MONO+MONO — Restaurant in New York

This was my second visit to Mono + Mono. I came with a friend the first time and we enjoyed the food, drinks and atmosphere so much that I just knew it was the perfect place to celebrate my friend’s birthday. The bar had been set so high on the first visit that I was expecting this to be the dining highlight of our weekend in NYC. Unfortunately the overall experience did not live up to my expectations. I mentioned in the reservation that we were celebrating a birthday…but other than a “someone celebrating a birthday” at check in there was no acknowledgment or anything special done. After we placed our orders we mostly interacted with the servers bringing our plates. The server didn’t come by to check and see if the food was to our liking. We started with cocktails a fig & ginger for him and a raspberry sangria for me. His drink was delicious and came with nice big ice cube. My sangria was thick and warm…I had to request a cup of ice from a passing employee in order to drink it. It didn’t taste like any sangria I’ve had before, and not in a good way. Neither of us had another cocktail and decided to just stick with water for the remainder of our meal.

We started with the baechu jeon and Mono salad. Maybe if we had just stuck to these two appetizers the rating would have been higher, because both were delicious. The pancake was flavorful with perfectly crispy edges and a great dipping sauce. the salad was balanced with the corn providing a nice hint of crunch and sweetness.

For our mains we ordered the kimchi fried rice (amazing on my first visit) and the strip steak-medium to share. The steak arrived well done, without a hint of pink anywhere. It was so tough to the point it was inedible, but the accompaniments (brussel sprouts, asparagus and mashed potatoes were tasty). We each took a spoonful of the kimchi fried rice and never went back. You hear “kimchi” and expect to be punched in the face with spicy, umami and salty flavors but it was lackluster…nothing about this dish distinguished it from fried rice that you’d get from a neighborhood carry out restaurant. We were able to get the attention of the waitress and requested the check. She saw the full plates and asked if we wanted to take the food to go, but we hadn’t enjoyed the meal and were going to a listening bar afterwards so we declined.

This was beyond disappointing because I enjoyed it so much on my first visit and was really looking forward to the kimchi fried rice most of all. I don’t know if the kitchen was having a bad night, but the overall experience failed to live up to...

I seen Mono+Mono all over Tiktok, so my guard was up when I walked in. In my experience, places that are hyper curated like this tend to lack attention to detail when it comes to the food, and I was here to GRUB.

I was nervous as I walked in with my big bro, my grand big bro, and grand bigs sister. Grand big RARELY invites me to dinner, so this was a big event.

This place passed the vibe check with flying colors. Little 2 seat high top tables tucked under a 20 foot wall of 15,000 vinyl records, the most beautiful floral arrangements you've ever seen, jars of fermented foods above the bar, honestly one of the best ambiances I've seen in the city. It was almost too good. My words feel futile trying to describe it.

As our group was appreciating the modernist quasi-industrial interior, I said "I hope it's not just fluff to hide some mid-food... it's feelin real fluffy in here..." Right when the words left my mouth I wished I could have them back. Grand big shot me a look that I can only liken to a prime Mike Tyson in a pre fight faceoff. I knew I would get a knuckle sandwich later.

We opted to share everything and ordered 12 wings (6 garlic & 6 spicy), shishito peppers, a baby artichoke, bulgogi fried rice, and 2 bulgogi burgers. I almost ordered a martini but grand big doesn't drink, that would have been strike 2.

The crispy wings made me eat my words right off the bat. They were delicious. No fluff. I couldn't decide if I liked the garlic or the spicy more. The shishito peppers did their thing as well. I didn't eat the artichoke because I never understood the artichoke hype, but the rest of the table loved it.

The bulgogi fried rice was GAS, but was a small portion for $22.95 if we are keeping it a buck. The burgers were the only thing that we got where my fluff meter was correct. It was eh. Although this was the first bulgogi burger I've ever had to be fair.

When I come back, it will be for the wings, shishito peppers, and a couple of martinis as these drinks looked bomb.

All in all, Mono+Mono should be in the dictionary next to "ELITE 2nd date spot." I'm out the game now, but fellas this should be your only 2nd date spot. I think it'd be too much for a first date, but I would always do a chill first date when I was still hoopin.

IG @jnov_ Tiktok...

My lady and I came in here while walking around in the city looking for a place to eat. We found this place while looking on Google Maps and tried it out. It was absolutely amazing! The hostess at the front greeted us immediately and explained that they only accept cash or AMEX, so keep that in mind. Also, this place seems to get packed regularly so it's best to make reservations prior to arriving.

We were served mint water as soon as we were seated, and it was refreshing and crisp. We started off with a round of cocktails and appetizers. We got the Blueberry and Omija cocktails which were beautifully prepared and very refreshing. For appetizers, we got 1/2 dozen raw oysters and the Mono Wings (half & half). The oysters were super fresh and the toppings included with them tasted absolutely amazing. The wings were FANTASTIC and perfectly seasoned and crispy. We couldn't stop talking about how tasty they were.

For entrees we got the Bulgogi Burger and the Bulgogi Kimchi Fried Rice accompanied by a second set of cocktails (the Pine and Cherry) . Both entrees came out very fast (Especially considering that it was a busy night) and they tasted wonderful. Presentation was excellent and portioning and flavors were just perfect. The cocktails once again were refreshing, with balanced flavors and portions.

Our waitress was also excellent. She was very attentive and made excellent recommendations for us as we were unfamiliar with a lot of the menu. Another thing I should mention is the design of the interior, which unfortunately I didn't get photos of. The outside of the restaurant is pretty stale honestly, but the inside screams classy and poise. There's so much to look at on the walls, and even the music playing in the background was very fitting.

Pricing for everything was also very fair considering that we were STUFFED afterwards. Overall, we both would highly recommend trying out Mono+Mono if you're looking to experience a new place and try some excellent drinks and food with beautiful atmosphere. The only reason that I gave it 4/5 stars is because they only take AMEX and cash. I think that there should be a way for them to accept more cards or even ApplePay/GooglePay, especially for being...