Sunday, July 29, 2012

Monk McQueens

If I was going to give a prize for the best deck in Vancouver, Monk Mcqueens would come very high on the list. It is set over the water in False Creek and is extensive, my only complaint is that on a very hot sunny evening like the one that we were lucky enough to have there is no shade.  Even the umbrellas are not the kind that bend.  I really think they should invest in some bending umbrellas.


They advertise themselves as a fresh seafood and oyster bar and the menu is very heavy on the seafood with a few non fish choices. We had trouble choosing a wine, and when we finally chose one, we decided that we did not care for it. They very accommodatingly said that as this was one that they served by the glass we could pick another one at no cost. We wanted to order a couple of appetizers to share as a couple of party were not staying for dinner.  But there are not a lot of choices on the menu that lent them selves to this.  We decided on panko coated calamari $14.00 and tuna poke $15.00.


The calamari was crisp and fresh and served with tatziki.  This was good but nothing out of the ordinary.  The Tuna poke was in fact soy marinated tartar with avocado and won ton chips.




I really enjoyed this, the tuna was served on top of crushed avocado. The rich creaminess of the avocado went well with the slightly salty tuna and crisp won ton chips.  My only complaint was that we could have done with a few more of the won ton chips, but we finished it up with some bread.

A couple of the party ordered one of the few non seafood options on the menu Peri Peri Brick Pressed Chicken Breast $26.00


Sadly I did not get to try this, but it looked good and those that had it seemed very happy. Another member of the group ordered Oven roasted Fresh halibut $28.00


The halibut was glazed with agave nectar & tequila served roasted golden & red beets and a corn risotto, with a shimiji-soy sauce. Again I did not try this, but the recipient seemed very pleased with his choice as well.

I ordered tiger prawn salad $16.00



This salad came with six tiger prawns, cured pork belly, spinach romaine, avocado, shaved radish, a six minute egg, crispy artichokes and a blue cheese vinaigrette. First the not so good, the prawns were ice cold and unexceptional, and the belly pork greasy and also very cold, but on the good side the egg was amazing.  I am not sure how it was cooked but it seemed that it was soft boiled and then coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried. The egg was warm, perfectly cooked and crispy on the outside.  Had the prawns been warm and freshly cooked, and the belly pork better or even left off, this would have been a memorable meal, as it was it was a memorable egg.



I was there with some colleagues from work to bid a sad farewell to our boss who is leaving us for bigger and better things.  It was a perfect Vancouver evening and the city shone as no other, with the  water, the glass sky scrapers of the city and the back drop of the mountains.  We reminded her that where she was going to work, though close to home and a step up in responsibility she would not be able to enjoy a drink after work in such a breathtaking place.

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