past, and experiences have usually been pretty good. Not this time though.

This time, after ordering while eating in, my gf's Pad Thai came out first and it was quite a small portion compared to past times eating here, as well as being noticeably smaller than the To-Go portions we observed being packaged up for Take-Out. Regarding that, our server told us that the portions on the paper plates (that they were serving entrees on) "made the portions look smaller when served that way", insisting that they were the same size. I wholeheartedly disagreed. She said it tasted strangely too sweet also, again quite different from past times.

My entree of Drunken Noodles w/Tofu came out 5 minutes after her dish had come out, and it was an oily mess, also a very small portion compared to past times dining here. It also did not have one of the listed ingredients in it, i.e. beans, and it only had two tiny pieces of each of the other listed veggies in it. It was mainly noodles, with 4 small cubes of tofu.

I took it up to the server, tilting the plate so he could see the large amount of oil on the plate (at least a 1/4 cup) and asked him to have it remade. When I asked about the beans, he said they were out of them, but I saw them in other guest's entrees dining there also. I also noted how small of a portion it was.

He had it remade, and it came out a short time later - with beans in it this time! They had also thankfully added to the portion, which made it seem like a normal entree portion. I don't need or desire a huge plate of food, but I don't desire to pay an entree price for an appetizer-sized portion. It was also much less oily, thankfully so. And one more cube of Tofu added.

When we received our bill, each item we had ordered (a sangria drink also) was listed as $1 more than what it was listed at on the menu. The menu was sitting next to the server at the bar when I went to pay, and I pointed it out to him, and he said that the menu prices had gone up but not all the menus had been changed (saying it would cost hundreds of dollars to update them all). He showed me a menu with changed prices on it (tape over the numbers with handwritten higher prices written in), and I then showed him some other menus sitting there which did NOT have the raised prices on them, including the same menu we had had - not showing any "raised prices". He then took off the 'extra charges' with a mild apology.

This is a long detailed review, and I apologize, but a simple nice evening dinner out became more complex than desired or even expected. We will surely not be coming here again with such discrepancies, and with notably poor food preparation. If you've had a great experience here, that's great - hopefully it continues.

Side note: I overheard another patron speaking up about the discrepancy in prices on their bill also, and the server giving the same response. I've noticed in past reviews on here that this has been a sometimes-noted issue in many months past as well. Hopefully, they'll remedy that soon, amongst...

The first time my partner ate MonsoomSiam’s food was at Willy Street Food Festival. Sadly, we forgot about their name until we began looking through old photos. We decided to eat dinner at their restaurant for my partner’s birthday on a Friday evening.

Atmosphere:

The indoor dining area is a bit small, so I would recommend making a reservation after 6 p.m. on a weeknight. If you sit near the back during the wintertime, expect to be cold. Tables are a bit close, which isn’t great for those who need mobile assistance.

Food:

I ordered the Kapow Seitan and holy crap, these people know how to make Seitan. The dish was extremely flavorful, large portion, and tasted fresh. Most restaurants give you more rice than the actual main meal, not this place. At least for me, I needed more rice with my dish. The amount of rice they gave me was equivalent to 6 oz. In my opinion, the amount of food was worth the price.

My partner ordered the Kapow Chicken and he didn’t want to finish his meal because it was so delicious. Flavor was excellent.

We both lived in Seattle for a few years, so we were spoiled with phenomenal asian cuisines (Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, and Japanese). This place reminded us of one of our favorite Thai restaurants in Seattle.

Service:

When we arrived, the waitress told us we could sit anywhere we wanted. Ten minutes later, she asked us to change spots for an incoming table of eight—we were sitting at a table for two. Mistakes happen, and I assume the waitresses unknowingly knew about the party of eight.

Lastly, they gave us the bill while my partner was still eating, and it was the wrong bill. The waitress was apologetic and gave us the correct receipt, roughly 15 minutes after my partner finished his meal. It did take some time for them to come to our table.

I can’t wait to come back and try their...

Date of visit: March 7, 2024 Little store front eatery on Atwood Avenue. Not familiar with the neighborhood and all I saw was street parking. We did park in a little neighborhood about 1 1/2 blocks down; weather was pleasant for a walk. In our party we ordered the Fresh Rolls, Pad Pik Pow with beef, Pad Thai Hor Kai chicken and Drunken Noodles. Fresh Rolls were satisfying. I felt the accompanying peanut sauce was a little thick. I actually enjoyed the rolls better dipped in the remainder of the dressing that was on my side salad. I enjoyed my Pad Pik Pow with beef very much and will order it again. The spiciness was just right. This came with a delicious side salad and I loved the dressing, but cannot put my finger on what components of the dressing were. One daughter ordered the Pad Thai Hor Kai, which she felt was a little too sweet. Presentation was beautiful. My other daughter loves Drunken Noodles and although good, these did not quite meet her standards. Atmosphere of the restaurant is pleasant and it looks like outdoor seating is available in warmer weather. Overall, we enjoyed our experience and I definitely enjoyed my meal. Given the opportunity, I...